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Liu H, Al-Dhabi NA, Jiang H, Liu B, Qing T, Feng B, Ma T, Tang W, Zhang P. Toward nitrogen recovery: Co-cultivation of microalgae and bacteria enhances the production of high-value nitrogen-rich cyanophycin. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 256:121624. [PMID: 38669903 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The algal-bacterial wastewater treatment process has been proven to be highly efficient in removing nutrients and recovering nitrogen (N). However, the recovery of the valuable N-rich biopolymer, cyanophycin, remains limited. This research explored the synthesis mechanism and recovery potential of cyanophycin within two algal-bacterial symbiotic reactors. The findings reveal that the synergy between algae and bacteria enhances the removal of N and phosphorus. The crude contents of cyanophycin in the algal-bacterial consortia reached 115 and 124 mg/g of mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), respectively, showing an increase of 11.7 %-20.4 % (p < 0.001) compared with conventional activated sludge. Among the 170 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) analyzed, 50 were capable of synthesizing cyanophycin, indicating that cyanophycin producers are common in algal-bacterial systems. The compositions of cyanophycin producers in the two algal-bacterial reactors were affected by different lighting initiation time. The study identified two intracellular synthesis pathways for cyanophycin. Approximately 36 MAGs can synthesize cyanophycin de novo using ammonium and glucose, while the remaining 14 MAGs require exogenous arginine for production. Notably, several MAGs with high abundance are capable of assimilating both nitrate and ammonium into cyanophycin, demonstrating a robust N utilization capability. This research also marks the first identification of potential horizontal gene transfer of the cyanophycin synthase encoding gene (cphA) within the wastewater microbial community. This suggests that the spread of cphA could expand the population of cyanophycin producers. The study offers new insights into recycling the high-value N-rich biopolymer cyanophycin, contributing to the advancement of wastewater resource utilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyuan Liu
- Department of Environment, College of Environment and Resources, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China
| | - Naif Abdullah Al-Dhabi
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P. O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Huiling Jiang
- Department of Environment, College of Environment and Resources, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China
| | - Bingzhi Liu
- Faculty of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong, China
| | - Taiping Qing
- Department of Environment, College of Environment and Resources, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China
| | - Bo Feng
- Department of Environment, College of Environment and Resources, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China
| | - Tengfei Ma
- National Research Base of Intelligent Manufacturing Service, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing 400067, China
| | - Wangwang Tang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Department of Environment, College of Environment and Resources, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China.
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Ghasemian K, Broer I, Schön J, Kolp N, Killisch R, Mikkat S, Huckauf J. Immunogenicity and contraceptive efficacy of plant-produced putative mouse-specific contraceptive peptides. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1191640. [PMID: 37448868 PMCID: PMC10337994 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1191640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Rodent population control through contraception requires species-specific oral contraceptive vaccines. Therefore, in this study, we produced putative mouse-specific contraceptive peptides, mZP2 (from oocyte) and mIzumo1 (from sperm), in plants using Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression. Peptides were produced separately in Nicotiana benthamiana using constructs encoding antigens containing three copies of each peptide. We also determined the immunogenicity and contraceptive effects of the plant-produced antigens in female BALB/c mice. Mice immunized subcutaneously with a relatively low amount of antigen (5 µg/dose of each peptide in a mixture) showed systemic immune responses against mZP2-3 and mIzumo1-3 antigens. Moreover, the mean litter size of mice treated with the plant-produced antigens was reduced by 39% compared to that of the control mice. Notably, there was a significant negative correlation between the number of pups born and individual antibody levels against both antigens. Immunofluorescence assays demonstrated the binding of induced antibodies to the oocytes of BALB/c and wild-type mice in vivo and in vitro, respectively. Our study demonstrate the feasibility of producing small contraceptive peptides in plants that can be further used to develop oral contraceptive vaccines against mouse populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khadijeh Ghasemian
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio and Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Inge Broer
