Engineering Bacillus subtilis for the conversion of the antimetabolite 4-hydroxy-l-threonine to pyridoxine.

Until now, pyridoxine (PN), the most commonly supplemented B6 vitamer for animals and humans, is chemically synthesized for commercial purposes. Thus, the development of a microbial fermentation process is of great interest for the biotech industry. Recently, we constructed a Bacillus subtilis strain that formed significant amounts of PN via a non-native deoxyxylulose 5'-phosphate-(DXP)-dependent vitamin B6 pathway.

Overexpression of a non-native deoxyxylulose-dependent vitamin B6 pathway in Bacillus subtilis for the production of pyridoxine.

Vitamin B6 is a designation for the vitamers pyridoxine, pyridoxal, pyridoxamine, and their respective 5'-phosphates. Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, the biologically most-important vitamer, serves as a cofactor for many enzymes, mainly active in amino acid metabolism. While microorganisms and plants are capable of synthesizing vitamin B6, other organisms have to ingest it.