Engineering Pseudomonas putida KT2440 to convert 2,3-butanediol to mevalonate

•Pseudomonas putida KT2440 can metabolize 2,3-butanediol as a sole carbon source.•2,3-butandiol was converted to mevalonate by engineered P. putida KT2440 successfully.•atoB gene expression and aeration optimization enhanced the mevalonate production. Biological production of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO), a C4 platform chemical, has been studied recently, but the high cost of separation and purification before chemical conversion is substantial. To overcome this obstacle, we have conducted a study to convert 2,3-BDO to mevalonate, a terpenoid intermediate, using recombinant Pseudomonas putida and this biological process won’t need the separation and purification process of 2,3-BDO. The production of mevalonate when 2,3-BDO was used as a substrate was 6.61 and 8.44 times higher than when glucose and glycerol were used as substrates under the same conditions, respectively. Lower aeration contributed to higher yields of mevalonate in otherwise identical conditions. The maximum mevalonate production on the shaking flask scale was about 2.21 g/L, in this study (product yield was 0.295, 27% of theoretical yield (1.10)). This study was the first successful attempt for mevalonate production by P. putida using 2,3-BDO as the sole carbon source and presented a new metabolic engineering tool and biological process for mevalonate synthesis.