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Whole-Cell Biocatalytic Production of 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid from 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural by Bacillus subtilis
Xiangling Jiang1,2, Changtong Chen1,2, Mingxia Jiao1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Green Papermaking and Resource Recycling, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China.
Abstract:
2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is an important bio-based platform compound that can be synthesized through the biotransformation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). However, the limited availability of safe microbial strains is a major constraint in the whole-cell catalysis of HMF to FDCA. In this study, a strain capable of catalyzing the conversion of HMF to FDCA, Bacillus subtilis J8M8, was identified. Under optimized whole-cell catalytic conditions, the wild-type strain produced 33.1 mM FDCA with a yield of 41.4%. To enhance FDCA production, HMF/furfural oxidoreductase (HmfH), PQQ-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and aryl-alcohol oxidase (MaAAO) were co-expressed in B. subtilis J8M8. As a result, FDCA production increased to 72.3 mM, with a yield of 90.4%. Further optimization of the engineered strain improved FDCA production to 83.3 mM and yield to 92.6%, representing a 2.52-fold increase over that of the wild-type strain. This study establishes a foundation for the safe and sustainable production of FDCA from HMF.
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