| This thesis focuses on the optimization of the fermentation of E. coli strain GI724. This strain has been genetically altered and contains the cellular coding for the production of Troponin I, a protein used in muscle contraction and has been shown to inhibit the growth of blood vessels in tumors. The optimization included not only the examination of achieving a high cell density but also a high expression level for the protein of interest. The optimization included ascertaining most of the key nutrients for this strain, determining the point at which some nutrients become deficient, examination of the relationship between glycerol concentrations and acetate production by the cell, and the effect of the acetate level on the cell growth rate.; The work shows that a relatively high cell density was achieved, but the protein production was still relatively low. Nevertheless, the fermentation process developed in this work provides a foundation that others could use to develop a robust high productivity system using E. coli strain GI724. |
