Enzymology of acetone-butanol-isopropanol formation. Final technical report, June 1, 1985--July 31, 1997

Several species of anaerobic bacteria within the genus Clostridium produce acetone, n-butanol, and isopropanol (solvents), which are important industrial chemicals and fuel additives. Commercial production of solvents by the clostridia is a classical example of largescale chemical production by bacterial fermentation. Although the fermentation has been in use for decades, it still faces problems that include strain degeneration, a relatively low final product concentration due to butanol toxicity, and a need to fine-tune the growth conditions to achieve a high yield. The long-term goal of this project was to understand the fundamental properties of bacterial solvent production for the purpose of achieving a positive control on the metabolic switch leading to solvent production and on the proportion of useful products formed as well as of developing strategies for preventing the degeneration of producing strains. The objectives for the project included those approved in 1985 for the initial project period and those approved in 1988, 1991, and 1994 when the project was renewed. The objectives for the entire project period may be summarized as (1) To purify and characterize the enzymes that are specifically required for the formation of acetone, butanol, and isopropanol by the clostridia, (2) To clone and characterize the genes that encode enzymes or regulatory proteins for the production of solvents, and the emphasis was to determine the control mechanism for the transcription of the solvent-production genes, (3) To characterize the onset of solvent production and the intra- and extra-cellular parameters surrounding the metabolic switch to solvent production, and (4) To determine the genetic identity of the strains of solvent-producing clostridia that are currently in use by investigators around the world