Systematic Adaptation of Bacillus licheniformis to 2-Phenylethanol Stress
Yangyang Zhan, Haixia Xu, Hween Tong Tan, Ying Swan Ho, Dongxiao Yang, Shuwen Chen, Shuwen Chen, Dave Siak‐Wei Ow, Xin Lv, Fang Wei, Xuezhi Bi, Shouwen Chen, Shouwen Chen
Abstract
The ability to tolerate organic solvents is essential for bacteria producing these chemicals with high titer, yield, and productivity. As exemplified by 2-PE, bioproduction of 2-PE represents a promising alternative to chemical synthesis and plant extraction approaches, but its toxicity hinders successful large-scale microbial production. Here, a multi-omics approach is employed to systematically study the mechanisms of B. licheniformis DW2 resistance to 2-PE. As a 2-PE-tolerant strain, B. licheniformis displays multifactorial mechanisms of 2-PE tolerance, including activating global stress response and repair systems, increasing NADPH supply, changing cell morphology and membrane composition, and remodeling metabolic pathways. The current work yields novel insights into the mechanisms of B. licheniformis resistance to 2-PE. This knowledge can also be used as a clue for improving bacterial performances to achieve industrial-scale production of 2-PE and potentially applied to the production of other relevant organic solvents, such as tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol.