Molecular Breeding of a Biotin-Hyperproducing Strain of Serratia marcescens

Abstract

Biotin is a cofactor indispensable for enzymatic carboxylation and one of vitamins available for health care and as an animal feed additive. At present, this vitamin is commercially produced by chemical synthesis. In order to industrially produce it at a lower cost, we investigated fermentative production of biotin. Many wild-type microorganisms are able to produce biotin, though in a very small amount. The last five intermediates and the reaction sequence for the biosynthesis of biotin in Escherichia coli have been demonstrated but the precursors of pimeloyl-CoA is not yet clear [1]. Recently, several research groups are working on the construction of biotin-producing strains using E. coli and Bacillus sphaericus. Serratia marcescens is a facultatively anaerobic gram-negative rod and one of enteric bacteria which has been used as various amino acid-producing strains. Here we report the construction of a biotin-hyperproducing strain of S. marcescens.