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Hamrick GS, Maddamsetti R, Son HI, Wilson ML, Davis HM, You L. Programming Dynamic Division of Labor Using Horizontal Gene Transfer. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:1142-1151. [PMID: 38568420 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00615] [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] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
The metabolic engineering of microbes has broad applications, including biomanufacturing, bioprocessing, and environmental remediation. The introduction of a complex, multistep pathway often imposes a substantial metabolic burden on the host cell, restraining the accumulation of productive biomass and limiting pathway efficiency. One strategy to alleviate metabolic burden is the division of labor (DOL) in which different subpopulations carry out different parts of the pathway and work together to convert a substrate into a final product. However, the maintenance of different engineered subpopulations is challenging due to competition and convoluted interstrain population dynamics. Through modeling, we show that dynamic division of labor (DDOL), which we define as the DOL between indiscrete populations capable of dynamic and reversible interchange, can overcome these limitations and enable the robust maintenance of burdensome, multistep pathways. We propose that DDOL can be mediated by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and use plasmid genomics to uncover evidence that DDOL is a strategy utilized by natural microbial communities. Our work suggests that bioengineers can harness HGT to stabilize synthetic metabolic pathways in microbial communities, enabling the development of robust engineered systems for deployment in a variety of contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grayson S Hamrick
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
- Center for Quantitative Biodesign, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
- Center for Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Rohan Maddamsetti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
- Center for Quantitative Biodesign, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Hye-In Son
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
- Center for Quantitative Biodesign, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Maggie L Wilson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
- Center for Quantitative Biodesign, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Harris M Davis
- Center for Quantitative Biodesign, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Lingchong You
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
- Center for Quantitative Biodesign, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
- Center for Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
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2
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Bauer J, Klamt S. OptMSP: A toolbox for designing optimal multi-stage (bio)processes. J Biotechnol 2024; 383:94-102. [PMID: 38325658 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2024.01.009] [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: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
One central goal of bioprocess engineering is to maximize the production of specific chemicals using microbial cell factories. Many bioprocesses are one-stage (batch) processes (OSPs), in which growth and product synthesis are coupled. However, OSPs often exhibit low volumetric productivities due to the competition for substrate for biomass and product synthesis implying trade-offs between biomass and product yields. Two-stage or, more generally, multi-stage processes (MSPs) offer the potential to tackle this trade-off for improved efficiency of bioprocesses, for example, by separating growth and production. MSPs have recently gained much attention, also because of a rapidly growing toolbox for the dynamic control of metabolic fluxes. Despite these promising advancements, computational tools specifically tailored for the optimal design of MSPs in the field of biotechnology are still lacking. Here, we present OptMSP, a new Python-based toolbox for identifying optimal MSPs maximizing a user-defined process metrics (such as volumetric productivity, yield, and titer or combinations thereof) under given constraints. In contrast to other methods, our framework starts with a set of well-defined modules representing relevant stages or sub-processes. Experimentally determined parameters (such as growth rates, substrate uptake and product formation rates) are used to build suitable ODE models describing the dynamic behavior of each module. OptMSP finds then the optimal combination of those modules, which, together with the optimal switching time points, maximize a given objective function. We demonstrate the applicability and relevance of the approach with three different case studies, including the example of lactate production by E. coli in a batch setup, where an aerobic growth phase can be combined with anaerobic production phases with or without growth and with or without enhanced ATP turnover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin Bauer
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Sandtorstr. 1, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Steffen Klamt
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Sandtorstr. 1, Magdeburg, Germany.
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3
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Schramm T, Lubrano P, Pahl V, Stadelmann A, Verhülsdonk A, Link H. Mapping temperature-sensitive mutations at a genome scale to engineer growth switches in Escherichia coli. Mol Syst Biol 2023; 19:e11596. [PMID: 37642940 PMCID: PMC10568205 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202311596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Temperature-sensitive (TS) mutants are a unique tool to perturb and engineer cellular systems. Here, we constructed a CRISPR library with 15,120 Escherichia coli mutants, each with a single amino acid change in one of 346 essential proteins. 1,269 of these mutants showed temperature-sensitive growth in a time-resolved competition assay. We reconstructed 94 TS mutants and measured their metabolism under growth arrest at 42°C using metabolomics. Metabolome changes were strong and mutant-specific, showing that metabolism of nongrowing E. coli is perturbation-dependent. For example, 24 TS mutants of metabolic enzymes overproduced the direct substrate metabolite due to a bottleneck in their associated pathway. A strain with TS homoserine kinase (ThrBF267D ) produced homoserine for 24 h, and production was tunable by temperature. Finally, we used a TS subunit of DNA polymerase III (DnaXL289Q ) to decouple growth from arginine overproduction in engineered E. coli. These results provide a strategy to identify TS mutants en masse and demonstrate their large potential to produce bacterial metabolites with nongrowing cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorben Schramm
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection MedicineUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Cluster of Excellence “Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections”University of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Present address:
Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Systems BiologyETH ZurichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Paul Lubrano
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection MedicineUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Cluster of Excellence “Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections”University of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Vanessa Pahl
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection MedicineUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Cluster of Excellence “Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections”University of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Amelie Stadelmann
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection MedicineUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Cluster of Excellence “Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections”University of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Andreas Verhülsdonk
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection MedicineUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Cluster of Excellence “Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections”University of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Hannes Link
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection MedicineUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Cluster of Excellence “Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections”University of TübingenTübingenGermany
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4
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Hamrick GS, Maddamsetti R, Son HI, Wilson ML, Davis HM, You L. Programming dynamic division of labor using horizontal gene transfer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.03.560696. [PMID: 37873187 PMCID: PMC10592921 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.03.560696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
The metabolic engineering of microbes has broad applications, including in biomanufacturing, bioprocessing, and environmental remediation. The introduction of a complex, multi-step pathway often imposes a substantial metabolic burden on the host cell, restraining the accumulation of productive biomass and limiting pathway efficiency. One strategy to alleviate metabolic burden is division of labor (DOL), in which different subpopulations carry out different parts of the pathway and work together to convert a substrate into a final product. However, the maintenance of different engineered subpopulations is challenging due to competition and convoluted inter-strain population dynamics. Through modeling, we show that dynamic division of labor (DDOL) mediated by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) can overcome these limitations and enable the robust maintenance of burdensome, multi-step pathways. We also use plasmid genomics to uncover evidence that DDOL is a strategy utilized by natural microbial communities. Our work suggests that bioengineers can harness HGT to stabilize synthetic metabolic pathways in microbial communities, enabling the development of robust engineered systems for deployment in a variety of contexts.
