Recent Advances in the Physicochemical Properties and Biotechnological Application of Vitreoscilla Hemoglobin

Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHb), the first discovered bacterial hemoglobin, is a soluble heme-binding protein with a faster rate of oxygen dissociation. Since it can enhance cell growth, product synthesis and stress tolerance, VHb has been widely applied in the field of metabolic engineering for microorganisms, plants, and animals. Especially under oxygen-limited conditions, VHb can interact with terminal oxidase to deliver enough oxygen to achieve high-cell-density fermentation. In recent years, with the development of bioinformatics and synthetic biology, several novel physicochemical properties and metabolic regulatory effects of VHb have been discovered and numerous strategies have been utilized to enhance the expression level of VHb in various hosts, which greatly promotes its applications in biotechnology. Thus, in this review, the new information regarding structure, function and expressional tactics for VHb is summarized to understand its latest applications and pave a new way for the future improvement of biosynthesis for other products.

Automated summary

Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHb) is a widely applied soluble heme-binding protein in the field of biotechnology due to its ability to enhance cell growth, product synthesis, and stress tolerance. Particularly effective under oxygen-limited conditions, VHb can interact with terminal oxidase to deliver enough oxygen for high-cell-density fermentation. The development of bioinformatics and synthetic biology has led to the discovery of new physicochemical properties and metabolic regulatory effects of VHb, enhancing its expression levels and expanding its applications.