Indigo biosynthesis by Comamonas sp. MQ

Tryptophan-Based Hyperproduction of Bioindigo by Combinatorial Overexpression of Two Different Tryptophan Transporters

Indigo is a valuable, natural blue dye that has been used for centuries in the textile industry. The large-scale commercial production of indigo relies on its extraction from plants and chemical synthesis. Studies are being conducted to develop methods for environment-friendly and sustainable production of indigo using genetically engineered microbes. Here, to enhance the yield of bioindigo from an E. coli whole-cell system containing tryptophanase (TnaA) and flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO), we evaluated tryptophan transporters to improve the transport of aromatic compounds, such as indole and tryptophan, which are not easily soluble and passable through cell walls. Among the three transporters, Mtr, AroP, and TnaB, AroP enhanced indigo production the most. The combination of each transporter with AroP was also evaluated, and the combination of AroP and TnaB showed the best performance compared to the single transporters and two transporters. Bioindigo production was then optimized by examining the culture medium, temperature, isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside concentration, shaking speed (rpm), and pH. The novel strain containing aroP and tnaB plasmid with tnaA and FMO produced 8.77 mM (2.3 g/l) of bioindigo after 66 h of culture. The produced bioindigo was further recovered using a simple method and used as a watercolor dye, showing good mixing with other colors and color retention for a relatively long time. This study presents an effective strategy for enhancing indigo production using a combination of transporters.

Indigo production goes green: a review on opportunities and challenges of fermentative production

Indigo is a widely used dye in various industries, such as textile, cosmetics, and food. However, traditional methods of indigo extraction and processing are associated with environmental and economic challenges. Fermentative production of indigo using microbial strains has emerged as a promising alternative that offers sustainability and cost-effectiveness. This review article provides a critical overview of microbial diversity, metabolic pathways, fermentation strategies, and genetic engineering approaches for fermentative indigo production. The advantages and limitations of different indigo production systems and a critique of the current understanding of indigo biosynthesis are discussed. Finally, the potential application of indigo in other sectors is also discussed. Overall, fermentative production of indigo offers a sustainable and bio-based alternative to synthetic methods and has the potential to contribute to the development of sustainable and circular biomanufacturing.

Enhanced production of bio-indigo in engineered Escherichia coli, reinforced by cyclopropane-fatty acid-acyl-phospholipid synthase from psychrophilic Pseudomonas sp. B14-6

Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color. Most of the indigo currently used in industry is produced via chemical synthesis, which generates a large amount of wastewater. Therefore, several studies have recently been conducted to find ways to produce indigo eco-friendly using microorganisms. Here, we produced indigo using recombinant Escherichia coli with both an indigo-producing plasmid and a cyclopropane fatty acid (CFA)-regulating plasmid. The CFA-regulating plasmid contains the cfa gene, and its expression increases the CFA composition of the phospholipid fatty acids of the cell membrane. Overexpression of cfa showed cytotoxicity resistance of indole, an intermediate product formed during the indigo production process. This had a positive effect on indigo production and cfa originated from Pseudomonas sp. B 14-6 was used. Optimal conditions for indigo production were determined by adjusting the expression strain, culture temperature, shaking speed, and isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside concentration. Treatment with Tween 80 at a particular concentration to increase the permeability of the cell membrane had a positive effect on indigo production. The strain with the CFA plasmid produced 4.1 mM of indigo after 24 h of culture and produced 1.5-fold higher indigo than the control strain without the CFA plasmid that produced 2.7 mM.

A Combinational Optimization Method for Efficient Production of Indigo by the Recombinant Escherichia coli with Expression of Monooxygenase and Malate Dehydrogenase

Indigo pigment is a widely used pigment, and the use of biosynthesis to ferment indigo has become a hot research topic. Based on previous research, the indigo could be biosynthesized via the styrene oxygenation pathway, which is regulated by intracellular redox-cofactor rebalancing. In this work, the malate dehydrogenase (mdh) gene was selected as an NADH regeneration element to improve the intracellular cofactor regeneration level, and it was co-expressed with the styrene monooxygenase (styAB) gene by pET-28a(+) vector in E. coli for enhancing indigo production. The P_T7 and P_cat promoter was constructed to change the styAB gene and mdh gene from inducible expression to constitutive expression, since the expressing vector pET-28a(+) needs to be induced by IPTG. After different strategies of genetic manipulations, the styAB gene and mdh gene were successfully constitutively co-expressed by different promoters in E. coli, which obviously enhanced the monooxygenase activity and indigo production, as expected. The maximum yield of indigo in recombinant strains was up to 787.25 mg/L after 24 h of fermentation using 2.0 g/L tryptophan as substrate, which was nearly the highest indigo-producing ability using tryptophan as substrate in recent studies. In summary, this work provided a theoretical basis for the subsequent study of indigo biosynthesis and probably revealed a new insight into the construction of indigo biosynthesis cell factory for application.

