Ralstonia eutropha H16 is a facultatively autotrophic hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium capable of producing polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-based bioplastics. As PHB's physical properties may be improved by incorporation of medium-chain-length fatty acids (MCFAs), and MCFAs are valuable on their own as fuel and chemical intermediates, we engineered R. eutropha for MCFA production. Expression of UcFatB2, ...

The postulated posttranslational modification of the polyhydroxybutyrate (PHA) synthase from Ralstonia eutropha by 4-phosphopantetheine was investigated. Four beta-alanine auxotrophic Tn5-induced mutants of R. eutropha HF39 were isolated, and two insertions were mapped in an open reading frame with strong similarity to the panD gene from Escherichia coli, encoding L-aspartate-1-decarboxylase (E...

A procedure for molecular identification of Burkholderia gladioli is described. Specific 16S and 23S rRNA gene signature sequences were defined as primers for PCR. The method allows rapid and specific discrimination of B. gladioli from related species (B. cepacia, B. multivorans, B. vietnamiensis, B. mallei, B. pseudomallei, Ralstonia pickettii, and R. eutropha) and should contribute to the cla...

Polyhydroxybutyrate Homopolymers (PHB) were produced by transgenic yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae INVSc1/PHA1 and Schizosaccharomyces pombe Q01/PHB equipped in their cytoplasm and chromosome with the phaABC operon of the PHA biosynthetic pathway of Ralstonia eutropha, respectively. Re The polyesters were purified and physically characterized by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Infra...

Different aldehyde dehydrogenases (AlDHs) were formed during growth of Ralstonia eutropha Bo on tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA). One of these enzymes, AlDH 4, was purified and characterized as a homodimer containing no prosthetic groups, showing a strong substrate inhibition, and having an N-terminal sequence similar to those of various NAD(P)-dependent AlDHs. The conversion rate of THFA by t...

This study presents a fluorescence-based microbial sensor for the detection of metal ions as a novel analytical tool for environmental applications. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of whole-cell sensors in the selective detection of gold ions. Two heavy-metal-tolerant proteobacteria, Cupriavidus metallidurans and Ralstonia eutropha, were examined and showed great specificity. This wor...

Batch culture of Ralstonia eutropha using the recycled gas closed circuit culture system was conducted in order to develop a practical fermentation system for industrial autotrophic culture for poly (hydroxybutrate) production. The gas phase of the culture system consisted of substrate gas so that gases in this culture could be recycled as long as the amount of the gas consumed would be repleni...

Molecular hydrogen is widely used by microorganisms as a source of energy. One of the best studied aerobic hydrogen oxidizers, the beta-proteobacterium Ralstonia eutropha (formerly Alcaligenes eutrophus), harbors two distinct [NiFe]-hydrogenases which catalyze the heterolytic cleavage of H2 into 2H+ and 2e-. The genes encoding the hydrogenase subunits are arranged in two large operons together ...

A biosynthetic pathway for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] production by Corynebacterium glutamicum was developed by introducing the phbCAB operon derived from Ralstonia eutropha. P(3HB) synthase activity was detected in this recombinant C. glutamicum carrying a cell surface protein gene promoter. Intracellular P(3HB) was microscopically observed as inclusion granules and its content was calcu...