The depletion of fossil resources and their detrimental impact on global climate change necessitate the development of sustainable, renewable alternatives. Advanced fuels derived from microbial fermentation represent a promising route towards reducing dependency on petroleum-derived energy sources. In this respect, terpenoids emerge as attractive candidates for biofuel applications. Among terpenoids, α-bisabolene, a plant-derived sesquiterpenoid, has attracted attention as a potential diesel substitute owing to its high energy density and favorable combustion properties. In this study, the biotechnologically well-established Gram-positive bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum was metabolically engineered for the biosynthesis of α-bisabolene for the first time. C. glutamicum exhibited robust growth in the presence of up to 1 g/L exogenously added α-bisabolene, showing its suitability as a host for α-bisabolene production. Among the different solvents for in situ product recovery, isopropyl myristate was identified as the most suitable to capture α-bisabolene, yielding 87.1 ± 7.1 mg/L. To address the "food vs. fuel" debate, α-bisabolene biosynthesis was achieved on glycerol, arabinose, and xylose, offering further sustainability and cost-effectiveness. By overexpressing dxs and idi, the production was increased to 296.5 ± 15.9 mg/L. This study broadens the biofuel product spectrum of C. glutamicum and supports their production based on alternative carbon sources.
Keywords: Corynebacterium glutamicum; Biofuel production; Metabolic engineering; Sustainability; α-Bisabolene.
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