Synthesis of Poly hydroxyalkanoate s

R = (CH2)2CH3 Poly(3-hydroxyhexanoate) R = (CH2)4CH3 Poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate) 

The polymerization reaction of hydroxyacyl-CoA thioester is catalyzed by the enzyme PHA synthase, the key enzyme in the production of PHA. In early investigations of the mechanism of polymerization, which was broadly accepted in later mechanistic studies, it was proposed that two thiol groups in 

Fatty acid Amino acids, succinate 

Substrate specificity of PHA synthases is reflected in the faet that these enzymes can usually catalyze the polymerization of scIPHA or mclPHA. However, some recent reports show that copolymers of selPHA and mclPHA could also be produced. 

Investigations directed toward optimization of biotechnological processes to be performed using cheap and readily available carbon substrates are of great importance, since the final cost of the industrial production is mainly dictated by the cost of the carbon source. Those carbon sources which lead to structurally identical monomers are designated as related, while those which are structurally completely different from the generated monomers are classified as unrelated. Carbon sources can vary from simple carbohydrates, alkanes and fatty acids to plant oils and various other cheap carbon sources, such as wastewater from olive mills, molasses, whey, starchy wastewater, corn step liquor and palm oil mill effluent.  

---