Microbial production of uracil by an isolated Methylobacterium sp. WJ4 using methanol

In this study, we report the production of uracil from methanol by an isolated methylotrophic bacterium, Methylobacterium sp. WJ4. The use of methanol as alternative carbon feedstock is attractive option in biotechnology. As a feedstock of biotechnological processes, methanol has distinct advantages over methane. This is not only due to physical and chemical considerations, but also to the properties of the pertinent organisms. Besides, with a wide array of biological activities and synthetic accessibility, uracil is considered as privileged structures in drug discovery. Uracil analogues have been applied to treatments of patients with cancer or viral infections. In this respect, it is meaningful to produce uracil using methanol. The effect of process parameters and methanol concentration for uracil production were investigated and optimized. Uracil production was remarkably increased to 5.76mgg cell dry weight^-1 in optimized condition. The results were significant for further understanding of methylotrophic bacteria on uracil production.