Development and optimization of a microbial co-culture system for heterologous indigo biosynthesis

Background

Indigo is a color molecule with a long history of being used as a textile dye. The conventional production methods are facing increasing economy, sustainability and environmental challenges. Therefore, developing a green synthesis method converting renewable feedstocks to indigo using engineered microbes is of great research and application interest. However, the efficiency of the indigo microbial biosynthesis is still low and needs to be improved by proper metabolic engineering strategies.

Results

In the present study, we adopted several metabolic engineering strategies to establish an efficient microbial biosynthesis system for converting renewable carbon substrates to indigo. First, a microbial co-culture was developed using two individually engineered E. coli strains to accommodate the indigo biosynthesis pathway, and the balancing of the overall pathway was achieved by manipulating the ratio of co-culture strains harboring different pathway modules. Through carbon source optimization and application of biosensor-assisted cell selection circuit, the indigo production was improved significantly. In addition, the global transcription machinery engineering (gTME) approach was utilized to establish a high-performance co-culture variant to further enhance the indigo production. Through the step-wise modification of the established system, the indigo bioproduction reached 104.3 mg/L, which was 11.4-fold higher than the parental indigo producing strain.

Conclusion

This work combines modular co-culture engineering, biosensing, and gTME for addressing the challenges of the indigo biosynthesis, which has not been explored before. The findings of this study confirm the effectiveness of the developed approach and offer a new perspective for efficient indigo bioproduction. More broadly, this innovative approach has the potential for wider application in future studies of other valuable biochemicals’ biosynthesis.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12934-021-01636-w.

Natural blue pigments and bikaverin

In last years, the main studied microbial sources of natural blue pigments have been the eukaryotic algae, Rhodophytes and Cryptophytes, and the cyanobacterium Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis, responsible for the production of phycocyanin, one of the most important blue compounds approved for food and cosmetic use. Recent research also includes the indigoidine pigment from the bacteria Erwinia, Streptomyces and Photorhabdus. Despite these advances, there are still few options of microbial blue pigments reported so far, but the interest in these products is high due to the lack of stable natural blue pigments in nature. Filamentous fungi are particularly attractive for their ability to produce pigments with a wide range of colors. Bikaverin is a red metabolite present mainly in species of the genus Fusarium. Although originally red, the biomass containing bikaverin changes its color to blue after heat treatment, through a mechanism still unknown. In addition to the special behavior of color change by thermal treatment, bikaverin has beneficial biological properties, such as antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities, which can expand its use for the pharmaceutical and medical sectors. The present review addresses the production natural blue pigments and focuses on the properties of bikaverin, which can be an important source of blue pigment with potential applications in the food industry and in other industrial sectors.

An overview of microbial indigo-forming enzymes

Indigo is one of the oldest textile dyes and was originally prepared from plant material. Nowadays, indigo is chemically synthesized at a large scale to satisfy the demand for dyeing jeans. The current indigo production processes are based on fossil feedstocks; therefore, it is highly attractive to develop a more sustainable and environmentally friendly biotechnological process for the production of this popular dye. In the past decades, a number of natural and engineered enzymes have been identified that can be used for the synthesis of indigo. This mini-review provides an overview of the various microbial enzymes which are able to produce indigo and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each biocatalytic system.

