Towards efficient bioethanol production from agricultural and forestry residues: Exploration of unique natural microorganisms in combination with advanced strain engineering

Overexpression of arginase gene CAR1 renders yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae acetic acid tolerance

Acetic acid is a common inhibitor present in lignocellulose hydrolysate, which inhibits the ethanol production by yeast strains. Therefore, the cellulosic ethanol industry requires yeast strains that can tolerate acetic acid stress. Here we demonstrate that overexpressing a yeast native arginase-encoding gene, CAR1, renders Saccharomyces cerevisiae acetic acid tolerance. Specifically, ethanol yield increased by 27.3% in the CAR1-overexpressing strain compared to the control strain under 5.0 g/L acetic acid stress. The global intracellular amino acid level and compositions were further analyzed, and we found that CAR1 overexpression reduced the total amino acid content in response to acetic acid stress. Moreover, the CAR1 overexpressing strain showed increased ATP level and improved cell membrane integrity. Notably, we demonstrated that the effect of CAR1 overexpression was independent of the spermidine and proline metabolism, which indicates novel mechanisms for enhancing yeast stress tolerance. Our studies also suggest that CAR1 is a novel genetic element to be used in synthetic biology of yeast for efficient production of fuel ethanol.

Carbon catabolite repression during the simultaneous utilization of lignocellulose-derived sugars in lactic acid production: Influencing factors and mitigation strategies

Lignocellulose is the most abundant, sustainable, and comparatively economical renewable biomass containing ample fermentable sugars for bio-based chemical production, such as lactic acid (LA). LA is a versatile chemical with substantial global demand. However, the concurrent utilization of mixed sugars derived from lignocellulose, including glucose, xylose, and arabinose, remains a formidable challenge because of the metabolic regulation of carbon catabolite repression (CCR), in which glucose is preferentially utilized over non-glucose sugars, resulting in the loss of carbon resources and a decrease in biorefinery efficacy. Most current studies on CCR have concentrated on elucidating the principles and their impact on specific bacterial species using mixed carbon sources. However, there remains a notable dearth of comprehensive reviews summarizing the underlying principles and corresponding mitigation strategies across other bacterial strains encountering similar challenges. In light of this, this article delineates the possible factors that lead to CCR, including signal transduction and metabolic pathways. Additionally, the fermentation conditions and nutrients are described. Finally, this study proposes appropriate mitigation strategies to overcome the aforementioned obstacles and presents new insights into the rapid and simultaneous consumption of mixed sugars to bolster the production yields of biofuels and chemicals in the future.

Differential Protein Expression in Set5p-Mediated Acetic Acid Stress Response and Novel Targets for Engineering Yeast Stress Tolerance

Acetic acid is a prevalent inhibitor in lignocellulosic hydrolysate, which represses microbial growth and bioproduction. Histone modification and chromatin remodeling have been revealed to be critical for regulating eukaryotic metabolism. However, related studies in chronic acetic acid stress responses remain unclear. Our previous studies revealed that overexpression of the histone H4 methyltransferase Set5p enhanced acetic acid stress tolerance of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, we examined the role of Set5p in acetic acid stress by analyzing global protein expression. Significant activation of intracellular protein expression under the stress was discovered, and the functions of the differential proteins were mainly involved in chromatin modification, signal transduction, and carbohydrate metabolism. Notably, a substantial increase of Set5p expression was observed in response to acetic acid stress. Functional studies demonstrated that the restriction of the telomere capping protein Rtc3p, as well as Ies3p and Taf14p, which are related to chromatin regulation, was critical for yeast stress response. This study enriches the understanding of the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying yeast stress response mediated by histone-modifying enzymes. The results also benefit the development of robust yeast strains for lignocellulosic bioconversion.

Transcriptome analysis of Kluyveromyces marxianus under succinic acid stress and development of robust strains

Kluyveromyces marxianus has become an attractive non-conventional yeast cell factory due to its advantageous properties such as high thermal tolerance and rapid growth. Succinic acid (SA) is an important platform molecule that has been applied in various industries such as food, material, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. SA bioproduction may be compromised by its toxicity. Besides, metabolite-responsive promoters are known to be important for dynamic control of gene transcription. Therefore, studies on global gene transcription under various SA concentrations are of great importance. Here, comparative transcriptome changes of K. marxianus exposed to various concentrations of SA were analyzed. Enrichment and analysis of gene clusters revealed repression of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and glyoxylate cycle, also activation of the glycolysis pathway and genes related to ergosterol synthesis. Based on the analyses, potential SA-responsive promoters were investigated, among which the promoter strength of IMTCP2 and KLMA_50231 increased 43.4% and 154.7% in response to 15 g/L SA. In addition, overexpression of the transcription factors Gcr1, Upc2, and Ndt80 significantly increased growth under SA stress. Our results benefit understanding SA toxicity mechanisms and the development of robust yeast for organic acid production. KEY POINTS: • Global gene transcription of K. marxianus is changed by succinic acid (SA) • Promoter activities of IMTCP2 and KLMA_50123 are regulated by SA • Overexpression of Gcr1, Upc2, and Ndt80 enhanced SA tolerance.

