Stabilization of threonine production in an Escherichia coli overproducing strain using tightly regulated T7 promoter system

The industrial production of compounds by E. coli strains is often accompanied with variability in yield levels. To investigate the mechanism of such instability the over-production of threonine was used as a model. The instability in this strain appears to be caused by a metabolic burden resulting in occurrence of low producing revertants. A successful application of the tightly regulated T7 expression system is presented as a possible solution providing a substantial stabilization of the threonine production.