Application of an efficient indole oxygenase system from Cupriavidus sp. SHE for indigo production

Indigo, one of the most widely used dyes, is mainly produced by chemical processes, which generate amounts of pollutants and need high energy consumption. Microbial production of indigo from indole has attracted much attention; however, the indole oxygenase has never been explored and applied for indigo production. In the present study, the indole oxygenase indAB genes were successfully cloned from Cupriavidus sp. SHE and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) (designated as IND_AB). Strain IND_AB produced primarily indigo in tryptophan medium by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (HPLC-MS) analysis. The preferable conditions for indigo production were pH 6.5 (normal pH), 30 °C, 150 rpm, strain inoculation concentration OD₆₀₀ 0.08, and induction with 1 mM IPTG at the time of inoculation. The optimal culture medium compositions were further determined as tryptophan 1.0 g/L, NaCl 3.55 g/L, and yeast extract 5.12 g/L based on single-factor experiment and response surface methodology. The highest indigo yield was 307 mg/L, which was 4.39-fold higher than the original value. This is the first study investigating indigo production using the indole oxygenase system and the results highlighted its potential in bio-indigo industrial application.

Bromoperoxidase Producing Bacillus spp. Isolated from the Hypobranchial Glands of a Muricid Mollusc Are Capable of Tyrian Purple Precursor Biogenesis

The secondary metabolite Tyrian purple, also known as shellfish purple and royal purple, is a dye with historical importance for humans. The biosynthetic origin of Tyrian purple in Muricidae molluscs is not currently known. A possible role for symbiotic bacteria in the production of tyrindoxyl sulphate, the precursor to Tyrian purple stored in the Australian species, Dicathais orbita, has been proposed. This study aimed to culture bacterial symbionts from the purple producing hypobranchial gland, and screen the isolates for bromoperoxidase genes using molecular methods. The ability of bromoperoxidase positive isolates to produce the brominated indole precursor to Tyrian purple was then established by extraction of the culture, and analysis by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In total, 32 bacterial isolates were cultured from D. orbita hypobranchial glands, using marine agar, marine agar with hypobranchial gland aqueous extracts, blood agar, thiosulphate citrate bile salts sucrose agar, and cetrimide agar at pH 7.2. These included 26 Vibrio spp., two Bacillus spp., one Phaeobacter sp., one Shewanella sp., one Halobacillus sp. and one Pseudoalteromonas sp. The two Bacillus species were the only isolates found to have coding sequences for bromoperoxidase enzymes. LC-MS analysis of the supernatant and cell pellets from the bromoperoxidase producing Bacillus spp. cultured in tryptone broth, supplemented with KBr, confirmed their ability to produce the brominated precursor to Tyrian purple, tyrindoxyl sulphate. This study supports a potential role for symbiotic Bacillus spp. in the biosynthesis of Tyrian purple.

Biodegradation and Biotransformation of Indole: Advances and Perspectives

Indole is long regarded as a typical N-heterocyclic aromatic pollutant in industrial and agricultural wastewater, and recently it has been identified as a versatile signaling molecule with wide environmental distributions. An exponentially growing number of researches have been reported on indole due to its significant roles in bacterial physiology, pathogenesis, animal behavior and human diseases. From the viewpoint of both environmental bioremediation and biological studies, the researches on metabolism and fates of indole are important to realize environmental treatment and illuminate its biological function. Indole can be produced from tryptophan by tryptophanase in many bacterial species. Meanwhile, various bacterial strains have obtained the ability to transform and degrade indole. The characteristics and pathways for indole degradation have been investigated for a century, and the functional genes for indole aerobic degradation have also been uncovered recently. Interestingly, many oxygenases have proven to be able to oxidize indole to indigo, and this historic and motivating case for biological applications has attracted intensive attention for decades. Herein, the bacteria, enzymes and pathways for indole production, biodegradation and biotransformation are systematically summarized, and the future researches on indole-microbe interactions are also prospected.

Complete Genome Sequence of Indigo-Producing Bacterium Celeribacter sp. Strain TSPH2

Celeribacter sp. strain TSPH2, a novel producer of indigo, was isolated from oil-contaminated sediment. We present here its genome sequence consisting of one circular chromosome (4 Mb) and one plasmid (0.15 Mb), with an overall G+C content of 60.9%. This strain contains oxygenase genes involved in indigo synthesis, such as flavin-containing monooxygenase.

