Proteomic analyses of the phase transition from acidogenesis to solventogenesis using solventogenic and non-solventogenic Clostridium acetobutylicum strains

Transcriptomic studies of solventogenic clostridia, Clostridium acetobutylicum and Clostridium beijerinckii

Solventogenic clostridia are not a strictly defined group within the genus Clostridium but its representatives share some common features, i.e. they are anaerobic, non-pathogenic, non-toxinogenic and endospore forming bacteria. Their main metabolite is typically 1-butanol but depending on species and culture conditions, they can form other metabolites such as acetone, isopropanol, ethanol, butyric, lactic and acetic acids, and hydrogen. Although these organisms were previously used for the industrial production of solvents, they later fell into disuse, being replaced by more efficient chemical production. A return to a more biological production of solvents therefore requires a thorough understanding of clostridial metabolism. Transcriptome analysis, which reflects the involvement of individual genes in all cellular processes within a population, at any given (sampling) moment, is a valuable tool for gaining a deeper insight into clostridial life. In this review, we describe techniques to study transcription, summarize the evolution of these techniques and compare methods for data processing and visualization of solventogenic clostridia, particularly the species Clostridium acetobutylicum and Clostridium beijerinckii. Individual approaches for evaluating transcriptomic data are compared and their contributions to advancements in the field are assessed. Moreover, utilization of transcriptomic data for reconstruction of computational clostridial metabolic models is considered and particular models are described. Transcriptional changes in glucose transport, central carbon metabolism, the sporulation cycle, butanol and butyrate stress responses, the influence of lignocellulose-derived inhibitors on growth and solvent production, and other respective topics, are addressed and common trends are highlighted.

Bioconversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass into Value Added Products under Anaerobic Conditions: Insight into Proteomic Studies

Production of biofuels and other value-added products from lignocellulose breakdown requires the coordinated metabolic activity of varied microorganisms. The increasing global demand for biofuels encourages the development and optimization of production strategies. Optimization in turn requires a thorough understanding of the microbial mechanisms and metabolic pathways behind the formation of each product of interest. Hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass is a bottleneck in its industrial use and often affects yield efficiency. The accessibility of the biomass to the microorganisms is the key to the release of sugars that are then taken up as substrates and subsequently transformed into the desired products. While the effects of different metabolic intermediates in the overall production of biofuel and other relevant products have been studied, the role of proteins and their activity under anaerobic conditions has not been widely explored. Shifts in enzyme production may inform the state of the microorganisms involved; thus, acquiring insights into the protein production and enzyme activity could be an effective resource to optimize production strategies. The application of proteomic analysis is currently a promising strategy in this area. This review deals on the aspects of enzymes and proteomics of bioprocesses of biofuels production using lignocellulosic biomass as substrate.

Clostridium acetobutylicum atpG-Knockdown Mutants Increase Extracellular pH in Batch Cultures

ATPase, a key enzyme involved in energy metabolism, has not yet been well studied in Clostridium acetobutylicum. Here, we knocked down the atpG gene encoding the ATPase gamma subunit in C. acetobutylicum ATCC 824 using a mobile group II intron system and analyzed the physiological characteristics of the atpG gene knockdown mutant, 824-2866KD. Properties investigated included cell growth, glucose consumption, production of major metabolites, and extracellular pH. Interestingly, in 2-L batch fermentations, 824-2866KD showed no significant difference in metabolite biosynthesis or cell growth compared with the parent ATCC 824. However, the pH value in 824-2866KD cultures at the late stage of the solventogenic phase was abnormally high (pH 6.12), compared with that obtained routinely in the culture of ATCC 824 (pH 5.74). This phenomenon was also observed in batch cultures of another C. acetobutylicum, BEKW-2866KD, an atpG-knockdown and pta-buk double-knockout mutant. The findings reported in this study suggested that ATPase is relatively minor than acid-forming pathway in ATP metabolism in C. acetobutylicum.