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5
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Boecker S, Schulze P, Klamt S. Growth-coupled anaerobic production of isobutanol from glucose in minimal medium with Escherichia coli. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS 2023; 16:148. [PMID: 37789464 PMCID: PMC10548627 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-023-02395-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The microbial production of isobutanol holds promise to become a sustainable alternative to fossil-based synthesis routes for this important chemical. Escherichia coli has been considered as one production host, however, due to redox imbalance, growth-coupled anaerobic production of isobutanol from glucose in E. coli is only possible if complex media additives or small amounts of oxygen are provided. These strategies have a negative impact on product yield, productivity, reproducibility, and production costs. RESULTS In this study, we propose a strategy based on acetate as co-substrate for resolving the redox imbalance. We constructed the E. coli background strain SB001 (ΔldhA ΔfrdA ΔpflB) with blocked pathways from glucose to alternative fermentation products but with an enabled pathway for acetate uptake and subsequent conversion to ethanol via acetyl-CoA. This strain, if equipped with the isobutanol production plasmid pIBA4, showed robust exponential growth (µ = 0.05 h-1) under anaerobic conditions in minimal glucose medium supplemented with small amounts of acetate. In small-scale batch cultivations, the strain reached a glucose uptake rate of 4.8 mmol gDW-1 h-1, a titer of 74 mM and 89% of the theoretical maximal isobutanol/glucose yield, while secreting only small amounts of ethanol synthesized from acetate. Furthermore, we show that the strain keeps a high metabolic activity also in a pulsed fed-batch bioreactor cultivation, even if cell growth is impaired by the accumulation of isobutanol in the medium. CONCLUSIONS This study showcases the beneficial utilization of acetate as a co-substrate and redox sink to facilitate growth-coupled production of isobutanol under anaerobic conditions. This approach holds potential for other applications with different production hosts and/or substrate-product combinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Boecker
- Analysis and Redesign of Biological Networks, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Sandtorstr. 1, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
- University of Applied Sciences Berlin, Seestr. 64, 13347, Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter Schulze
- Physical and Chemical Foundations of Process Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Sandtorstr. 1, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Steffen Klamt
- Analysis and Redesign of Biological Networks, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Sandtorstr. 1, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany.
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6
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Madsen MA, Semerdzhiev S, Twigg JD, Moss C, Bavington CD, Amtmann A. Environmental modulation of exopolysaccharide production in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6803. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 107:6121-6134. [PMID: 37552253 PMCID: PMC10485101 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12697-9] [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: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS, also known as exopolysaccharides) of diverse composition and structure. The biochemical and biophysical properties of these biopolymers enable a wide range of industrial applications. EPS from cyanobacteria are particularly versatile as they incorporate a larger number and variety of building blocks and adopt more complex structures than EPS from other organisms. However, the genetic makeup and regulation of EPS biosynthetic pathways in cyanobacteria are poorly understood. Here, we measured the effect of changing culture media on titre and composition of EPS released by Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, and we integrated this information with transcriptomic data. Across all conditions, daily EPS productivity of individual cells was highest in the early growth phase, but the total amount of EPS obtained from the cultures was highest in the later growth phases due to accumulation. Lowering the magnesium concentration in the media enhanced per-cell productivity but the produced EPS had a lower total sugar content. Levels of individual monosaccharides correlated with specific culture media components, e.g. xylose with sulfur, glucose and N-acetyl-galactosamine with NaCl. Comparison with RNA sequencing data suggests a Wzy-dependent biosynthetic pathway and a protective role for xylose-rich EPS. This multi-level analysis offers a handle to link individual genes to the dynamic modulation of a complex biopolymer. KEY POINTS: • Synechocystis exopolysaccharide amount and composition depends on culture condition • Production rate and sugar content can be modulated by Mg and S respectively • Wzy-dependent biosynthetic pathway and protective role proposed for xylose-rich EPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Ann Madsen
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical, Veterinary, and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK
| | - Stefan Semerdzhiev
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical, Veterinary, and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK
| | - Jordan D Twigg
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical, Veterinary, and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK
| | - Claire Moss
- GlycoMar Ltd, Malin House, European Marine Science Park, Oban, Scotland, PA37 1SZ, UK
| | - Charles D Bavington
- GlycoMar Ltd, Malin House, European Marine Science Park, Oban, Scotland, PA37 1SZ, UK
| | - Anna Amtmann
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical, Veterinary, and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK.
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7
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Sullivan SF, Shetty A, Bharadwaj T, Krishna N, Trivedi VD, Endalur Gopinarayanan V, Chappell TC, Sellers DM, Pravin Kumar R, Nair NU. Towards universal synthetic heterotrophy using a metabolic coordinator. Metab Eng 2023; 79:14-26. [PMID: 37406763 PMCID: PMC10529783 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2023.07.001] [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: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Engineering the utilization of non-native substrates, or synthetic heterotrophy, in proven industrial microbes such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae represents an opportunity to valorize plentiful and renewable sources of carbon and energy as inputs to bioprocesses. We previously demonstrated that activation of the galactose (GAL) regulon, a regulatory structure used by this yeast to coordinate substrate utilization with biomass formation during growth on galactose, during growth on the non-native substrate xylose results in a vastly altered gene expression profile and faster growth compared with constitutive overexpression of the same heterologous catabolic pathway. However, this effort involved the creation of a xylose-inducible variant of Gal3p (Gal3pSyn4.1), the sensor protein of the GAL regulon, preventing this semi-synthetic regulon approach from being easily adapted to additional non-native substrates. Here, we report the construction of a variant Gal3pMC (metabolic coordinator) that exhibits robust GAL regulon activation in the presence of structurally diverse substrates and recapitulates the dynamics of the native system. Multiple molecular modeling studies suggest that Gal3pMC occupies conformational states corresponding to galactose-bound Gal3p in an inducer-independent manner. Using Gal3pMC to test a regulon approach to the assimilation of the non-native lignocellulosic sugars xylose, arabinose, and cellobiose yields higher growth rates and final cell densities when compared with a constitutive overexpression of the same set of catabolic genes. The subsequent demonstration of rapid and complete co-utilization of all three non-native substrates suggests that Gal3pMC-mediated dynamic global gene expression changes by GAL regulon activation may be universally beneficial for engineering synthetic heterotrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean F Sullivan
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Anuj Shetty
- Kcat Enzymatic Private Limited, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560005, India
| | - Tharun Bharadwaj
- Kcat Enzymatic Private Limited, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560005, India
| | - Naveen Krishna
- Kcat Enzymatic Private Limited, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560005, India
| | - Vikas D Trivedi
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA; Department of Structural Biology and Center for Data Driven Discovery, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | | | - Todd C Chappell
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Daniel M Sellers
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - R Pravin Kumar
- Kcat Enzymatic Private Limited, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560005, India
| | - Nikhil U Nair
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA.
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8
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Schumann C, Fernández Méndez J, Berggren G, Lindblad P. Novel concepts and engineering strategies for heterologous expression of efficient hydrogenases in photosynthetic microorganisms. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1179607. [PMID: 37502399 PMCID: PMC10369191 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1179607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Hydrogen is considered one of the key enablers of the transition towards a sustainable and net-zero carbon economy. When produced from renewable sources, hydrogen can be used as a clean and carbon-free energy carrier, as well as improve the sustainability of a wide range of industrial processes. Photobiological hydrogen production is considered one of the most promising technologies, avoiding the need for renewable electricity and rare earth metal elements, the demands for which are greatly increasing due to the current simultaneous electrification and decarbonization goals. Photobiological hydrogen production employs photosynthetic microorganisms to harvest solar energy and split water into molecular oxygen and hydrogen gas, unlocking the long-pursued target of solar energy storage. However, photobiological hydrogen production has to-date been constrained by several limitations. This review aims to discuss the current state-of-the art regarding hydrogenase-driven photobiological hydrogen production. Emphasis is placed on engineering strategies for the expression of improved, non-native, hydrogenases or photosynthesis re-engineering, as well as their combination as one of the most promising pathways to develop viable large-scale hydrogen green cell factories. Herein we provide an overview of the current knowledge and technological gaps curbing the development of photobiological hydrogenase-driven hydrogen production, as well as summarizing the recent advances and future prospects regarding the expression of non-native hydrogenases in cyanobacteria and green algae with an emphasis on [FeFe] hydrogenases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conrad Schumann
- Molecular Biomimetics, Department of Chemistry - Ångström, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jorge Fernández Méndez
- Microbial Chemistry, Department of Chemistry - Ångström, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gustav Berggren
- Molecular Biomimetics, Department of Chemistry - Ångström, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Peter Lindblad
- Microbial Chemistry, Department of Chemistry - Ångström, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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9
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Wan S, Liu X, Sun W, Lv B, Li C. Current advances for omics-guided process optimization of microbial manufacturing. BIORESOUR BIOPROCESS 2023; 10:30. [PMID: 38647562 PMCID: PMC10992112 DOI: 10.1186/s40643-023-00647-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Currently, microbial manufacturing is widely used in various fields, such as food, medicine and energy, for its advantages of greenness and sustainable development. Process optimization is the committed step enabling the commercialization of microbial manufacturing products. However, the present optimization processes mainly rely on experience or trial-and-error method ignoring the intrinsic connection between cellular physiological requirement and production performance, so in many cases the productivity of microbial manufacturing could not been fully exploited at economically feasible cost. Recently, the rapid development of omics technologies facilitates the comprehensive analysis of microbial metabolism and fermentation performance from multi-levels of molecules, cells and microenvironment. The use of omics technologies makes the process optimization more explicit, boosting microbial manufacturing performance and bringing significant economic benefits and social value. In this paper, the traditional and omics technologies-guided process optimization of microbial manufacturing are systematically reviewed, and the future trend of process optimization is prospected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengtong Wan
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecule Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Institute of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Key Lab for Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Wentao Sun
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- Key Lab for Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
| | - Bo Lv
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecule Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Institute of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, People's Republic of China.
