Abstract

Microorganisms belonging to the Clostridium genus have been intensively investigated due to its butanol production capacity, compound that has been proposed as a potential replacement for fossil fuels. Despite the significant advances on this topic, the physiological changes associated to the onset of solventogenesis and sporulation are not completely understood. Moreover, solventogenic Clostridium spp. undergo a degeneration process characterized by the inability to produce solvents. In the case of Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC824, this phenomenon is attributed to the loss of a megaplasmid (pSOL1), which carries the genes responsible for the production of solvents and sporulation. This degenerated strain represents an interesting subject to study the physiological changes that occurs during the culture, which are not necessarily related to the production of butanol, but contributes to the ending of the culture.