Thermotolerant genes essential for survival at a critical high temperature in thermotolerant ethanologenic TISTR 548.

Background: High-temperature fermentation (HTF) technology is expected to reduce the cost of bioconversion of biomass to fuels or chemicals. For stable HTF, the development of a thermotolerant microbe is indispensable. Elucidation of the molecular mechanism of thermotolerance would enable the thermal stability of microbes to be improved.

Molecular strategy for survival at a critical high temperature in Eschierichia coli.

The molecular mechanism supporting survival at a critical high temperature (CHT) in Escherichia coli was investigated. Genome-wide screening with a single-gene knockout library provided a list of genes indispensable for growth at 47°C, called thermotolerant genes. Genes for which expression was affected by exposure to CHT were identified by DNA chip analysis.

Physiological importance of cytochrome c peroxidase in ethanologenic thermotolerant Zymomonas mobilis.

Zymomonas mobilis ZmCytC as a peroxidase bearing three heme c-binding motifs was investigated with ΔZmcytC constructed. The mutant exhibited filamentous shapes and reduction in growth under a shaking condition at a high temperature compared to the parental strain and became hypersensitive to exogenous H(2)O(2). Under the same condition, the mutation caused increased expression of genes for three other antioxidant enzymes.