COMPUTATION OF THE COMPRESSIBLE LAMINAR BOUNDARY-LAYER FLOW INCLUDING DISPLACEMENT-THICKNESS INTERACTION USING FINITE-DIFFERENCE METHODS

Abstract

The molecule (2<i>S</i>)-naringenin is a scaffold molecule with several nutraceutical properties. Currently, (2<i>S</i>)-naringenin is obtained through chemical synthesis and plant isolation. However, these methods have several drawbacks. Thus, heterologous biosynthesis has emerged as a viable alternative to its production. Recently, (2<i>S</i>)-naringenin production studies in <i>Escherichia coli</i> have used different tools to increase its yield up to 588 mg/L. In this study, we designed and assembled a bio-factory for (2<i>S</i>)-naringenin production. Firstly, we used several parametrized algorithms to identify the shortest pathway for producing (2<i>S</i>)-naringenin in <i>E. coli</i>, selecting the genes phenylalanine ammonia lipase (<i>pal</i>), 4-coumarate: CoA ligase (<i>4cl</i>), chalcone synthase (<i>chs</i>), and chalcone isomerase (<i>chi</i>) for the biosynthetic pathway. Then, we evaluated the effect of oxygen transfer on the production of (2<i>S</i>)-naringenin at flask (50 mL) and bench (4 L culture) scales. At the flask scale, the agitation rate varied between 50 rpm and 250 rpm. At the bench scale, the dissolved oxygen was kept constant at 5% DO (dissolved oxygen) and 40% DO, obtaining the highest (2<i>S</i>)-naringenin titer (3.11 ± 0.14 g/L). Using genome-scale modeling, gene expression analysis (RT-qPCR) of oxygen-sensitive genes was obtained.