Establishing Vibrio natriegens as a high-performance host for acetate-based poly-3-hydroxybutyrate production
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Acetate can be a sustainable and renewable carbon source which holds significant promise for biotechnological production but is underutilized industrially due to limited microbial efficiency. Vibrio natriegens , recognized for exceptionally fast growth rates, represents a compelling host for developing efficient acetate-based bioprocesses. In this study, adaptive laboratory evolution significantly enhanced V. natriegens ’ ability to grow on acetate as the sole carbon source, achieving an 89% increase in growth rate. Genetic and transcriptomic analyses revealed key adaptations improving acetate uptake and metabolism via increased salt tolerance, boosted Pta/AckA pathway activity, and rewired quorum sensing. Further metabolic engineering and bioprocess optimization enabled the evolved strain to reach high cell densities and efficiently convert acetate into the bioplastic poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), with productivities up to 0.27 g/L/h and PHB accumulation reaching 45.66% of cell biomass. These advances position V. natriegens as a highly promising microbial platform for sustainable, scalable, and cost-effective biomanufacturing using acetate as green feedstock.