Novel Roles of the Greatwall Kinase Rim15 in Yeast Oxidative Stress Tolerance through Mediating Antioxidant Systems and Transcriptional Regulation

The Greatwall-family protein kinase Rim15 is associated with the nutrient starvation response, whereas its role in oxidative stress responses remains unclear. Here, acetic acid and peroxide were used as two oxidative stress elicitors. The antioxidant indicator assay under acetic acid stress revealed the impaired growth in rim15Δ related to the regulation of antioxidant systems. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are predicted to be mostly regulated by oxidative stress-responsive transcriptional factor Yap1. Among the DEGs, acetic acid stress-induced genes were found, and YAP1 disruption also inhibited their induction. The deletion of Rim15 or the Rim15 kinase domain in yap1Δ did not further decrease the gene expression, suggesting that Rim15 functions together with Yap1 in regulating acetic acid stress-induced genes, which requires Rim15 kinase activity. Additionally, Rim15 regulated H2O2 stress tolerance through partially similar but special mechanisms in that Rim15 kinase activity impacted acetic acid and H2O2 stress tolerance in different degrees, indicating the different mechanisms underlying Rim15-mediated redox regulation against different stressors. These results benefit the better understanding of stress signaling pathways related to Rim15. Given that Rim15 and some of its target genes are conserved across eukaryotes, these results also provide a basis for studies of oxidative stress-related processes in other organisms.

Engineering yeast cell factories to produce biodegradable plastics and their monomers: Current status and prospects

Traditional plastic products have caused serious environmental pollution due to difficulty to be degraded in the natural environment. In the recent years, biodegradable plastics are receiving increasing attention due to advantages in natural degradability and environmental friendliness. Biodegradable plastics have potential to be used in food, agriculture, industry, medicine and other fields. However, the high production cost of such plastics is the bottleneck that limits their commercialization and application. Yeasts, including budding yeast and non-conventional yeasts, are widely studied to produce biodegradable plastics and their organic acid monomers. Compared to bacteria, yeast strains are more tolerable to multiple stress conditions including low pH and high temperature, and also have other advantages such as generally regarded as safe, and no phage infection. In addition, synthetic biology and metabolic engineering of yeast have enabled its rapid and efficient engineering for bioproduction using various renewable feedstocks, especially lignocellulosic biomass. This review focuses on the recent progress in biosynthesis technology and strategies of monomeric organic acids for biodegradable polymers, including polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), polybutylene succinate (PBS), and polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) using yeast cell factories. Improving the performance of yeast as a cell factory and strategies to improve yeast acid stress tolerance are also discussed. In addition, the critical challenges and future prospects for the production of biodegradable plastic monomer using yeast are also discussed.

High-level production of Aspergillus niger prolyl endopeptidase from agricultural residue and its application in beer brewing

BACKGROUND

Prolyl endopeptidase from Aspergillus niger (AN-PEP) is a prominent serine proteinase with various potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. However, the availability of efficient and low-cost AN-PEP remains a challenge owing to its low yield and high fermentation cost.

RESULTS

Here, AN-PEP was recombinantly expressed in Trichoderma reesei (rAN-PEP) under the control of the cbh1 promoter and its secretion signal. After 4 days of shaking flask cultivation with the model cellulose Avicel PH101 as the sole carbon source, the extracellular prolyl endopeptidase activity reached up to 16.148 U/mL, which is the highest titer reported to date and the secretion of the enzyme is faster in T. reesei than in other eukaryotic expression systems including A. niger and Komagataella phaffii. Most importantly, when cultivated on the low-cost agricultural residue corn cob, the recombinant strain was found to secret a remarkable amount of rAN-PEP (37.125 U/mL) that is twice the activity under the pure cellulose condition. Furthermore, treatment with rAN-PEP during beer brewing lowered the content of gluten below the ELISA kit detection limit (< 10 mg/kg) and thereby, reduced turbidity, which would be beneficial for improving the non-biological stability of beer.

CONCLUSION

Our research provides a promising approach for industrial production of AN-PEP and other enzymes (proteins) from renewable lignocellulosic biomass, which provides a new idea with relevant researchers for the utilization of agricultural residues.

Biosynthesis of value-added bioproducts from hemicellulose of biomass through microbial metabolic engineering

Hemicellulose is the second most abundant carbohydrate in lignocellulosic biomass and has extensive applications. In conventional biomass refinery, hemicellulose is easily converted to unwanted by-products in pretreatment and therefore can't be fully utilized. The present study aims to summarize the most recent development of lignocellulosic polysaccharide degradation and fully convert it to value-added bioproducts through microbial and enzymatic catalysis. Firstly, bioprocess and microbial metabolic engineering for enhanced utilization of lignocellulosic carbohydrates were discussed. The bioprocess for degradation and conversion of natural lignocellulose to monosaccharides and organic acids using anaerobic thermophilic bacteria and thermostable glycoside hydrolases were summarized. Xylose transmembrane transporting systems in natural microorganisms and the latest strategies for promoting the transporting capacity by metabolic engineering were summarized. The carbon catabolite repression effect restricting xylose utilization in microorganisms, and metabolic engineering strategies developed for co-utilization of glucose and xylose were discussed. Secondly, the metabolic pathways of xylose catabolism in microorganisms were comparatively analyzed. Microbial metabolic engineering for converting xylose to value-added bioproducts based on redox pathways, non-redox pathways, pentose phosphate pathway, and improving inhibitors resistance were summarized. Thirdly, strategies for degrading lignocellulosic polysaccharides and fully converting hemicellulose to value-added bioproducts through microbial metabolic engineering were proposed.

