Sporulation in solventogenic and acetogenic clostridia

The Clostridium genus harbors compelling organisms for biotechnological production processes; while acetogenic clostridia can fix C1-compounds to produce acetate and ethanol, solventogenic clostridia can utilize a wide range of carbon sources to produce commercially valuable carboxylic acids, alcoho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied microbiology and biotechnology 2021-05, Vol.105 (9), p.3533-3557
Main Authors: Diallo, Mamou, Kengen, Servé W. M., López-Contreras, Ana M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetic acid
Alcohols
Bacilli
Bacteria
Bacteria, Anaerobic
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biotechnology
Butanols
Carbohydrates
Carbon sources
Carboxylic acids
Cell density
Cell differentiation
Clostridium
Clostridium - genetics
Differentiation (biology)
Environmental stress
Ethanol
Fermentation
Ketones
Life Sciences
Microbial Genetics and Genomics
Microbiology
Mini-Review
Physiological aspects
Regulatory mechanisms (biology)
Solvents
Spores
Sporulation
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Summary:The Clostridium genus harbors compelling organisms for biotechnological production processes; while acetogenic clostridia can fix C1-compounds to produce acetate and ethanol, solventogenic clostridia can utilize a wide range of carbon sources to produce commercially valuable carboxylic acids, alcohols, and ketones by fermentation. Despite their potential, the conversion by these bacteria of carbohydrates or C1 compounds to alcohols is not cost-effective enough to result in economically viable processes. Engineering solventogenic clostridia by impairing sporulation is one of the investigated approaches to improve solvent productivity. Sporulation is a cell differentiation process triggered in bacteria in response to exposure to environmental stressors. The generated spores are metabolically inactive but resistant to harsh conditions (UV, chemicals, heat, oxygen). In Firmicutes , sporulation has been mainly studied in bacilli and pathogenic clostridia, and our knowledge of sporulation in solvent-producing or acetogenic clostridia is limited. Still, sporulation is an integral part of the cellular physiology of clostridia; thus, understanding the regulation of sporulation and its connection to solvent production may give clues to improve the performance of solventogenic clostridia. This review aims to provide an overview of the triggers, characteristics, and regulatory mechanism of sporulation in solventogenic clostridia. Those are further compared to the current knowledge on sporulation in the industrially relevant acetogenic clostridia. Finally, the potential applications of spores for process improvement are discussed. Key Points • The regulatory network governing sporulation initiation varies in solventogenic clostridia. • Media composition and cell density are the main triggers of sporulation. • Spores can be used to improve the fermentation process.
ISSN:0175-7598
1432-0614
1432-0614
DOI:10.1007/s00253-021-11289-9