Enhanced rhamnolipid production in Pseudomonas putida through systematic medium optimization and metabolic...

Rhamnolipids are biosurfactants with broad industrial applications, yet their production remains limited by low yield and high cost. Herein, the non-pathogenic P. putida KT2440 was engineered for enhanced rhamnolipid production through systematic medium optimization and metabolic engineering. Using response surface methodology, an optimal medium was developed with mixed carbon sources (glucose and glycerol) and nitrogen sources (yeast extract and NaNO₃). The optimized medium increased the rhamnolipid titer from 1.5 g/L (in Luria-Bertani medium with 1% glucose) to 6.1 g/L in shake flasks, a 306.7% improvement. Transcriptional analysis revealed that medium optimization enhanced the Entner-Doudoroff pathway flux, reduced periplasmic pathway flux, and improved nutrient uptake, while the rhamnolipid synthesis pathway itself was not significantly upregulated. To address this bottleneck, metabolic engineering was applied to enhance the supply of rhamnolipid precursors. By overexpressing genes involved in rhamnose (rmlBDAC) and fatty acid (accA, accD, fabD) synthesis, the engineered strain, accAD-fabD-R, achieved a rhamnolipid titer of 9.8 g/L in shake flasks and 40.2 g/L in 5 L bioreactor, with a productivity of 0.56 g/L/h, representing the highest reported levels for engineered P. putida. This study demonstrates an effective strategy for highly efficient rhamnolipid production in P. putida, highlighting its potential for industrial-scale biomanufacturing.