| | - Chun Li
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecule Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Institute of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- Key Lab for Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
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10
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Sheets MB, Tague N, Dunlop MJ. An optogenetic toolkit for light-inducible antibiotic resistance. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1034. [PMID: 36823420 PMCID: PMC9950086 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36670-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibiotics are a key control mechanism for synthetic biology and microbiology. Resistance genes are used to select desired cells and regulate bacterial populations, however their use to-date has been largely static. Precise spatiotemporal control of antibiotic resistance could enable a wide variety of applications that require dynamic control of susceptibility and survival. Here, we use light-inducible Cre recombinase to activate expression of drug resistance genes in Escherichia coli. We demonstrate light-activated resistance to four antibiotics: carbenicillin, kanamycin, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline. Cells exposed to blue light survive in the presence of lethal antibiotic concentrations, while those kept in the dark do not. To optimize resistance induction, we vary promoter, ribosome binding site, and enzyme variant strength using chromosome and plasmid-based constructs. We then link inducible resistance to expression of a heterologous fatty acid enzyme to increase production of octanoic acid. These optogenetic resistance tools pave the way for spatiotemporal control of cell survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B Sheets
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.,Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Nathan Tague
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.,Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Mary J Dunlop
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. .,Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
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11
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Xie D. Continuous biomanufacturing with microbes - upstream progresses and challenges. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2022; 78:102793. [PMID: 36088736 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2022.102793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Current biomanufacturing facilities are mainly built for batch or fed-batch operations, which are subject to low productivities and do not achieve the great bioconversion potential of the rewired cells generated via modern biotechnology. Continuous biomanufacturing should be the future directions for high-yield and low-cost manufacturing of various fermentation products. This review discusses the major challenges and the strategies for continuous biomanufacturing with microbes, which include minimizing contamination risk, enhancing genetic stability over a long-term continuous operation, achieving high product titer, rate, and yield simultaneously by decoupling cell growth from product formation, and using modeling approach to accelerate research and development of continuous biomanufacturing. New strain designs and process engineering strategies, including integration with artificial intelligence, are also discussed for intelligent and the next generation of continuous biomanufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongming Xie
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, United States.
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12
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Liu YX, Zhuo XZ, Li SY. The Transcription Activator AtxA from Bacillus Anthracis was Employed for Developing a Tight-Control, High-Level, Modulable, and Stationary-Phase Specific Transcription Activity in Escherichia Coli. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2022; 7:ysac014. [PMID: 36046151 PMCID: PMC9424709 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysac014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The strong transcriptional activity of the virulent gene pagA in Bacillus anthracis has been proven to be anthrax toxin activator (AtxA)-regulated. However, the obscure pagA transcription mechanism hinders practical applications of this strong promoter. In this study, a 509-bp DNA fragment [termed 509sequence, (−508)-(+1) relative to the P2 transcription start site] was cloned upstream of rbs-GFPuv as pTOL02B to elucidate the AtxA-regulated transcription. The 509sequence was dissected into the −10 sequence, −35 sequence, ATrich tract, SLI/SLII and upstream site. In conjunction with the heterologous co-expression of AtxA (under the control of the T7 promoter), the −10 sequence (TATACT) was sufficient for the AtxA-regulated transcription. Integration of pTOL02F + pTOLAtxA as pTOL03F showed that the AtxA-regulated transcription exhibited a strong specific fluorescence intensity/common analytical chemistry term (OD600) of 40 597 ± 446 and an induction/repression ratio of 122. An improved induction/repression ratio of 276 was achieved by cultivating Escherichia coli/pTOL03F in M9 minimal medium. The newly developed promoter system termed PAtxA consists of AtxA, the −10 sequence and Escherichia RNA polymerase. These three elements synergistically and cooperatively formed a previously undiscovered transcription system, which exhibited a tight-control, high-level, modulable and stationary-phase-specific transcription. The PAtxA was used for phaCAB expression for the stationary-phase polyhydroxybutyrate production, and the results showed that a PHB yield, content and titer of 0.20 ± 0.27 g/g-glucose, 68 ± 11% and 1.5 ± 0.4 g/l can be obtained. The positive inducible PAtxA, in contrast to negative inducible, should be a useful tool to diversify the gene information flow in synthetic biology.