Identification of Kic1p and Cdc42p as Novel Targets to Engineer Yeast Acetic Acid Stress Tolerance

Robust yeast strains that are tolerant to multiple stress environments are desired for an efficient biorefinery. Our previous studies revealed that zinc sulfate serves as an important nutrient for stress tolerance of budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Acetic acid is a common inhibitor in cellulosic hydrolysate, and the development of acetic acid-tolerant strains is beneficial for lignocellulosic biorefineries. In this study, comparative proteomic studies were performed using S. cerevisiae cultured under acetic acid stress with or without zinc sulfate addition, and novel zinc-responsive proteins were identified. Among the differentially expressed proteins, the protein kinase Kic1p and the small rho-like GTPase Cdc42p, which is required for cell integrity and regulation of cell polarity, respectively, were selected for further studies. Overexpression of KIC1 and CDC42 endowed S. cerevisiae with faster growth and ethanol fermentation under the stresses of acetic acid and mixed inhibitors, as well as in corncob hydrolysate. Notably, the engineered yeast strains showed a 12 h shorter lag phase under the three tested conditions, leading to up to 52.99% higher ethanol productivity than that of the control strain. Further studies showed that the transcription of genes related to stress response was significantly upregulated in the engineered strains under the stress condition. Our results in this study provide novel insights in exploring zinc-responsive proteins for applications of synthetic biology in developing a robust industrial yeast.

Expression and characterization of a novel lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase, PdLPMO9A, from the edible fungus Pleurotus djamor and its synergistic interactions with cellulase in corn straw biomass saccharification

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases play a unique role in biomass saccharification. A novel gene, PdLPMO9A, from Pleurotus djamor, was reported to be upregulated during the degradation of corn straw in our previous research. However, very little information is available on PdLPMO9A. Therefore, PdLPMO9A was heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris, and biophysical characterisitics of the recombinant protein PdLPMO9A were investigated; it was shown to have superior thermostability and pH stability. PdLPMO9A markedly improved the cellulase-mediated saccharification of corn straw, when the dosage of PdLPMO9A was 0.66 mg/g corn straw and hydrolysis time was 48 h. When CuSO₄ was added at a concentration of 0.1 mM, glucose yield rose by a further 28.16%. In light of these findings, it was concluded that PdLPMO9A has the potential to function as an essential component of a cellulase cocktail capable of ensuring the saccharification of corn straw biomass.

Nanomaterial conjugated lignocellulosic waste: cost-effective production of sustainable bioenergy using enzymes

The demand for novel and renewable sources of energy has increased as a result of rapid population growth, limited sources of bioenergy, and environmental pollution, caused by excessive use of fossil fuels. The need to meet future energy demands have motivated researchers to search for alternative and sustainable sources of energy. The bioconversion of lignocellulosic waste (agricultural and food waste) into biofuels shows competitive promises. Lignocellulosic waste is easily accessible and has a large enzyme system that can be immobilised onto nano-matrices. Consequently, resulting in higher biofuel production and process efficiency. However, the excessive production cost of the current procedures, which involve physical, chemical, and enzymatic reactions, is limited. The use of nanomaterials has recently been shown to concentrate lignocellulosic waste, therefore, reviewing the quest for efficient production of sustainable and cost-effective development of bioenergy from lignocellulosic wastes. This review paper explores the advanced strategies of using nanobiotechnology to combine enzyme-conjugated nanosystems for the cost-effective production of sustainable bioenergy solutions. This research will help to develop an inexpensive, eco-friendly technology for biofuels production and also help overcome the environmental burden of lignocellulosic waste worldwide.

Rational engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae towards improved tolerance to multiple inhibitors in lignocellulose fermentations

BACKGROUND

The fermentation of lignocellulose hydrolysates to ethanol requires robust xylose-capable Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains able to operate in the presence of microbial inhibitory stresses. This study aimed at developing industrial S. cerevisiae strains with enhanced tolerance towards pretreatment-derived microbial inhibitors, by identifying novel gene combinations that confer resistance to multiple inhibitors (thus cumulative inhibitor resistance phenotype) with minimum impact on the xylose fermentation ability. The strategy consisted of multiple sequential delta-integrations of double-gene cassettes containing one gene conferring broad inhibitor tolerance (ARI1, PAD1 or TAL1) coupled with an inhibitor-specific gene (ADH6, FDH1 or ICT1). The performances of the transformants were compared with the parental strain in terms of biomass growth, ethanol yields and productivity, as well as detoxification capacities in a synthetic inhibitor cocktail, sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate as well as hardwood spent sulphite liquor.

RESULTS

The first and second round of delta-integrated transformants exhibited a trade-off between biomass and ethanol yield. Transformants showed increased inhibitor resistance phenotypes relative to parental controls specifically in fermentations with concentrated spent sulphite liquors at 40% and 80% v/v concentrations in 2% SC media. Unexpectedly, the xylose fermentation capacity of the transformants was reduced compared to the parental control, but certain combinations of genes had a minor impact (e.g. TAL1 + FDH1). The TAL1 + ICT1 combination negatively impacted on both biomass growth and ethanol yield, which could be linked to the ICT1 protein increasing transformant susceptibility to weak acids and temperature due to cell membrane changes.

