Construction of an alternative NADPH regeneration pathway improves ethanol production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with xylose metabolic pathway

Full conversion of glucose and xylose from lignocellulosic hydrolysates is required for obtaining a high ethanol yield. However, glucose and xylose share flux in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and glycolysis pathway (EMP), with glucose having a competitive advantage in the shared metabolic pathways. In this work, we knocked down ZWF1 to preclude glucose from entering the PPP. This reduced the [NADPH] level and disturbed growth on both glucose or xylose, confirming that the oxidative PPP, which begins with Zwf1p and ultimately leads to CO2 production, is the primary source of NADPH in both glucose and xylose. Upon glucose depletion, gluconeogenesis is necessary to generate glucose-6-phosphate, the substrate of Zwf1p. We re-established the NADPH regeneration pathway by replacing the endogenous NAD+-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene TDH3 with heterogenous NADP + -GAPDH genes GDH, gapB, and GDP1. Among the resulting strains, the strain BZP1 (zwf1Δ, tdh3::GDP1) exhibited a similar xylose consumption rate before glucose depletion, but a 1.6-fold increased xylose consumption rate following glucose depletion compared to the original strain BSGX001, and the ethanol yield for total consumed sugars of BZP1 was 13.5% higher than BSGX001. This suggested that using the EMP instead of PPP to generate NADPH reduces the wasteful metabolic cycle and excess CO2 release from oxidative PPP. Furthermore, we used a copper-repressing promoter to modulate the expression of ZWF1 and optimize the timing of turning off the ZWF1, therefore, to determine the competitive equilibrium between glucose-xylose co-metabolism. This strategy allowed fast growth in the early stage of fermentation and low waste in the following stages of fermentation.

Metabolic engineering of a stable haploid strain derived from lignocellulosic inhibitor tolerant Saccharomyces cerevisiae natural isolate YB-2625

BACKGROUND

Significant genetic diversity exists across Saccharomyces strains. Natural isolates and domesticated brewery and industrial strains are typically more robust than laboratory strains when challenged with inhibitory lignocellulosic hydrolysates. These strains also contain genes that are not present in lab strains and likely contribute to their superior inhibitor tolerance. However, many of these strains have poor sporulation efficiencies and low spore viability making subsequent gene analysis, further metabolic engineering, and genomic analyses of the strains challenging. This work aimed to develop an inhibitor tolerant haploid with stable mating type from S. cerevisiae YB-2625, which was originally isolated from bagasse.

RESULTS

Haploid spores isolated from four tetrads from strain YB-2625 were tested for tolerance to furfural and HMF. Due to natural mutations present in the HO-endonuclease, all haploid strains maintained a stable mating type. One of the haploids, YRH1946, did not flocculate and showed enhanced tolerance to furfural and HMF. The tolerant haploid strain was further engineered for xylose fermentation by integration of the genes for xylose metabolism at two separate genomic locations (ho∆ and pho13∆). In fermentations supplemented with inhibitors from acid hydrolyzed corn stover, the engineered haploid strain derived from YB-2625 was able to ferment all of the glucose and 19% of the xylose, whereas the engineered lab strains performed poorly in fermentations.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding the molecular mechanisms of inhibitor tolerance will aid in developing strains with improved growth and fermentation performance using biomass-derived sugars. The inhibitor tolerant, xylose fermenting, haploid strain described in this work has potential to serve as a platform strain for identifying pathways required for inhibitor tolerance, and for metabolic engineering to produce fuels and chemicals from undiluted lignocellulosic hydrolysates.

Identification of Mutations Responsible for Improved Xylose Utilization in an Adapted Xylose Isomerase Expressing Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strain

Economic conversion of biomass to biofuels and chemicals requires efficient and complete utilization of xylose. Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains engineered for xylose utilization are still considerably limited in their overall ability to metabolize xylose. In this study, we identified causative mutations resulting in improved xylose fermentation of an adapted S. cerevisiae strain expressing codon-optimized xylose isomerase and xylulokinase genes from the rumen bacterium Prevotella ruminicola. Genome sequencing identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms in seven open reading frames. Tetrad analysis showed that mutations in both PBS2 and PHO13 genes were required for increased xylose utilization. Single deletion of either PBS2 or PHO13 did not improve xylose utilization in strains expressing the xylose isomerase pathway. Saccharomyces can also be engineered for xylose metabolism using the xylose reductase/xylitol dehydrogenase genes from Scheffersomyces stipitis. In strains expressing the xylose reductase pathway, single deletion of PHO13 did show a significant increase xylose utilization, and further improvement in growth and fermentation was seen when PBS2 was also deleted. These findings will extend the understanding of metabolic limitations for xylose utilization in S. cerevisiae as well as understanding of how they differ among strains engineered with two different xylose utilization pathways.

