Cyanobacterial production of 1,3-propanediol directly from carbon dioxide using a synthetic metabolic pathway

Production of chemicals directly from carbon dioxide using light energy is an attractive option for a sustainable future. The 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) production directly from carbon dioxide was achieved by engineered Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 with a synthetic metabolic pathway. Glycerol dehydratase catalyzing the conversion of glycerol to 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde in a coenzyme B12-dependent manner worked in S. elongatus PCC 7942 without addition of vitamin B12, suggesting that the intrinsic pseudovitamin B12 served as a substitute of coenzyme B12. The highest titers of 1,3-PDO (3.79±0.23 mM; 288±17.7 mg/L) and glycerol (12.62±1.55 mM; 1.16±0.14 g/L), precursor of 1,3-PDO, were reached after 14 days of culture under optimized conditions in this study.