Combination of Trace Metal to Improve Solventogenesis of Clostridium carboxidivorans P7 in Syngas Fermentation

Higher alcohols such as butanol (C4 alcohol) and hexanol (C6 alcohol) are superior biofuels compared to ethanol. Clostridium carboxidivorans P7 is a typical acetogen capable of producing C4 and C6 alcohols natively. In this study, the composition of trace metals in culture medium was adjusted, and the effects of these adjustments on artificial syngas fermentation by C. carboxidivorans P7 were investigated. Nickel and ferrous ions were essential for growth and metabolite synthesis during syngas fermentation by P7. However, a decreased dose of molybdate improved alcohol fermentation performance by stimulating carbon fixation and solventogenesis. In response to the modified trace metal composition, cells grew to a maximum OD_{600 nm} of 1.6 and accumulated ethanol and butanol to maximum concentrations of 2.0 and 1.0 g/L, respectively, in serum bottles. These yields were ten-fold higher than the yields generated using the original composition of trace metals. Furthermore, 0.5 g/L of hexanol was detected at the end of fermentation. The results from gene expression experiments examining genes related to carbon fixation and organic acid and solvent synthesis pathways revealed a dramatic up-regulation of the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway (WLP) gene cluster, the bcs gene cluster, and a putative CoA transferase and butanol dehydrogenase, thereby indicating that both de novo synthesis and acid re-assimilation contributed to the significantly elevated accumulation of higher alcohols. The bdh35 gene was speculated to be the key target for butanol synthesis during solventogenesis.

TargeTron Technology Applicable in Solventogenic Clostridia: Revisiting 12 Years' Advances

Clostridium has great potential in industrial application and medical research. But low DNA repair capacity and plasmids transformation efficiency severely delay development and application of genetic tools based on homologous recombination (HR). TargeTron is a gene editing technique dependent on the mobility of group II introns, rather than homologous recombination, which makes it very suitable for gene disruption of Clostridium. The application of TargeTron technology in solventogenic Clostridium is academically reported in 2007 and this tool has been introduced in various clostridia as it is easy to operate, time saving, and reliable. TargeTron has made great progress in solventogenic Clostridium in the aspects of acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation pathway modification, important functional genes identification, and xylose metabolic pathway analysis and reconstruction. In the review, 12 years' advances of TargeTron technology applicable in solventogenic Clostridium, including its principle, technical characteristics, application, and efforts to expand its capabilities, or to avoid potential drawbacks, are revisisted. Some other technologies as putative competitors or collaborators are also discussed. It is believed that TargeTron combined with CRISPR/Cas-assisted gene/base editing and gene-expression regulation system will make a better future for clostridial genetic modification.

Protein Acetylation and Butyrylation Regulate the Phenotype and Metabolic Shifts of the Endospore-forming Clostridium acetobutylicum

Clostridium acetobutylicum is a strict anaerobic, endospore-forming bacterium, which is used for the production of the high energy biofuel butanol in metabolic engineering. The life cycle of C. acetobutylicum can be divided into two phases, with acetic and butyric acids being produced in the exponential phase (acidogenesis) and butanol formed in the stationary phase (solventogenesis). During the transitional phase from acidogenesis to solventogenesis and latter stationary phase, concentration peaks of the metabolic intermediates butyryl phosphate and acetyl phosphate are observed. As an acyl group donor, acyl-phosphate chemically acylates protein substrates. However, the regulatory mechanism of lysine acetylation and butyrylation involved in the phenotype and solventogenesis of C. acetobutylicum remains unknown. In our study, we conducted quantitative analysis of protein acetylome and butyrylome to explore the dynamic change of lysine acetylation and butyrylation in the exponential phase, transitional phase, and stationary phase of C. acetobutylicum Total 458 lysine acetylation sites and 1078 lysine butyrylation sites were identified in 254 and 373 substrates, respectively. Bioinformatics analysis uncovered the similarities and differences between the two acylation modifications in C. acetobutylicum Mutation analysis of butyrate kinase and the central transcriptional factor Spo0A was performed to characterize the unique role of lysine butyrylation in the metabolic pathway and sporulation process of C. acetobutylicum Moreover, quantitative proteomic assays were performed to reveal the relationship between protein features (e.g. gene expression level and lysine acylation level) and metabolites in the three growth stages. This study expanded our knowledge of lysine acetylation and butyrylation in Clostridia and constituted a resource for functional studies on lysine acylation in bacteria.