Variable and dose-dependent response of Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts toward lignocellulosic hydrolysate inhibitors

Lignocellulosic hydrolysates will also contain compounds that inhibit microbial metabolism, such as organic acids, furaldehydes, and phenolic compounds. Understanding the response of yeasts toward such inhibitors is important to the development of different bioprocesses. In this work, the growth capacity of 7 industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae and 7 non-Saccharomyces yeasts was compared in the presence of 3 different concentrations of furaldehydes (furfural and 5-hydroxymetil-furfural), organic acids (acetic and formic acids), and phenolic compounds (vanillin, syringaldehyde, ferulic, and coumaric acids). Then, Candida tropicalis JA2, Meyerozyma caribbica JA9, Wickerhamomyces anomalus 740, S. cerevisiae JP1, B1.1, and G06 were selected for fermentation in presence of acetic acid, HMF, and vanillin because they proved to be most tolerant to the tested compounds, while Spathaspora sp. JA1 because its xylose consumption rate. The results obtained showed a dose-dependent response of the yeasts toward the eight different inhibitors. Among the compared yeasts, S. cerevisiae strains presented higher tolerance than non-Saccharomyces, 3 of them with the highest tolerance among all. Regarding the non-Saccharomyces yeasts, C. tropicalis JA2 and W. anomalus 740 appeared as the most tolerant, whereas Spathaspora strains appeared very sensitive to the different compounds.

Co-culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (VS3) and Pichia stipitis (NCIM 3498) enhances bioethanol yield from concentrated Prosopis juliflora hydrolysate

Biphasic acid hydrolysates and enzymatic hydrolysates from carbohydrate-rich Prosopis juliflora, an invasive perennial deciduous shrub of semi-arid regions, were used for bioethanol production. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia stipitis were used for fermentation of hexoses and pentoses. P. juliflora acid hydrolysate with an initial sugar concentration of 18.70 ± 0.16 g/L was concentrated to 33.59 ± 0.52 g/L by vacuum distillation. The concentrated hydrolysate was pretreated and fermented by mono- and co-culture methods either singly or in combination with enzyme hydrolysate and ethanol yields were compared. Monoculture with S. cerevisiae (VS3) and S. cerevisiae (NCIM3455) yielded maximum ethanol of 36.6 ± 1.83 g/L and 37.1 ± 1.86 g/L with a fermentation efficiency of 83.94 ± 4.20% and 84.20 ± 4.21%, respectively, after 36 h of fermentation. The ethanol yield obtained was 0.428 ± 0.02 g/g substrate and 0.429 ± 0.02 g/g substrate with a productivity of 1.017 ± 0.051 g/L/hand 1.031 ± 0.052 g/L/h, respectively. P. stipitis (NCIM3498) yielded maximum ethanol of 24 g/L with ethanol yield of 0.455 ± 0.02 g/g substrate and a productivity of 1.004 ± 0.050 g/L/h after 24 h of fermentation. With concentrated acid hydrolysate as substrate, S. cerevisiae (VS3) produced ethanol of 8.52 ± 0.43 g/L, whereas S. cerevisiae (NCIM3455) produced 5.96 ± 0.30 g/L of ethanol. P.stipitis (NCIM3498) produced 4.52 ± 0.23 g/L of ethanol by utilizing 14.66 ± 0.87 g/L of sugars. Co-culture with S. cerevisiae (VS3) addition after 18 h of addition of P. stipitis (NCIM3498) to the mixture of concentrated acid hydrolysate and enzyme hydrolysate produced 13.86 ± 0.47 g/L of ethanol with fermentation efficiency, ethanol yield and productivity of 87.54 ± 0.54%, 0.446 ± 2.36 g/g substrate and 0.385 ± 0.014 g/L/h, respectively. Hence, it is concluded that co-culture with S. cerevisiae and P. stipitis is feasible, further scaling up of fermentation of P. juliflora substrate for bioethanol production.

Abatement of Inhibitors in Recycled Process Water from Biomass Fermentations Relieves Inhibition of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pentose Phosphate Pathway Mutant

Understanding the nature of fermentation inhibition in biomass hydrolysates and recycled fermentation process water is important for conversion of biomass to fuels and chemicals. This study used three mutants disrupted in genes important for tolerance to either oxidative stress, salinity, or osmolarity to ferment biomass hydrolysates in a xylose-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae background. The S. cerevisiaeZWF1 mutant with heightened sensitivity to fermentation inhibitors was unable to ferment corn stover dilute-acid hydrolysate without conditioning of hydrolysate using a fungal strain, Coniochaeta ligniaria, to consume inhibitors. Growth of two other strains, a salt-sensitive HAL4 mutant and a GPD1 mutant sensitive to osmotic stress, was not negatively affected in hydrolysate compared to the parent xylose-metabolizing strain. In recycled fermentation process water, inhibition of the ZWF1 mutant could again be remediated by biological abatement, and no effect on growth was observed for any of the mutants compared to the parent strain.