Graphical Abstract
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Xing Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University , Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Xiao-Zhen Zhuo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University , Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Si-Yu Li
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University , Taichung 402, Taiwan
- Innovation and Development Center of Sustainable Agriculture, National Chung Hsing University , Taichung 402, Taiwan
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13
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Kasari M, Kasari V, Kärmas M, Jõers A. Decoupling Growth and Production by Removing the Origin of Replication from a Bacterial Chromosome. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:2610-2622. [PMID: 35798328 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Efficient production of biochemicals and proteins in cell factories frequently benefits from a two-stage bioprocess in which growth and production phases are decoupled. Here, we describe a novel growth switch based on the permanent removal of the origin of replication (oriC) from the Escherichia coli chromosome. Without oriC, cells cannot initiate a new round of replication, and they stop growing while their metabolism remains active. Our system relies on a serine recombinase from bacteriophage phiC31 whose expression is controlled by the temperature-sensitive cI857 repressor from phage lambda. The reporter protein expression in switched cells continues after cessation of growth, leading to protein levels up to 5 times higher compared to nonswitching cells. Switching induces a unique physiological state that is different from both normal exponential and stationary phases. The switched cells remain in this state even when not growing, retain their protein synthesis capacity, and do not induce proteins associated with the stationary phase. Our switcher technology is potentially useful for a range of products and applicable in many bacterial species for decoupling growth and production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marje Kasari
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Nooruse 1, 50104 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Villu Kasari
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Nooruse 1, 50104 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Mirjam Kärmas
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Nooruse 1, 50104 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Arvi Jõers
- Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, Nooruse 1, 50104 Tartu, Estonia
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14
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Woodley JM. Ensuring the Sustainability of Biocatalysis. CHEMSUSCHEM 2022; 15:e202102683. [PMID: 35084801 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202102683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Biocatalysis offers many attractive features for the synthetic chemist. In many cases, the high selectivity and ability to tailor specific enzyme features via protein engineering already make it the catalyst of choice. From the perspective of sustainability, several features such as catalysis under mild conditions and use of a renewable and biodegradable catalyst also look attractive. Nevertheless, to be sustainable at a larger scale it will be essential to develop processes operating at far higher concentrations of product, and which make better use of the enzyme via improved stability. In this Concept, it is argued that a particular emphasis on these specific metrics is of particular importance for the future implementation of biocatalysis in industry, at a level that fulfills its true potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Woodley
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
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15
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Verma BK, Mannan AA, Zhang F, Oyarzún DA. Trade-Offs in Biosensor Optimization for Dynamic Pathway Engineering. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:228-240. [PMID: 34968029 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Recent progress in synthetic biology allows the construction of dynamic control circuits for metabolic engineering. This technology promises to overcome many challenges encountered in traditional pathway engineering, thanks to its ability to self-regulate gene expression in response to bioreactor perturbations. The central components in these control circuits are metabolite biosensors that read out pathway signals and actuate enzyme expression. However, the construction of metabolite biosensors is a major bottleneck for strain design, and a key challenge is to understand the relation between biosensor dose-response curves and pathway performance. Here we employ multiobjective optimization to quantify performance trade-offs that arise in the design of metabolite biosensors. Our approach reveals strategies for tuning dose-response curves along an optimal trade-off between production flux and the cost of an increased expression burden on the host. We explore properties of control architectures built in the literature and identify their advantages and caveats in terms of performance and robustness to growth conditions and leaky promoters. We demonstrate the optimality of a control circuit for glucaric acid production in Escherichia coli, which has been shown to increase the titer by 2.5-fold as compared to static designs. Our results lay the groundwork for the automated design of control circuits for pathway engineering, with applications in the food, energy, and pharmaceutical sectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babita K. Verma
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, U.K
| | - Ahmad A. Mannan
- Warwick Integrative Synthetic Biology Centre, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K
| | - Fuzhong Zhang
- Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Diego A. Oyarzún
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, U.K
- School of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AB, U.K
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, NW1 2DB, U.K
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16
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Menacho-Melgar R, Lynch MD. Simple Scalable Protein Expression and Extraction Using Two-stage Autoinducible Cell Autolysis and DNA/RNA Autohydrolysis in Escherichia coli. Bio Protoc 2022; 12:e4297. [PMID: 35127987 PMCID: PMC8799905 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Recombinant protein expression is extensively used in biological research. Despite this, current protein expression and extraction methods are not readily scalable or amenable for high-throughput applications. Optimization of protein expression conditions using traditional methods, reliant on growth-associated induction, is non-trivial. Similarly, protein extraction methods are predominantly restricted to chemical methods, and mechanical methods reliant on expensive specialized equipment more tuned for large-scale applications. In this article, we outline detailed protocols for the use of an engineered autolysis/autohydrolysis E. coli strain, in two-stage fermentations in shake-flasks. This two-stage fermentation protocol does not require optimization of expression conditions and results in high protein titers. Cell lysis in an engineered strain is tightly controlled and only triggered post-culture by addition of a 0.1% detergent solution. Upon cell lysis, a nuclease digests contaminating host oligonucleotides, which facilitates sample handling. This method has been validated for use at different scales, from microtiter plates to instrumented bioreactors. Graphic abstract: Two-stage protein expression, cell autolysis and DNA/RNA autohydrolysis. Reprinted with permission from Menacho-Melgar et al. (2020a). Copyright 2020 John Wiley and Sons.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael D. Lynch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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17
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Espinel‐Ríos S, Bettenbrock K, Klamt S, Findeisen R. Maximizing batch fermentation efficiency by constrained model‐based optimization and predictive control of adenosine triphosphate turnover. AIChE J 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/aic.17555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián Espinel‐Ríos
- Laboratory for Systems Theory and Automatic Control Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg Germany
- Analysis and Redesign of Biological Networks Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Magdeburg Germany
| | - Katja Bettenbrock
- Analysis and Redesign of Biological Networks Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Magdeburg Germany
| | - Steffen Klamt
- Analysis and Redesign of Biological Networks Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Magdeburg Germany
- Technische Universität Darmstadt Darmstadt Germany
| | - Rolf Findeisen
- Laboratory for Systems Theory and Automatic Control Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg Germany
- Control and Cyber‐Physical Systems Laboratory Technical University of Darmstadt Darmstadt Germany
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18
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Moore JC, Ramos I, Van Dien S. OUP accepted manuscript. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 49:6520437. [PMID: 35108392 PMCID: PMC9118995 DOI: 10.1093/jimb/kuab088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Optimization of metabolism to maximize production of bio-based chemicals must consistently balance cellular resources for biocatalyst growth and desired compound synthesis. This mini-review discusses synthetic biology strategies for dynamically controlling expression of genes to enable dual-phase fermentations in which growth and production are separated into dedicated phases. Emphasis is placed on practical examples which can be reliably scaled to commercial production with the current state of technology. Recent case studies are presented, and recommendations are provided for environmental signals and genetic control circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Itzel Ramos
- BP Biosciences Center, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
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19
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Boecker S, Slaviero G, Schramm T, Szymanski W, Steuer R, Link H, Klamt S. Deciphering the physiological response of Escherichia coli under high ATP demand. Mol Syst Biol 2021; 17:e10504. [PMID: 34928538 PMCID: PMC8686765 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202110504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
