Amplification of 1-deoxy-D-xyluose 5-phosphate (DXP) synthase level increases coenzyme Q10 production in recombinant Escherichia coli

For the enhancement of coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) production, 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP) synthase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was constitutively coexpressed in a recombinant Escherichia coli strain, which harbors the ddsA gene from Gluconobacter suboxydans encoding decaprenyl diphosphate synthase. It was found that the expression of the ddsA gene caused depletion of the isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) pool in E. coli. Amplification of DXP synthase level by installing P. aeruginosa DXP synthase restored the diminished IPP pool and concomitantly resulted in approximately a twofold increase in relative content and productivity of CoQ(10). Maximum CoQ(10) concentration of 46.1 mg l(-1) was achieved from glucose-limited fed-batch cultivation of the recombinant E. coli strain simultaneously harboring the ddsA and dxs genes.