Characterization of two sugar transporters responsible for efficient xylose uptake in an oleaginous yeast Candida tropicalis SY005

Microbial conversion of lignocellulosic feedstock to the target bioproduct requires efficient assimilation of its constituent sugars, a large part of which comprises of glucose and xylose. This study aims to identify and characterize sugar transporters capable of xylose uptake in an oleaginous strain of the industrially relevant yeast Candida tropicalis. In silico database mining resulted in two sugar transporter proteins- CtStp1 and CtStp2, containing conserved amino acid residues and motifs that have been previously reported to be involved in xylose transport in other organisms. Several softwares predicted the likelihood of 10-12 transmembrane (TM) helices to be present in both the Stps, while molecular modelling showed 12 TM helices that were organized into a typical structure found in the major facilitator superfamily of transporters. Docking with different sugars also predicted favorable interactions. Heterologous expression in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain harboring functional xylose metabolic genes validated the broad substrate specificity of the two Stps. Each transporter supported prominent growth of recombinant S. cerevisiae strains on six sugars including xylose at various concentrations. Expression of CtSTP1 and CtSTP2 along with the xylose metabolic genes in yeast transformants grown in presence of xylose was confirmed by transcript detection. Growth curve and sugar consumption profiles revealed uptake of both glucose and xylose simultaneously by the recombinant yeast strains, though CtStp1 showed relatively less effect of glucose repression in mixed sugars and was a better transporter of xylose than CtStp2. Such glucose-xylose utilizing efficient transporters can be effective tools for developing co-fermenting yeasts through genetic engineering in future, with noteworthy applications in renewable biomass utilization.

Tracking strategic developments for conferring xylose utilization/fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Purpose

Efficient ethanol production through lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysates could solve energy crisis as it is economically sustainable and ecofriendly. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the work horse for lignocellulosic bioethanol production at industrial level. But its inability to ferment and utilize xylose limits the overall efficacy of the process.

Method

Data for the review was selected using different sources, such as Biofuels digest, Statista, International energy agency (IEA). Google scholar was used as a search engine to search literature for yeast metabolic engineering approaches. Keywords used were metabolic engineering of yeast for bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass.

Result

Through these approaches, interconnected pathways can be targeted randomly. Moreover, the improved strains genetic makeup can help us understand the mechanisms involved for this purpose.

Conclusion

This review discusses all possible approaches for metabolic engineering of yeast. These approaches may reveal unknown hidden mechanisms and construct ways for the researchers to produce novel and modified strains.

Repeated batches as a strategy for high 2G ethanol production from undetoxified hemicellulose hydrolysate using immobilized cells of recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a fixed-bed reactor

BACKGROUND

The search for sustainable energy sources has become a worldwide issue, making the development of efficient biofuel production processes a priority. Immobilization of second-generation (2G) xylose-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains is a promising approach to achieve economic viability of 2G bioethanol production from undetoxified hydrolysates through operation at high cell load and mitigation of inhibitor toxicity. In addition, the use of a fixed-bed reactor can contribute to establish an efficient process because of its distinct advantages, such as high conversion rate per weight of biocatalyst and reuse of biocatalyst.

RESULTS

This work assessed the influence of alginate entrapment on the tolerance of recombinant S. cerevisiae to acetic acid. Encapsulated GSE16-T18SI.1 (T18) yeast showed an outstanding performance in repeated batch fermentations with cell recycling in YPX medium supplemented with 8 g/L acetic acid (pH 5.2), achieving 10 cycles without significant loss of productivity. In the fixed-bed bioreactor, a high xylose fermentation rate with ethanol yield and productivity values of 0.38 gethanol/gsugars and 5.7 g/L/h, respectively were achieved in fermentations using undetoxified sugarcane bagasse hemicellulose hydrolysate, with and without medium recirculation.

CONCLUSIONS

The performance of recombinant strains developed for 2G ethanol production can be boosted strongly by cell immobilization in alginate gels. Yeast encapsulation allows conducting fermentations in repeated batch mode in fixed-bed bioreactors with high xylose assimilation rate and high ethanol productivity using undetoxified hemicellulose hydrolysate.

Recent Advances in the Metabolic Engineering of Yeasts for Ginsenoside Biosynthesis

Ginsenosides are a group of glycosylated triterpenes isolated from Panax species. Ginsenosides are promising candidates for the prevention and treatment of cancer as well as food additives. However, owing to a lack of efficient approaches for ginsenoside production from plants and chemical synthesis, ginsenosides may not yet have reached their full potential as medicinal resources. In recent years, an alternative approach for ginsenoside production has been developed using the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and non-conventional yeasts such as Yarrowia lipolytica and Pichia pastoris. In this review, various metabolic engineering strategies, including heterologous gene expression, balancing, and increasing metabolic flux, and enzyme engineering, have been described as recent advanced engineering techniques for improving ginsenoside production. Furthermore, the usefulness of a systems approach and fermentation strategy has been presented. Finally, the present challenges and future research direction for industrial cell factories have been discussed.