CONCLUSIONS

The integration of the selected genes was proven to increase tolerance to pretreatment inhibitors in synthetic or industrial hydrolysates, but they were limited to the fermentation of glucose. However, some gene combination sequences had a reduced impact on xylose conversion.

Bioprospecting of microbial strains for biofuel production: metabolic engineering, applications, and challenges

The issues of global warming, coupled with fossil fuel depletion, have undoubtedly led to renewed interest in other sources of commercial fuels. The search for renewable fuels has motivated research into the biological degradation of lignocellulosic biomass feedstock to produce biofuels such as bioethanol, biodiesel, and biohydrogen. The model strain for biofuel production needs the capability to utilize a high amount of substrate, transportation of sugar through fast and deregulated pathways, ability to tolerate inhibitory compounds and end products, and increased metabolic fluxes to produce an improved fermentation product. Engineering microbes might be a great approach to produce biofuel from lignocellulosic biomass by exploiting metabolic pathways economically. Metabolic engineering is an advanced technology for the construction of highly effective microbial cell factories and a key component for the next-generation bioeconomy. It has been extensively used to redirect the biosynthetic pathway to produce desired products in several native or engineered hosts. A wide range of novel compounds has been manufactured through engineering metabolic pathways or endogenous metabolism optimizations by metabolic engineers. This review is focused on the potential utilization of engineered strains to produce biofuel and gives prospects for improvement in metabolic engineering for new strain development using advanced technologies.

Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol Films Composited With Hemicellulose and Nanocellulose Extracted From Artemisia selengensis Straw

Artemisia selengensis straw is an agricultural residue with great potential as a renewable resource because it is rich in lignocellulose. In this study, A. selengensis straw was used as a source of hemicelluloses (ASH) and cellulose nanocrystals (ASCNC) to produce biodegradable films. Different content levels of ASCNC were used as additives to improve composite films with ASH and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Various mechanical and hydrophobic properties of the films were analyzed. The composite films enhanced by ASCNC exhibited greater strength and were more effective as a barrier to water vapor when compared to that of the control ASH/PVA film. The tensile strength of the composite film was increased 80.1% to 36.21 MPa with ASCNC loading exceeding 9%, and the water vapor transmission rate decreased 15.45% when 12% ASCNC was added. Furthermore, the ASCNC-enhanced ASH/PVA composite film reduced a greater amount of light transmission than the control film.

Improvement of inhibitor tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by overexpression of the quinone oxidoreductase family gene YCR102C

Budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used for lignocellulosic biorefinery. However, its fermentation efficiency is challenged by various inhibitors (e.g. weak acids, furfural) in the lignocellulosic hydrolysate, and acetic acid is commonly present as a major inhibitor. The effects of oxidoreductases on the inhibitor tolerance of S. cerevisiae have mainly focused on furfural and vanillin, whereas the influence of quinone oxidoreductase on acetic acid tolerance is still unknown. In this study, we show that overexpression of a quinone oxidoreductase-encoding gene, YCR102C, in S. cerevisiae, significantly enhanced ethanol production under acetic acid stress as well as in the inhibitor mixture, and also improved resistance to simultaneous stress of 40°C and 3.6 g/L acetic acid. Increased catalase activities, NADH/NAD+ ratio and contents of several metals, especially potassium, were observed by YCR102C overexpression under acetic acid stress. To our knowledge, this is the first report that the quinone oxidoreductase family protein is related to acid stress tolerance. Our study provides a novel strategy to increase lignocellulosic biorefinery efficiency using yeast cell factory.

Overexpression of endogenous stress-tolerance related genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae improved strain robustness and production of heterologous cellobiohydrolase

To enable Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce renewable fuels from lignocellulose in a consolidated bioprocess, a heterologous cellulase system must be engineered into this yeast. In addition, inherently low secretion titers and sensitivity to adverse environmental conditions must be overcome. Here, two native S. cerevisiae genes related to yeast stress tolerance, YHB1 and SET5, were overexpressed under transcriptional control of the constitutive PGK1 promoter and their effects on heterologous secretion of Talaromyces emersonii cel7A cellobiohydrolase was investigated. Transformants showed increased secreted enzyme activity that ranged from 22% to 55% higher compared to the parental strains and this did not lead to deleterious growth effects. The recombinant strains overexpressing either YHB1 or SET5 also demonstrated multi-tolerant characteristics desirable in bioethanol production, i.e. improved tolerance to osmotic and heat stress. Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR analysis in these strains showed decreased transcription of secretion pathway genes. However, decreased unfolded protein response was also observed, suggesting novel mechanisms for enhancing enzyme production through stress modulation. Overexpression of YHB1 in an unrelated diploid strain also enhanced stress tolerance and improved ethanol productivity in medium containing acetic acid. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that improved heterologous secretion and environmental stress tolerance could be engineered into yeast simultaneously.