One long-standing question in microbiology is how microbes buffer perturbations in energy metabolism. In this study, we systematically analyzed the impact of different levels of ATP demand in Escherichia coli under various conditions (aerobic and anaerobic, with and without cell growth). One key finding is that, under all conditions tested, the glucose uptake increases with rising ATP demand, but only to a critical level beyond which it drops markedly, even below wild-type levels. Focusing on anaerobic growth and using metabolomics and proteomics data in combination with a kinetic model, we show that this biphasic behavior is induced by the dual dependency of the phosphofructokinase on ATP (substrate) and ADP (allosteric activator). This mechanism buffers increased ATP demands by a higher glycolytic flux but, as shown herein, it collapses under very low ATP concentrations. Model analysis also revealed two major rate-controlling steps in the glycolysis under high ATP demand, which could be confirmed experimentally. Our results provide new insights on fundamental mechanisms of bacterial energy metabolism and guide the rational engineering of highly productive cell factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Boecker
- Analysis and Redesign of Biological NetworksMax Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical SystemsMagdeburgGermany
| | - Giulia Slaviero
- Analysis and Redesign of Biological NetworksMax Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical SystemsMagdeburgGermany
| | - Thorben Schramm
- Dynamic Control of Metabolic NetworksMax Planck Institute for Terrestrial MicrobiologyMarburgGermany
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine TübingenUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Witold Szymanski
- Core Facility for Mass Spectrometry and ProteomicsMax Planck Institute for Terrestrial MicrobiologyMarburgGermany
| | - Ralf Steuer
- Institute for BiologyHumboldt‐University of BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Hannes Link
- Dynamic Control of Metabolic NetworksMax Planck Institute for Terrestrial MicrobiologyMarburgGermany
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine TübingenUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Steffen Klamt
- Analysis and Redesign of Biological NetworksMax Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical SystemsMagdeburgGermany
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20
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Menacho-Melgar R, Hennigan JN, Lynch MD. Optimization of phosphate-limited autoinduction broth for two-stage heterologous protein expression in Escherichia coli. Biotechniques 2021; 71:566-572. [PMID: 34431325 DOI: 10.2144/btn-2021-0055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Autoinducible, two-stage protein expression leveraging phosphate-inducible promoters has been recently shown to enable not only high protein titers but also consistent performance across scales from screening systems (microtiter plates) to instrumented bioreactors. However, to date, small-scale production using microtiter plates and shake flasks relies on a complex autoinduction broth (AB) that requires making numerous media components, not all amenable to autoclaving. In this report, the authors develop a simpler media formulation (AB-2) with just a few autoclavable components. AB-2 is robust to small changes in its composition and performs equally, if not better, than AB across different scales. AB-2 will facilitate the adoption of phosphate-limited two-stage protein expression protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Michael D Lynch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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21
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de Oliveira RD, Guedes MN, Matias J, Le Roux GAC. Nonlinear Predictive Control of a Bioreactor by Surrogate Model Approximation of Flux Balance Analysis. Ind Eng Chem Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c01242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rafael D. de Oliveira
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnic School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-220, Brazil
| | - Matheus N. Guedes
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnic School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-220, Brazil
| | - José Matias
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Galo A. C. Le Roux
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnic School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-220, Brazil
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22
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Chou A, Lee SH, Zhu F, Clomburg JM, Gonzalez R. An orthogonal metabolic framework for one-carbon utilization. Nat Metab 2021; 3:1385-1399. [PMID: 34675440 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-021-00453-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic engineering often entails concurrent engineering of substrate utilization, central metabolism and product synthesis pathways, inevitably creating interdependency with native metabolism. Here we report an alternative approach using synthetic pathways for C1 bioconversion that generate multicarbon products directly from C1 units and hence are orthogonal to the host metabolic network. The engineered pathways are based on formyl-CoA elongation (FORCE) reactions catalysed by the enzyme 2-hydroxyacyl-CoA lyase. We use thermodynamic and stoichiometric analyses to evaluate FORCE pathway variants, including aldose elongation, α-reduction and aldehyde elongation. Promising variants were prototyped in vitro and in vivo using the non-methylotrophic bacterium Escherichia coli. We demonstrate the conversion of formate, formaldehyde and methanol into various products including glycolate, ethylene glycol, ethanol and glycerate. FORCE pathways also have the potential to be integrated with the host metabolism for synthetic methylotrophy by the production of native growth substrates as demonstrated in a two-strain co-culture system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Chou
- Department of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Seung Hwan Lee
- Department of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Fayin Zhu
- Department of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - James M Clomburg
- Department of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Ramon Gonzalez
- Department of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
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23
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Yan YS, Xia HY. Recent advances in the research of milbemycin biosynthesis and regulation as well as strategies for strain improvement. Arch Microbiol 2021; 203:5849-5857. [PMID: 34550409 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-021-02575-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Milbemycins, a group of 16-membered macrocylic lactones with excellent acaricidal, insecticidal and anthelmintic activities, can be produced by several Streptomyces species. For the reason that they have low toxicity in mammals, milbemycins and their derivatives are widely used in agricultural, medical and veterinary industries. Streptomyces bingchenggensis, one of milbemycin-producing strains, has been sequenced and intensively investigated in the past decades. In this mini-review, we comprehensively revisit the progress that has been made in research efforts to elucidate the biosynthetic pathways and regulatory networks for the cellular production of milbemycins. The advances in the development of production strains for milbemycin and its derivatives are discussed along the strain-generation technical approaches of random mutagenesis, metabolic engineering and combinatorial biosynthesis. The research progress made so far indicates that strain improvement and generation of novel milbemycin derivatives will greatly benefit from future development of enabling technologies and deeper understanding of the fundamentals of biosynthesis of milbemycin and the regulation of its production in S. bingchenggensis. This mini-review also proposes that the overproduction of milbemycins could be greatly enhanced by genome minimization, systematical metabolic engineering and synthetic biology approaches in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Si Yan
- Institute of Biopharmaceuticals, Taizhou University, 1139 Shifu Avenue, Jiaojiang District, Taizhou, 318000, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Hai-Yang Xia
- Institute of Biopharmaceuticals, Taizhou University, 1139 Shifu Avenue, Jiaojiang District, Taizhou, 318000, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
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24
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Miguez AM, Zhang Y, Piorino F, Styczynski MP. Metabolic Dynamics in Escherichia coli-Based Cell-Free Systems. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:2252-2265. [PMID: 34478281 PMCID: PMC9807262 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The field of metabolic engineering has yielded remarkable accomplishments in using cells to produce valuable molecules, and cell-free expression (CFE) systems have the potential to push the field even further. However, CFE systems still face some outstanding challenges, including endogenous metabolic activity that is poorly understood yet has a significant impact on CFE productivity. Here, we use metabolomics to characterize the temporal metabolic changes in CFE systems and their constituent components, including significant metabolic activity in central carbon and amino acid metabolism. We find that while changing the reaction starting state via lysate preincubation impacts protein production, it has a comparatively small impact on metabolic state. We also demonstrate that changes to lysate preparation have a larger effect on protein yield and temporal metabolic profiles, though general metabolic trends are conserved. Finally, while we improve protein production through targeted supplementation of metabolic enzymes, we show that the endogenous metabolic activity is fairly resilient to these enzymatic perturbations. Overall, this work highlights the robust nature of CFE reaction metabolism as well as the importance of understanding the complex interdependence of metabolites and proteins in CFE systems to guide optimization efforts.
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25
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Metabolome and proteome analyses reveal transcriptional misregulation in glycolysis of engineered E. coli. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4929. [PMID: 34389727 PMCID: PMC8363753 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25142-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthetic metabolic pathways are a burden for engineered bacteria, but the underlying mechanisms often remain elusive. Here we show that the misregulated activity of the transcription factor Cra is responsible for the growth burden of glycerol overproducing E. coli. Glycerol production decreases the concentration of fructose-1,6-bisphoshate (FBP), which then activates Cra resulting in the downregulation of glycolytic enzymes and upregulation of gluconeogenesis enzymes. Because cells grow on glucose, the improper activation of gluconeogenesis and the concomitant inhibition of glycolysis likely impairs growth at higher induction of the glycerol pathway. We solve this misregulation by engineering a Cra-binding site in the promoter controlling the expression of the rate limiting enzyme of the glycerol pathway to maintain FBP levels sufficiently high. We show the broad applicability of this approach by engineering Cra-dependent regulation into a set of constitutive and inducible promoters, and use one of them to overproduce carotenoids in E. coli. Synthetic pathways represent a metabolic burden on host cells. Here the authors engineer Cra-binding sites to prevent misregulation in glycerol and carotenoid overproducing E. coli strains.
