Monitoring proliferation and material production of Cupriavidus necator H16 using cell count and volume measurement

Abstract Knallgas bacteria, including Cupriavidus necator H16, are promising cell factories for converting CO2 into high-value compounds under autotrophic conditions. C. necator H16 synthesizes polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), a class of biodegradable plastics. However, the trade-off between cell prolif...

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Main Authors: Kouhei Kamasaka, Naoki Abekawa, Koji Takeda, Kentaro Noi, Mami Matsuda, Keiji Matsumoto, Noboru Yumoto, Akihiko Kondo, Tomohisa Hasunuma
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16567-4
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author Kouhei Kamasaka
Naoki Abekawa
Koji Takeda
Kentaro Noi
Mami Matsuda
Keiji Matsumoto
Noboru Yumoto
Akihiko Kondo
Tomohisa Hasunuma
author_facet Kouhei Kamasaka
Naoki Abekawa
Koji Takeda
Kentaro Noi
Mami Matsuda
Keiji Matsumoto
Noboru Yumoto
Akihiko Kondo
Tomohisa Hasunuma
author_sort Kouhei Kamasaka
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Knallgas bacteria, including Cupriavidus necator H16, are promising cell factories for converting CO2 into high-value compounds under autotrophic conditions. C. necator H16 synthesizes polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), a class of biodegradable plastics. However, the trade-off between cell proliferation and PHA production often limits productivity as a result of competition for cellular resources. Real-time monitoring of both processes is crucial for optimizing this balance. However, optical density (OD), a conventional metric for monitoring proliferation, is unreliable in organisms that accumulate intracellular products such as PHA. Traditional methods such as chromatography require complex sample preparation and are not suitable for real-time analysis. This study demonstrated that the cell counts and volume measured using a Coulter counter are reliable indicators of proliferation and PHA production. This approach enables rapid and accurate monitoring and supports the optimization of material production through microbial fermentation.
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issn 2045-2322
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publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
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series Scientific Reports
spelling doaj-art-a363b4188f054fc389cf01b73aa7dbb52025-08-24T11:21:53ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111010.1038/s41598-025-16567-4Monitoring proliferation and material production of Cupriavidus necator H16 using cell count and volume measurementKouhei Kamasaka0Naoki Abekawa1Koji Takeda2Kentaro Noi3Mami Matsuda4Keiji Matsumoto5Noboru Yumoto6Akihiko Kondo7Tomohisa Hasunuma8Engineering Biology Research Center, Kobe UniversityGraduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe UniversityEngineering Biology Research Center, Kobe UniversityEngineering Biology Research Center, Kobe UniversityEngineering Biology Research Center, Kobe UniversityEngineering Biology Research Center, Kobe UniversityEngineering Biology Research Center, Kobe UniversityEngineering Biology Research Center, Kobe UniversityEngineering Biology Research Center, Kobe UniversityAbstract Knallgas bacteria, including Cupriavidus necator H16, are promising cell factories for converting CO2 into high-value compounds under autotrophic conditions. C. necator H16 synthesizes polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), a class of biodegradable plastics. However, the trade-off between cell proliferation and PHA production often limits productivity as a result of competition for cellular resources. Real-time monitoring of both processes is crucial for optimizing this balance. However, optical density (OD), a conventional metric for monitoring proliferation, is unreliable in organisms that accumulate intracellular products such as PHA. Traditional methods such as chromatography require complex sample preparation and are not suitable for real-time analysis. This study demonstrated that the cell counts and volume measured using a Coulter counter are reliable indicators of proliferation and PHA production. This approach enables rapid and accurate monitoring and supports the optimization of material production through microbial fermentation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16567-4Cupriavidus necatorPolyhydroxyalkanoateCell volumeProliferationOptical density
spellingShingle Kouhei Kamasaka
Naoki Abekawa
Koji Takeda
Kentaro Noi
Mami Matsuda
Keiji Matsumoto
Noboru Yumoto
Akihiko Kondo
Tomohisa Hasunuma
Monitoring proliferation and material production of Cupriavidus necator H16 using cell count and volume measurement
Scientific Reports
Cupriavidus necator
Polyhydroxyalkanoate
Cell volume
Proliferation
Optical density
title Monitoring proliferation and material production of Cupriavidus necator H16 using cell count and volume measurement
title_full Monitoring proliferation and material production of Cupriavidus necator H16 using cell count and volume measurement
title_fullStr Monitoring proliferation and material production of Cupriavidus necator H16 using cell count and volume measurement
title_full_unstemmed Monitoring proliferation and material production of Cupriavidus necator H16 using cell count and volume measurement
title_short Monitoring proliferation and material production of Cupriavidus necator H16 using cell count and volume measurement
title_sort monitoring proliferation and material production of cupriavidus necator h16 using cell count and volume measurement
topic Cupriavidus necator
Polyhydroxyalkanoate
Cell volume
Proliferation
Optical density
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16567-4
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