Low-Cost Cellulase-Hemicellulase Mixture Secreted by Trichoderma harzianum EM0925 with Complete Saccharification Efficacy of Lignocellulose

Fermentable sugars are important intermediate products in the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to biofuels and other value-added bio-products. The main bottlenecks limiting the production of fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic biomass are the high cost and the low saccharification efficiency of degradation enzymes. Herein, we report the secretome of Trichoderma harzianum EM0925 under induction of lignocellulose. Numerously and quantitatively balanced cellulases and hemicellulases, especially high levels of glycosidases, could be secreted by T. harzianum EM0925. Compared with the commercial enzyme preparations, the T. harzianum EM0925 enzyme cocktail presented significantly higher lignocellulolytic enzyme activities and hydrolysis efficiency against lignocellulosic biomass. Moreover, 100% yields of glucose and xylose were obtained simultaneously from ultrafine grinding and alkali pretreated corn stover. These findings demonstrate a natural cellulases and hemicellulases mixture for complete conversion of biomass polysaccharide, suggesting T. harzianum EM0925 enzymes have great potential for industrial applications.

Engineering microbial pathways for production of bio-based chemicals from lignocellulosic sugars: current status and perspectives

Lignocellulose is the most abundant biomass on earth with an annual production of about 2 × 10¹¹ tons. It is an inedible renewable carbonaceous resource that is very rich in pentose and hexose sugars. The ability of microorganisms to use lignocellulosic sugars can be exploited for the production of biofuels and chemicals, and their concurrent biotechnological processes could advantageously replace petrochemicals' processes in a medium to long term, sustaining the emerging of a new economy based on bio-based products from renewable carbon sources. One of the major issues to reach this objective is to rewire the microbial metabolism to optimally configure conversion of these lignocellulosic-derived sugars into bio-based products in a sustainable and competitive manner. Systems' metabolic engineering encompassing synthetic biology and evolutionary engineering appears to be the most promising scientific and technological approaches to meet this challenge. In this review, we examine the most recent advances and strategies to redesign natural and to implement non-natural pathways in microbial metabolic framework for the assimilation and conversion of pentose and hexose sugars derived from lignocellulosic material into industrial relevant chemical compounds leading to maximal yield, titer and productivity. These include glycolic, glutaric, mesaconic and 3,4-dihydroxybutyric acid as organic acids, monoethylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol and 1,2,4-butanetriol, as alcohols. We also discuss the big challenges that still remain to enable microbial processes to become industrially attractive and economically profitable.

Rapid production of lignocellulolytic enzymes by Trichoderma harzianum LZ117 isolated from Tibet for biomass degradation

In this study, Trichoderma harzianum LZ117 was obtained during screening of cellulolytic enzyme producers from samples collected in Tibet. T. harzianum LZ117 exhibits dramatically earlier enzyme induction (48 h) and shorter fermentation time (5 days) during cellulase production when compared with the widely studied strain T. reesei QM9414. Strain LZ117 showed 61% of the maximum cellulase activity at 48 h, whereas only 17% of the maximum cellulase activity was detected in QM9414 at the same culture time. Early induction and rapid production of cellulase were also observed in LZ117 when compared with two other T. harzianum strains. Significantly higher glucose yield was obtained using crude enzyme from strain LZ117 from pretreated corn stover and Jerusalem artichoke stalks when compared with that of T. harzianum reference strain K223452. These results indicate that strain LZ117 is a promising cellulase producer for bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass.

Enhanced acetic acid stress tolerance and ethanol production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by modulating expression of the de novo purine biosynthesis genes

BACKGROUND

Yeast strains that are tolerant to multiple environmental stresses are highly desired for various industrial applications. Despite great efforts in identifying key genes involved in stress tolerance of budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the effects of de novo purine biosynthesis genes on yeast stress tolerance are still not well explored. Our previous studies showed that zinc sulfate addition improved yeast acetic acid tolerance, and key genes involved in yeast stress tolerance were further investigated in this study.

RESULTS

Three genes involved in de novo purine biosynthesis, namely, ADE1, ADE13, and ADE17, showed significantly increased transcription levels by zinc sulfate supplementation under acetic acid stress, and overexpression of these genes in S. cerevisiae BY4741 enhanced cell growth under various stress conditions. Meanwhile, ethanol productivity was also improved by overexpression of the three ADE genes under stress conditions, among which the highest improvement attained 158.39% by ADE17 overexpression in the presence of inhibitor mixtures derived from lignocellulosic biomass. Elevated levels of adenine-nucleotide pool "AXP" ([ATP] + [ADP] + [AMP]) and ATP content were observed by overexpression of ADE17, both under control condition and under acetic acid stress, and is consistent with the better growth of the recombinant yeast strain. The global intracellular amino acid profiles were also changed by overexpression of the ADE genes. Among the changed amino acids, significant increase of the stress protectant γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was revealed by overexpression of the ADE genes under acetic acid stress, suggesting that overexpression of the ADE genes exerts control on both purine biosynthesis and amino acid biosynthesis to protect yeast cells against the stress.

CONCLUSION

We proved that the de novo purine biosynthesis genes are useful targets for metabolic engineering of yeast stress tolerance. The engineered strains developed in this study with improved tolerance against multiple inhibitors can be employed for efficient lignocellulosic biorefinery to produce biofuels and biochemicals.