An Innovative Biocatalyst for Continuous 2G Ethanol Production from Xylo-Oligomers by Saccharomyces cerevisiae through Simultaneous Hydrolysis, Isomerization, and Fermentation (SHIF)

Many approaches have been considered aimed at ethanol production from the hemicellulosic fraction of biomass. However, the industrial implementation of this process has been hindered by some bottlenecks, one of the most important being the ease of contamination of the bioreactor by bacteria that metabolize xylose. This work focuses on overcoming this problem through the fermentation of xylulose (the xylose isomer) by native Saccharomyces cerevisiae using xylo-oligomers as substrate. A new concept of biocatalyst is proposed, containing xylanases and xylose isomerase (XI) covalently immobilized on chitosan, and co-encapsulated with industrial baker’s yeast in Ca-alginate gel spherical particles. Xylo-oligomers are hydrolyzed, xylose is isomerized, and finally xylulose is fermented to ethanol, all taking place simultaneously, in a process called simultaneous hydrolysis, isomerization, and fermentation (SHIF). Among several tested xylanases, Multifect CX XL A03139 was selected to compose the biocatalyst bead. Influences of pH, Ca2+, and Mg2+ concentrations on the isomerization step were assessed. Experiments of SHIF using birchwood xylan resulted in an ethanol yield of 0.39 g/g, (76% of the theoretical), selectivity of 3.12 gethanol/gxylitol, and ethanol productivity of 0.26 g/L/h.

Association of improved oxidative stress tolerance and alleviation of glucose repression with superior xylose-utilization capability by a natural isolate of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

BACKGROUND

Saccharomyces cerevisiae wild strains generally have poor xylose-utilization capability, which is a major barrier for efficient bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass. Laboratory adaption is commonly used to enhance xylose utilization of recombinant S. cerevisiae. Apparently, yeast cells could remodel the metabolic network for xylose metabolism. However, it still remains unclear why natural isolates of S. cerevisiae poorly utilize xylose. Here, we analyzed a unique S. cerevisiae natural isolate YB-2625 which has superior xylose metabolism capability in the presence of mixed-sugar. Comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed using S. cerevisiae YB-2625 grown in a mixture of glucose and xylose, and the model yeast strain S288C served as a control. Global gene transcription was compared at both the early mixed-sugar utilization stage and the latter xylose-utilization stage.

RESULTS

Genes involved in endogenous xylose-assimilation (XYL2 and XKS1), gluconeogenesis, and TCA cycle showed higher transcription levels in S. cerevisiae YB-2625 at the xylose-utilization stage, when compared to the reference strain. On the other hand, transcription factor encoding genes involved in regulation of glucose repression (MIG1, MIG2, and MIG3) as well as HXK2 displayed decreased transcriptional levels in YB-2625, suggesting the alleviation of glucose repression of S. cerevisiae YB-2625. Notably, genes encoding antioxidant enzymes (CTT1, CTA1, SOD2, and PRX1) showed higher transcription levels in S. cerevisiae YB-2625 in the xylose-utilization stage than that of the reference strain. Consistently, catalase activity of YB-2625 was 1.9-fold higher than that of S. cerevisiae S288C during the xylose-utilization stage. As a result, intracellular reactive oxygen species levels of S. cerevisiae YB-2625 were 43.3 and 58.6% lower than that of S288C at both sugar utilization stages. Overexpression of CTT1 and PRX1 in the recombinant strain S. cerevisiae YRH396 deriving from S. cerevisiae YB-2625 increased cell growth when xylose was used as the sole carbon source, leading to 13.5 and 18.1%, respectively, more xylose consumption.

CONCLUSIONS

Enhanced oxidative stress tolerance and relief of glucose repression are proposed to be two major mechanisms for superior xylose utilization by S. cerevisiae YB-2625. The present study provides insights into the innate regulatory mechanisms underlying xylose utilization in wild-type S. cerevisiae, which benefits the rapid development of robust yeast strains for lignocellulosic biorefineries.

Xylitol production by genetically modified industrial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using glycerol as co-substrate

Xylitol is commercially used in chewing gum and dental care products as a low calorie sweetener having medicinal properties. Industrial yeast strain of S. cerevisiae was genetically modified to overexpress an endogenous aldose reductase gene GRE3 and a xylose transporter gene SUT1 for the production of xylitol. The recombinant strain (XP-RTK) carried the expression cassettes of both the genes and the G418 resistance marker cassette KanMX integrated into the genome of S. cerevisiae. Short segments from the 5′ and 3′ delta regions of the Ty1 retrotransposons were used as homology regions for integration of the cassettes. Xylitol production by the industrial recombinant strain was evaluated using hemicellulosic hydrolysate of the corn cob with glucose as the cosubstrate. The recombinant strain XP-RTK showed significantly higher xylitol productivity (212 mg L−1 h−1) over the control strain XP (81 mg L−1 h−1). Glucose was successfully replaced by glycerol as a co-substrate for xylitol production by S. cerevisiae. Strain XP-RTK showed the highest xylitol productivity of 318.6 mg L−1 h−1 and titre of 47 g L−1 of xylitol at 12 g L−1 initial DCW using glycerol as cosubstrate. The amount of glycerol consumed per amount of xylitol produced (0.47 mol mol−1) was significantly lower than glucose (23.7 mol mol−1). Fermentation strategies such as cell recycle and use of the industrial nitrogen sources were demonstrated using hemicellulosic hydrolysate for xylitol production.