Mathematical modelling of clostridial acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation

Clostridial acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation features a remarkable shift in the cellular metabolic activity from acid formation, acidogenesis, to the production of industrial-relevant solvents, solventogensis. In recent decades, mathematical models have been employed to elucidate the complex interlinked regulation and conditions that determine these two distinct metabolic states and govern the transition between them. In this review, we discuss these models with a focus on the mechanisms controlling intra- and extracellular changes between acidogenesis and solventogenesis. In particular, we critically evaluate underlying model assumptions and predictions in the light of current experimental knowledge. Towards this end, we briefly introduce key ideas and assumptions applied in the discussed modelling approaches, but waive a comprehensive mathematical presentation. We distinguish between structural and dynamical models, which will be discussed in their chronological order to illustrate how new biological information facilitates the ‘evolution’ of mathematical models. Mathematical models and their analysis have significantly contributed to our knowledge of ABE fermentation and the underlying regulatory network which spans all levels of biological organization. However, the ties between the different levels of cellular regulation are not well understood. Furthermore, contradictory experimental and theoretical results challenge our current notion of ABE metabolic network structure. Thus, clostridial ABE fermentation still poses theoretical as well as experimental challenges which are best approached in close collaboration between modellers and experimentalists.

Enhanced butanol fermentation using metabolically engineered Clostridium acetobutylicum with ex situ recovery of butanol

In this study, metabolic target reactions for strain engineering were searched via intracellular coenzyme A (CoA) metabolite analysis. The metabolic reactions catalyzed by thiolase (AtoB) and aldehyde-alcohol dehydrogenase (AdhE1) were considered potential rate-limiting steps. In addition, CoA transferase (CtfAB) was highlighted as being important for the assimilation of organic acids, in order to achieve high butanol production. Based on this quantitative analysis, the BEKW_E1AB-atoB strain was constructed by overexpressing the thl (atoB), adhE1, and ctfAB genes in Clostridium acetobutylicum strain BEKW, which has the phosphotransacetylase (pta) and butyrate kinase (buk) genes knocked out. After 100h of continuous fermentation coupled with adsorptive ex situ butanol recovery, the concentrations found after considering desorption, yield, and productivity for the BEKW_E1AB-atoB strain were 55.7g/L, 0.38g/g, and 2.64g/L/h, respectively. The level of butanol production achieved (2.64g/L/h) represents the highest reported value obtained after adsorptive, long-term fermentation.

Roles of three AbrBs in regulating two-phase Clostridium acetobutylicum fermentation

Clostridium acetobutylicum is an important industrial microorganism for n-butanol bioproduction, and its transcription factor AbrB0310 regulates various important cellular processes. However, the roles of two abrB homologues, abrB1941 and abrB3647, have not been determined because they appear inactive during transcription. Here, we performed a detailed investigation into the function of abrB1941 and abrB3647 in C. acetobutylicum. Interestingly, we observed that AbrB3647 exerts an important influence on biphasic fermentation that opposes the influence of AbrB0310, while AbrB1941 might not be essential. When abrB3647 was disrupted using the Targetron system, a greatly improved cellular growth occurred. The following analysis shows that all three AbrBs participated in metabolically regulating acidogenesis, solventogenesis, and a two-phase transition in C. acetobutylicum, but the AbrB0310 and AbrB3647 functions were the most important. Moreover, the target genes subject to AbrB0310 and AbrB3647 regulation closely overlap. Based on these results, we will better understand the roles of the three AbrBs in regulating solventogenic clostridia cell physiology.

