A Vibrio-based microbial platform for accelerated lignocellulosic sugar conversion

Abstract Background Owing to increasing concerns about climate change and the depletion of fossil fuels, the development of efficient microbial processes for biochemical production from lignocellulosic biomass has been a key issue. Because process efficiency is greatly affected by the inherent metabolic activities of host microorganisms, it is essential to utilize a microorganism that can rapidly convert biomass-derived sugars. Here, we report a novel Vibrio-based microbial platform that can rapidly and simultaneously consume three major lignocellulosic sugars (i.e., glucose, xylose, and arabinose) faster than any previously reported microorganisms. Results The xylose isomerase pathway was constructed in Vibrio sp. dhg, which naturally displays high metabolic activities on glucose and arabinose but lacks xylose catabolism. Subsequent adaptive laboratory evolution significantly improved x…