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Guan A, He Z, Wang X, Jia ZJ, Qin J. Engineering the next-generation synthetic cell factory driven by protein engineering. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 73:108366. [PMID: 38663492 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
Synthetic cell factory offers substantial advantages in economically efficient production of biofuels, chemicals, and pharmaceutical compounds. However, to create a high-performance synthetic cell factory, precise regulation of cellular material and energy flux is essential. In this context, protein components including enzymes, transcription factor-based biosensors and transporters play pivotal roles. Protein engineering aims to create novel protein variants with desired properties by modifying or designing protein sequences. This review focuses on summarizing the latest advancements of protein engineering in optimizing various aspects of synthetic cell factory, including: enhancing enzyme activity to eliminate production bottlenecks, altering enzyme selectivity to steer metabolic pathways towards desired products, modifying enzyme promiscuity to explore innovative routes, and improving the efficiency of transporters. Furthermore, the utilization of protein engineering to modify protein-based biosensors accelerates evolutionary process and optimizes the regulation of metabolic pathways. The remaining challenges and future opportunities in this field are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ailin Guan
- College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Zixi He
- College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Xin Wang
- West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Zhi-Jun Jia
- West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Jiufu Qin
- College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
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Zhang X, Liu X, Chen X, Feng J, Zhao Q, Wu Q, Zhu D. Identification and structure-based engineering of a dipeptidase CpPepD from Clostridium perfringens for the synthesis of l-carnosine. J Biotechnol 2024; 389:86-93. [PMID: 38718874 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2024.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
l-Carnosine (l-Car), an endogenous dipeptide presents in muscle and brain tissues of various vertebrates, has a wide range of application values. The enzymatic preparation of l-Car is a promising synthetic method because it avoids the protection and deprotection steps. In the present study, a dipeptidase gene (CpPepD) from Clostridium perfringens with high l-Car synthetic activity was cloned and characterized. In an effort to improve the performance of this enzyme, we carried out site saturation mutagenesis using CpPepD as the template. By the o-phthalaldehyde (OPA)-derived high throughput screening method, mutant A171S was obtained with 2.2-fold enhanced synthetic activity. The enzymatic properties of CpPepD and mutant A171S were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, 63.94 mM (14.46 g L-1) or 67.02 mM (15.16 g L-1) l-Car was produced at the substrate concentrations of 6 M β-Ala and 0.2 M l-His using wild-type or mutant A171S enzyme, respectively. Although the mutation enhanced the enzyme activity, the reaction equilibrium was barely affected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohan Zhang
- School of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Key Lab of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin 300457, PR China; National Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Enzymes and Tianjin Engineering Research Center of Biocatalytic Technology, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-carbon Manufacturing, National Center of Technology Innovation for Synthetic Biology, and Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, PR China
| | - Xiangtao Liu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Enzymes and Tianjin Engineering Research Center of Biocatalytic Technology, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-carbon Manufacturing, National Center of Technology Innovation for Synthetic Biology, and Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, PR China
| | - Xi Chen
- National Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Enzymes and Tianjin Engineering Research Center of Biocatalytic Technology, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-carbon Manufacturing, National Center of Technology Innovation for Synthetic Biology, and Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, PR China
| | - Jinhui Feng
- National Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Enzymes and Tianjin Engineering Research Center of Biocatalytic Technology, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-carbon Manufacturing, National Center of Technology Innovation for Synthetic Biology, and Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, PR China
| | - Qing Zhao
- School of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Key Lab of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin 300457, PR China; Tibet NWS Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Tibet 854000, PR China.
| | - Qiaqing Wu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Enzymes and Tianjin Engineering Research Center of Biocatalytic Technology, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-carbon Manufacturing, National Center of Technology Innovation for Synthetic Biology, and Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, PR China
| | - Dunming Zhu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Enzymes and Tianjin Engineering Research Center of Biocatalytic Technology, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-carbon Manufacturing, National Center of Technology Innovation for Synthetic Biology, and Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, PR China.