Development of Robust Yeast Strains for Lignocellulosic Biorefineries Based on Genome-Wide Studies

Lignocellulosic biomass has been widely studied as the renewable feedstock for the production of biofuels and biochemicals. Budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is commonly used as a cell factory for bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass. However, economic bioproduction using fermentable sugars released from lignocellulosic feedstocks is still challenging. Due to impaired cell viability and fermentation performance by various inhibitors that are present in the cellulosic hydrolysates, robust yeast strains resistant to various stress environments are highly desired. Here, we summarize recent progress on yeast strain development for the production of biofuels and biochemical using lignocellulosic biomass. Genome-wide studies which have contributed to the elucidation of mechanisms of yeast stress tolerance are reviewed. Key gene targets recently identified based on multiomics analysis such as transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomics studies are summarized. Physiological genomic studies based on zinc sulfate supplementation are highlighted, and novel zinc-responsive genes involved in yeast stress tolerance are focused. The dependence of host genetic background of yeast stress tolerance and roles of histones and their modifications are emphasized. The development of robust yeast strains based on multiomics analysis benefits economic bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass.

Second Generation Bioethanol Production: On the Use of Pulp and Paper Industry Wastes as Feedstock

Due to the health and environment impacts of fossil fuels utilization, biofuels have been investigated as a potential alternative renewable source of energy. Bioethanol is currently the most produced biofuel, mainly of first generation, resulting in food-fuel competition. Second generation bioethanol is produced from lignocellulosic biomass, but a costly and difficult pretreatment is required. The pulp and paper industry has the biggest income of biomass for non-food-chain production, and, simultaneously generates a high amount of residues. According to the circular economy model, these residues, rich in monosaccharides, or even in polysaccharides besides lignin, can be utilized as a proper feedstock for second generation bioethanol production. Biorefineries can be integrated in the existing pulp and paper industrial plants by exploiting the high level of technology and also the infrastructures and logistics that are required to fractionate and handle woody biomass. This would contribute to the diversification of products and the increase of profitability of pulp and paper industry with additional environmental benefits. This work reviews the literature supporting the feasibility of producing ethanol from Kraft pulp, spent sulfite liquor, and pulp and paper sludge, presenting and discussing the practical attempt of biorefineries implementation in pulp and paper mills for bioethanol production.

Metabolic Engineering of Fungal Strains for Efficient Production of Cellulolytic Enzymes

Filamentous fungi are widely used for production of cellulase and other cellulolytic enzymes. Metabolic engineering of filamentous fungal strains has been applied to improve enzyme production, and rapid progress has been made in the recent years. In this chapter, genetic tools and methods to develop superior enzyme producers are summarized, which includes establishment of genetic modification systems, selection and redesign of promoters, and metabolic engineering using either native transcription factors or artificial ones. In addition, enhancement of cellulase production through morphology engineering was also discussed. Emerging tools including CRISPR-Cas9-based genome editing and synthetic biology are highlighted, which are speeding up mechanisms elucidation and strain development, and will further facilitate economic cellulolytic enzyme production.

Thermal behaviour of walnut shells by thermogravimetry with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis

The present study introduces thermogravimetry with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TG-GC-MS) at four different heating rates to investigate the activation energy and thermal degradation behaviour of walnut shell pyrolysis. The distributed activation energy model (DAEM) was applied to investigate the activation energy. According to values of the activation energy and the correlation coefficient by the DAEM, the activation energy (98.69-267.75 kJ mol^-1) and correlation coefficient (0.914-0.999) were determined for pyrolysis of walnut shells. GC-MS was performed to investigate the pyrolysis products from walnut shells at different critical temperature points. More than 20 different substances were identified at different temperatures from GC-MS results. With the increasing pyrolysis temperature, furan, furfural, benzene and long chain alkanes were successively identified in different GC-MS experimental results.

Condition-specific promoter activities in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

BACKGROUND

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely studied for production of biofuels and biochemicals. To improve production efficiency under industrially relevant conditions, coordinated expression of multiple genes by manipulating promoter strengths is an efficient approach. It is known that gene expression is highly dependent on the practically used environmental conditions and is subject to dynamic changes. Therefore, investigating promoter activities of S. cerevisiae under different culture conditions in different time points, especially under stressful conditions is of great importance.

RESULTS

In this study, the activities of various promoters in S. cerevisiae under stressful conditions and in the presence of xylose were characterized using yeast enhanced green fluorescent protein (yEGFP) as a reporter. The stresses include toxic levels of acetic acid and furfural, and high temperature, which are related to fermentation of lignocellulosic hydrolysates. In addition to investigating eight native promoters, the synthetic hybrid promoter P_3xC-TEF1 was also evaluated. The results revealed that P _TDH3 and the synthetic promoter P_3xC-TEF1 showed the highest strengths under almost all the conditions. Importantly, these two promoters also exhibited high stabilities throughout the cultivation. However, the strengths of P _ADH1 and P _PGK1 , which are generally regarded as 'constitutive' promoters, decreased significantly under certain conditions, suggesting that cautions should be taken to use such constitutive promoters to drive gene expression under stressful conditions. Interestingly, P _HSP12 and P _HSP26 were able to response to both high temperature and acetic acid stress. Moreover, P _HSP12 also led to moderate yEGFP expression when xylose was used as the sole carbon source, indicating that this promoter could be used for inducing proper gene expression for xylose utilization.

CONCLUSION

The results here revealed dynamic changes of promoter activities in S. cerevisiae throughout batch fermentation in the presence of inhibitors as well as using xylose. These results provide insights in selection of promoters to construct S. cerevisiae strains for efficient bioproduction under practical conditions. Our results also encouraged applications of synthetic promoters with high stability for yeast strain development.