Engineered yeast with a CO2-fixation pathway to improve the bio-ethanol production from xylose-mixed sugars

Bio-ethanol production from lignocellulosic raw materials could serve as a sustainable potential for improving the supply of liquid fuels in face of the food-to-fuel competition and the growing energy demand. Xylose is the second abundant sugar of lignocelluloses hydrolysates, but its commercial-scale conversion to ethanol by fermentation is challenged by incomplete and inefficient utilization of xylose. Here, we use a coupled strategy of simultaneous maltose utilization and in-situ carbon dioxide (CO2) fixation to achieve efficient xylose fermentation by the engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our results showed that the introduction of CO2 as electron acceptor for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) oxidation increased the total ethanol productivity and yield at the expense of simultaneous maltose and xylose utilization. Our achievements present an innovative strategy using CO2 to drive and redistribute the central pathways of xylose to desirable products and demonstrate a possible breakthrough in product yield of sugars.

Xylitol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae overexpressing different xylose reductases using non-detoxified hemicellulosic hydrolysate of corncob

Xylitol production was compared in fed batch fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains overexpressing xylose reductase (XR) genes from Candida tropicalis, Pichia stipitis, Neurospora crassa, and an endogenous gene GRE3. The gene encoding a xylose specific transporter (SUT1) from P. stipitis was cloned to improve xylose transport and fed batch fermentation was used with glucose as a cosubstrate to regenerate NADPH. Xylitol yield was near theoretical for all the strains in fed batch fermentation. The highest volumetric (0.28 gL^-1 h^-1) and specific (34 mgg^-1 h^-1) xylitol productivities were obtained by the strain overexpressing GRE3 gene, while the control strain showed 7.2 mgg^-1 h^-1 specific productivity. The recombinant strains carrying XR from C. tropicalis, P. stipitis, and N. crassa produced xylitol with lower specific productivity of 14.3, 6.8, and 6.3 mgg^-1 h^-1, respectively, than GRE3 overexpressing strain. The glucose fed as cosubstrate was converted to biomass and ethanol, while xylose was only converted to xylitol. The efficiency of ethanol production was in the range of 38-45 % of the theoretical maximum for all the strains. Xylitol production from the non-detoxified corncob hemicellulosic hydrolysate by recombinant S. cerevisiae was reported for the first time. Xylitol productivity was found to be equivalent in the synthetic xylose as well as hemicellulosic hydrolysate-based media showing no inhibition on the S. cerevisiae due to the inhibitors present in the hydrolysate. A systematic evaluation of heterologous XRs and endogenous GRE3 genes was performed, and the strain overexpressing the endogenous GRE3 gene showed the best xylitol productivity.

Identification and functional characterization of novel xylose transporters from the cell factories Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei

BACKGROUND

Global climate change and fossil fuels limitations have boosted the demand for robust and efficient microbial factories for the manufacturing of bio-based products from renewable feedstocks. In this regard, efforts have been done to enhance the enzyme-secreting ability of lignocellulose-degrading fungi, aiming to improve protein yields while taking advantage of their ability to use lignocellulosic feedstocks. Access to sugars in complex polysaccharides depends not only on their release by specific hydrolytic enzymes, but also on the presence of transporters capable of effectively transporting the constituent sugars into the cell. This study aims to identify and characterize xylose transporters from Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei, two fungi that have been industrially exploited for decades for the production of lignocellulose-degrading hydrolytic enzymes.

RESULTS

A hidden Markov model for the identification of xylose transporters was developed and used to analyze the A. niger and T. reesei in silico proteomes, yielding a list of candidate xylose transporters. From this list, three A. niger (XltA, XltB and XltC) and three T. reesei (Str1, Str2 and Str3) transporters were selected, functionally validated and biochemically characterized through their expression in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae hexose transport null mutant, engineered to be able to metabolize xylose but unable to transport this sugar. All six transporters were able to support growth of the engineered yeast on xylose but varied in affinities and efficiencies in the uptake of the pentose. Amino acid sequence analysis of the selected transporters showed the presence of specific residues and motifs recently associated to xylose transporters. Transcriptional analysis of A. niger and T. reesei showed that XltA and Str1 were specifically induced by xylose and dependent on the XlnR/Xyr1 regulators, signifying a biological role for these transporters in xylose utilization.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed the existence of a variety of xylose transporters in the cell factories A. niger and T. reesei. The particular substrate specificity and biochemical properties displayed by A. niger XltA and XltB suggested a possible biological role for these transporters in xylose uptake. New insights were also gained into the molecular mechanisms regulating the pentose utilization, at inducer uptake level, in these fungi. Analysis of the A. niger and T. reesei predicted transportome with the newly developed hidden Markov model showed to be an efficient approach for the identification of new xylose transporting proteins.

Portal vein thrombosis: what is new?

