Analysing the dhaT gene in Colombian Clostridium sp. (Clostridia) 1,3-propanediol-producing strains

Objective: to analyze the dhaT gene, one of the genes responsible for the 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) production, in two native Clostridium strains. Materials and methods: The dhaT gene was amplified by Polimerase Chain Reaction with specific primers designed from Clostridium butyricum VPI1718 operon. Bioinformatics tools like BLASTN, ORF finder, BLASTP and ClustalW were used to determine the identity of the sequence and to assign a function. Results: DNA amplification products were obtained from Colombian Clostridium sp. native strains (IBUN 13A and IBUN 158B) and the Clostridium butyricum DSM 2478 strain, which were sequenced. According to the bioinformatics analysis of the above sequences, a high degree of similarity was found with the dhaT gene of different bacterial species. The highest percentage of identity was obtained with the Clostridium butyricum VPI 1718 strain. Conclusion: knowledge of the physical structure of the 1,3-PD operon in native strains opens the way for developing genetic and metabolic engineering strategies for improving processes productivity.