Isotopically non‐stationary 13C metabolic flux analysis of two closely related fast‐growing cyanobacteria, Synechococcus elongatus PCC 11801 and 11802

SUMMARYSynechococcus elongatus PCC 11801 and 11802 are closely related cyanobacterial strains that are fast‐growing and tolerant to high light and temperature. These strains hold significant promise as chassis for photosynthetic production of chemicals from carbon dioxide. A detailed quantitative understanding of the central carbon pathways would be a reference for future metabolic engineering studies with these strains. We conducted isotopic non‐stationary 13C metabolic flux analysis to quantitively assess the metabolic potential of these two strains. This study highlights key similarities and differences in the central carbon flux distribution between these and other model/non‐model strains. The two strains demonstrated a higher Calvin–Benson–Bassham (CBB) cycle flux coupled with negligible flux through the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and the photorespiratory pathway and lower anaplerosis fluxes under photoautotrophic conditions. Interestingly, PCC 11802 shows the highest CBB cycle and pyruvate kinase flux values among those reported in cyanobacteria. The unique tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle diversion in PCC 11801 makes it ideal for the large‐scale production of TCA cycle‐derived chemicals. Additionally, dynamic labeling transients were measured for intermediates of amino acid, nucleotide, and nucleotide sugar metabolism. Overall, this study provides the first detailed metabolic flux maps of S. elongatus PCC 11801 and 11802, which may aid metabolic engineering efforts in these strains.