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Jin H, Zhang J, Wang Y, Ge W, Jing Y, Cao X, Huo Y, Fu Y. A codon-based live-cell biomonitoring system for assessing intracellular phenylalanine bioavailability in cyanobacteria. Biosens Bioelectron 2024; 244:115792. [PMID: 37922807 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Phenylalanine, as an essential aromatic amino acid, is not only needed for protein and vital molecules such as neurotransmitter and hormone synthesis but also a substrate for the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids and various bioactive compounds. The metabolism of phenylalanine is dynamic and transitory, which would otherwise inhibit cell growth. Therefore, it is challenging and imperative to monitor intracellular phenylalanine bioavailability in real time, which has great significance for evaluating the effectiveness of introducing pathway-specific genetic modifications to enhance phenylalanine generation. In this study, we proposed a live-cell biomonitoring system to assess phenylalanine bioavailability in real time in cyanobacteria based on codon degeneracy and species-specific usage bias. The biomonitoring system was generated through genetic modification of phenylalanine codons in the chloramphenicol antibiotic resistance gene to wholly preferred and rare codons, in combination with an orthogonal constitutive promoter Trc to express these genes. Cyanobacterial cells equipped with a preferred codon-based gene showed a significant growth advantage over those with rare codons under antibiotic pressure, while the delayed growth caused by rare codon-based genes could be rescued by supplementing phenylalanine in the cultivation medium. Increasing intracellular phenylalanine bioavailability could promote rare codon-based gene containing cell growth to a similar level as wild-type strains harboring preferred codon-based gene, providing a live-cell visualized screening method to relatively define phenylalanine content from either random mutation libraries or pathway-specific engineering cyanobacterial chassis before conducting labor-intensive quantitative measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haojie Jin
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, PR China; Ecological Observation and Research Station of Heilongjiang Sanjiang Plain Wetlands, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shuangyashan, 518000, PR China
| | - Jiaqi Zhang
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, PR China
| | - Yan Wang
- Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, PR China
| | - Wanzhao Ge
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, PR China
| | - Yike Jing
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, PR China
| | - Xiaoyu Cao
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, PR China
| | - Yixin Huo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, PR China
| | - Yujie Fu
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, PR China; Ecological Observation and Research Station of Heilongjiang Sanjiang Plain Wetlands, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shuangyashan, 518000, PR China.
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2
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Bouyahya A, Bakrim S, Chamkhi I, Taha D, El Omari N, El Mneyiy N, El Hachlafi N, El-Shazly M, Khalid A, Abdalla AN, Goh KW, Ming LC, Goh BH, Aanniz T. Bioactive substances of cyanobacteria and microalgae: Sources, metabolism, and anticancer mechanism insights. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 170:115989. [PMID: 38103309 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria and microalgae contain various phytochemicals, including bioactive components in the form of secondary metabolites, namely flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenoids, and tannins, with remarkable anticancer effects. This review highlights the recent advances in bioactive compounds, with potential anticancer activity, produced by cyanobacteria and microalgae. Previous in vitro investigations showed that many of these bioactive compounds exhibit potent effects against different human cancer types, such as leukemia and breast cancers. Multiple mechanisms implicated in the antitumor effect of these compounds were elucidated, including their ability to target cellular, subcellular, and molecular checkpoints linked to cancer development and promotion. Recent findings have highlighted various mechanisms of action of bioactive compounds produced by cyanobacteria and microalgae, including induction of autophagy and apoptosis, inhibition of telomerase and protein kinases, as well as modulation of epigenetic modifications. In vivo investigations have demonstrated a potent anti-angiogenesis effect on solid tumors, as well as a reduction in tumor volume. Some of these compounds were examined in clinical investigations for certain types of cancers, making them potent candidates/scaffolds for antitumor drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdelhakim Bouyahya
- Laboratory of Human Pathologies Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University in Rabat, 10106, Morocco.