Systematic investigation and microbial community profile of indole degradation processes in two aerobic activated sludge systems

Indole is widely spread in various environmental matrices. Indole degradation by bacteria has been reported previously, whereas its degradation processes driven by aerobic microbial community were as-yet unexplored. Herein, eight sequencing batch bioreactors fed with municipal and coking activated sludges were constructed for aerobic treatment of indole. The whole operation processes contained three stages, i.e. stage I, glucose and indole as carbon sources; stage II, indole as carbon source; and stage III, indole as carbon and nitrogen source. Indole could be completely removed in both systems. Illumina sequencing revealed that alpha diversity was reduced after indole treatment and microbial communities were significantly distinct among the three stages. At genus level, Azorcus and Thauera were dominant species in stage I in both systems, while Alcaligenes, Comamonas and Pseudomonas were the core genera in stage II and III in municipal sludge system, Alcaligenes and Burkholderia in coking sludge system. In addition, four strains belonged to genera Comamonas, Burkholderia and Xenophilus were isolated using indole as sole carbon source. Burkholderia sp. IDO3 could remove 100 mg/L indole completely within 14 h, the highest degradation rate to date. These findings provide novel information and enrich our understanding of indole aerobic degradation processes.

Characterization of Bacterial Communities Associated with the Tyrian Purple Producing Gland in a Marine Gastropod

Dicathais orbita is a marine mollusc recognised for the production of anticancer compounds that are precursors to Tyrian purple. This study aimed to assess the diversity and identity of bacteria associated with the Tyrian purple producing hypobranchial gland, in comparison with foot tissue, using a high-throughput sequencing approach. Taxonomic and phylogenetic analysis of variable region V1-V3 of 16S rRNA bacterial gene amplicons in QIIME and MEGAN were carried out. This analysis revealed a highly diverse bacterial assemblage associated with the hypobranchial gland and foot tissues of D. orbita. The dominant bacterial phylum in the 16S rRNA bacterial profiling data set was Proteobacteria followed by Bacteroidetes, Tenericutes and Spirochaetes. In comparison to the foot, the hypobranchial gland had significantly lower bacterial diversity and a different community composition, based on taxonomic assignment at the genus level. A higher abundance of indole producing Vibrio spp. and the presence of bacteria with brominating capabilities in the hypobranchial gland suggest bacteria have a potential role in biosynthesis of Tyrian purple in D. orbita.

Detoxification of Indole by an Indole-Induced Flavoprotein Oxygenase from Acinetobacter baumannii

Indole, a derivative of the amino acid tryptophan, is a toxic signaling molecule, which can inhibit bacterial growth. To overcome indole-induced toxicity, many bacteria have developed enzymatic defense systems to convert indole to non-toxic, water-insoluble indigo. We previously demonstrated that, like other aromatic compound-degrading bacteria, Acinetobacter baumannii can also convert indole to indigo. However, no work has been published investigating this mechanism. Here, we have shown that the growth of wild-type A. baumannii is severely inhibited in the presence of 3.5 mM indole. However, at lower concentrations, growth is stable, implying that the bacteria may be utilizing a survival mechanism to oxidize indole. To this end, we have identified a flavoprotein oxygenase encoded by the iifC gene of A. baumannii. Further, our results suggest that expressing this recombinant oxygenase protein in Escherichia coli can drive indole oxidation to indigo in vitro. Genome analysis shows that the iif operon is exclusively present in the genomes of A. baumannii and Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae. Quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis also indicate that the iif operon is activated by indole through the AraC-like transcriptional regulator IifR. Taken together, these data suggest that this species of bacteria utilizes a novel indole-detoxification mechanism that is modulated by IifC, a protein that appears to be, at least to some extent, regulated by IifR.

Microbial Community Dynamics and Activity Link to Indigo Production from Indole in Bioaugmented Activated Sludge Systems

Biosynthesis of the popular dyestuff indigo from indole has been comprehensively studied using pure cultures, but less has been done to characterize the indigo production by microbial communities. In our previous studies, a wild strain Comamonas sp. MQ was isolated from activated sludge and the recombinant Escherichia coli_nagAc carrying the naphthalene dioxygenase gene (nag) from strain MQ was constructed, both of which were capable of producing indigo from indole. Herein, three activated sludge systems, G1 (non-augmented control), G2 (augmented with Comamonas sp. MQ), and G3 (augmented with recombinant E. coli_nagAc), were constructed to investigate indigo production. After 132-day operation, G3 produced the highest yields of indigo (99.5 ± 3.0 mg/l), followed by G2 (27.3 ± 1.3 mg/l) and G1 (19.2 ± 1.2 mg/l). The microbial community dynamics and activities associated with indigo production were analyzed by Illumina Miseq sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. The inoculated strain MQ survived for at least 30 days, whereas E. coli_nagAc was undetectable shortly after inoculation. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis suggested the abundance of naphthalene dioxygenase gene (nagAc) from both inoculated strains was strongly correlated with indigo yields in early stages (0–30 days) (P < 0.001) but not in later stages (30–132 days) (P > 0.10) of operation. Based on detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and dissimilarity test results, the communities underwent a noticeable shift during the operation. Among the four major genera (> 1% on average), the commonly reported indigo-producing populations Comamonas and Pseudomonas showed no positive relationship with indigo yields (P > 0.05) based on Pearson correlation test, while Alcaligenes and Aquamicrobium, rarely reported for indigo production, were positively correlated with indigo yields (P < 0.05). This study should provide new insights into our understanding of indigo bio-production by microbial communities.

