Insights into genetic determinants of volatile fatty acid catabolism in Cupriavidus necator H16

The soil bacterium Cupriavidus necator H16 is a promising host for upgrading waste-derived volatile fatty acids (VFAs) into renewable biochemicals. While bacterial VFA metabolic pathways are well-understood, the precise genes required for VFA catabolism in C. necator are currently unknown. To gain insight into VFA catabolism in C. necator, we performed transcriptomics on cells grown using the VFAs acetate, propionate, butyrate, valerate, and hexanoate as the sole source of carbon and reductive energy.