Enhanced saccharification of rice straw using combined ultra-high pressure and ionic liquid microemulsion pretreatments

Energy efficiency ratio is significant in completely estimating lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment. In this work, rice straw (RS) was pretreated by ultra-high pressure (UHP), ionic liquid microemulsion (ILM), and a combination of UHP and ILM (ILM + UHP) at mild temperature. The chemical composition, crystalline structure, surface morphology, and enzymatic hydrolysis of untreated and pretreated RS samples were compared. After ILM pretreatment ([Emim]Ac/cyclohexane/Triton X-100/n-butanol = 0.25/0.15/0.45/0.15) at 500 MPa, 50 °C for 4 h, the cellulose content of the regenerated RS increased by 62.5, 66.2% of the lignin was removed, 37.3% of crystallinity index decreased, and the reducing sugar yield of 89.6% was achieved. All results show that the ILM + UHP pretreatments were more effective than sole UHP or ILM treatment at low temperature.

Association of improved oxidative stress tolerance and alleviation of glucose repression with superior xylose-utilization capability by a natural isolate of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

BACKGROUND

Saccharomyces cerevisiae wild strains generally have poor xylose-utilization capability, which is a major barrier for efficient bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass. Laboratory adaption is commonly used to enhance xylose utilization of recombinant S. cerevisiae. Apparently, yeast cells could remodel the metabolic network for xylose metabolism. However, it still remains unclear why natural isolates of S. cerevisiae poorly utilize xylose. Here, we analyzed a unique S. cerevisiae natural isolate YB-2625 which has superior xylose metabolism capability in the presence of mixed-sugar. Comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed using S. cerevisiae YB-2625 grown in a mixture of glucose and xylose, and the model yeast strain S288C served as a control. Global gene transcription was compared at both the early mixed-sugar utilization stage and the latter xylose-utilization stage.

RESULTS

Genes involved in endogenous xylose-assimilation (XYL2 and XKS1), gluconeogenesis, and TCA cycle showed higher transcription levels in S. cerevisiae YB-2625 at the xylose-utilization stage, when compared to the reference strain. On the other hand, transcription factor encoding genes involved in regulation of glucose repression (MIG1, MIG2, and MIG3) as well as HXK2 displayed decreased transcriptional levels in YB-2625, suggesting the alleviation of glucose repression of S. cerevisiae YB-2625. Notably, genes encoding antioxidant enzymes (CTT1, CTA1, SOD2, and PRX1) showed higher transcription levels in S. cerevisiae YB-2625 in the xylose-utilization stage than that of the reference strain. Consistently, catalase activity of YB-2625 was 1.9-fold higher than that of S. cerevisiae S288C during the xylose-utilization stage. As a result, intracellular reactive oxygen species levels of S. cerevisiae YB-2625 were 43.3 and 58.6% lower than that of S288C at both sugar utilization stages. Overexpression of CTT1 and PRX1 in the recombinant strain S. cerevisiae YRH396 deriving from S. cerevisiae YB-2625 increased cell growth when xylose was used as the sole carbon source, leading to 13.5 and 18.1%, respectively, more xylose consumption.

CONCLUSIONS

Enhanced oxidative stress tolerance and relief of glucose repression are proposed to be two major mechanisms for superior xylose utilization by S. cerevisiae YB-2625. The present study provides insights into the innate regulatory mechanisms underlying xylose utilization in wild-type S. cerevisiae, which benefits the rapid development of robust yeast strains for lignocellulosic biorefineries.

Improvement of cellulase production in Trichoderma reesei Rut-C30 by overexpression of a novel regulatory gene Trvib-1

Trichoderma reesei is a widely used cellulase producer, and development of robust strains for improved cellulase production is of great interest. In this study, the gene Trvib-1 encoding a putative transcription factor was overexpressed in T. reesei Rut-C30, and effects on cellulase production by the manipulation as well as corn stover degradation by the crude enzyme were investigated. Cellulase production and protein secretion were significantly improved in the culture of the recombinant T. reesei Vib-1, which were 200% and 219%, respectively, higher than that produced by the parent strain. Cellulase induction was enhanced in the presence of pure cellulose as well as various soluble inducers. Glucose released from the pretreated corn stover hydrolyzed by the crude enzyme in the recombinant strain was improved 40%. These results indicate that the overexpression of Trvib-1 is a feasible strategy for producing cellulase to enhance bioconversion efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass.

Improved ethanol production at high temperature by consolidated bioprocessing using Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain engineered with artificial zinc finger protein

In this work, the consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae MNII/cocδBEC3 was transformed by an artificial zinc finger protein (AZFP) library to improve its thermal tolerance, and the strain MNII-AZFP with superior growth at 42°C was selected. Improved degradation of acid swollen cellulose by 45.9% led to an increase in ethanol production, when compared to the control strain. Moreover, the fermentation of Jerusalem artichoke stalk (JAS) by MNII-AZFP was shortened by 12h at 42°C with a concomitant improvement in ethanol production. Comparative transcriptomics analysis suggested that the AZFP in the mutant exerted beneficial effect by modulating the expression of multiple functional genes. These results provide a feasible strategy for efficient ethanol production from JAS and other cellulosic biomass through CBP based-fermentation at elevated temperatures.

