Methanotrophic microbial cell factory platform for simultaneous conversion of methane and xylose to value-added chemicals

Abstract Biotechnological production of value-added products from sustainable resources such as C1 gas and lignocellulosic biomass is a practical solution for sustainable manufacturing. Methane and xylose derived from biogas and biomass can be promising carbon feedstock for chemical biomanufacturing due to their abundance and low cost. Herein, we developed a novel cell factory platform for highly efficient biosynthesis of chemicals from methane and xylose. By taking advantage of intrinsic high carbon flux through non-oxidative part of pentose phosphate pathway in ribulose monophosphate (RuMP) cycle of Methylotuvimicrobium alcaliphilum 20Z, we have metabolically engineered M. alcaliphilum 20Z to co-utilize methane and xylose as carbon and energy sources along with synthesizing of non-oxidative RuMP cycle-derived secondary metabolite, shinorine - a sunscreen material. Importantly, the final titer and yield of shinorine using the engineered methanotrophic biocatalyst were comparable to those from industrial workhorses. In order to confirm the versatility of this concept, the biocatalyst was applied for efficient biosynthesis of other bioproducts including 2,3-butanediol, acetoin, and 3-hydroxybutyric acid from methane and xylose. This work provides a novel and promising methanotrophic cell factory platform for chemical production from abundant methane and renewable xylose in a sustainable way.