Find in Library

The thermophilic strain of the genus <i>Geobacillus</i>, <i>Geobacillus icigianus</i> is a promising bacterial chassis for a wide range of biotechnological applications. In this study, we explored the metabolic potential of <i>Geobacillus icigianus</i> for the production of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BTD), one of the cost-effective commodity chemicals. Here we present a genome-scale metabolic model <i>iMK1321</i> for <i>Geobacillus icigianus</i> constructed using an auto-generating pipeline with consequent thorough manual curation. The model contains 1321 genes and includes 1676 reactions and 1589 metabolites, representing the most-complete and publicly available model of the genus <i>Geobacillus</i>. The developed model provides new insights into thermophilic bacterial metabolism and highlights new strategies for biotechnological applications of the strain. Our analysis suggests that <i>Geobacillus icigianus</i> has a potential for 2,3-butanediol production from a variety of utilized carbon sources, including glycerine, a common byproduct of biofuel production. We identified a set of solutions for enhancing 2,3-BTD production, including cultivation under anaerobic or microaerophilic conditions and decreasing the TCA flux to succinate via reducing citrate synthase activity. Both in silico predicted metabolic alternatives have been previously experimentally verified for closely related strains including the genus <i>Bacillus.</i>