Selective n-butanol production by Clostridium sp. MTButOH1365 during continuous synthesis gas fermentation due to expression of synthetic thiolase, 3-hydroxy butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase, crotonase, butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase, butyraldehyde dehydrogenase, and NAD-dependent butanol dehydrogenase.

Acetogen Clostridum sp. MT1962 produced 287 mM acetate (p < 0.005) and 293 mM ethanol (p < 0.005) fermenting synthesis gas blend 60% CO and 40% H₂ in single-stage continuous fermentation. This strain was metabolically engineered to the biocatalyst Clostridium sp. MTButOH1365. The engineered biocatalyst lost production of ethanol and acetate while initiated the production of 297 mM of n-butanol (p < 0.005). The metabolic engineering comprised Cre-lox66/lox71-based elimination of phosphotransacetylase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase along with integration to chromosome synthetic thiolase, 3-hydroxy butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase, crotonase, butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase, butyraldehyde dehydrogenase, and NAD-dependent butanol dehydrogenase. This is the first report on elimination of acetate and ethanol production genes and expression of synthetic gene cluster encoding n-butanol biosynthesis pathway in acetogen biocatalyst for selective fuel n-butanol production with no antibiotic support for the introduced genes.