Metabolic pathway analysis of 1,3-propanediol production with a genetically modified Klebsiella pneumoniae by overexpressing an endogenous NADPH-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase

Enhancing 1,3-Propanediol Productivity in the Non-Model Chassis Clostridium beijerinckii through Genetic Manipulation

Biotechnological processes at biorefineries are considered one of the most attractive alternatives for valorizing biomasses by converting them into bioproducts, biofuels, and bioenergy. For example, biodiesel can be obtained from oils and grease but generates glycerol as a byproduct. Glycerol recycling has been studied in several bioprocesses, with one of them being its conversion to 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) by Clostridium. Clostridium beijerinckii is particularly interesting because it can produce a range of industrially relevant chemicals, including solvents and organic acids, and it is non-pathogenic. However, while Clostridium species have many potential advantages as chassis for synthetic biology applications, there are significant limitations when considering their use, such as their limited genetic tools, slow growth rate, and oxygen sensitivity. In this work, we carried out the overexpression of the genes involved in the synthesis of 1,3-PDO in C. beijerinckii Br21, which allowed us to increase the 1,3-PDO productivity in this strain. Thus, this study contributed to a better understanding of the metabolic pathways of glycerol conversion to 1,3-PDO by a C. beijerinckii isolate. Also, it made it possible to establish a transformation method of a modular vector in this strain, therefore expanding the limited genetic tools available for this bacterium, which is highly relevant in biotechnological applications.

Engineering Escherichia coli for a high yield of 1,3-propanediol near the theoretical maximum through chromosomal integration and gene deletion

Glycerol dehydratase (gdrAB-dhaB123) operon from Klebsiella pneumoniae and NADPH-dependent 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductase (yqhD) from Escherichia coli were stably integrated on the chromosomal DNA of E. coli under the control of the native-host ldhA and pflB constitutive promoters, respectively. The developed E. coli NSK015 (∆ldhA::gdrAB-dhaB123 ∆ackA::FRT ∆pflB::yqhD ∆frdABCD::cat-sacB) produced 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) at the level of 36.8 g/L with a yield of 0.99 mol/mol of glycerol consumed when glucose was used as a co-substrate with glycerol. Co-substrate of glycerol and cassava starch was also utilized for 1,3-PDO production with the concentration and yield of 31.9 g/L and 0.84 mol/mol of glycerol respectively. This represents a work for efficient 1,3-PDO production in which the overexpression of heterologous genes on the E. coli host genome devoid of plasmid expression systems. Plasmids, antibiotics, IPTG, and rich nutrients were omitted during 1,3-PDO production. This may allow a further application of E. coli NSK015 for the efficient 1,3-PDO production in an economically industrial scale. KEY POINTS:  • gdrAB-dhaB123 and yqhD were overexpressed in E. coli devoid of a plasmid system • E. coli NSK015 produced a high yield of 1,3-PDO at 99% theoretical maximum • Cassava starch was alternatively used as substrate for economical 1,3-PDO production.

Cofactor recycling for co-production of 1,3-propanediol and glutamate by metabolically engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum

Production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) from glycerol is a promising route toward glycerol biorefinery. However, the yield of 1,3-PDO is limited due to the requirement of NADH regeneration via glycerol oxidation process, which generates large amounts of undesired byproducts. Glutamate fermentation by Corynebacterium glutamicum is an important oxidation process generating excess NADH. In this study, we proposed a novel strategy to couple the process of 1,3-PDO synthesis with glutamate production for cofactor regeneration. With the optimization of 1,3-PDO synthesis route, C. glutamicum can efficiently convert glycerol into 1,3-PDO with the yield of ~ 1.0 mol/mol glycerol. Co-production of 1,3-PDO and glutamate was also achieved which increased the yield of glutamate by 18% as compared to the control. Since 1,3-PDO and glutamate can be easily separated in downstream process, this study provides a potential green route for coupled production of 1,3-PDO and glutamate to enhance the economic viability of biorefinery process.

Production of C2-C4 diols from renewable bioresources: new metabolic pathways and metabolic engineering strategies

C2-C4 diols classically derived from fossil resource are very important bulk chemicals which have been used in a wide range of areas, including solvents, fuels, polymers, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Production of C2-C4 diols from renewable resources has received significant interest in consideration of the reducing fossil resource and the increasing environmental issues. While bioproduction of certain diols like 1,3-propanediol has been commercialized in recent years, biosynthesis of many other important C2-C4 diol isomers is highly challenging due to the lack of natural synthesis pathways. Recent advances in synthetic biology have enabled the de novo design of completely new pathways to non-natural molecules from renewable feedstocks. In this study, we review recent advances in bioproduction of C2-C4 diols, focusing on new metabolic pathways and metabolic engineering strategies being developed. We also discuss the challenges and future trends toward the development of economically competitive processes for bio-based diol production.

