A Computational Approach for Threonine Accumulation in Escherichia coli and Its Integration as a Platform for Biosynthesis of High-Value Fine Chemicals

Using genome-wide metabolic models and Flux Balance Analysis, we are devising an Escherichia coli strain to produce L-threonine through previously undescribed routes. In silico simulations and preliminary in vivo experiments show that diverting carbon flux away from serine metabolism may be beneficial to enhance threonine production. This system may be further explored not only to produce threonine itself, but also to develop an Escherichia coli platform capable of producing high value-added products which require threonine as a starting substrate. In order to do this we took advantage of the increased threonine production to sustain the production of the high value-added chemical 2,5-dimethylpyrazine (DMP) from glucose.