| | - Saad Bakrim
- Geo-Bio-Environment Engineering and Innovation Laboratory, Molecular Engineering, Biotechnologies, and Innovation Team, Polydisciplinary Faculty of Taroudant, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco
| | - Imane Chamkhi
- Geo-Biodiversity and Natural Patrimony Laboratory (GeoBio), Geophysics, Natural Patrimony Research Center (GEOPAC), Scientific Institute, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco
| | - Douae Taha
- Laboratoire de Spectroscopie, Modélisation Moléculaire, Matériaux, Nanomatériaux, Eau et Environnement, CERNE2D, Faculté des Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat 10106, Morocco
| | - Nasreddine El Omari
- Laboratory of Histology, Embryology, and Cytogenetic, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat 10100, Morocco
| | - Naoual El Mneyiy
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, National Agency of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, 34025 Taouanate, Morocco
| | - Naoufal El Hachlafi
- Microbial Biotechnology and Bioactive Molecules Laboratory, Sciences and Technologies Faculty, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Imouzzer Road Fez, Fez 30003, Morocco
| | - Mohamed El-Shazly
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain-Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt; Pharmaceutical Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, The German University in Cairo, Cairo 11432, Egypt
| | - Asaad Khalid
- Substance Abuse and Toxicology Research Center, Jazan University, P.O. Box: 114, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia; Medicinal and Aromatic Plants and Traditional Medicine Research Institute, National Center for Research, P.O. Box 2404, Khartoum, Sudan.
| | - Ashraf N Abdalla
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khang Wen Goh
- Faculty of Data Science and Information Technology, INTI International University, 71800 Nilai, Malaysia
| | - Long Chiau Ming
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Sunway City 47500, Malaysia.
| | - Bey Hing Goh
- Sunway Biofunctional Molecules Discovery Centre (SBMDC), School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, 47500 Sunway City, Malaysia; College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Tarik Aanniz
- Biotechnology Laboratory (MedBiotech), Bioinova Research Center, Rabat Medical and Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco
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3
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Du Z, Bhat WW, Poliner E, Johnson S, Bertucci C, Farre E, Hamberger B. Engineering Nannochloropsis oceanica for the production of diterpenoid compounds. MLIFE 2023; 2:428-437. [PMID: 38818264 PMCID: PMC10989085 DOI: 10.1002/mlf2.12097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Photosynthetic microalgae like Nannochloropsis hold enormous potential as sustainable, light-driven biofactories for the production of high-value natural products such as terpenoids. Nannochloropsis oceanica is distinguished as a particularly robust host with extensive genomic and transgenic resources available. Its capacity to grow in wastewater, brackish, and sea waters, coupled with advances in microalgal metabolic engineering, genome editing, and synthetic biology, provides an excellent opportunity. In the present work, we demonstrate how N. oceanica can be engineered to produce the diterpene casbene-an important intermediate in the biosynthesis of pharmacologically relevant macrocyclic diterpenoids. Casbene accumulated after stably expressing and targeting the casbene synthase from Daphne genkwa (DgTPS1) to the algal chloroplast. The engineered strains yielded production titers of up to 0.12 mg g-1 total dry cell weight (DCW) casbene. Heterologous overexpression and chloroplast targeting of two upstream rate-limiting enzymes in the 2-C-methyl- d-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway, Coleus forskohlii 1-deoxy- d-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase and geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase genes, further enhanced the yield of casbene to a titer up to 1.80 mg g-1 DCW. The results presented here form a basis for further development and production of complex plant diterpenoids in microalgae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi‐Yan Du
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and BioengineeringUniversity of Hawaii at ManoaHonoluluHawaiiUSA
| | - Wajid W. Bhat
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
| | - Eric Poliner
- Department of Plant BiologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
| | - Sean Johnson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
- Present address:
New England Biolabs Inc.240 County RoadIpswich01938MAUSA
| | - Conor Bertucci
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
| | - Eva Farre
- Department of Plant BiologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
| | - Bjoern Hamberger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
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4
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Melis A, Hidalgo Martinez DA, Betterle N. Perspectives of cyanobacterial cell factories. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2023:10.1007/s11120-023-01056-4. [PMID: 37966575 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-023-01056-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are prokaryotic photosynthetic microorganisms that can generate, in addition to biomass, useful chemicals and proteins/enzymes, essentially from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. Selected aspects of cyanobacterial production (isoprenoids and high-value proteins) and scale-up methods suitable for product generation and downstream processing are addressed in this review. The work focuses on the challenge and promise of specialty chemicals and proteins production, with isoprenoid products and biopharma proteins as study cases, and the challenges encountered in the expression of recombinant proteins/enzymes, which underline the essence of synthetic biology with these microorganisms. Progress and the current state-of-the-art in these targeted topics are emphasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasios Melis
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, MC-3102, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3102, USA.