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26
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Montaño López J, Duran L, Avalos JL. Physiological limitations and opportunities in microbial metabolic engineering. Nat Rev Microbiol 2021; 20:35-48. [PMID: 34341566 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-021-00600-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic engineering can have a pivotal role in increasing the environmental sustainability of the transportation and chemical manufacturing sectors. The field has already developed engineered microorganisms that are currently being used in industrial-scale processes. However, it is often challenging to achieve the titres, yields and productivities required for commercial viability. The efficiency of microbial chemical production is usually dependent on the physiological traits of the host organism, which may either impose limitations on engineered biosynthetic pathways or, conversely, boost their performance. In this Review, we discuss different aspects of microbial physiology that often create obstacles for metabolic engineering, and present solutions to overcome them. We also describe various instances in which natural or engineered physiological traits in host organisms have been harnessed to benefit engineered metabolic pathways for chemical production.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Montaño López
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Lisset Duran
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - José L Avalos
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. .,Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. .,Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. .,Princeton Environmental Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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27
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Gascoyne JL, Bommareddy RR, Heeb S, Malys N. Engineering Cupriavidus necator H16 for the autotrophic production of (R)-1,3-butanediol. Metab Eng 2021; 67:262-276. [PMID: 34224897 PMCID: PMC8449065 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2021.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Butanediols are widely used in the synthesis of polymers, specialty chemicals and important chemical intermediates. Optically pure R-form of 1,3-butanediol (1,3-BDO) is required for the synthesis of several industrial compounds and as a key intermediate of β-lactam antibiotic production. The (R)-1,3-BDO can only be produced by application of a biocatalytic process. Cupriavidus necator H16 is an established production host for biosynthesis of biodegradable polymer poly-3-hydroxybutryate (PHB) via acetyl-CoA intermediate. Therefore, the utilisation of acetyl-CoA or its upstream precursors offers a promising strategy for engineering biosynthesis of value-added products such as (R)-1,3-BDO in this bacterium. Notably, C. necator H16 is known for its natural capacity to fix carbon dioxide (CO2) using hydrogen as an electron donor. Here, we report engineering of this facultative lithoautotrophic bacterium for heterotrophic and autotrophic production of (R)-1,3-BDO. Implementation of (R)-3-hydroxybutyraldehyde-CoA- and pyruvate-dependent biosynthetic pathways in combination with abolishing PHB biosynthesis and reducing flux through the tricarboxylic acid cycle enabled to engineer strain, which produced 2.97 g/L of (R)-1,3-BDO and achieved production rate of nearly 0.4 Cmol Cmol−1 h−1 autotrophically. This is first report of (R)-1,3-BDO production from CO2. Engineering of chemolithoautotroph C. necator H16 for (R)-1,3-butanediol production. Implementation of (R)-3-hydroxybutyraldehyde-CoA- and pyruvate-dependent pathways for (R)-1,3-butanediol biosynthesis. Redirecting carbon flux for (R)-1,3-butanediol biosynthesis. Achieved 2.97 g/L of (R)-1,3-butanediol with production rate of nearly 0.4 Cmol/(Cmol h) autotrophically. First report of (R)-1,3-butanediol production from carbon dioxide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Luke Gascoyne
- BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC), School of Life Sciences, Biodiscovery Institute, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Rajesh Reddy Bommareddy
- BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC), School of Life Sciences, Biodiscovery Institute, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Stephan Heeb
- BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC), School of Life Sciences, Biodiscovery Institute, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Naglis Malys
- BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC), School of Life Sciences, Biodiscovery Institute, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom.
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28
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Lempp M, Lubrano P, Bange G, Link H. Metabolism of non-growing bacteria. Biol Chem 2021; 401:1479-1485. [PMID: 32845858 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2020-0201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A main function of bacterial metabolism is to supply biomass building blocks and energy for growth. This seems to imply that metabolism is idle in non-growing bacteria. But how relevant is metabolism for the physiology of non-growing bacteria and how active is their metabolism? Here, we reviewed literature describing metabolism of non-growing bacteria in their natural environment, as well as in biotechnological and medical applications. We found that metabolism does play an important role during dormancy and that especially the demand for ATP determines metabolic activity of non-growing bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Lempp
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.,SYNMIKRO Research Center, D-35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Paul Lubrano
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.,SYNMIKRO Research Center, D-35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Gert Bange
- SYNMIKRO Research Center, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.,Department of Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Strasse 6, C07, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Hannes Link
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.,SYNMIKRO Research Center, D-35043 Marburg, Germany
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29
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Elmore JR, Dexter GN, Salvachúa D, Martinez-Baird J, Hatmaker EA, Huenemann JD, Klingeman DM, Peabody GL, Peterson DJ, Singer C, Beckham GT, Guss AM. Production of itaconic acid from alkali pretreated lignin by dynamic two stage bioconversion. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2261. [PMID: 33859194 PMCID: PMC8050072 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22556-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Expanding the portfolio of products that can be made from lignin will be critical to enabling a viable bio-based economy. Here, we engineer Pseudomonas putida for high-yield production of the tricarboxylic acid cycle-derived building block chemical, itaconic acid, from model aromatic compounds and aromatics derived from lignin. We develop a nitrogen starvation-detecting biosensor for dynamic two-stage bioproduction in which itaconic acid is produced during a non-growth associated production phase. Through the use of two distinct itaconic acid production pathways, the tuning of TCA cycle gene expression, deletion of competing pathways, and dynamic regulation, we achieve an overall maximum yield of 56% (mol/mol) and titer of 1.3 g/L from p-coumarate, and 1.4 g/L titer from monomeric aromatic compounds produced from alkali-treated lignin. This work illustrates a proof-of-principle that using dynamic metabolic control to reroute carbon after it enters central metabolism enables production of valuable chemicals from lignin at high yields by relieving the burden of constitutively expressing toxic heterologous pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua R. Elmore
- grid.135519.a0000 0004 0446 2659Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN USA ,grid.451303.00000 0001 2218 3491Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA USA
| | - Gara N. Dexter
- grid.135519.a0000 0004 0446 2659Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN USA
| | - Davinia Salvachúa
- grid.419357.d0000 0001 2199 3636National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO USA
| | - Jessica Martinez-Baird
- grid.135519.a0000 0004 0446 2659Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN USA
| | - E. Anne Hatmaker
- grid.135519.a0000 0004 0446 2659Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN USA
| | - Jay D. Huenemann
- grid.135519.a0000 0004 0446 2659Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN USA ,grid.411461.70000 0001 2315 1184Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN USA
| | - Dawn M. Klingeman
- grid.135519.a0000 0004 0446 2659Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN USA
| | - George L. Peabody
- grid.135519.a0000 0004 0446 2659Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN USA
| | - Darren J. Peterson
- grid.419357.d0000 0001 2199 3636National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO USA
| | - Christine Singer
- grid.419357.d0000 0001 2199 3636National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO USA
| | - Gregg T. Beckham
- grid.419357.d0000 0001 2199 3636National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO USA
| | - Adam M. Guss
- grid.135519.a0000 0004 0446 2659Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN USA ,grid.411461.70000 0001 2315 1184Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN USA
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30
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Santala S, Santala V, Liu N, Stephanopoulos G. Partitioning metabolism between growth and product synthesis for coordinated production of wax esters in Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1. Biotechnol Bioeng 2021; 118:2283-2292. [PMID: 33666232 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Microbial storage compounds, such as wax esters (WE), are potential high-value lipids for the production of specialty chemicals and medicines. Their synthesis, however, is strictly regulated and competes with cell growth, which leads to trade-offs between biomass and product formation. Here, we use metabolic engineering and synergistic substrate cofeeding to partition the metabolism of Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1 into two distinct modules, each dedicated to cell growth and WE biosynthesis, respectively. We first blocked the glyoxylate shunt and upregulated the WE synthesis pathway to direct the acetate substrate exclusively for WE synthesis, then we controlled the supply of gluconate so it could be used exclusively for cell growth and maintenance. We show that the two modules are functionally independent from each other, allowing efficient lipid accumulation while maintaining active cell growth. Our strategy resulted in 7.2- and 4.2-fold improvements in WE content and productivity, respectively, and the product titer was enhanced by 8.3-fold over the wild type strain. Notably, during a 24-h cultivation, a yield of 18% C-WE/C-total-substrates was achieved, being the highest reported for WE biosynthesis. This study provides a simple, yet powerful, means of controlling cellular operations and overcoming some of the fundamental challenges in microbial storage lipid production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suvi Santala
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Ville Santala
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Nian Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gregory Stephanopoulos
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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31
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Lynch MD. The bioprocess TEA calculator: An online technoeconomic analysis tool to evaluate the commercial competitiveness of potential bioprocesses. Metab Eng 2021; 65:42-51. [PMID: 33711381 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2021.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Techno-economic analysis connects R&D, engineering, and business. By linking process parameters to financial metrics, it allows researchers to understand the factors controlling the potential success of their technologies. In particular, metabolic and bioprocess engineering, as disciplines, are aimed at engineering cells to synthesize products with an ultimate goal of commercial deployment. As a result it is critical to be able to understand the potential impact of strain engineering strategies and lab scale results on commercial potential. To date, while numerous techno-economic models have been developed for a wide variety of bioprocesses, they have either required process engineering expertise to adapt and/or use or do not directly connect financial outcomes to potential strain engineering results. Despite the clear value of techno-economic analysis, these challenges have made it inaccessible to many researchers. I have developed this online calculator (https://bioprocesstea.com OR http://bioprocess-tea-calculator.herokuapp.com/) to make the basic capabilities of early-stage techno-economic analysis of bioprocesses readily accessible. The tool, currently focused on aerobic fermentation processes, can be used to understand the impact of fermentation level metrics on the commercial potential of a bioprocess for the production of a wide variety of organic molecules. Using the calculator, I review the commercially relevant targets for an aerobic bioprocess for the production of diethyl malonate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Lynch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University Durham, NC, USA.
