| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous Article | Next Article ![]()
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2007, p. 3343-3347, Vol. 73, No. 10
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/AEM.02482-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Environmental Microbiology, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany,1 UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Proteomics, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany2
Received 24 October 2006/ Accepted 12 March 2007
The compatible solute 1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2-methyl-4-pyrimidinecarboxylic acid (ectoine) acts in microorganisms as an osmotic counterweight against halostress and has attracted commercial attention as a protecting agent. Its production and application are restricted by the drawbacks of the discontinuous harvesting procedure involving salt shocks, which reduces volumetric yield, increases reactor corrosion, and complicates downstream processing. In order to synthesize ectoine continuously in less-aggressive media, we introduced the ectoine genes ectABC of the halophilic bacterium Chromohalobacter salexigens into an Escherichia coli strain using the expression vector pASK-IBA7. Under the control of a tet promoter, the transgenic E. coli synthesized 6 g liter1 ectoine with a space-time yield of 40 mg liter1 h1, with the vast majority of the ectoine being excreted.
Published ahead of print on 16 March 2007.
| J. Bacteriol. | Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. | Eukaryot. Cell | All ASM Journals |
|---|