| | - Diego Alberto Hidalgo Martinez
- Department of Biology, Healthcare and the Environment, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nico Betterle
- SoLELab, Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, 37134, Verona, Italy
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5
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Satta A, Esquirol L, Ebert BE. Current Metabolic Engineering Strategies for Photosynthetic Bioproduction in Cyanobacteria. Microorganisms 2023; 11:455. [PMID: 36838420 PMCID: PMC9964548 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020455] [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: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms capable of using solar energy to convert CO2 and H2O into O2 and energy-rich organic compounds, thus enabling sustainable production of a wide range of bio-products. More and more strains of cyanobacteria are identified that show great promise as cell platforms for the generation of bioproducts. However, strain development is still required to optimize their biosynthesis and increase titers for industrial applications. This review describes the most well-known, newest and most promising strains available to the community and gives an overview of current cyanobacterial biotechnology and the latest innovative strategies used for engineering cyanobacteria. We summarize advanced synthetic biology tools for modulating gene expression and their use in metabolic pathway engineering to increase the production of value-added compounds, such as terpenoids, fatty acids and sugars, to provide a go-to source for scientists starting research in cyanobacterial metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Satta
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- Department of Biology, University of Padua, 35100 Padua, Italy
| | - Lygie Esquirol
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Natha, QLD 4111, Australia
| | - Birgitta E. Ebert
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
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6
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Prospects of cyanobacterial pigment production: biotechnological potential and optimization strategies. Biochem Eng J 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2022.108640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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7
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Rautela A, Kumar S. Engineering plant family TPS into cyanobacterial host for terpenoids production. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2022; 41:1791-1803. [PMID: 35789422 PMCID: PMC9253243 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-022-02892-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Terpenoids are synthesized naturally by plants as secondary metabolites, and are diverse and complex in structure with multiple applications in bioenergy, food, cosmetics, and medicine. This makes the production of terpenoids such as isoprene, β-phellandrene, farnesene, amorphadiene, and squalene valuable, owing to which their industrial demand cannot be fulfilled exclusively by plant sources. They are synthesized via the Methylerythritol phosphate pathway (MEP) and the Mevalonate pathway (MVA), both existing in plants. The advent of genetic engineering and the latest accomplishments in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering allow microbial synthesis of terpenoids. Cyanobacteria manifest to be the promising hosts for this, utilizing sunlight and CO2. Cyanobacteria possess MEP pathway to generate precursors for terpenoid synthesis. The terpenoid synthesis can be amplified by overexpressing the MEP pathway and engineering MVA pathway genes. According to the desired terpenoid, terpene synthases unique to the plant kingdom must be incorporated in cyanobacteria. Engineering an organism to be used as a cell factory comes with drawbacks such as hampered cell growth and disturbance in metabolic flux. This review set forth a comparison between MEP and MVA pathways, strategies to overexpress these pathways with their challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akhil Rautela
- School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT (BHU), Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sanjay Kumar
- School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT (BHU), Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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8
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Hidalgo Martinez D, Betterle N, Melis A. Phycocyanin Fusion Constructs for Heterologous Protein Expression Accumulate as Functional Heterohexameric Complexes in Cyanobacteria. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:1152-1166. [PMID: 35257571 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Overexpression of heterologous proteins from plants, bacteria, and human as fusion constructs in cyanobacteria has been documented in the literature. Typically, the heterologous protein "P" of interest is expressed as a fusion with the abundant CpcB β-subunit of phycocyanin (PC), which was placed in the leader sequence position. The working hypothesis for such overexpressions is that CpcB*P fusion proteins somehow accumulate in a soluble and stable form in the cytosol of the cyanobacteria, retaining the activity of the trailing heterologous "P" protein of interest. The present work revealed a substantially different and previously unobvious picture, comprising the following properties of the above-mentioned CpcB*P fusion constructs: (i) the CpcB*P proteins assemble as functional (α,β*P)3CpcG heterohexameric discs, where α is the CpcA α-subunit of PC, β*P is the CpcB*P fusion protein, the asterisk denotes fusion, and CpcG is the 28.9 kDa PC disc linker polypeptide CpcG1. (ii) The (α,β*P)3CpcG1 complexes covalently bind one open tetrapyrrole bilin co-factor per α-subunit and two bilins per β-subunit. (iii) The (α,β*P)3CpcG1 heterohexameric discs are functionally attached to the Synechocystis allophycocyanin (AP) core cylinders and efficiently transfer excitation energy from the assembled (α,β*P)3CpcG1 heterohexamer to the PSII reaction center, enhancing the rate of photochemical charge separation and electron transfer activity in this photosystem. (iv) In addition to the human interferon α-2 and tetanus toxin fragment C tested in this work, we have shown that enzymes such as the plant-origin isoprene synthase, β-phellandrene synthase, geranyl diphosphate synthase, and geranyl linalool synthase are also overexpressed, while retaining their catalytic activity in the respective fusion construct configuration. (v) Folding models for the (α,β*P)3CpcG1 heterohexameric discs showed the recombinant proteins P to be radially oriented with respect to the (α,β)3 compact disc. Elucidation of the fusion construct configuration and function will pave the way for the rational design of fusion constructs harboring and overexpressing multiple proteins of scientific and commercial interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Hidalgo Martinez