Proteomic analysis to elucidate degeneration of Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 and role of Ca(2+) in strain recovery from degeneration

Degeneration of solventogenic Clostridium strains is one of the major barriers in bio-butanol production. A degenerated Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 strain (DG-8052) was obtained without any genetic manipulation. Supplementation of CaCO3 to fermentation medium could partially recover metabolism of DG-8052 by more than 50 % increase of cell growth and solvent production. This study investigated the protein expression profile of DG-8052 and its response to CaCO3 treatment. Compared with WT-8052, the lower expressed proteins were responsible for disruption of RNA secondary structures and DNA repair, sporulation, signal transduction, transcription regulation, and membrane transport in DG-8052. Interestingly, accompanied with the decreased glucose utilization and lower solvent production, there was a decreased level of sigma-54 modulation protein which may indicate that the level of sigma-54 activity may be associated with the observed strain degeneration. For the addition of CaCO3, proteomic and biochemical study results revealed that besides buffer capacity, Ca(2+) could stabilize heat shock proteins, increase DNA synthesis and replication, and enhance expression of solventogenic enzymes in DG-8052, which has a similar contribution in WT-8052.

System-level modeling of acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation

Acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation is a metabolic process of clostridia that produces bio-based solvents including butanol. It is enabled by an underlying metabolic reaction network and modulated by cellular gene regulation and environmental cues. Mathematical modeling has served as a valuable strategy to facilitate the understanding, characterization and optimization of this process. In this review, we highlight recent advances in system-level, quantitative modeling of ABE fermentation. We begin with an overview of integrative processes underlying the fermentation. Next we survey modeling efforts including early simple models, models with a systematic metabolic description, and those incorporating metabolism through simple gene regulation. Particular focus is given to a recent system-level model that integrates the metabolic reactions, gene regulation and environmental cues. We conclude by discussing the remaining challenges and future directions towards predictive understanding of ABE fermentation.

A Quantitative System-Scale Characterization of the Metabolism of Clostridium acetobutylicum

Engineering industrial microorganisms for ambitious applications, for example, the production of second-generation biofuels such as butanol, is impeded by a lack of knowledge of primary metabolism and its regulation. A quantitative system-scale analysis was applied to the biofuel-producing bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum, a microorganism used for the industrial production of solvent. An improved genome-scale model, iCac967, was first developed based on thorough biochemical characterizations of 15 key metabolic enzymes and on extensive literature analysis to acquire accurate fluxomic data. In parallel, quantitative transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were performed to assess the number of mRNA molecules per cell for all genes under acidogenic, solventogenic, and alcohologenic steady-state conditions as well as the number of cytosolic protein molecules per cell for approximately 700 genes under at least one of the three steady-state conditions. A complete fluxomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analysis applied to different metabolic states allowed us to better understand the regulation of primary metabolism. Moreover, this analysis enabled the functional characterization of numerous enzymes involved in primary metabolism, including (i) the enzymes involved in the two different butanol pathways and their cofactor specificities, (ii) the primary hydrogenase and its redox partner, (iii) the major butyryl coenzyme A (butyryl-CoA) dehydrogenase, and (iv) the major glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. This study provides important information for further metabolic engineering of C. acetobutylicum to develop a commercial process for the production of n-butanol.

Currently, there is a resurgence of interest in Clostridium acetobutylicum, the biocatalyst of the historical Weizmann process, to produce n-butanol for use both as a bulk chemical and as a renewable alternative transportation fuel. To develop a commercial process for the production of n-butanol via a metabolic engineering approach, it is necessary to better characterize both the primary metabolism of C. acetobutylicum and its regulation. Here, we apply a quantitative system-scale analysis to acidogenic, solventogenic, and alcohologenic steady-state C. acetobutylicum cells and report for the first time quantitative transcriptomic, proteomic, and fluxomic data. This approach allows for a better understanding of the regulation of primary metabolism and for the functional characterization of numerous enzymes involved in primary metabolism.

Redox-switch regulatory mechanism of thiolase from Clostridium acetobutylicum

Thiolase is the first enzyme catalysing the condensation of two acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) molecules to form acetoacetyl-CoA in a dedicated pathway towards the biosynthesis of n-butanol, an important solvent and biofuel. Here we elucidate the crystal structure of Clostridium acetobutylicum thiolase (CaTHL) in its reduced/oxidized states. CaTHL, unlike those from other aerobic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Zoogloea ramegera, is regulated by the redox-switch modulation through reversible disulfide bond formation between two catalytic cysteine residues, Cys88 and Cys378. When CaTHL is overexpressed in wild-type C. acetobutylicum, butanol production is reduced due to the disturbance of acidogenic to solventogenic shift. The CaTHL(V77Q/N153Y/A286K) mutant, which is not able to form disulfide bonds, exhibits higher activity than wild-type CaTHL, and enhances butanol production upon overexpression. On the basis of these results, we suggest that CaTHL functions as a key enzyme in the regulation of the main metabolism of C. acetobutylicum through a redox-switch regulatory mechanism.