Toward glycerol biorefinery: metabolic engineering for the production of biofuels and chemicals from glycerol

As an inevitable by-product of the biofuel industry, glycerol is becoming an attractive feedstock for biorefinery due to its abundance, low price and high degree of reduction. Converting crude glycerol into value-added products is important to increase the economic viability of the biofuel industry. Metabolic engineering of industrial strains to improve its performance and to enlarge the product spectrum of glycerol biotransformation process is highly important toward glycerol biorefinery. This review focuses on recent metabolic engineering efforts as well as challenges involved in the utilization of glycerol as feedstock for the production of fuels and chemicals, especially for the production of diols, organic acids and biofuels.

Improvement of 2,3-butanediol yield in Klebsiella pneumoniae by deletion of the pyruvate formate-lyase gene

Klebsiella pneumoniae is considered a good host strain for the production of 2,3-butanediol, which is a promising platform chemical with various industrial applications. In this study, three genes, including those encoding glucosyltransferase (wabG), lactate dehydrogenase (ldhA), and pyruvate formate-lyase (pflB), were disrupted in K. pneumoniae to reduce both its pathogenic characteristics and the production of several by-products. In flask cultivation with minimal medium, the yield of 2,3-butanediol from rationally engineered K. pneumoniae (ΔwabG ΔldhA ΔpflB) reached 0.461 g/g glucose, which was 92.2% of the theoretical maximum, with a significant reduction in by-product formation. However, the growth rate of the pflB mutant was slightly reduced compared to that of its parental strain. Comparison with similar mutants of Escherichia coli suggested that the growth defect of pflB-deficient K. pneumoniae was caused by redox imbalance rather than reduced level of intracellular acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA). From an analysis of the transcriptome, it was confirmed that the removal of pflB from K. pneumoniae significantly repressed the expression of genes involved in the formate hydrogen lyase (FHL) system.

1,3-propanediol production with Citrobacter werkmanii DSM17579: effect of a dhaD knock-out

Background

1,3-propanediol (PDO) is a substantially industrial metabolite used in the polymer industry. Although several natural PDO production hosts exist, e.g. Klebsiella sp., Citrobacter sp. and Clostridium sp., the PDO yield on glycerol is insufficient for an economically viable bio-process. Enhancing this yield via strain improvement can be achieved by disconnecting the production and growth pathways. In the case of PDO formation, this approach results in a microorganism metabolizing glycerol strictly for PDO production, while catabolizing a co-substrate for growth and maintenance. We applied this strategy to improve the PDO production with Citrobacter werkmanii DSM17579.

Results

Genetic tools were developed and used to create Citrobacter werkmanii DSM17579 ∆dhaD in which dhaD, encoding for glycerol dehydrogenase, was deleted. Since this strain was unable to grow on glycerol anaerobically, both pathways were disconnected. The knock-out strain was perturbed with 13 different co-substrates for growth and maintenance. Glucose was the most promising, although a competition between NADH-consuming enzymes and 1,3-propanediol dehydrogenase emerged.

Conclusion

Due to the deletion of dhaD in Citrobacter werkmanii DSM17579, the PDO production and growth pathway were split. As a consequence, the PDO yield on glycerol was improved 1,5 times, strengthening the idea that Citrobacter werkmanii DSM17579 could become an industrially interesting host for PDO production.

Metabolic changes in Klebsiella oxytoca in response to low oxidoreduction potential, as revealed by comparative proteomic profiling integrated with flux balance analysis

Oxidoreduction potential (ORP) is an important physiological parameter for biochemical production in anaerobic or microaerobic processes. However, the effect of ORP on cellular physiology remains largely unknown, which hampers the design of engineering strategies targeting proteins associated with ORP response. Here we characterized the effect of altering ORP in a 1,3-propanediol producer, Klebsiella oxytoca, by comparative proteomic profiling combined with flux balance analysis. Decreasing the extracellular ORP from -150 to -240 mV retarded cell growth and enhanced 1,3-propanediol production. Comparative proteomic analysis identified 61 differentially expressed proteins, mainly involved in carbohydrate catabolism, cellular constituent biosynthesis, and reductive stress response. A hypothetical oxidoreductase (HOR) that catalyzes 1,3-propanediol production was markedly upregulated, while proteins involved in biomass precursor synthesis were downregulated. As revealed by subsequent flux balance analysis, low ORP induced a metabolic shift from glycerol oxidation to reduction and rebalancing of redox and energy metabolism. From the integrated protein expression profiles and flux distributions, we can construct a rational analytic framework that elucidates how (facultative) anaerobes respond to extracellular ORP changes.

