Method for production of polyester copolymer using recombinant microorganism

摘要

The object of the present invention is to provide a method for efficiently producing a polyester copolymer consisting of 3-hydroxybutyrate and lactate via microbial fermentation with the use of a sugar as a starting material. The method may comprise culturing a recombinant microorganism expressing: a protein capable of catalyzing the transfer of CoA to propionic acid and/or lactate; a protein capable of catalyzing the formation of acetoacetyl-CoA from two acetyl-CoA molecules; a protein capable of catalyzing acetoacetyl-CoA reduction; and a protein capable of catalyzing polyhydroxyalkanoate synthesis. According to the production method, a polyester copolymer consisting of 3-hydroxybutyrate and lactate can be efficiently produced using an inexpensive carbon source as a starting material, and thus the production cost of a biodegradable plastic can be reduced.