MODELING THE CORE METABOLISM OF Komagataeibacter hansenii ATCC 23769 TO EVALUATE NANOCELLULOSE BIOSYNTHESIS

Abstract Genome-scale metabolic models based on a combination of genome sequence and biochemical information have strongly influenced the field of systems biology. However, basic principles of the operation of metabolic networks, in particular the central metabolism can be easily studied in smaller metabolic (core) models. Komagataeibacter hansenii ATCC 23769 has been used for bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) biosynthesis, and the recent availability of its genome sequence allowed the development of a metabolic model. The core metabolic model was constructed from an initial draft metabolic reconstruction including 74 reactions and 68 metabolites that provides insights for a better understanding of K. hansenii metabolic pathways. The applicability of the model is finally demonstrated by applying the FBA approach, and the in silico simulation successfully predicted the minimal medium and the growing abilities on different substrates. This core model can facilitate system-level metabolic analysis as well as developments for improving BNC production.