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio and Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Jennifer Schön
- Department of Reproduction Biology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Berlin, Germany
| | - Nadine Kolp
- BIOSERV, Analytik und Medizinprodukte GmbH, Rostock, Germany
| | | | - Stefan Mikkat
- Core Facility Proteome Analysis, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany
| | - Jana Huckauf
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio and Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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3
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Ghasemian K, Broer I, Schön J, Killisch R, Kolp N, Springer A, Huckauf J. Oral and Subcutaneous Immunization with a Plant-Produced Mouse-Specific Zona Pellucida 3 Peptide Presented on Hepatitis B Core Antigen Virus-like Particles. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11020462. [PMID: 36851339 PMCID: PMC9963689 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
A short mouse-specific peptide from zona pellucida 3 (mZP3, amino acids 328-342) has been shown to be associated with antibody-mediated contraception. In this study, we investigated the production of mZP3 in the plant, as an orally applicable host, and examined the immunogenicity of this small peptide in the BALB/c mouse model. The mZP3 peptide was inserted into the major immunodominant region of the hepatitis B core antigen and was produced in Nicotiana benthamiana plants via Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression. Soluble HBcAg-mZP3 accumulated at levels up to 2.63 mg/g leaf dry weight (LDW) containing ~172 µg/mg LDW mZP3 peptide. Sucrose gradient analysis and electron microscopy indicated the assembly of the HBcAg-mZP3 virus-like particles (VLPs) in the soluble protein fraction. Subcutaneously administered mZP3 peptide displayed on HBcAg VLPs was immunogenic in BALB/c mice at a relatively low dosage (5.5 µg mZP3 per dose) and led to the generation of mZP3-specific antibodies that bound to the native zona pellucida of wild mice. Oral delivery of dried leaves expressing HBcAg-mZP3 also elicited mZP3-specific serum IgG and mucosal IgA that cross-reacted with the zona pellucida of wild mice. According to these results, it is worthwhile to investigate the efficiency of plants producing HBcAg-mZP3 VLPs as immunogenic edible baits in reducing the fertility of wild mice through inducing antibodies that cross-react to the zona pellucida.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khadijeh Ghasemian
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio and Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Inge Broer
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio and Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Jennifer Schön
- Department of Reproduction Biology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Richard Killisch
- BIOSERV, Analytik und Medizinprodukte GmbH, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Nadine Kolp
- BIOSERV, Analytik und Medizinprodukte GmbH, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Armin Springer
- Medical Biology and Electron Microscopy Center, Rostock University Medical Center, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Jana Huckauf
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio and Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany
- Correspondence:
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4
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Plant-Produced Mouse-Specific Zona Pellucida 3 Peptide Induces Immune Responses in Mice. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11010153. [PMID: 36679998 PMCID: PMC9866649 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11010153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Contraceptive vaccines are designed to stimulate autoimmune responses to molecules involved in the reproductive process. A mouse-specific peptide from zona pellucida 3 (mZP3) has been proposed as a target epitope. Here, we employed a plant expression system for the production of glycosylated mZP3 and evaluated the immunogenicity of plant-produced mZP3-based antigens in a female BALB/c mouse model. In the mZP3-1 antigen, mZP3 fused with a T-cell epitope of tetanus toxoid, a histidine tag, and a SEKDEL sequence. A fusion antigen (GFP-mZP3-1) and a polypeptide antigen containing three repeats of mZP3 (mZP3-3) were also examined. Glycosylation of mZP3 should be achieved by targeting proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum. Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression of antigens resulted in successful production of mZP3 in Nicotiana benthamiana. Compared with mZP3-1, GFP-mZP3-1 and mZP3-3 increased the production of the mZP3 peptide by more than 20 and 25 times, respectively. The glycosylation of the proteins was indicated by their size and their binding to a carbohydrate-binding protein. Both plant-produced GFP-mZP3-1 and mZP3-3 antigens were immunogenic in mice; however, mZP3-3 generated significantly higher levels of serum antibodies against mZP3. Induced antibodies recognized native zona pellucida of wild mouse, and specific binding of antibodies to the oocytes was observed in immunohistochemical studies. Therefore, these preliminary results indicated that the plants can be an efficient system for the production of immunogenic mZP3 peptide, which may affect the fertility of wild mice.