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
| | - Nico Betterle
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
| | - Anastasios Melis
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
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Taylor GM, Hitchcock A, Heap JT. Combinatorial assembly platform enabling engineering of genetically stable metabolic pathways in cyanobacteria. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:e123. [PMID: 34554258 PMCID: PMC8643660 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are simple, efficient, genetically-tractable photosynthetic microorganisms which in principle represent ideal biocatalysts for CO2 capture and conversion. However, in practice, genetic instability and low productivity are key, linked problems in engineered cyanobacteria. We took a massively parallel approach, generating and characterising libraries of synthetic promoters and RBSs for the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, and assembling a sparse combinatorial library of millions of metabolic pathway-encoding construct variants. Genetic instability was observed for some variants, which is expected when variants cause metabolic burden. Surprisingly however, in a single combinatorial round without iterative optimisation, 80% of variants chosen at random and cultured photoautotrophically over many generations accumulated the target terpenoid lycopene from atmospheric CO2, apparently overcoming genetic instability. This large-scale parallel metabolic engineering of cyanobacteria provides a new platform for development of genetically stable cyanobacterial biocatalysts for sustainable light-driven production of valuable products directly from CO2, avoiding fossil carbon or competition with food production.
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Affiliation(s)
- George M Taylor
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Andrew Hitchcock
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - John T Heap
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.,School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
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10
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Jin H, Wang Y, Zhao P, Wang L, Zhang S, Meng D, Yang Q, Cheong LZ, Bi Y, Fu Y. Potential of Producing Flavonoids Using Cyanobacteria As a Sustainable Chassis. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2021; 69:12385-12401. [PMID: 34649432 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c04632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Numerous plant secondary metabolites have remarkable impacts on both food supplements and pharmaceuticals for human health improvement. However, higher plants can only generate small amounts of these chemicals with specific temporal and spatial arrangements, which are unable to satisfy the expanding market demands. Cyanobacteria can directly utilize CO2, light energy, and inorganic nutrients to synthesize versatile plant-specific photosynthetic intermediates and organic compounds in large-scale photobioreactors with outstanding economic merit. Thus, they have been rapidly developed as a "green" chassis for the synthesis of bioproducts. Flavonoids, chemical compounds based on aromatic amino acids, are considered to be indispensable components in a variety of nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications. In contrast to heterotrophic metabolic engineering pioneers, such as yeast and Escherichia coli, information about the biosynthesis flavonoids and their derivatives is less comprehensive than that of their photosynthetic counterparts. Here, we review both benefits and challenges to promote cyanobacterial cell factories for flavonoid biosynthesis. With increasing concerns about global environmental issues and food security, we are confident that energy self-supporting cyanobacteria will attract increasing attention for the generation of different kinds of bioproducts. We hope that the work presented here will serve as an index and encourage more scientists to join in the relevant research area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haojie Jin
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Yan Wang
- Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, P.R. China
| | - Pengquan Zhao
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Litao Wang
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Su Zhang
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Dong Meng
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Qing Yang
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Ling-Zhi Cheong
- Zhejiang-Malaysia Joint Research Laboratory for Agricultural Product Processing and Nutrition, College of Food and Pharmaceutical Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Yonghong Bi
- State Key Laboratory of Fresh Water Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China
| | - Yujie Fu
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
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11