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is one of the most common vascular disorders of the liver with significant morbidity and mortality. Large cohort studies have reported a global prevalence of 1%, but in some risk groups it can be up to 26%. Causes of PVT are cirrhosis, hepatobiliary malignancy, abdominal infectious or inflammatory diseases, and myeloproliferative disorders. Most patients with PVT have a general risk factor. The natural history of PVT results in portal hypertension leading to splenomegaly and the formation of portosystemic collateral blood vessels and esophageal, gastric, duodenal, and jejunal varices. Diagnosis of PVT is made by imaging, mainly Doppler ultrasonography. According to its time of development, localization, pathophysiology, and evolution, PVT should be classified in every patient. Some clinical features such as cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and hepatic transplantation are areas of special interest and are discussed in this review. The goal of treatment of acute PVT is to reconstruct the blocked veins. Endoscopic variceal ligation is safe and highly effective in patients with variceal bleeding caused by chronic PVT. In conclusion, PVT is the most common cause of vascular disease of the liver and its prevalence has being increasing, especially among patients with an underlying liver disease. All patients should be investigated for thrombophilic conditions, and in those with cirrhosis, anticoagulation prophylaxis should be considered.

Functional characterization of a xylose transporter in Aspergillus nidulans

BACKGROUND

The production of bioethanol from lignocellulosic feedstocks will only become economically feasible when the majority of cellulosic and hemicellulosic biopolymers can be efficiently converted into bioethanol. The main component of cellulose is glucose, whereas hemicelluloses mainly consist of pentose sugars such as D-xylose and L-arabinose. The genomes of filamentous fungi such as A. nidulans encode a multiplicity of sugar transporters with broad affinities for hexose and pentose sugars. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which has a long history of use in industrial fermentation processes, is not able to efficiently transport or metabolize pentose sugars (e.g. xylose). Subsequently, the aim of this study was to identify xylose-transporters from A. nidulans, as potential candidates for introduction into S. cerevisiae in order to improve xylose utilization.

RESULTS

In this study, we identified the A. nidulans xtrD (xylose transporter) gene, which encodes a Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS) transporter, and which was specifically induced at the transcriptional level by xylose in a XlnR-dependent manner, while being partially repressed by glucose in a CreA-dependent manner. We evaluated the ability of xtrD to functionally complement the S. cerevisiae EBY.VW4000 strain which is unable to grow on glucose, fructose, mannose or galactose as single carbon source. In S. cerevisiae, XtrD was targeted to the plasma membrane and its expression was able to restore growth on xylose, glucose, galactose, and mannose as single carbon sources, indicating that this transporter accepts multiple sugars as a substrate. XtrD has a high affinity for xylose, and may be a high affinity xylose transporter. We were able to select a S. cerevisiae mutant strain that had increased xylose transport when expressing the xtrD gene.

CONCLUSIONS

This study characterized the regulation and substrate specificity of an A. nidulans transporter that represents a good candidate for further directed mutagenesis. Investigation into the area of sugar transport in fungi presents a crucial step for improving the S. cerevisiae xylose metabolism. Moreover, we have demonstrated that the introduction of adaptive mutations beyond the introduced xylose utilization genes is able to improve S. cerevisiae xylose metabolism.

Stepwise metabolic adaption from pure metabolization to balanced anaerobic growth on xylose explored for recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae

BACKGROUND

To effectively convert lignocellulosic feedstocks to bio-ethanol anaerobic growth on xylose constitutes an essential trait that Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains normally do not adopt through the selective integration of a xylose assimilation route as the rate of ATP-formation is below energy requirements for cell maintenance (mATP). To enable cell growth extensive evolutionary and/or elaborate rational engineering is required. However the number of available strains meeting demands for process integration are limited. In this work evolutionary engineering in just two stages coupled to strain selection under strict anaerobic conditions was carried out with BP10001 as progenitor. BP10001 is an efficient (Yethanol = 0.35 g/g) but slow (qethanol = 0.05 ± 0.01 g/gBM/h) xylose-metabolizing recombinant strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that expresses an optimized yeast-type xylose assimilation pathway.

RESULTS

BP10001 was adapted in 5 generations to anaerobic growth on xylose by prolonged incubation for 91 days in sealed flasks. Resultant strain IBB10A02 displayed a specific growth rate μ of 0.025 ± 0.002 h-1 but produced large amounts of glycerol and xylitol. In addition growth was strongly impaired at pH below 6.0 and in the presence of weak acids. Using sequential batch selection and IBB10A02 as basis, IBB10B05 was evolved (56 generations). IBB10B05 was capable of fast (μ = 0.056 ± 0.003 h-1; qethanol = 0.28 ± 0.04 g/gBM/h), efficient (Yethanol = 0.35 ± 0.02 g/g), robust and balanced fermentation of xylose. Importantly, IBB10A02 and IBB10B05 displayed a stable phenotype. Unlike BP10001 both strains displayed an unprecedented biphasic formation of glycerol and xylitol along the fermentation time. Transition from a glycerol- to a xylitol-dominated growth phase, probably controlled by CO2/HCO3-, was accompanied by a 2.3-fold increase of mATP while YATP (= 87 ± 7 mmolATP/gBM) remained unaffected. As long as glycerol constituted the main by-product energetics of anaerobic growth on xylose and glucose were almost identical.