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Sharon I, Grogg M, Hilvert D, Schmeing TM. The structure of cyanophycinase in complex with a cyanophycin degradation intermediate. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2022; 1866:130217. [PMID: 35905922 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2022.130217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cyanophycinases are serine protease family enzymes which are required for the metabolism of cyanophycin, the natural polymer multi-L-arginyl-poly(L-aspartic acid). Cyanophycinases degrade cyanophycin to β-Asp-Arg dipeptides, which enables use of this important store of fixed nitrogen. METHODS We used genetic code expansion to incorporate diaminopropionic acid into cyanophycinase in place of the active site serine, and determined a high-resolution structure of the covalent acyl-enzyme intermediate resulting from attack of cyanophycinase on a short cyanophycin segment. RESULTS The structure indicates that cyanophycin dipeptide residues P1 and P1' bind shallow pockets adjacent to the catalytic residues. We observe many cyanophycinase - P1 dipeptide interactions in the co-complex structure. Calorimetry measurements show that at least two cyanophycin dipeptides are needed for high affinity binding to cyanophycinase. We also characterized a putative cyanophycinase which we found to be structurally very similar but that shows no activity and could not be activated by mutation of its active site. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Despite its peptidic structure, cyanophycin is resistant to degradation by peptidases and other proteases. Our results help show how cyanophycinase can specifically bind and degrade this important polymer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itai Sharon
- Department of Biochemistry and Centre de recherche en biologie structurale, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3G 0B1, Canada
| | - Marcel Grogg
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, ETH Zürich, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Donald Hilvert
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, ETH Zürich, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - T Martin Schmeing
- Department of Biochemistry and Centre de recherche en biologie structurale, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3G 0B1, Canada.
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Huckauf J, Brandt BP, Dezar C, Nausch H, Hauerwaas A, Weisenfeld U, Elshiewy O, Rua M, Hugenholtz J, Wesseler J, Cingiz K, Broer I. Sustainable Production of the Cyanophycin Biopolymer in Tobacco in the Greenhouse and Field. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:896863. [PMID: 35769105 PMCID: PMC9234492 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.896863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The production of biodegradable polymers as coproducts of other commercially relevant plant components can be a sustainable strategy to decrease the carbon footprint and increase the commercial value of a plant. The biodegradable polymer cyanophycin granular polypeptide (CGP) was expressed in the leaves of a commercial tobacco variety, whose seeds can serve as a source for biofuel and feed. In T0 generation in the greenhouse, up to 11% of the leaf dry weight corresponded to the CGP. In T1 generation, the maximum content decreased to approximately 4% dw, both in the greenhouse and first field trial. In the field, a maximum harvest of 4 g CGP/plant could be obtained. Independent of the CGP content, most transgenic plants exhibited a slight yield penalty in the leaf biomass, especially under stress conditions in greenhouse and field trials. After the harvest, the leaves were either Sun dried or ensiled. The resulting material was used to evaluate the extraction of CGP compared to that in the laboratory protocol. The farm-level analysis indicates that the extraction of CGP from tobacco plants can provide alternative income opportunities for tobacco farmers. The CGP yield/ha indicates that the CGP production in plants can be economically feasible depending on the cultivation and extraction costs. Moreover, we analyzed the consumer acceptance of potential applications associated with GM tobacco in four European countries (Germany, Finland, Italy and the Netherlands) and found unexpectedly high acceptance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Huckauf
- Agrobiotechnology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | | | | | - Henrik Nausch
- Agrobiotechnology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Antoniya Hauerwaas
- Institute of Management and Organisation (IMO), Leuphana University Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Ursula Weisenfeld
- Institute of Management and Organisation (IMO), Leuphana University Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Ossama Elshiewy
- Institute of Management and Organisation (IMO), Leuphana University Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Justus Wesseler
- Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Kutay Cingiz
- Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Inge Broer
- Agrobiotechnology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
- *Correspondence: Inge Broer,
