Temperature- and salinity-decoupled overproduction of hydroxyectoine by Chromohalobacter salexigens.

Hydroxyectoine overproduction by the natural producer Chromohalobacter salexigens is presented in this study. Genetically engineered strains were constructed that at low salinity coexpressed, in a vector derived from a native plasmid, the ectoine (ectABC) and hydroxyectoine (ectD) genes under the control of the ectA promoter, in a temperature-independent manner. Hydroxyectoine production was further improved by increasing the copies of ectD and using a C. salexigens genetic background unable to synthesize ectoines.