CONCLUSIONS

In just 61 generation IBB10B05, displaying ~530% improved strain fitness, was evolved from BP10001. Its excellent xylose fermentation properties under industrial relevant conditions were proven and rendered it competitive. Based on detailed analysis of growth energetics we showed that mATP was predominantly determined by the type of polyol formed rather than, as previously assumed, substrate-specific.

Enhanced expression of genes involved in initial xylose metabolism and the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway in the improved xylose-utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae through evolutionary engineering

Fermentation of xylose in lignocellulosic hydrolysates by Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been achieved through heterologous expression of the xylose reductase (XR)-xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) pathway. However, the fermentation efficiency is far from the requirement for industrial application due to high yield of the byproduct xylitol, low ethanol yield, and low xylose consumption rate. Through evolutionary engineering, an improved xylose-utilizing strain SyBE005 was obtained with 78.3 % lower xylitol production and a 2.6-fold higher specific ethanol production rate than those of the parent strain SyBE004, which expressed an engineered NADP(+)-preferring XDH. The transcriptional differences between SyBE005 and SyBE004 were investigated by quantitative RT-PCR. Genes including XYL1, XYL2, and XKS1 in the initial xylose metabolic pathway showed the highest up-regulation in SyBE005. The increased expression of XYL1 and XYL2 correlated with enhanced enzymatic activities of XR and XDH. In addition, the expression level of ZWF1 in the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway increased significantly in SyBE005, indicating an elevated demand for NADPH from XR. Genes involved in the TCA cycle (LAT1, CIT1, CIT2, KGD1, KGD, SDH2) and gluconeogenesis (ICL1, PYC1) were also up-regulated in SyBE005. Genomic analysis revealed that point mutations in transcriptional regulators CYC8 and PHD1 might be responsible for the altered expression. In addition, a mutation (Y89S) in ZWF1 was identified which might improve NADPH production in SyBE005. Our results suggest that increasing the expression of XYL1, XYL2, XKS1, and enhancing NADPH supply are promising strategies to improve xylose fermentation in recombinant S. cerevisiae.

Ethanol production from macaúba (Acrocomia aculeata) presscake hemicellulosic hydrolysate by Candida boidinii UFMG14

Yeasts capable of growth on xylose were isolated from macaúba (Acrocomia aculeata) fruit, a Brazilian palm tree with great potential for use as biodiesel feedstock production. Candida boidinii UFMG14 strain achieved the highest ethanol production (5 g/L) and was chosen to ferment macaúba presscake hemicellulosic hydrolysate (MPHH). The MPHH was produced by the first time in this work and the resultant fivefold concentrate showed considerable sugar content (52.3 and 34.2 g/L xylose and glucose, respectively) and low furfural (0.01 g/L) and hydroxymethylfurfural (0.15 g/L) concentrations. C. boidinii UFMG14 fermentation was evaluated in supplemented and non-supplemented MPHH containing either 10 or 25 g/L of xylose. The maximum ethanol production (12 g/L) was observed after 48 h of fermentation. The ethanol yield was significantly affected by supplementation and concentration of MPHH while ethanol productivity was affected only by MPHH concentration. This is the first study demonstrating theC. boidinii potential for ethanol production from hemicellulose byproducts.

Growth and fermentation of D-xylose by Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing a novel D-xylose isomerase originating from the bacterium Prevotella ruminicola TC2-24

BACKGROUND

Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains expressing D-xylose isomerase (XI) produce some of the highest reported ethanol yields from D-xylose. Unfortunately, most bacterial XIs that have been expressed in S. cerevisiae are either not functional, require additional strain modification, or have low affinity for D-xylose. This study analyzed several XIs from rumen and intestinal microorganisms to identify enzymes with improved properties for engineering S. cerevisiae for D-xylose fermentation.

RESULTS

Four XIs originating from rumen and intestinal bacteria were isolated and expressed in a S. cerevisiae CEN.PK2-1C parental strain primed for D-xylose metabolism by over expression of its native D-xylulokinase. Three of the XIs were functional in S. cerevisiae, based on the strain's ability to grow in D-xylose medium. The most promising strain, expressing the XI mined from Prevotella ruminicola TC2-24, was further adapted for aerobic and fermentative growth by serial transfers of D-xylose cultures under aerobic, and followed by microaerobic conditions. The evolved strain had a specific growth rate of 0.23 h-1 on D-xylose medium, which is comparable to the best reported results for analogous S. cerevisiae strains including those expressing the Piromyces sp. E2 XI. When used to ferment D-xylose, the adapted strain produced 13.6 g/L ethanol in 91 h with a metabolic yield of 83% of theoretical. From analysis of the P. ruminicola XI, it was determined the enzyme possessed a Vmax of 0.81 μmole/min/mg protein and a Km of 34 mM.

