STUDIES OF OPERATIONAL VARIABLES IN BATCH MODE FOR GENETICALLY-ENGINEERED ESCHERICHIA-COLI-CELLS CONTAINING PENICILLIN ACYLASE

A recombinant Escherichia coli was constructed by cloning the penicill in acylase gene from E. coli ATCC 11105. The cloning was carried out u sing a recombinant plasmid pUSAD2 harboring the pac gene. The recombin ant E. coli DH 5 cells were used as a biocatalyst and were studied in a batch reactor for determination of optimum value for some of the pro cess parameters, such as effect of pH, temperature, substrate concentr ation, k(L)a and effect of carbon and nitrogen source on penicillin ac ylase production. These values were then compared with the values obta ined with the standard parent strain. Whereas the cloned pac gene was found to produce higher levels of penicillin acylase constitutively, t he process parameters remained about the same for both the parent and the recombinant.