Applying transposon-directed insertion site sequencing to industrially important, solventogenic species Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum

Solventogenic Clostridium spp. have significant potential as a source of renewable biochemicals. Production of solvents such as butanol and acetone from members of this genus is already being commercialised by industry. However, the scale of biological knowledge of these Clostridia lags behind the scale of their application. With the advent of next generation sequencing methods, transposon mutagenesis now provides a large-scale, high-throughput forward approach to understanding the genetics of these species. We are applying transposon directed insertion-site sequencing (TraDIS) to the industrially-relevant solventogenic species Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum. We are utilising this robust TraDIS pipeline to uncover the essential genome of the species under laboratory conditions. Furthermore, we are investigating the species’ tolerance to butanol, a key limiting step in the fermentation process. In collaboration with Green Biologics, we are also examining the essential genome of the species under industrially important fermentation conditions. Understanding the genes that are conditionally essential in these contexts will be key in advancing the biological knowledge of the species as well as providing information that can improve the fermentation process.