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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2005, p. 2046-2052, Vol. 71, No. 4
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.4.2046-2052.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Accumulation of Polyhydroxyalkanoate from Styrene and Phenylacetic Acid by Pseudomonas putida CA-3

Patrick G. Ward,1 Guy de Roo,2 and Kevin E. O'Connor1*

Department of Industrial Microbiology, Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology, Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, National University of Ireland, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Republic of Ireland,1 Institute of Biotechnology, HPT, ETH Honggerberg, Zurich, Switzerland2

Received 22 July 2004/ Accepted 13 November 2004

Pseudomonas putida CA-3 is capable of converting the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene, its metabolite phenylacetic acid, and glucose into polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) when a limiting concentration of nitrogen (as sodium ammonium phosphate) is supplied to the growth medium. PHA accumulation occurs to a low level when the nitrogen concentration drops below 26.8 mg/liter and increases rapidly once the nitrogen is no longer detectable in the growth medium. The depletion of nitrogen and the onset of PHA accumulation coincided with a decrease in the rate of substrate utilization and biochemical activity of whole cells grown on styrene, phenylacetic acid, and glucose. However, the efficiency of carbon conversion to PHA dramatically increased once the nitrogen concentration dropped below 26.8 mg/liter in the growth medium. When supplied with 67 mg of nitrogen/liter, the carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratios that result in a maximum yield of PHA (grams of PHA per gram of carbon) for styrene, phenylacetic acid, and glucose are 28:1, 21:1, and 18:1, respectively. In cells grown on styrene and phenylacetic acid, decreasing the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio below 28:1 and 21:1, respectively, by increasing the nitrogen concentration and using a fixed carbon concentration leads to lower levels of PHA per cell and lower levels of PHA per batch of cells. Increasing the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio above 28:1 and 21:1 for cells grown on styrene and phenylacetic acid, respectively, by decreasing the nitrogen concentration and using a fixed carbon concentration increases the level of PHA per cell but results in a lower level of PHA per batch of cells. Increasing the carbon and nitrogen concentrations but maintaining the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of 28:1 and 21:1 for cells grown on styrene and phenylacetic acid, respectively, results in an increase in the total PHA per batch of cells. The maximum yields for PHA from styrene, phenylacetic acid, and glucose are 0.11, 0.17, and 0.22 g of PHA per g of carbon, respectively.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Industrial Microbiology, Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology, National University of Ireland, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland. Phone: 353 17161307. Fax: 353 17161183. E-mail: kevin.oconnor{at}ucd.ie.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2005, p. 2046-2052, Vol. 71, No. 4
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.4.2046-2052.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Nikodinovic-Runic, J., Flanagan, M., Hume, A. R., Cagney, G., O'Connor, K. E. (2009). Analysis of the Pseudomonas putida CA-3 proteome during growth on styrene under nitrogen-limiting and non-limiting conditions. Microbiology 155: 3348-3361 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Tobin, K. M., McGrath, J. W., Mullan, A., Quinn, J. P., O'Connor, K. E. (2007). Polyphosphate Accumulation by Pseudomonas putida CA-3 and Other Medium-Chain-Length Polyhydroxyalkanoate-Accumulating Bacteria under Aerobic Growth Conditions. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 1383-1387 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • O'Leary, N. D., O'Connor, K. E., Ward, P., Goff, M., Dobson, A. D. W. (2005). Genetic Characterization of Accumulation of Polyhydroxyalkanoate from Styrene in Pseudomonas putida CA-3. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 4380-4387 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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