Integrated, systems metabolic picture of acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation by Clostridium acetobutylicum

Microbial metabolism involves complex, system-level processes implemented via the orchestration of metabolic reactions, gene regulation, and environmental cues. One canonical example of such processes is acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation by Clostridium acetobutylicum, during which cells convert carbon sources to organic acids that are later reassimilated to produce solvents as a strategy for cellular survival. The complexity and systems nature of the process have been largely underappreciated, rendering challenges in understanding and optimizing solvent production. Here, we present a system-level computational framework for ABE fermentation that combines metabolic reactions, gene regulation, and environmental cues. We developed the framework by decomposing the entire system into three modules, building each module separately, and then assembling them back into an integrated system. During the model construction, a bottom-up approach was used to link molecular events at the single-cell level into the events at the population level. The integrated model was able to successfully reproduce ABE fermentations of the WT C. acetobutylicum (ATCC 824), as well as its mutants, using data obtained from our own experiments and from literature. Furthermore, the model confers successful predictions of the fermentations with various network perturbations across metabolic, genetic, and environmental aspects. From foundation to applications, the framework advances our understanding of complex clostridial metabolism and physiology and also facilitates the development of systems engineering strategies for the production of advanced biofuels.

Physiological response of Clostridium ljungdahlii DSM 13528 of ethanol production under different fermentation conditions

In this study, cell growth, gene expression and ethanol production were monitored under different fermentation conditions. Like its heterotrophical ABE-producing relatives, a switch from acidogenesis to solventogenesis of Clostridium ljungdahlii during the autotrophic fermentation with CO/CO2 could be observed, which occurred surprisingly in the late-log phase rather than in the transition phase. The gene expression profiles indicated that aor1, one of the putative aldehyde oxidoreductases in its genome played a critical role in the formation of ethanol, and its transcription could be induced by external acids. Moreover, a low amount of CaCO3 was proved to have positive influences on the cell density and substrate utilization, followed by an increase of over 40% ethanol and 30% acetate formation.

Complex and extensive post-transcriptional regulation revealed by integrative proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of metabolite stress response in Clostridium acetobutylicum

BACKGROUND

Clostridium acetobutylicum is a model organism for both clostridial biology and solvent production. The organism is exposed to its own toxic metabolites butyrate and butanol, which trigger an adaptive stress response. Integrative analysis of proteomic and RNAseq data may provide novel insights into post-transcriptional regulation.

RESULTS

The identified iTRAQ-based quantitative stress proteome is made up of 616 proteins with a 15 % genome coverage. The differentially expressed proteome correlated poorly with the corresponding differential RNAseq transcriptome. Up to 31 % of the differentially expressed proteins under stress displayed patterns opposite to those of the transcriptome, thus suggesting significant post-transcriptional regulation. The differential proteome of the translation machinery suggests that cells employ a different subset of ribosomal proteins under stress. Several highly upregulated proteins but with low mRNA levels possessed mRNAs with long 5'UTRs and strong RBS scores, thus supporting the argument that regulatory elements on the long 5'UTRs control their translation. For example, the oxidative stress response rubrerythrin was upregulated only at the protein level up to 40-fold without significant mRNA changes. We also identified many leaderless transcripts, several displaying different transcriptional start sites, thus suggesting mRNA-trimming mechanisms under stress. Downregulation of Rho and partner proteins pointed to changes in transcriptional elongation and termination under stress.

CONCLUSIONS

The integrative proteomic-transcriptomic analysis demonstrated complex expression patterns of a large fraction of the proteome. Such patterns could not have been detected with one or the other omic analyses. Our analysis proposes the involvement of specific molecular mechanisms of post-transcriptional regulation to explain the observed complex stress response.