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Lu Y, Gu X, Lin H, Melis A. Engineering microalgae: transition from empirical design to programmable cells. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2021; 41:1233-1256. [PMID: 34130561 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2021.1917507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Domesticated microalgae hold great promise for the sustainable provision of various bioresources for human domestic and industrial consumption. Efforts to exploit their potential are far from being fully realized due to limitations in the know-how of microalgal engineering. The associated technologies are not as well developed as those for heterotrophic microbes, cyanobacteria, and plants. However, recent studies on microalgal metabolic engineering, genome editing, and synthetic biology have immensely helped to enhance transformation efficiencies and are bringing new insights into this field. Therefore, this article, summarizes recent developments in microalgal biotechnology and examines the prospects for generating specialty and commodity products through the processes of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. After a brief examination of empirical engineering methods and vector design, this article focuses on quantitative transformation cassette design, elaborates on target editing methods and emerging digital design of algal cellular metabolism to arrive at high yields of valuable products. These advances have enabled a transition of manners in microalgal engineering from single-gene and enzyme-based metabolic engineering to systems-level precision engineering, from cells created with genetically modified (GM) tags to that without GM tags, and ultimately from proof of concept to tangible industrial applications. Finally, future trends are proposed in microalgal engineering, aiming to establish individualized transformation systems in newly identified species for strain-specific specialty and commodity products, while developing sophisticated universal toolkits in model algal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yandu Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, College of Oceanology, Hainan University, Haikou, China.,Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Xinping Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, College of Oceanology, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Hanzhi Lin
- Institute of Marine & Environmental Technology, Center for Environmental Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Anastasios Melis
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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12
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Zhang X, Betterle N, Hidalgo Martinez D, Melis A. Recombinant Protein Stability in Cyanobacteria. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:810-825. [PMID: 33684287 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The living cell possesses extraordinary molecular and biochemical mechanisms by which to recognize and efficiently remove foreign, damaged, or denatured proteins. This essential function has been a barrier to the overexpression of recombinant proteins in most expression systems. A notable exception is the overexpression in E. coli of recombinant proteins, most of which, however, end-up as "inclusion bodies", i.e., cytoplasmic aggregates of proteins that are inaccessible to the cell's proteasome. "Fusion constructs as protein overexpression vectors" proved to be unparalleled in their ability to cause substantial accumulation of recombinant proteins from plants, animals, and bacteria, as soluble proteins in unicellular cyanobacteria. Recombinant protein levels in the range of 10-20% of the total cellular protein can be achieved. The present work investigated this unique property in the context of recombinant protein stability in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 by developing and applying an in vivo cellular tobacco etch virus cleavage system with the objective of separating the target heterologous proteins from their fusion leader sequences. The work provides new insights about the overexpression, cellular stability, and exploitation of transgenes with commercial interest, highly expressed in a cyanobacterial biofactory. The results support the notion that eukaryotic plant- and animal-origin recombinant proteins are unstable, when free in the cyanobacterial cytosol but stable when in a fusion configuration with a highly expressed cyanobacterial native or heterologous protein. Included in this analysis are recombinant proteins of the plant isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway (isoprene synthase, β-phellandrene synthase, geranyl diphosphate synthase), the human interferon protein, as well as prokaryotic proteins (tetanus toxin fragment C and the antibiotic resistance genes kanamycin and chloramphenicol). The future success of synthetic biology approaches with cyanobacteria and other systems would require overexpression of pathway enzymes to attain product volume, and the work reported in this paper sets the foundation for such recombinant pathway enzyme overexpression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianan Zhang
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
| | - Nico Betterle
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
| | - Diego Hidalgo Martinez
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
| | - Anastasios Melis
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
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13
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Genetic, Genomics, and Responses to Stresses in Cyanobacteria: Biotechnological Implications. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12040500. [PMID: 33805386 PMCID: PMC8066212 DOI: 10.3390/genes12040500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are widely-diverse, environmentally crucial photosynthetic prokaryotes of great interests for basic and applied science. Work to date has focused mostly on the three non-nitrogen fixing unicellular species Synechocystis PCC 6803, Synechococcus PCC 7942, and Synechococcus PCC 7002, which have been selected for their genetic and physiological interests summarized in this review. Extensive "omics" data sets have been generated, and genome-scale models (GSM) have been developed for the rational engineering of these cyanobacteria for biotechnological purposes. We presently discuss what should be done to improve our understanding of the genotype-phenotype relationships of these models and generate robust and predictive models of their metabolism. Furthermore, we also emphasize that because Synechocystis PCC 6803, Synechococcus PCC 7942, and Synechococcus PCC 7002 represent only a limited part of the wide biodiversity of cyanobacteria, other species distantly related to these three models, should be studied. Finally, we highlight the need to strengthen the communication between academic researchers, who know well cyanobacteria and can engineer them for biotechnological purposes, but have a limited access to large photobioreactors, and industrial partners who attempt to use natural or engineered cyanobacteria to produce interesting chemicals at reasonable costs, but may lack knowledge on cyanobacterial physiology and metabolism.