Deletion of acetate transporter gene ADY2 improved tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae against multiple stresses and enhanced ethanol production in the presence of acetic acid

The aim of this work was to study the effects of deleting acetate transporter gene ADY2 on growth and fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the presence of inhibitors. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that three genes encoding plasma membrane carboxylic acid transporters, especially ADY2, were significantly downregulated under the zinc sulfate addition condition in the presence of acetic acid stress, and the deletion of ADY2 improved growth of S. cerevisiae under acetic acid, ethanol and hydrogen peroxide stresses. Consistently, a concomitant increase in ethanol production by 14.7% in the presence of 3.6g/L acetic acid was observed in the ADY2 deletion mutant of S. cerevisiae BY4741. Decreased intracellular acetic acid, ROS accumulation, and plasma membrane permeability were observed in the ADY2 deletion mutant. These findings would be useful for developing robust yeast strains for efficient ethanol production.

On-site cellulase production and efficient saccharification of corn stover employing cbh2 overexpressing Trichoderma reesei with novel induction system

Although on-site cellulase production offers cost-effective saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass, low enzyme titer is still a barrier for achieving robustness. In the present study, a strain of T. reesei was developed for enhanced production of cellulase via overexpression of Cellobiohydrolase II. Furthermore, optimum enzyme production was achieved using a novel inducer mixture containing synthesized glucose-sophorose (MGD) and alkali pre-treated corn stover (APCS). Within 60h, a remarkably higher cellulase productivity and activity were achieved in the fed-batch fermentation using the optimized ratio of MGD and APCS in the inducer mixture, compared to those reported using cellulosic biomass as the sole inducer. After the enzyme production, APCS was added directly into the fermentation broth at 20% solid loading, which produced 122.5g/L glucose and 40.21g/L xylose, leading to the highest yield reported so far. The improved enzyme titers during on-site cellulase production would benefit cost-competitive saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass.

Overexpression of smORF YNR034W-A/EGO4 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae increases the fermentative efficiency of Agave tequilana Weber must

Fermentative processes are widely used to produce food, beverages and biofuels. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an efficient ethanol-producing microorganism. However, a concentration of high ethanol and other metabolites can affect yeast viability and decrease the ethanol yield. Many studies have focused on improving the fermentative efficiency, mostly through the genetic engineering of genes that have a direct impact on specific metabolic pathways. In the present study, we characterized a small open reading frame encoding a protein with an unknown function and biological role termed YNR034W-A. We analyzed the expression profile of the YNR034W-A gene during growth and glucose treatment, finding that it is expressed during the diauxic shift and stationary phase and is negatively regulated by glucose. We overexpressed the YNR034W-A gene in the BY4741 laboratory strain and a wild-type yeast strain (AR5) isolated during the Tequila fermentation process. Transformant derivatives of the AR5 strain showed an improved fermentative efficiency during fermentation of Agave tequilana Weber juice. We suggest that the improved fermentative efficiency is the result of a higher stress tolerance response in the YNR034W-A overexpressing transformant.

Enhanced cellulase production from Trichoderma reesei Rut-C30 by engineering with an artificial zinc finger protein library

Trichoderma reesei Rut-C30 is a well-known cellulase producer, and improvement of its cellulase production is of great interest. An artificial zinc finger protein (AZFP) library is constructed for expression in T. reesei Rut-C30, and a mutant strain T. reesei U3 is selected based on its enhanced cellulase production. The U3 mutant shows a 55% rise in filter paper activity and 8.1-fold increased β-glucosidase activity, when compared to the native strain T. reesei Rut-C30. It is demonstrated that enhanced β-glucosidase activity was due to elevated transcription level of β-glucosidase gene in the U3 mutant. Moreover, significant elevation in transcription levels of several putative Azfp-U3 target genes is detected in the U3 mutant, including genes encoding hypothetical transcription factors and a putative glycoside hydrolase. Furthermore, U3 cellulase shows 115% higher glucose yield from pretreated corn stover, when compared to the cellulase of T. reesei Rut-C30. These results demonstrate that AZFP can be used to improve cellulase production in T. reesei Rut-C30. Our current work offers the establishment of an alternative strategy to develop fungal cell factories for improved production of high value industrial products.

Development of stress tolerant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains by metabolic engineering: New aspects from cell flocculation and zinc supplementation

Budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely studied for the production of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass. However, economic production is currently challenged by the repression of cell growth and compromised fermentation performance of S. cerevisiae strains in the presence of various environmental stresses, including toxic level of final products, inhibitory compounds released from the pretreatment of cellulosic feedstocks, high temperature, and so on. Therefore, it is important to improve stress tolerance of S. cerevisiae to these stressful conditions to achieve efficient and economic production. In this review, the latest advances on development of stress tolerant S. cerevisiae strains are summarized, with the emphasis on the impact of cell flocculation and zinc addition. It was found that cell flocculation affected ethanol tolerance and acetic acid tolerance of S. cerevisiae, and addition of zinc to a suitable level improved stress tolerance of yeast cells to ethanol, high temperature and acetic acid. Further studies on the underlying mechanisms by which cell flocculation and zinc status affect stress tolerance will not only enrich our knowledge on stress response and tolerance mechanisms of S. cerevisiae, but also provide novel metabolic engineering strategies to develop robust yeast strains for biofuels production.