Propionate addition is a common strategy for production of valuable polyketides by supplying the substrate methylmalonyl-CoA in the industrial microbe Corynebacterium glutamicum; however, propionate inhibits C. glutamicum growth, thus hampering polyketide production. In this study, Zhan et al. identify the reasons for propionate-elicited growth inhibition and metabolically engineer C. glutamicum to circumvent this roadblock and increase polyketide production.
- Chunjun Zhan
- Namil Lee
- Jay D. Keasling