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Zhang K, Qin M, Hou Y, Zhang W, Wang Z, Wang H. Efficient production of guanosine in Escherichia coli by combinatorial metabolic engineering. Microb Cell Fact 2024; 23:182. [PMID: 38898430 PMCID: PMC11186194 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-024-02452-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Guanosine is a purine nucleoside that is widely used as a raw material for food additives and pharmaceutical products. Microbial fermentation is the main production method of guanosine. However, the guanosine-producing strains possess multiple metabolic pathway interactions and complex regulatory mechanisms. The lack of strains with efficiently producing-guanosine greatly limited industrial application. RESULTS We attempted to efficiently produce guanosine in Escherichia coli using systematic metabolic engineering. First, we overexpressed the purine synthesis pathway from Bacillus subtilis and the prs gene, and deleted three genes involved in guanosine catabolism to increase guanosine accumulation. Subsequently, we attenuated purA expression and eliminated feedback and transcription dual inhibition. Then, we modified the metabolic flux of the glycolysis and Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathways and performed redox cofactors rebalancing. Finally, transporter engineering and enhancing the guanosine synthesis pathway further increased the guanosine titre to 134.9 mg/L. After 72 h of the fed-batch fermentation in shake-flask, the guanosine titre achieved 289.8 mg/L. CONCLUSIONS Our results reveal that the guanosine synthesis pathway was successfully optimized by combinatorial metabolic engineering, which could be applicable to the efficient synthesis of other nucleoside products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Zhang
- Henan Province Engineering Laboratory for Bioconversion Technology of Functional Microbes, College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Mengxing Qin
- Henan Province Engineering Laboratory for Bioconversion Technology of Functional Microbes, College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Yu Hou
- Henan Province Engineering Laboratory for Bioconversion Technology of Functional Microbes, College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Wenwen Zhang
- Henan Province Engineering Laboratory for Bioconversion Technology of Functional Microbes, College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Zhenyu Wang
- Henan Province Engineering Laboratory for Bioconversion Technology of Functional Microbes, College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China
| | - Hailei Wang
- Henan Province Engineering Laboratory for Bioconversion Technology of Functional Microbes, College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China.
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Liu Y, Yu J, Sun Y. Immobilized Dipeptidase in Manganese Ion-Loaded Polyethylenimine-Induced Calcium Phosphate Nanocrystals for Carnosine Synthesis. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:10261-10269. [PMID: 38693862 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c00759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Carnosine is a natural bioactive dipeptide with important physiological functions widely used in food and medicine. Dipeptidase (PepD) from Serratia marcescens can catalyze the reverse hydrolytic reaction of β-alanine with l-histidine to synthesize carnosine in the presence of Mn2+. However, it remains challenging to practice carnosine biosynthesis due to the low activity and high cost of the enzyme. Therefore, the development of biocatalysts with high activity and stability is of significance for carnosine synthesis. Here, we proposed to chelate Mn2+ to polyethylenimine (PEI) that induced rapid formation of calcium phosphate nanocrystals (CaP), and Mn-PEI@CaP was used for PepD immobilization via electrostatic interaction. Mn-PEI@CaP as the carrier enhanced the stability of the immobilized enzyme. Moreover, Mn2+ loaded in the carrier acted as an in situ activator of the immobilized PepD for facilitating the biocatalytic process of carnosine synthesis. The as-prepared immobilized enzyme (PepD-Mn-PEI@CaP) kept similar activity with free PepD plus Mn2+ (activity recovery, 102.5%), while exhibiting elevated thermal stability and pH tolerance. Moreover, it exhibited about two times faster carnosine synthesis than the free PepD system. PepD-Mn-PEI@CaP retained 86.8% of the original activity after eight cycles of batch catalysis without the addition of free Mn2+ ions during multiple cycles. This work provides a new strategy for the co-immobilization of PepD and Mn2+, which greatly improves the operability of the biocatalysis and demonstrates the potential of the immobilized PepD system for efficient carnosine synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujia Liu
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Jie Yu
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Yan Sun
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
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Wang L, Deng Y, Gao J, Wang B, Han H, Li Z, Zhang W, Wang Y, Fu X, Peng R, Yao Q, Tian Y, Xu J. Biosynthesis of melatonin from L-tryptophan by an engineered microbial cell factory. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS 2024; 17:27. [PMID: 38369525 PMCID: PMC10874579 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-024-02476-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The demand for melatonin is increasing due to its health-promoting bioactivities such as antioxidant and sleep benefits. Although melatonin is present in various organisms, its low content and high extraction cost make it unsustainable. Biosynthesis is a promising alternative method for melatonin production. However, the ectopic production of melatonin in microorganisms is very difficult due to the low or insoluble expression of melatonin synthesis genes. Hence, we aim to explore the biosynthesis of melatonin using Escherichia coli as a cell factory and ways to simultaneously coordinated express genes from different melatonin synthesis pathways. RESULTS In this study, the mXcP4H gene from Xanthomonas campestris, as well as the HsAADC, HsAANAT and HIOMT genes from human melatonin synthesis pathway