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Li J, Halitschke R, Li D, Paetz C, Su H, Heiling S, Xu S, Baldwin IT. Controlled hydroxylations of diterpenoids allow for plant chemical defense without autotoxicity. Science 2021; 371:255-260. [PMID: 33446550 DOI: 10.1126/science.abe4713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Many plant specialized metabolites function in herbivore defense, and abrogating particular steps in their biosynthetic pathways frequently causes autotoxicity. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying their defense and autotoxicity remain unclear. Here, we show that silencing two cytochrome P450s involved in diterpene biosynthesis in the wild tobacco Nicotiana attenuata causes severe autotoxicity symptoms that result from the inhibition of sphingolipid biosynthesis by noncontrolled hydroxylated diterpene derivatives. Moreover, the diterpenes' defensive function is achieved by inhibiting herbivore sphingolipid biosynthesis through postingestive backbone hydroxylation products. Thus, by regulating metabolic modifications, tobacco plants avoid autotoxicity and gain herbivore defense. The postdigestive duet that occurs between plants and their insect herbivores can reflect the plant's solutions to the "toxic waste dump" problem of using potent chemical defenses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiancai Li
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Strasse 8, D-07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Rayko Halitschke
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Strasse 8, D-07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Dapeng Li
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Strasse 8, D-07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Paetz
- Department of Biosynthesis/NMR, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Strasse 8, D-07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Haichao Su
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Strasse 8, D-07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Sven Heiling
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Strasse 8, D-07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Shuqing Xu
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Hüfferstrasse 1, D-48161 Münster, Germany.
| | - Ian T Baldwin
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoell-Strasse 8, D-07745 Jena, Germany.
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15
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Jeong Y, Cho SH, Lee H, Choi HK, Kim DM, Lee CG, Cho S, Cho BK. Current Status and Future Strategies to Increase Secondary Metabolite Production from Cyanobacteria. Microorganisms 2020; 8:E1849. [PMID: 33255283 PMCID: PMC7761380 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8121849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria, given their ability to produce various secondary metabolites utilizing solar energy and carbon dioxide, are a potential platform for sustainable production of biochemicals. Until now, conventional metabolic engineering approaches have been applied to various cyanobacterial species for enhanced production of industrially valued compounds, including secondary metabolites and non-natural biochemicals. However, the shortage of understanding of cyanobacterial metabolic and regulatory networks for atmospheric carbon fixation to biochemical production and the lack of available engineering tools limit the potential of cyanobacteria for industrial applications. Recently, to overcome the limitations, synthetic biology tools and systems biology approaches such as genome-scale modeling based on diverse omics data have been applied to cyanobacteria. This review covers the synthetic and systems biology approaches for advanced metabolic engineering of cyanobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujin Jeong
- Department of Biological Sciences and KAIST Institutes for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Korea; (Y.J.); (S.-H.C.)
| | - Sang-Hyeok Cho
- Department of Biological Sciences and KAIST Institutes for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Korea; (Y.J.); (S.-H.C.)
| | - Hookeun Lee
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, College of Pharmacy, Gachon University, Incheon 21999, Korea;
| | | | - Dong-Myung Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea;
| | - Choul-Gyun Lee
- Department of Biological Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Korea;
| | - Suhyung Cho
- Department of Biological Sciences and KAIST Institutes for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Korea; (Y.J.); (S.-H.C.)
| | - Byung-Kwan Cho
- Department of Biological Sciences and KAIST Institutes for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Korea; (Y.J.); (S.-H.C.)
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16
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Metabolic Engineering and Synthetic Biology of Cyanobacteria for Carbon Capture and Utilization. BIOTECHNOL BIOPROC E 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s12257-019-0447-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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17
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Betterle N, Hidalgo Martinez D, Melis A. Cyanobacterial Production of Biopharmaceutical and Biotherapeutic Proteins. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:237. [PMID: 32194609 PMCID: PMC7062967 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Efforts to express human therapeutic proteins in photosynthetic organisms have been described in the literature. Regarding microalgae, most of the research entailed a heterologous transformation of the chloroplast, but transformant cells failed to accumulate the desired recombinant proteins in high quantity. The present work provides methods and DNA construct formulations for over-expressing in photosynthetic cyanobacteria, at the protein level, human-origin bio-pharmaceutical and bio-therapeutic proteins. Proof-of-concept evidence is provided for the design and reduction to practice of "fusion constructs as protein overexpression vectors" for the generation of the bio-therapeutic protein interferon alpha-2 (IFN). IFN is a member of the Type I interferon cytokine family, well-known for its antiviral and anti-proliferative functions. Fusion construct formulations enabled accumulation of IFN up to 12% of total cellular protein in soluble form. In addition, the work reports on the isolation and purification of the fusion IFN protein and preliminary verification of its antiviral activity. Combining the expression and purification protocols developed here, it is possible to produce fairly large quantities of interferon in these photosynthetic microorganisms, generated from sunlight, CO2, and H2O.
