Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for N-acetyl glucosamine fermentation

Glucosamine (GlcN) and GlcN-based supplements such as N-acetyl-glucosamine (GlcNAc) are widely used by osteoarthritis patients to support joint health. However, current methods for producing GlcN-based products are not environmentally friendly and pose risks to individuals allergic to shrimp. Microbial cell-based systems offer a sustainable alternative for GlcN and GlcNAc production. This study focused on developing an Escherichia coli strain for GlcNAc fermentation. E. coli naturally synthesizes N-acetyl-glucosamine-1-phosphate (GlcNAc-1-P) as part of its peptidoglycan biosynthesis pathway. To enhance GlcNAc production, the glmS gene (encoding for glucosamine-6-P synthase) from E. coli and the GNA1 gene (encoding for N-acetylglucosamine-6-P N-acetyltransferase) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae were cloned and combined into an artificial operon (glmS-GNA1) to establish an alternative GlcNAc pathway. The qPCR analysis of the resulting strain revealed a substantial increase of glmS and GNA1 expression. This artificial operon was then placed under the control of a salicylate-inducible promoter (Pm-glmS-GNA1), which enabled the cell growth and GlcNAc production in two phases. The E. coli AP520 strain containing the salicylate inducible cassette produced 6.2 g/L of GlcNAc in shaking flask fermentation, validating the strain design and engineering strategy for constructing a functional GlcNAc fermentation pathway in E. coli.