were optimized and introduced into E. coli via a multi-monocistronic vector. The obtained strain BL7992 successfully synthesized 1.13 mg/L melatonin by utilizing L-tryptophan (L-Trp) as a substrate in a shake flask. It was determined that the rate-limiting enzyme for melatonin synthesis is the arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase, which is encoded by the HsAANAT gene. Targeted metabolomics analysis of L-Trp revealed that the majority of L-Trp flowed to the indole pathway in BL7992, and knockout of the tnaA gene may be beneficial for increasing melatonin production. CONCLUSIONS A metabolic engineering approach was adopted and melatonin was successfully synthesized from low-cost L-Trp in E. coli. This study provides a rapid and economical strategy for the synthesis of melatonin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijuan Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Biotechnology Research Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory for Safety Assessment (Environment) of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
| | - Yongdong Deng
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Biotechnology Research Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory for Safety Assessment (Environment) of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianjie Gao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Biotechnology Research Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
| | - Bo Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Biotechnology Research Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongjuan Han
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Biotechnology Research Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhenjun Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Biotechnology Research Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenhui Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Biotechnology Research Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Biotechnology Research Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoyan Fu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Biotechnology Research Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
| | - Rihe Peng
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Biotechnology Research Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory for Safety Assessment (Environment) of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
| | - Quanhong Yao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Biotechnology Research Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory for Safety Assessment (Environment) of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China
| | - Yongsheng Tian
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Biotechnology Research Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China.
- Key Laboratory for Safety Assessment (Environment) of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China.
| | - Jing Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetics and Breeding, Biotechnology Research Institute of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China.
- Key Laboratory for Safety Assessment (Environment) of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 2901 Beidi Road, Shanghai, China.
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Teng Z, Pan X, Liu Y, You J, Zhang H, Zhao Z, Qiao Z, Rao Z. Engineering serine hydroxymethyltransferases for efficient synthesis of L-serine in Escherichia coli. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 393:130153. [PMID: 38052329 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.130153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
L-serine is a high-value amino acid widely used in the food, medicine, and cosmetic industries. However, the low yield of L-serine has limited its industrial production. In this study, a cellular factory for efficient synthesis of L-serine was obtained by engineering the serine hydroxymethyltransferases (SHMT). Firstly, after screening the SHMT from Alcanivorax dieselolei by genome mining, a mutant AdSHMTE266M with high thermal stability was identified through rational design. Subsequently, an iterative saturating mutant library was constructed by using coevolutionary analysis, and a mutant AdSHMTE160L/E193Q with enzyme activity 1.35 times higher than AdSHMT was identified. Additionally, the target protein AdSHMTE160L/E193Q/E266M was efficiently overexpressed by improving its mRNA stability. Finally, combining the substrate addition strategy and system optimization, the optimized strain BL21/pET28a-AdSHMTE160L/E193Q/E266M-5'UTR-REP3S16 produced 106.06 g/L L-serine, which is the highest production to date. This study provides new ideas and insights for the engineering design of SHMT and the industrial production of L-serine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixin Teng
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China; Yixing Institute of Food and Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Yixing 214200, China
| | - Xuewei Pan
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China; Yixing Institute of Food and Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Yixing 214200, China
| | - Yunran Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China; Yixing Institute of Food and Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Yixing 214200, China
| | - Jiajia You
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China; Yixing Institute of Food and Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Yixing 214200, China
| | - Hengwei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China; Yixing Institute of Food and Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Yixing 214200, China
| | - Zhenqiang Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China; Yixing Institute of Food and Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Yixing 214200, China
| | - Zhina Qiao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China; Yixing Institute of Food and Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Yixing 214200, China
| | - Zhiming Rao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China; Yixing Institute of Food and Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Yixing 214200, China.
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