Abstract
Lactobacillus plantarum NCIMB 8826 strain was used as a model for succinic acid production by means of metabolic rerouting. Since this strain is the same as L. plantarum WCFS 1 whose genome has been completely analyzed, it is suggested that NCIMB 8826 strain possesses a potential succinic acid biosynthesis pathway. NCIMB 8826 strain produced a small mount of succinic acid grown in MRS medium in the presence of sodium bicarbonate. This means that the succinic acid biosynthesis pathway of this strain functions. In order to improve the potential of the succinic acid production, a pyruvate carboxylase of this strain was over in NCIMB 8826. However no remarkable increase of succinic acid production was observed, and the main product was still lactic acid. When a D-LHD and L-LDH double knocked-out mutant, which is a derivative mutant from NCIMB 8826 strain, was grown in MRS medium in the presence of sodium bicarbonate, a 12-fold amount of succinic acid was produced compared with that produced by the wild strain.
