Solvent tolerant microorganisms and methods of isolation
View Patent ↗Enterococcus bacteria having enhanced tolerance to butanols have been isolated. The bacteria are useful for the fermentive production of butanol. New methods for the isolation of butanol tolerant Enterococcus are also provided.
1. An isolated butanol tolerant Enterococcus having the following characteristics:
i) is a facultative anaerobe; and
ii) is Gram-positive; and
iii) is non-motile; and
iv) has spherical or ovoid cell morphology; and
v) has ability to initiate growth in a broth comprising 6.5% sodium chloride; and
vi) has the ability to initiate growth in broth at pH 9.6; and
vii) is tolerant to at least 2.5% w/v butanol when grown on a solid medium, wherein the butanol tolerant Enterococcus comprises a 16S rRNA gene having a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:43, and SEQ ID NO:44.
2. The isolated butanol tolerant Enterococcus of claim 1 for use in the production of butanol.