Roles of Glucose and Acetate as Carbon Sources in L-Histidine Production with Brevibacterium flavum FERM1564 Revealed by Metabolic Flux Analysis

The metabolic flux pattern for L-histidine production was analyzed when glucose and/or acetate were used as carbon sources. Total L-histidine production was enhanced when mixed substrate (glucose and acetate) was used, compared wish that when either glucose or acetate was used as the sole carbon source. Theoretical maximum carbon fluxes through the main pathways for L-histldine production, cell growth, and ATP consumption for cell maintenance were obtained by the linear programming (LP) method. By comparison of the theoretical maximum carbon fluxes tilth actual ones, it was found that a large amount of glucose was actually used for maintenance of cell viability. On the other hand, acetate was used for cell growth. After depletion of acetate in the mixed substrate culture, the flux for glucose to L-histldine synthesis was markedly enhanced. A strategy for effective L-histidine production using both carbon sources was proposed.