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32
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Boecker S, Harder BJ, Kutscha R, Pflügl S, Klamt S. Increasing ATP turnover boosts productivity of 2,3-butanediol synthesis in Escherichia coli. Microb Cell Fact 2021; 20:63. [PMID: 33750397 PMCID: PMC7941745 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-021-01554-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The alcohol 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO) is an important chemical and an Escherichia coli producer strain was recently engineered for bio-based production of 2,3-BDO. However, further improvements are required for realistic applications. Results Here we report that enforced ATP wasting, implemented by overexpressing the genes of the ATP-hydrolyzing F1-part of the ATPase, leads to significant increases of yield and especially of productivity of 2,3-BDO synthesis in an E. coli producer strain under various cultivation conditions. We studied aerobic and microaerobic conditions as well as growth-coupled and growth-decoupled production scenarios. In all these cases, the specific substrate uptake and 2,3-BDO synthesis rate (up to sixfold and tenfold higher, respectively) were markedly improved in the ATPase strain compared to a control strain. However, aerobic conditions generally enable higher productivities only with reduced 2,3-BDO yields while high product yields under microaerobic conditions are accompanied with low productivities. Based on these findings we finally designed and validated a three-stage process for optimal conversion of glucose to 2,3-BDO, which enables a high productivity in combination with relatively high yield. The ATPase strain showed again superior performance and finished the process twice as fast as the control strain and with higher 2,3-BDO yield. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the high potential of enforced ATP wasting as a generic metabolic engineering strategy and we expect more applications to come in the future. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12934-021-01554-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Boecker
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Sandtorstraße 1, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Björn-Johannes Harder
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Sandtorstraße 1, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Regina Kutscha
- Institute for Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Area Biochemical Engineering, Technische Universität Wien, Gumpendorfer Straße 1a, 1060, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefan Pflügl
- Institute for Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Area Biochemical Engineering, Technische Universität Wien, Gumpendorfer Straße 1a, 1060, Vienna, Austria
| | - Steffen Klamt
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Sandtorstraße 1, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany.
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33
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Wang X, Han JN, Zhang X, Ma YY, Lin Y, Wang H, Li DJ, Zheng TR, Wu FQ, Ye JW, Chen GQ. Reversible thermal regulation for bifunctional dynamic control of gene expression in Escherichia coli. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1411. [PMID: 33658500 PMCID: PMC7930084 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21654-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetically programmed circuits allowing bifunctional dynamic regulation of enzyme expression have far-reaching significances for various bio-manufactural purposes. However, building a bio-switch with a post log-phase response and reversibility during scale-up bioprocesses is still a challenge in metabolic engineering due to the lack of robustness. Here, we report a robust thermosensitive bio-switch that enables stringent bidirectional control of gene expression over time and levels in living cells. Based on the bio-switch, we obtain tree ring-like colonies with spatially distributed patterns and transformer cells shifting among spherical-, rod- and fiber-shapes of the engineered Escherichia coli. Moreover, fed-batch fermentations of recombinant E. coli are conducted to obtain ordered assembly of tailor-made biopolymers polyhydroxyalkanoates including diblock- and random-copolymer, composed of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 4-hydroxybutyrate with controllable monomer molar fraction. This study demonstrates the possibility of well-organized, chemosynthesis-like block polymerization on a molecular scale by reprogrammed microbes, exemplifying the versatility of thermo-response control for various practical uses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Wang
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jia-Ning Han
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Zhang
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yue-Yuan Ma
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yina Lin
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Huan Wang
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Dian-Jie Li
- School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Tao-Ran Zheng
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Fu-Qing Wu
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- MOE Key Lab of Industrial Biocatalysts, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Jian-Wen Ye
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- MOE Key Lab of Industrial Biocatalysts, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- Center for Materials Synthetic Biology, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Guo-Qiang Chen
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China.
- MOE Key Lab of Industrial Biocatalysts, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
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34
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Nitta N, Tajima Y, Yamamoto Y, Moriya M, Matsudaira A, Hoshino Y, Nishio Y, Usuda Y. Fermentative production of enantiopure (S)-linalool using a metabolically engineered Pantoea ananatis. Microb Cell Fact 2021; 20:54. [PMID: 33653319 PMCID: PMC7923825 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-021-01543-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Linalool, an acyclic monoterpene alcohol, is extensively used in the flavor and fragrance industries and exists as two enantiomers, (S)- and (R)-linalool, which have different odors and biological properties. Linalool extraction from natural plant tissues suffers from low product yield. Although linalool can also be chemically synthesized, its enantioselective production is difficult. Microbial production of terpenes has recently emerged as a novel, environmental-friendly alternative. Stereoselective production can also be achieved using this approach via enzymatic reactions. We previously succeeded in producing enantiopure (S)-linalool using a metabolically engineered Pantoea ananatis, a member of the Enterobacteriaceae family of bacteria, via the heterologous mevalonate pathway with the highest linalool titer ever reported from engineered microbes. Results Here, we genetically modified a previously developed P. ananatis strain expressing the (S)-linalool synthase (AaLINS) from Actinidia arguta to further improve (S)-linalool production. AaLINS was mostly expressed as an insoluble form in P. ananatis; its soluble expression level was increased by N-terminal fusion of a halophilic β-lactamase from Chromohalobacter sp. 560 with hexahistidine. Furthermore, in combination with elevation of the precursor supply via the mevalonate pathway, the (S)-linalool titer was increased approximately 1.4-fold (4.7 ± 0.3 g/L) in comparison with the original strain (3.4 ± 0.2 g/L) in test-tube cultivation with an aqueous-organic biphasic fermentation system using isopropyl myristate as the organic solvent for in situ extraction of cytotoxic and semi-volatile (S)-linalool. The most productive strain, IP04S/pBLAAaLINS-ispA*, produced 10.9 g/L of (S)-linalool in “dual-phase” fed-batch fermentation, which was divided into a growth-phase and a subsequent production-phase. Thus far, this is the highest reported titer in the production of not only linalool but also all monoterpenes using microbes. Conclusions This study demonstrates the potential of our metabolically engineered P. ananatis strain as a platform for economically feasible (S)-linalool production and provides insights into the stereoselective production of terpenes with high efficiency. This system is an environmentally friendly and economically valuable (S)-linalool production alternative. Mass production of enantiopure (S)-linalool can also lead to accurate assessment of its biological properties by providing an enantiopure substrate for study. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12934-021-01543-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuhisa Nitta
- Research Institute for Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kawasaki, Japan.
| | - Yoshinori Tajima
- Research Institute for Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Yoko Yamamoto
- Research Institute for Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Mika Moriya
- Research Institute for Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Akiko Matsudaira
- Research Institute for Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Yasushi Hoshino
- Research Institute for Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Yousuke Nishio
- Research Institute for Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Usuda
- Research Institute for Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kawasaki, Japan
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35
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Riley LA, Guss AM. Approaches to genetic tool development for rapid domestication of non-model microorganisms. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2021; 14:30. [PMID: 33494801 PMCID: PMC7830746 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-020-01872-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Non-model microorganisms often possess complex phenotypes that could be important for the future of biofuel and chemical production. They have received significant interest the last several years, but advancement is still slow due to the lack of a robust genetic toolbox in most organisms. Typically, "domestication" of a new non-model microorganism has been done on an ad hoc basis, and historically, it can take years to develop transformation and basic genetic tools. Here, we review the barriers and solutions to rapid development of genetic transformation tools in new hosts, with a major focus on Restriction-Modification systems, which are a well-known and significant barrier to efficient transformation. We further explore the tools and approaches used for efficient gene deletion, DNA insertion, and heterologous gene expression. Finally, more advanced and high-throughput tools are now being developed in diverse non-model microbes, paving the way for rapid and multiplexed genome engineering for biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A Riley
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
- Bredesen Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Adam M Guss
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.
