Genetic modification for enhancing bacterial cellulose production and its applications

Figures & data

Figure 1. Mechanism of cellulose biosynthesis in Komagataeibacter xylinus.

GK = Glucokinase, PGM = Phosphoglucomutase, UDP = Uridyl diphosphate, UDPG = Uridyl diphosphate glucose, UDPGP = UDPG phosphorylase, C-di-GMP = cyclic diguanylic acid

Table 1. Genetic modifications and adopted strategies for improved cellulose bioprocess

Bacteria	Media/carbon source and yield	Genetic modification	Objective	Strategy and purpose of genetic modification	References
Komagataeibacter rhaeticus	Low nitrogen medium, Rod-like cellulose ~2 µm in length	Targeted UGPase gene, as it catalyzes the production of UDP-glucose critical for cellulose synthesis	To achieve control over cellulose production	sRNA-mediated knockdown of UGPase to inhibit production of UDP glucose	[33]
K. xylinum DSM 2325	Glucose in a complex medium, 3.15 g/L BC	Heterologous overexpression of glucose 6-phosphate isomerase pgi gene from E Coli	To enhance BC production	Integrategration in genome and overexpression of heterologous gene pgi	[35]
Glucanoacetobacter xylinus	Glucose, 1.38 g/L BC production	Knockout of glucose dehydrogenase gene	To enhance BC production	By homologous recombination of defected GDH gene so as to reduce gluconic acid formation	[70]
Gluconobacter xylinus	Glucose, BC production 4.3 g/L and glucose conversion 184.7 mg/g	Heterogeneous expression of the Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHb)-encoding gene vgb,	Study oxygen tension effect on BC production	Heterogeneous expression of VHb gene and plasmid pBla-VHb-122 enhanced BC yield in lower oxygen tension	[58]
K. hansenii ATCC 23769	Glucose and cellulose	bglxA and cmcAx	Enhanced cellulose production	Transglycosylation as well as hydrolytic activity of betaglucosidase regulate glucose and other oligos concentration to regulate expression of genes	[78]
K. xylinus PBR2001	Glucose, 1.7-fold higher BC production, 4.1 g/L	gdh knock down	To enhance BC production	disruption of the gene encoding putative PQQ-GDH	[68]
K. xylinus AY201	Glucose	crdS gene introduction and expression to simultaneous synthesize cellulose/curdlan	To synthesize more porous nanocomposites curdlan/cellulose	crdS gene from Agrobacterium sp introduced in K. xylinus via expression in plasmid for nanocomposites synthesis curdlan/cellulose	[82]
K. xylinum	Glucose	An operon of three genes (NAG5, AGM1 and UAP1) from the yeast Candida albicans introduced into K. xylinus	To reduce crystallinity and increase biodegradability	NAG5, AGM1, and UAP1 introduced into K xylinum to synthesize chimeric polymer with enhanced biodegradability	[83]

Figure 2. Genetic modification: A general scheme in K. xylinus.

Table 2. Applications of BC in various industries based on its specific properties

Industry	Application	Properties of BC enabling application
Cosmeceuticals	Face masks, stabilizer of emulsions like conditioner, cream, tonics, nail polishes, make-up pads	Moisturizer retention capacity
Mining and refinery	Sponges to collect leaking oils, material for absorbing noneco-friendly discharges like toxins	Water holding/retention capacity
Textile industry	Tents and camping equipment, sports-related nonwoven clothing	High mechanical strength
Sewage treatment	Recycling of minerals and oils, filtration of sewage, and water purification	BC as potential material for membrane synthesis
Communications	Diaphragms for microphones and stereo headphones	High mechanical strength
Food industry	Diet food and drink with low calories, edible cellulose (nata de coco)	Low digestible sugar content, ability to reduce the cholesterol level
Paper industry	Artificial replacement of wood, Flexible/durable and high strength paper, special papers suitable for currency printing	Extremely small clusters of cellulose microfibrils with higher filler content
Medicine/ biomedical	Temporary artificial skin for burns and ulcers, dental implant components; antimicrobial wound dressing, nanofilm, drug delivery, drug excipient.	Ability to absorb exudates during the inflammatory phase
Laboratories	Protein immobilization, chromatographic techniques, tissue culture medium	Water-retention capacity
Electronics	Optoelectronics materials (liquid crystal displays)	Antibacterial properties
Energy	Membrane fuel cell (palladium), catalyst precursor	-

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