Application of Acid and Cold Stresses to Enhance the Production of Clavulanic Acid by Streptomyces clavuligerus

Effect of impeller type on cellular morphology and production of clavulanic acid by Streptomyces clavuligerus

It is essential to evaluate the effects of operating conditions in submerged cultures of filamentous microorganisms. In particular, the impeller type influences the flow pattern, power consumption, and energy dissipation, leading to differences in the hydrodynamic environment that affect the morphology of the microorganism. This work investigated the effect of different impeller types, namely the Rushton turbine (RT-RT) and Elephant Ear impellers in up-pumping (EEUP) and down-pumping (EEDP) modes, on cellular morphology and clavulanic acid (CA) production by Streptomyces clavuligerus in a stirred-tank bioreactor. At 800 rpm and 0.5 vvm, the cultivations performed using RT-RT and EEUP impellers provided higher shear conditions and oxygen transfer rates than those observed with EEDP. These conditions resulted in higher clavulanic acid production using RT-RT (380.7 mg/L) and EEUP (453.3 mg/L) impellers, compared to EEDP (196.6 mg/L). Although the maximum CA concentration exhibited the same order of magnitude for RT-RT and EEUP impellers, the latter presented 40% of the specific power consumption (4.9 kW/m3) compared to the classical RT-RT (12.0 kW/m3). The specific energy for CA production ( E CA ), defined as the energy cost to produce 1 mg of CA, was 3.5 times lower using the EEUP impeller (1.91 kJ/mgCA) when compared to RT-RT (5.91 kJ/mgCA). Besides, the specific energy for O2 transfer ( E O 2 ), the energy required to transfer 1 mmol of O2, was 2.3 times lower comparing the EEUP impeller (3.28 kJ/mmolO2) to RT-RT (7.65 kJ/mmolO2). The results demonstrated the importance of choosing the most suitable impeller configuration in conventional bioreactors to manufacture bioproducts.

Effect of temperature on synthesis of clavulanic acid and impurity substance G during fermentation by Streptomyces clavuligerus

Effect of temperature on synthesis of Clavulanic acid (CA) and impurity substance G during fermentation by Streptomyces clavuligerus were investigated. Results show that fermentation at 24 °C is the most favorable for CA synthesis though the fermentation duration was 20-30 hours longer than fermentation at 26 and 28 °C. Meanwhile, the impurity substance G was only 110 mg/L in the end broth of fermentation at 24 °C, which was significantly lower than 148 and 180 mg/L of fermentation at 26 and 28 °C, respectively. Correlation of specific growth rate and CA synthesis was statistically analyzed based on data of 10 batches of industrial fermentation. Two temperature-shift strategies were investigated in 50 L fermenter. Fermentation with 26-24 °C temperature strategy achieved 5097 mg/L CA titer, meanwhile the fermentation duration was shortened 24 hours comparing with fermentation at constant 24 °C. Fermentation with 26-24 °C control strategy was validated in a 60 m³ industrial fermenter, in which 4960 mg/L of CA was achieved while impurity G substance was decreased to titer 65 mg/L from 200 to 300 mg/L of normal production.

Individual effect of shear rate and oxygen transfer on clavulanic acid production by Streptomyces clavuligerus

The production of biocompounds through the cultivation of filamentous microorganisms is mainly affected by Oxygen Transfer Rate (OTR) and shear rate ([Formula: see text]) conditions. Despite efforts have been made to evaluate the effect of operating variables (impeller speed, N; and airflow rate, ϕ_air) on clavulanic acid production, no analysis regarding the effect of OTR and [Formula: see text] was made. Then, the aim of this study was to evaluate the dissociated effect of physical phenomena such as oxygen transfer and shear rate in the production of clavulanic acid from Streptomyces clavuligerus using a stirred tank bioreactor. Streptomyces clavuligerus cultivations were performed at five different OTR and [Formula: see text] conditions by manipulating the operating conditions (N, ϕ_air, and gas inlet composition). Cultivations performed at equal impeller speed (600 rpm, similar [Formula: see text]) using oxygen enrichment, showed that CA productivity (Prod_CA) was positively affected by OTR increase. Subsequently, the different shear conditions (achieved by varying the impeller speed) lead to an increase in CA production levels. Despite both OTR and shear rate positively enhanced CA productivity, [Formula: see text] exhibited the highest impact: an increase of 145% in OTR_initial enhanced the clavulanic acid productivity of about 29%, while an increment in the shear rate of 134% raised the Prod_CA in 53%.

Clavulanic Acid Production by Streptomyces clavuligerus: Insights from Systems Biology, Strain Engineering, and Downstream Processing

Clavulanic acid (CA) is an irreversible β-lactamase enzyme inhibitor with a weak antibacterial activity produced by Streptomyces clavuligerus (S. clavuligerus). CA is typically co-formulated with broad-spectrum β‑lactam antibiotics such as amoxicillin, conferring them high potential to treat diseases caused by bacteria that possess β‑lactam resistance. The clinical importance of CA and the complexity of the production process motivate improvements from an interdisciplinary standpoint by integrating metabolic engineering strategies and knowledge on metabolic and regulatory events through systems biology and multi-omics approaches. In the large-scale bioprocessing, optimization of culture conditions, bioreactor design, agitation regime, as well as advances in CA separation and purification are required to improve the cost structure associated to CA production. This review presents the recent insights in CA production by S. clavuligerus, emphasizing on systems biology approaches, strain engineering, and downstream processing.

Densities and inhibitory phenotypes among indigenous Streptomyces spp. vary across native and agricultural habitats

Streptomyces spp. perform vital roles in natural and agricultural soil ecosystems including in decomposition and nutrient cycling, promotion of plant growth and fitness, and plant disease suppression. Streptomyces densities can vary across the landscape, and inhibitory phenotypes are often a result of selection mediated by microbial competitive interactions in soil communities. Diverse environmental factors, including those specific to habitat, are likely to determine microbial densities in the soil and the outcomes of microbial species interactions. Here, we characterized indigenous Streptomyces densities and inhibitory phenotypes from soil samples (n = 82) collected in 6 distinct habitats across the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve (CCESR; agricultural, prairie, savanna, wetland, wet-woodland, and forest). Significant variation in Streptomyces density and the frequency of antagonistic Streptomyces were observed among habitats. There was also significant variation in soil chemical properties among habitats, including percent carbon, percent nitrogen, available phosphorus, extractable potassium, and pH. Density and frequency of antagonists were significantly correlated with one or more environmental parameters across all habitats, though relationships with some parameters differed among habitats. In addition, we found that habitat rather than spatial proximity was a better predictor of variation in Streptomyces density and inhibitory phenotypes. Moreover, habitats least conducive for Streptomyces growth and proliferation, as determined by population density, had increased frequencies of inhibitory phenotypes. Identifying environmental parameters that structure variation in density and frequency of antagonistic Streptomyces can provide insight for determining factors that mediate selection for inhibitory phenotypes across the landscape.