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Elbahloul Y, Steinbüchel A. Characterization of an efficient extracellular cyanophycinase and its encoding cphE Strept. gene from Streptomyces pratensis strain YSM. J Biotechnol 2020; 319:15-24. [PMID: 32473189 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2020.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Until now, no enzymes were described that hydrolyze cyanophycin granular protein (CGP) from a species of the genus Streptomyces. An isolate able to hydrolyze CGP was identified as Streptomyces pratensis strain YSM. The CGPase from S. pratensis strain YSM had an optimum activity at 42 °C and pH 8.5, and was able to degrade CGP at a rate of 12 ± 0.3 μg/mL min. Additionally, this CGPase hydrolyzes water-soluble CGP significantly faster than water-insoluble CGP. The molecular mass of CGPase subunits from S. pratensis strain YSM as determined by SDS-PAGE was about 43 kDa, and the enzyme was entirely inhibited by serine-protease inhibitors. The CGPase coding gene (cphEStrept.) was amplified from genomic DNA using primers designed form consensus sequence of putative CGPase sequences. The cphEStrept. was 1427 bp encoding a CGPase of 420 amino acids that showed about 44% and 22% similarities to CGPase from Pseudomonas anguilliseptica BI and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, respectively. The catalytic triad and serine-protease residues (GXSXG) were identified in the CphEStrept. sequence. Dipeptides and tetrapeptides were identified as hydrolysis products. Biotechnological exploitation of S. pratensis strain YSM for CGPase production might have an advantage due to the reduction of separation costs and its ability to degrade CGP in phosphate buffer saline using actively growing or resting cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasser Elbahloul
- Biology Department, College of Science, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunawarah, Saudi Arabia; Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, 21511, Alexandria, Egypt; Institut Für Molekulare Mikrobiologie Und Biotechnologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Corrensstraße 3, 48149, Münster, Germany.
| | - Alexander Steinbüchel
- Institut Für Molekulare Mikrobiologie Und Biotechnologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Corrensstraße 3, 48149, Münster, Germany; Environmental Science Department, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Nausch H, Dorn M, Frolov A, Hoedtke S, Wolf P, Broer I. Direct Delivery of Health Promoting β-Asp-Arg Dipeptides via Stable Co-expression of Cyanophycin and the Cyanophycinase CphE241 in Tobacco Plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:842. [PMID: 32636862 PMCID: PMC7318851 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Feed supplementation with β-arginine-aspartate dipeptides (β-Asp-Arg DP) shows growth promoting effects in feeding trials with fish and might also be beneficial for pig and poultry farming. Currently, these DPs are generated from purified cyanophycin (CGP), with the help of the CGP-degrading enzyme cyanophycinase (CGPase). As alternative to an in vitro production, the DPs might be directly produced in feed crops. We already demonstrated that CGP can be produced in plastids of tobacco and potato, yielding up to 9.4% of the dry weight (DW). We also transiently co-expressed CGPases in the cytosol without degrading CGP in intact cells, while degradation occurs in the homogenized plant tissue. However, transient co-expression is not feasible for field-grown CGP plants, which is necessary for bulk production. In the present study, we proved that stable co-expression of the CGPase CphE241 in CGP-producing tobacco is sufficient to degrade 2.0% CGP/DW nearly completely within 3 h after homogenization of the leaves. In intact senescing leaves, CGP is partially released to the cytosol and degraded into DPs which limits the overall accumulation of CGP but not the level of the stable DPs. Even after 48 h, 54 μmol β-Asp-Arg DP/g DW could be detected in the extract, which correspond to 1.5% DP/DW and represents 84% of the expected amount. Thus, we developed a system for the production of β-Asp-Arg DP in field-grown plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Nausch
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio- und Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Mandy Dorn
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Andrej Frolov
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Department of Biochemistry, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Sandra Hoedtke
- Department of Nutrition Physiology and Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Petra Wolf
- Department of Nutrition Physiology and Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Inge Broer
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio- und Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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Strategy for the Biosynthesis of Short Oligopeptides: Green and Sustainable Chemistry. Biomolecules 2019; 9:biom9110733. [PMID: 31766233 PMCID: PMC6920838 DOI: 10.3390/biom9110733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Short oligopeptides are some of the most promising and functionally important amide bond-containing components, with widespread applications. Biosynthesis of these oligopeptides may potentially become the ultimate strategy because it has better cost efficiency and environmental-friendliness than conventional solid phase peptide synthesis and chemo-enzymatic synthesis. To successfully apply this strategy for the biosynthesis of structurally diverse amide bond-containing components, the identification and selection of specific biocatalysts is extremely important. Given that perspective, this review focuses on the current knowledge about the typical enzymes that might be potentially used for the synthesis of short oligopeptides. Moreover, novel enzymatic methods of producing desired peptides via metabolic engineering are highlighted. It is believed that this review will be helpful for technological innovation in the production of desired peptides.