CONCLUSION

This study identifies a new xylose isomerase from the rumen bacterium Prevotella ruminicola TC2-24 that has one of the highest affinities and specific activities compared to other bacterial and fungal D-xylose isomerases expressed in yeast. When expressed in S. cerevisiae and used to ferment D-xylose, very high ethanol yield was obtained. This new XI should be a promising resource for constructing other D-xylose fermenting strains, including industrial yeast genetic backgrounds.

Cofactor engineering for advancing chemical biotechnology

Cofactors provide redox carriers for biosynthetic reactions, catabolic reactions and act as important agents in transfer of energy for the cell. Recent advances in manipulating cofactors include culture conditions or additive alterations, genetic modification of host pathways for increased availability of desired cofactor, changes in enzyme cofactor specificity, and introduction of novel redox partners to form effective circuits for biochemical processes and biocatalysts. Genetic strategies to employ ferredoxin, NADH and NADPH most effectively in natural or novel pathways have improved yield and efficiency of large-scale processes for fuels and chemicals and have been demonstrated with a variety of microbial organisms.

Rational and evolutionary engineering approaches uncover a small set of genetic changes efficient for rapid xylose fermentation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Economic bioconversion of plant cell wall hydrolysates into fuels and chemicals has been hampered mainly due to the inability of microorganisms to efficiently co-ferment pentose and hexose sugars, especially glucose and xylose, which are the most abundant sugars in cellulosic hydrolysates. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cannot metabolize xylose due to a lack of xylose-metabolizing enzymes. We developed a rapid and efficient xylose-fermenting S. cerevisiae through rational and inverse metabolic engineering strategies, comprising the optimization of a heterologous xylose-assimilating pathway and evolutionary engineering. Strong and balanced expression levels of the XYL1, XYL2, and XYL3 genes constituting the xylose-assimilating pathway increased ethanol yields and the xylose consumption rates from a mixture of glucose and xylose with little xylitol accumulation. The engineered strain, however, still exhibited a long lag time when metabolizing xylose above 10 g/l as a sole carbon source, defined here as xylose toxicity. Through serial-subcultures on xylose, we isolated evolved strains which exhibited a shorter lag time and improved xylose-fermenting capabilities than the parental strain. Genome sequencing of the evolved strains revealed that mutations in PHO13 causing loss of the Pho13p function are associated with the improved phenotypes of the evolved strains. Crude extracts of a PHO13-overexpressing strain showed a higher phosphatase activity on xylulose-5-phosphate (X-5-P), suggesting that the dephosphorylation of X-5-P by Pho13p might generate a futile cycle with xylulokinase overexpression. While xylose consumption rates by the evolved strains improved substantially as compared to the parental strain, xylose metabolism was interrupted by accumulated acetate. Deletion of ALD6 coding for acetaldehyde dehydrogenase not only prevented acetate accumulation, but also enabled complete and efficient fermentation of xylose as well as a mixture of glucose and xylose by the evolved strain. These findings provide direct guidance for developing industrial strains to produce cellulosic fuels and chemicals.

Bioconversion of sugarcane biomass into ethanol: an overview about composition, pretreatment methods, detoxification of hydrolysates, enzymatic saccharification, and ethanol fermentation

Depleted supplies of fossil fuel, regular price hikes of gasoline, and environmental damage have necessitated the search for economic and eco-benign alternative of gasoline. Ethanol is produced from food/feed-based substrates (grains, sugars, and molasses), and its application as an energy source does not seem fit for long term due to the increasing fuel, food, feed, and other needs. These concerns have enforced to explore the alternative means of cost competitive and sustainable supply of biofuel. Sugarcane residues, sugarcane bagasse (SB), and straw (SS) could be the ideal feedstock for the second-generation (2G) ethanol production. These raw materials are rich in carbohydrates and renewable and do not compete with food/feed demands. However, the efficient bioconversion of SB/SS (efficient pretreatment technology, depolymerization of cellulose, and fermentation of released sugars) remains challenging to commercialize the cellulosic ethanol. Among the technological challenges, robust pretreatment and development of efficient bioconversion process (implicating suitable ethanol producing strains converting pentose and hexose sugars) have a key role to play. This paper aims to review the compositional profile of SB and SS, pretreatment methods of cane biomass, detoxification methods for the purification of hydrolysates, enzymatic hydrolysis, and the fermentation of released sugars for ethanol production.

Plant cell walls to ethanol

Conversion of plant cell walls to ethanol constitutes second generation bioethanol production. The process consists of several steps: biomass selection/genetic modification, physiochemical pretreatment, enzymatic saccharification, fermentation and separation. Ultimately, it is desirable to combine as many of the biochemical steps as possible in a single organism to achieve CBP (consolidated bioprocessing). A commercially ready CBP organism is currently unreported. Production of second generation bioethanol is hindered by economics, particularly in the cost of pretreatment (including waste management and solvent recovery), the cost of saccharification enzymes (particularly exocellulases and endocellulases displaying kcat ~1 s−1 on crystalline cellulose), and the inefficiency of co-fermentation of 5- and 6-carbon monosaccharides (owing in part to redox cofactor imbalances in Saccharomyces cerevisiae).