Protein identification in two phases of 1,3-propanediol production by proteomic analysis

Proteomic analysis by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2D)-mass spectrometry was used to identify differentially expressed proteins in the Clostridium sp. native strain (IBUN 158B) in two phases of the 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) production (lag phase and exponential growth phase). Intracellular protein fraction extraction conditions were standardised, as well as the 2D electrophoresis. Differences were found between both of the growth phases evaluated here. Thirty-two of the differentially expressed proteins were chosen to be identified by tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF/TOF). The presence of four enzymes implicated in the 1,3-PD metabolic pathway was recorded: one from the reductive route (1,3-propanediol dehydrogenase) and three from the oxidative route (3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase, NADPH-dependent butanol dehydrogenase and phosphate butyryl transferase). The following enzymes which have not been previously reported for Clostridium sp., were also identified: phosphoglycerate kinase, glucose 6-phosphate isomerase, deoxyribose phosphate aldolase, transketolase, cysteine synthetase, O-acetylhomoserine sulphhydrylase, glycyl-tRNA ligase, aspartate-β-semialdehyde dehydrogenase, inosine-5-monophosphate dehydrogenase, aconitate hydratase and the PrsA protein. The foregoing provides a novel contribution towards knowledge of the native strain for the purpose of designing genetic manipulation strategies to obtain strains with high production of 1,3-PD.

BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The article "Protein identification in two phases of 1,3-propanediol production by proteomic analysis" provides a novel contribution towards knowledge regarding the Colombian Clostridium sp. native strain (IBUN 158B) because this is a new approximation in comparative proteomics in two phases of the bacterial growth and 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) production conditions. The proteomic studies are very important to identify the enzymes that are expressed at different stages of production and therefore genes of interest in the genetic manipulation strategies; the results can be taken into account in future studies in metabolic engineering when optimising 1,3-PD production, in a cost-effective process having direct industrial applications.

Simultaneous production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid and 1,3-propanediol from glycerol using resting cells of the lactate dehydrogenase-deficient recombinant Klebsiella pneumoniae overexpressing an aldehyde dehydrogenase

In the present study, the lactate dehydrogenase-deficient (ldhA(-)) recombinant Klebsiella pneumoniae overexpressing an ALDH (KGSADH) was developed and the co-production of 3-HP and PDO from glycerol by this recombinant under resting cell conditions was examined. The new recombinant did not produce any appreciable lactate, which seriously inhibits the production of 3-HP and PDO. The final titers of 3-HP and PDO by the ldhA(-) recombinant strain at 60 h were 252.2 mM and 308.7 mM, respectively, which were improved by approximately 30% and 50%, respectively, compared to those by the counterpart recombinant strain, which was the wild type for ldhA. In addition, after deleting ldhA, the cumulative yield on glycerol and specific production rate of these two metabolites (3-HP and PDO) were enhanced by 41.4% and 52%, respectively.

Elementary mode analysis: a useful metabolic pathway analysis tool for reprograming microbial metabolic pathways

Elementary mode analysis is a useful metabolic pathway analysis tool to characterize cellular metabolism. It can identify all feasible metabolic pathways known as elementary modes that are inherent to a metabolic network. Each elementary mode contains a minimal and unique set of enzymatic reactions that can support cellular functions at steady state. Knowledge of all these pathway options enables systematic characterization of cellular phenotypes, analysis of metabolic network properties (e.g. structure, regulation, robustness, and fragility), phenotypic behavior discovery, and rational strain design for metabolic engineering application. This chapter focuses on the application of elementary mode analysis to reprogram microbial metabolic pathways for rational strain design and the metabolic pathway evolution of designed strains.

Simultaneous production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid and 1,3-propanediol from glycerol by a recombinant strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae

In this study, an aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) was over-expressed in Klebsiella pneumoniae for simultaneous production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) and 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO). Various genes encoding ALDH were cloned and expressed in K. pneumoniae, and expression of Escherichia colialdH resulted in the highest 3-HP titer in anaerobic cultures in shake flasks. Anaerobic fed-batch culture of this recombinant strain was further performed in a 5-L reactor. The 3-HP concentration and yield reached 24.4 g/L and 0.18 mol/mol glycerol, respectively, and at the same time 1,3-PDO achieved 49.3 g/L with a yield of 0.43 mol/mol in 24 h. The overall yield of 3-HP plus 1,3-PDO was 0.61 mol/mol. Over-expression of the E. coli AldH also reduced the yields of by-products except for lactate. This study demonstrated the possibility of simultaneous production of 3-HP and 1,3-PDO by K. pneumoniae under anaerobic conditions without supply of vitamin B12.