AUTHOR=Xue Mengheng , Huang Rong , Liu Wei , Cheng Jian , Liu Yuwan , Zhang Jie , Wang Limei , Liu Dingyu , Jiang Huifeng 

TITLE=Identification and characterization of a potential strain for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate from glycerol

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1413120

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2024.1413120

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=While poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) holds promise as a bioplastic, its commercial utilization has been hampered by the high cost of raw materials. However, glycerol emerges as a viable feedstock for PHB production, offering a sustainable production approach and substantial cost reduction potential. Glycerol stands out as a promising feedstock for PHB production, offering a pathway towards sustainable manufacturing and considerable cost savings. The identification and characterization of strains capable of converting glycerol into PHB represent a pivotal strategy in advancing PHB production research. In this study, we isolated a strain, Ralstonia sp. RRA (RRA). The strain exhibits remarkable proficiency in synthesizing PHB from glycerol. With glycerol as the carbon source, RRA achieved a specific growth rate of 0.19 h -1 , attaining a PHB content of approximately 50% within 30 hours. Through thirdgeneration genome and transcriptome sequencing, we elucidated the genome composition and identified a total of 8 genes (glpR, glpD, glpS,     glpT, glpP, glpQ, glpV, glpK)  involved in the glycerol metabolism pathway. Leveraging these findings, the strain RRA demonstrates significant promise in producing PHB from low-cost renewable carbon sources.