Insights into the Metabolism of Oleaginous Rhodococcus spp.

ALVAREZ, HÉCTOR M.; HERRERO, O. MARISA; SILVA, ROXANA A.; HERNÁNDEZ, MARTÍN A.; LANFRANCONI, MARIANA P.; VILLALBA, MARIA S.

APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY

AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY

Año: 2019 vol. 85

0099-2240

Some species belonging to Rhodococcus genus, such as R. opacus, R. jostii or R. wratislaviensis, are known to be oleaginous microorganisms, since they are able to accumulate more than 20% of triacylglycerols (TAG) of their cellular weight. Oleaginous rhodococci are promising microbial cell factories for the production of lipids to be used as fuels and chemicals. Cells could be engineered to create strains capable of producing high quantities of oils from industrial wastes and a variety of high-value lipids. The comprehensive understanding of carbon metabolism and its regulation will contribute to the design of a reliable process for bacterial oil production. Bacterial oleagenicity requires an integral configuration of metabolism and regulatory processes rather than the sole existence of an efficient lipid biosynthesis pathway. During the last years, several studies have been focused on basic aspects of TAG biosynthesis and accumulation using R. opacus PD630 and R. jostii RHA1 strains as models of oleaginous bacteria. The combination of results obtained in these studies allows us to propose a first metabolic landscape for oleaginous rhodococci. In this context, this article provides a comprehensive and integrative view of different metabolic and regulatory attributes and innovations that explain the extraordinary ability of these bacteria to synthesize and accumulate TAG. We hope that the accessibility to such information in an integrated way will help researchers to rationally select new targets for further studies in the field.