Biodegradation of indole by a newly isolated Cupriavidus sp. SHE

Indole, a typical nitrogen heterocyclic aromatic pollutant, is extensively spread in industrial wastewater. Microbial degradation has been proven to be a feasible approach to remove indole, whereas the microbial resources are fairly limited. A bacterial strain designated as SHE was isolated and found to be an efficient indole degrader. It was identified as Cupriavidus sp. according to 16S rRNA gene analysis. Strain SHE could utilize indole as the sole carbon source and almost completely degrade 100mg/L of indole within 24hr. It still harbored relatively high indole degradation capacity within pH4-9 and temperature 25°C-35°C. Experiments also showed that some heavy metals such as Mn(2+), Pb(2+) and Co(2+) did not pose severe inhibition on indole degradation. Based on high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrum analysis, isatin was identified as a minor intermediate during the process of indole biodegradation. A major yellow product with m/z 265.0605 (C15H8N2O3) was generated and accumulated, suggesting a novel indole conversion pathway existed. Genome analysis of strain SHE indicated that there existed a rich set of oxidoreductases, which might be the key reason for the efficient degradation of indole. The robust degradation ability of strain SHE makes it a promising candidate for the treatment of indole containing wastewater.

Genome Sequence of an Indigoid-Producing Strain, Pseudomonas sp. PI1

Pseudomonas sp. strain PI1 can cometabolize indole in the presence of phenol to produce various indigoids. Here, we present a 7.2-Mb draft genome sequence of strain PI1, which may provide insight into the study of phenol-indole cometabolism and its application in aromatic bioremediation and wastewater treatment processes.

Genetic determinants involved in the biodegradation of naphthalene and phenanthrene in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

Pseudomonas sp. are predominant isolates of degradation-competent strains while very few studies have explored the degradation-related genes and pathways in most of the degrading strains. P. aeruginosa PAO1 was found capable of degrading naphthalene and phenanthrene efficiently. In order to investigate the degradation-related genes of naphthalene and phenanthrene in P. aeruginosa PAO1, a random promoter library of about 5760 strains was constructed. Thirty-two clones for differentially expressed promoters were obtained by screening in the presence of sub-inhibitory concentration of naphthalene and phenanthrene. Among them, 13 genes were up-regulated and 15 were down-regulated in the presence of naphthalene as well as phenanthrene. The four remaining genes have different regulation tendencies by naphthalene or phenanthrene. By comparing the growth between the wild type and mutants as well as the complementations, the roles of seven selected up-regulated genes on naphthalene and phenanthrene degradation were investigated. Five of the seven selected up-regulated genes, like PA2666 and PA4780, were found playing key roles on the degradation in P. aeruginosa PAO1. Also, the results imply that these genes participate in the overlapping part of naphthalene and phenanthrene degradation pathways in PAO1. Results in the article offer the convenience quick method and platform for searching degradation-related genes. It also laid a foundation for understanding of the role of the regulated genes.

