Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) granule formation in Ralstonia eutropha cells: a computer simulation

Computer simulation of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) granule formation in vivo could help to design strategies to optimize the fermentation process and achieve higher yields of PHA. It could also suggest biotechnological approaches to control the granule size and molecular weight of the polymer. A computer program simulating the formation of PHA granules inside a Ralstonia eutropha cell was developed, based on published experimental data. The results are applicable to R. eutropha cells or other microorganisms and transgenic plants, where polyhydroxybutyrate production is made possible by heterologous expression systems. The simulation starts at the outset of the PHA accumulation phase when the cells are small and contain no PHA granules. In the presence of abundant glucose, the cell responds to phosphorus limitation by producing 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA which undergoes polymerization on the few PHA synthase molecules present in the cytoplasm. The amphiphilic PHA synthase–PHA complex attracts additional PHA synthase molecules and granules begin to grow from these initiation sites. Phosphorus limitation and the appearance of PHA in the cytoplasm also stimulate production of phasin molecules that attach themselves to the growing granules. As the granules grow bigger, they begin to touch each other and move to optimize their packing. The phasin coat prevents the granules from coalescing. The size of the cell increases and its prolate ellipsoid shape becomes closer to spherical. The accumulation process stops either when the supply of glucose is exhausted or when the granules become tightly packed within the cell, so that access to their surface is limited. All important variables, such as cell dimensions, granule size, counts of granule-associated molecules, PHA yield, degree of polymerization of the PHA molecules, etc., are recorded in real time during the simulation. Examples of virtual experiments with the cell and their results are shown.