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18
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Vijay D, Akhtar MK, Hess WR. Genetic and metabolic advances in the engineering of cyanobacteria. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2019; 59:150-156. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Revised: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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19
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Moser S, Pichler H. Identifying and engineering the ideal microbial terpenoid production host. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:5501-5516. [PMID: 31129740 PMCID: PMC6597603 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-09892-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
More than 70,000 different terpenoid structures are known so far; many of them offer highly interesting applications as pharmaceuticals, flavors and fragrances, or biofuels. Extraction of these compounds from their natural sources or chemical synthesis is-in many cases-technically challenging with low or moderate yields while wasting valuable resources. Microbial production of terpenoids offers a sustainable and environment-friendly alternative starting from simple carbon sources and, frequently, safeguards high product specificity. Here, we provide an overview on employing recombinant bacteria and yeasts for heterologous de novo production of terpenoids. Currently, Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are the two best-established production hosts for terpenoids. An increasing number of studies have been successful in engineering alternative microorganisms for terpenoid biosynthesis, which we intend to highlight in this review. Moreover, we discuss the specific engineering challenges as well as recent advances for microbial production of different classes of terpenoids. Rationalizing the current stages of development for different terpenoid production hosts as well as future prospects shall provide a valuable decision basis for the selection and engineering of the cell factory(ies) for industrial production of terpenoid target molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Moser
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib GmbH), Petersgasse 14, 8010, Graz, Austria
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, NAWI Graz, BioTechMed Graz, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 14/2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Harald Pichler
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib GmbH), Petersgasse 14, 8010, Graz, Austria.
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, NAWI Graz, BioTechMed Graz, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 14/2, 8010, Graz, Austria.
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20
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Ko SC, Lee HJ, Choi SY, Choi JI, Woo HM. Bio-solar cell factories for photosynthetic isoprenoids production. PLANTA 2019; 249:181-193. [PMID: 30078076 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-018-2969-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthetic production of isoprenoids in cyanobacteria is considered in terms of metabolic engineering and biological importance. Metabolic engineering of photosynthetic bacteria (cyanobacteria) has been performed to construct bio-solar cell factories that convert carbon dioxide to various value-added chemicals. Isoprenoids, which are found in nature and range from essential cell components to defensive molecules, have great value in cosmetics, pharmaceutics, and biofuels. In this review, we summarize the recent engineering of cyanobacteria for photosynthetic isoprenoids production as well as carbon molar basis comparisons with heterotrophic isoprenoids production in engineered Escherichia coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Cheon Ko
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jeong Lee
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Young Choi
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Il Choi
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Chonnam National University, 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Han Min Woo
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.
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21
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Tetali SD. Terpenes and isoprenoids: a wealth of compounds for global use. PLANTA 2019; 249:1-8. [PMID: 30467631 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-018-3056-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/17/2018] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Role of terpenes and isoprenoids has been pivotal in the survival and evolution of higher plants in various ecoregions. These products find application in the pharmaceutical, flavor fragrance, and biofuel industries. Fitness of plants in a wide range of environmental conditions entailed (i) evolution of secondary metabolic pathways enabling utilization of photosynthate for the synthesis of a variety of biomolecules, thereby facilitating diverse eco-interactive functions, and (ii) evolution of structural features for the sequestration of such compounds away from the mainstream primary metabolism to prevent autotoxicity. This review summarizes features and applications of terpene and isoprenoid compounds, comprising the largest class of secondary metabolites. Many of these terpene and isoprenoid biomolecules happen to be high-value bioproducts. They are essential components of all living organisms that are chemically highly variant. They are constituents of primary (quinones, chlorophylls, carotenoids, steroids) as well as secondary metabolism compounds with roles in signal transduction, reproduction, communication, climatic acclimation, defense mechanisms and more. They comprise single to several hundreds of repetitive five-carbon units of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and its isomer dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP). In plants, there are two pathways that lead to the synthesis of terpene and isoprenoid precursors, the cytosolic mevalonic acid (MVA) pathway and the plastidic methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway. The diversity of terpenoids can be attributed to differential enzyme and substrate specificities and to secondary modifications acquired by terpene synthases. The biological role of secondary metabolites has been recognized as pivotal in the survival and evolution of higher plants. Terpenes and isoprenoids find application in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, synthetic chemistry, flavor fragrance, and possibly biofuel industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarada D Tetali
- Department of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, C. R. Prof. CR Rao Rd., CUC, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, 500046, Telangana, India.