Illumina MiSeq Sequencing Reveals Diverse Microbial Communities of Activated Sludge Systems Stimulated by Different Aromatics for Indigo Biosynthesis from Indole

Indole, as a typical N-heteroaromatic compound existed in coking wastewater, can be used for bio-indigo production. The microbial production of indigo from indole has been widely reported during the last decades using culture-dependent methods, but few studies have been carried out by microbial communities. Herein, three activated sludge systems stimulated by different aromatics, i.e. naphthalene plus indole (G1), phenol plus indole (G2) and indole only (G3), were constructed for indigo production from indole. During the operation, G1 produced the highest indigo yield in the early stage, but it switched to G3 in the late stage. Based on LC-MS analysis, indigo was the major product in G1 and G3, while the purple product 2-(7-oxo-1H-indol-6(7H)-ylidene) indolin-3-one was dominant in G2. Illumina MiSeq sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons was applied to analyze the microbial community structure and composition. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and dissimilarity tests showed that the overall community structures of three groups changed significantly during the operation (P<0.05). Nevertheless, the bacteria assigned to phylum Proteobacteria, family Comamonadaceae, and genera Diaphorobacter, Comamonas and Aquamicrobium were commonly shared dominant populations. Pearson correlations were calculated to discern the relationship between microbial communities and indigo yields. The typical indigo-producing populations Comamonas and Pseudomonas showed no positive correlations with indigo yields, while there emerged many other genera that exhibited positive relationships, such as Aquamicrobium, Truepera and Pusillimonas, which had not been reported for indigo production previously. The present study should provide new insights into indigo bio-production by microbial communities from indole.

Biotransformation of indole and its derivatives by a newly isolated Enterobacter sp. M9Z

In this study, a novel bacterial strain M9Z with the ability of producing indigoids from indole and its derivatives was isolated from activated sludge and identified as Enterobacter sp. according to 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequence analysis. UV-vis spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis indicated that the products produced from indole, 5-methylindole, 7-methylindole, and 5-methoxyindole were indigo with different substituent groups, and the possible biotransformation pathways of indole derivatives, i.e., indole(s)-cis-indole-2,3-dihydrodiol(s)-indoxyl(s)-indigoids, were proposed. The conditions of indole transformation and indigo biosynthesis by strain M9Z were optimized, and the maximal indigo yield (68.1 mg/L) was obtained when using 150 mg/L indole, 200 mg/L naphthalene, and 5 g/L yeast extract. The transformation rates of 5-methylindole, 7-methylindole, and 5-methoxyindole by strain M9Z were all close to 100 % under certain conditions, making strain M9Z an efficient indigoid producer. This is the first study of indole biotransformation and indigoid biosynthesis by genus Enterobacter.

Biotransformation of Indigo Pigment by Indigenously Isolated Pseudomonas sp. HAV-1 and Assessment of Its Antioxidant Property

Chemical synthesis of indigo poses harsh environmental hazards and adverse human health effects. This necessitates an environment-friendly and producer-friendly approach for indigo production. The present study was thus significant as it reports an indigenously isolated potential indigo pigment producing culture identified as Pseudomonas sp. HAV-1 with noteworthy antioxidant property. The bioindigo pigment was characterized using various analytical techniques. The pigment production was enhanced from 412 μg mL(-1) to 700 μg mL(-1) by optimizing the growth parameters. Furthermore, the antioxidant property of indigo pigment is hitherto unexplored. This property can significantly append to its therapeutic potential. The bioindigo pigment produced by Pseudomonas sp. HAV-1 depicted 2.2 μM ascorbic acid equivalent antioxidant property. More to the point, the present work addresses a footstep towards green production of indigo.

Production of indirubin from tryptophan by recombinant Escherichia coli containing naphthalene dioxygenase genes from Comamonas sp. MQ

Indirubin, a red isomer of indigo, can be used for the treatment of various chronic diseases. However, the microbial production of indirubin did not receive much attention probably due to its low yield compared with indigo. In this study, the recombinant Escherichia coli containing the naphthalene dioxygenase (NDO) genes from Comamonas sp. MQ was used to produce indirubin from tryptophan. To enhance the production of indirubin, the induction conditions for NDO expression were optimized. The optimal induction conditions were carried out with 0.5 mM isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside at 30 °C when cells were grown to OD600 ≈ 1.20. Subsequently, the effects of medium composition on indirubin production were investigated by response surface methodology, and 9.37 ± 1.01 mg/l indirubin was produced from 3.28 g/l tryptophan. Meanwhile, the indirubin production was further improved by adding 2-oxindole and isatin to the tryptophan medium after induction. About 57.98 ± 2.62 mg/l indirubin was obtained by the addition of 500 mg/l 2-oxindole after 1-h induction, which was approximately 6.2-fold to that without additional 2-oxindole. The present study provided a possible way to improve the production of indirubin and should lay the foundation for the application of microbial indirubin production.