Enhancing production of L-serine by increasing the glyA gene expression in Methylobacterium sp. MB200

Microbial fermentation using methylotrophic bacteria is one of the most promising methods for L-serine production. Here we describe the metabolic engineering of a Methylobacterium strain to increase the production of L-serine. The glyA gene, encoding serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT), was isolated from the genomic DNA of Methylobacterium sp. MB200, using a DNA fragment encoding Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 SHMT as a probe, and inserted into the vector pLAFR3. The resulting construct was transformed into Methylobacterium sp. MB200 using triparental mating. The genetic-engineered strain, designated as Methylobacterium sp. MB202, was shown to produce 11.4 + or - 0.6 mg/ml serine in resting cell reactions from 30 mg/ml wet cells, 20 mg/ml glycine, and 70 mg/ml methanol in 2 days, representing a 4.4-fold increase from that of the wild strain. The results demonstrated the potential for improving L-serine production by manipulating the glyA in bacteria and should facilitate the production of L-serine using Methylobacterium sp. strains.