Transcriptional profiling of thymidine-producing strain recombineered from Escherichia coli BL21

DNA microarrays were used to compare the expression profiles of a thymidine overproducing strain (BLT013) and its isogenic parent, Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), when each was grown under well-defined thymidine production conditions with glycerol as carbon source. Here we describe the experimental procedures and methods in detail to reproduce the results and provide resource to be applied to similar engineering approach (available at Gene Expression Omnibus database under GSE69963). Taken together, the microarray data provide a basis for new testable hypotheses regarding enhancement of thymidine productivity and attaining a more complete understanding of nucleotide metabolism in bacteria.