Identification of membrane proteins associated with phenylpropanoid tolerance and transport in Escherichia coli BL21.

Abstract

Phenylpropanoids are phytochemicals produced by some plants and possess a wide variety of biological activities. Both the tolerance and the transport of phenylpropanoids play important roles in systematic metabolic engineering of microorganisms to produce these phytochemicals. Both specific and non-specific transporters are essential for these functions but remain poorly understood. This research utilized membrane proteomics to identify E. coli BL21 (DE3) membrane proteins that may be involved in phenylpropanoid transport and tolerance. These results may facilitate the construction of more efficient microbial phenylpropanoid producers through genetic engineering of membrane transporter proteins.