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22
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Vavitsas K, Fabris M, Vickers CE. Terpenoid Metabolic Engineering in Photosynthetic Microorganisms. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:E520. [PMID: 30360565 PMCID: PMC6266707 DOI: 10.3390/genes9110520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Revised: 10/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Terpenoids are a group of natural products that have a variety of roles, both essential and non-essential, in metabolism and in biotic and abiotic interactions, as well as commercial applications such as pharmaceuticals, food additives, and chemical feedstocks. Economic viability for commercial applications is commonly not achievable by using natural source organisms or chemical synthesis. Engineered bio-production in suitable heterologous hosts is often required to achieve commercial viability. However, our poor understanding of regulatory mechanisms and other biochemical processes makes obtaining efficient conversion yields from feedstocks challenging. Moreover, production from carbon dioxide via photosynthesis would significantly increase the environmental and potentially the economic credentials of these processes by disintermediating biomass feedstocks. In this paper, we briefly review terpenoid metabolism, outline some recent advances in terpenoid metabolic engineering, and discuss why photosynthetic unicellular organisms-such as algae and cyanobacteria-might be preferred production platforms for the expression of some of the more challenging terpenoid pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Vavitsas
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
- CSIRO Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, GPO Box 2583, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
| | - Michele Fabris
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
- CSIRO Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, GPO Box 2583, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
| | - Claudia E Vickers
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
- CSIRO Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, GPO Box 2583, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
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23
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Biotechnology of cyanobacterial isoprene production. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:6451-6458. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9093-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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24
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Chaves JE, Melis A. Engineering isoprene synthesis in cyanobacteria. FEBS Lett 2018; 592:2059-2069. [PMID: 29689603 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The renewable production of isoprene (Isp) hydrocarbons, to serve as fuel and synthetic chemistry feedstock, has attracted interest in the field recently. Isp (C5 H8 ) is naturally produced from sunlight, CO2 and H2 O photosynthetically in terrestrial plant chloroplasts via the terpenoid biosynthetic pathway and emitted in the atmosphere as a response to heat stress. Efforts to institute a high capacity continuous and renewable process have included heterologous expression of the Isp synthesis pathway in photosynthetic microorganisms. This review examines the premise and promise emanating from this relatively new research effort. Also examined are the metabolic engineering approaches applied in the quest of renewable Isp hydrocarbons production, the progress achieved so far, and barriers encountered along the way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie E Chaves
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Anastasios Melis
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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25
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Stensjö K, Vavitsas K, Tyystjärvi T. Harnessing transcription for bioproduction in cyanobacteria. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2018; 162:148-155. [PMID: 28762505 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.12606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Revised: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Sustainable production of biofuels and other valuable compounds is one of our future challenges. One tempting possibility is to use photosynthetic cyanobacteria as production factories. Currently, tools for genetic engineering of cyanobacteria are not good enough to exploit the full potential of cyanobacteria. A wide variety of expression systems will be required to adjust both the expression of heterologous enzyme(s) and metabolic routes to the best possible balance, allowing the optimal production of a particular substance. In bacteria, transcription, especially the initiation of transcription, has a central role in adjusting gene expression and thus also metabolic fluxes of cells according to environmental cues. Here we summarize the recent progress in developing tools for efficient cyanofactories, focusing especially on transcriptional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Stensjö
- Department of Chemistry-Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Box 523, 75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Konstantinos Vavitsas
- Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Taina Tyystjärvi
- Molecular Plant Biology, Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
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26
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Methods for enhancing cyanobacterial stress tolerance to enable improved production of biofuels and industrially relevant chemicals. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:1617-1628. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8755-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Revised: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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27
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Ni J, Tao F, Xu P, Yang C. Engineering Cyanobacteria for Photosynthetic Production of C3 Platform Chemicals and Terpenoids from CO 2. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2018; 1080:239-259. [PMID: 30091098 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-0854-3_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Recent years have witnessed a rising demand for bioproduced chemicals owing to restricted availability of petrochemical resources and increasing environmental concerns. Extensive efforts have been invested in the metabolic engineering of microorganisms for biosynthesis of chemicals and fuels. Among these, direct conversion of CO2 to chemicals by photoautotrophic microorganism cyanobacteria represents a green route with incredibly potent. Cyanobacteria have been engineered for the production of numerous biofuels and chemicals, such as 2,3-butanediol, fatty acids, isobutyraldehyde, and n-butanol. Under the current condition, it might be initially wiser to produce chemicals with higher value or higher yield. Photosynthetic production of C3 platform chemicals could withdraw carbon close to fixation to maximize the pool of available carbon, thus achieving the strong production rates. Photosynthetic production of terpenoids is another good choice due to the higher value of these compounds. Here, we review recent advances in generating C3 chemicals and valuable terpenoids from cyanobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Ni
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Fei Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Ping Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Chen Yang
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
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