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Microbial production of cyanophycin: From enzymes to biopolymers. Biotechnol Adv 2019; 37:107400. [PMID: 31095967 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2019.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Cyanophycin is an attractive biopolymer with chemical and material properties that are suitable for industrial applications in the fields of food, medicine, cosmetics, nutrition, and agriculture. For efficient production of cyanophycin, considerable efforts have been exerted to characterize cyanophycin synthetases (CphAs) and optimize fermentations and downstream processes. In this paper, we review the characteristics of diverse CphAs from cyanobacteria and non-cyanobacteria. Furthermore, strategies for cyanophycin production in microbial strains, including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas putida, Ralstonia eutropha, Rhizopus oryzae, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, heterologously expressing different cphA genes are reviewed. Additionally, chemical and material properties of cyanophycin and its derivatives produced through biological or chemical modifications are reviewed in the context of their industrial applications. Finally, future perspectives on microbial production of cyanophycin are provided to improve its cost-effectiveness.
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11
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Ponndorf D, Broer I, Nausch H. Expression of CphB- and CphE-type cyanophycinases in cyanophycin-producing tobacco and comparison of their ability to degrade cyanophycin in plant and plant extracts. Transgenic Res 2017; 26:491-499. [PMID: 28432544 DOI: 10.1007/s11248-017-0019-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Increasing the arginine (Arg) content in plants used as feed or food is of interest, since the supplementation of food with conditionally essential Arg has been shown to have nutritional benefits. An increase was achieved by the expression of the Arg-rich bacterial storage component, cyanophycin (CGP), in the chloroplast of transgenic plants. CGP is stable in plants and its degradation into β-aspartic acid (Asp)-Arg dipeptides, is solely catalyzed by bacterial cyanophycinases (CGPase). Dipeptides can be absorbed by animals even more efficiently than free amino acids (Matthews and Adibi 1976; Wenzel et al. 2001). The simultaneous production of CGP and CGPase in plants could be a source of β-Asp-Arg dipeptides if CGP degradation can be prevented in planta or if dipeptides are stable in the plants. We have shown for the first time that it is possible to co-express CGP and CGPase in the same plant without substrate degradation in planta by transient expression of the cyanobacterial CGPase CPHB (either in the plastid or cytosol), and the non-cyanobacterial CGPase CPHE (cytosol) in CGP-producing Nicotiana tabacum plants. We compared their ability to degrade CGP in planta and in crude plant extracts. No CGP degradation appeared prior to cell homogenization independent of the CGPase produced. In crude plant extracts, only cytosolic CPHE led to a fast degradation of CGP. CPHE also showed higher stability and in vitro activity compared to both CPHB variants. This work is the next step to increase Arg in forage plants using a stable, Arg-rich storage protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Ponndorf
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio- and Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 8, 18059, Rostock, Germany
| | - Inge Broer
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio- and Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 8, 18059, Rostock, Germany.
| | - Henrik Nausch
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio- and Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 8, 18059, Rostock, Germany
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