An Adaptive Laboratory Evolution Method to Accelerate Autotrophic Metabolism

Adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) is an approach enabling the development of novel characteristics in microbial strains via the application of a constant selection pressure. This method is also an efficient tool to acquire insights on molecular mechanisms responsible for specific phenotypes. ALE experiments have mainly been conducted with heterotrophic microbes to study, for instance, cell metabolism with different multicarbon substrates, tolerance to solvents, pH variation, and high temperature.

Here, we describe employing an ALE method to generate Sporomusa ovata strains growing faster autotrophically and reducing CO2 into acetate more efficiently. Strains developed via this ALE method were also used to gain knowledge on the autotrophic metabolism of S. ovata as well as other acetogenic bacteria.