- Bredesen Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
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36
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Madsen MA, Hamilton G, Herzyk P, Amtmann A. Environmental Regulation of PndbA600, an Auto-Inducible Promoter for Two-Stage Industrial Biotechnology in Cyanobacteria. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 8:619055. [PMID: 33542914 PMCID: PMC7853294 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.619055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes being developed as sustainable platforms that use renewable resources (light, water, and air) for diverse applications in energy, food, environment, and medicine. Despite the attractive promise that cyanobacteria offer to industrial biotechnology, slow growth rates pose a major challenge in processes which typically require large amounts of biomass and are often toxic to the cells. Two-stage cultivation strategies are an attractive solution to prevent any undesired growth inhibition by de-coupling biomass accumulation (stage I) and the industrial process (stage II). In cyanobacteria, two-stage strategies involve costly transfer methods between stages I and II, and little work has been focussed on using the distinct growth and stationary phases of batch cultures to autoregulate stage transition. In the present study, we identified and characterised a growth phase-specific promoter, which can serve as an auto-inducible switch to regulate two-stage bioprocesses in cyanobacteria. First, growth phase-specific genes were identified from a new RNAseq dataset comparing two growth phases and six nutrient conditions in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, including two new transcriptomes for low Mg and low K. A type II NADH dehydrogenase (ndbA) showed robust induction when the cultures transitioned from exponential to stationary phase growth. Behaviour of a 600-bp promoter sequence (PndbA600) was then characterised in detail following the expression of PndbA600:GFP in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. Culture density and growth media analyses showed that PndbA600 activation was not dependent on increases in culture density per se but on N availability and on another activating factor present in the spent media of stationary phase cultures (Factor X). PndbA600 deactivation was dependent on the changes in culture density and in either N availability or Factor X. Electron transport inhibition studies revealed a photosynthesis-specific enhancement of active PndbA600 levels. Our findings are summarised in a model describing the environmental regulation of PndbA600, which can now inform the rational design of two-stage industrial processes in cyanobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Ann Madsen
- College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Graham Hamilton
- Glasgow Polyomics, Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Pawel Herzyk
- College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.,Glasgow Polyomics, Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Amtmann
- College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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Ye Z, Moreb EA, Li S, Lebeau J, Menacho-Melgar R, Munson M, Lynch MD. Escherichia coli Cas1/2 Endonuclease Complex Modifies Self-Targeting CRISPR/Cascade Spacers Reducing Silencing Guide Stability. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:29-37. [PMID: 33331764 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
CRISPR-based interference has become common in various applications from genetic circuits to dynamic metabolic control. In E. coli, the native CRISPR Cascade system can be utilized for silencing by deletion of the cas3 nuclease along with expression of guide RNA arrays, where multiple genes can be silenced from a single transcript. We notice the loss of spacer sequences from guide arrays utilized for dynamic silencing. We report that unstable guide arrays are due to expression of the Cas1/2 endonuclease complex. We propose a model wherein basal Cas1/2 endonuclease activity results in the loss of spacers from guide arrays. Subsequently, mutant guide arrays can be amplified through selection. Replacing a constitutive promoter driving Cascade complex expression with a tightly controlled inducible promoter improves guide array stability, while minimizing leaky gene silencing. Additionally, these results demonstrate the potential of Cas1/2 mediated guide deletion as a mechanism to avoid CRISPR based autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixia Ye
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
- DMC Biotechnologies, Inc., Durham, North Carolina 27701, United States
| | - Eirik A Moreb
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Shuai Li
- DMC Biotechnologies, Inc., Durham, North Carolina 27701, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Juliana Lebeau
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Romel Menacho-Melgar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Matthew Munson
- DMC Biotechnologies, Inc., Durham, North Carolina 27701, United States
| | - Michael D Lynch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
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38
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Hartline CJ, Schmitz AC, Han Y, Zhang F. Dynamic control in metabolic engineering: Theories, tools, and applications. Metab Eng 2021; 63:126-140. [PMID: 32927059 PMCID: PMC8015268 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic engineering has allowed the production of a diverse number of valuable chemicals using microbial organisms. Many biological challenges for improving bio-production exist which limit performance and slow the commercialization of metabolically engineered systems. Dynamic metabolic engineering is a rapidly developing field that seeks to address these challenges through the design of genetically encoded metabolic control systems which allow cells to autonomously adjust their flux in response to their external and internal metabolic state. This review first discusses theoretical works which provide mechanistic insights and design choices for dynamic control systems including two-stage, continuous, and population behavior control strategies. Next, we summarize molecular mechanisms for various sensors and actuators which enable dynamic metabolic control in microbial systems. Finally, important applications of dynamic control to the production of several metabolite products are highlighted, including fatty acids, aromatics, and terpene compounds. Altogether, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the progress, advances, and prospects in the design of dynamic control systems for improved titer, rate, and yield metrics in metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Hartline
- Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Alexander C Schmitz
- Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Yichao Han
- Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Fuzhong Zhang
- Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, 63130, USA; Division of Biological & Biomedical Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, 63130, USA; Institute of Materials Science & Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, 63130, USA.
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39
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Zou S, Wang Z, Zhao K, Zhang B, Niu K, Liu Z, Zheng Y. High‐level production of
d
‐pantothenic acid from glucose by fed‐batch cultivation of
Escherichia coli. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2020; 68:1227-1235. [DOI: 10.1002/bab.2044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shu‐Ping Zou
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou People's Republic of China
| | - Zhi‐Jian Wang
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou People's Republic of China
| | - Kuo Zhao
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Zhang
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou People's Republic of China
| | - Kun Niu
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou People's Republic of China
| | - Zhi‐Qiang Liu
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou People's Republic of China
| | - Yu‐Guo Zheng
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomanufacturing of Chiral Chemicals Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou People's Republic of China
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40
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High-throughput screening for high-efficiency small-molecule biosynthesis. Metab Eng 2020; 63:102-125. [PMID: 33017684 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Systems metabolic engineering faces the formidable task of rewiring microbial metabolism to cost-effectively generate high-value molecules from a variety of inexpensive feedstocks for many different applications. Because these cellular systems are still too complex to model accurately, vast collections of engineered organism variants must be systematically created and evaluated through an enormous trial-and-error process in order to identify a manufacturing-ready strain. The high-throughput screening of strains to optimize their scalable manufacturing potential requires execution of many carefully controlled, parallel, miniature fermentations, followed by high-precision analysis of the resulting complex mixtures. This review discusses strategies for the design of high-throughput, small-scale fermentation models to predict improved strain performance at large commercial scale. Established and promising approaches from industrial and academic groups are presented for both cell culture and analysis, with primary focus on microplate- and microfluidics-based screening systems.
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41
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Decker JS, Menacho-Melgar R, Lynch MD. Low-Cost, Large-Scale Production of the Anti-viral Lectin Griffithsin. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:1020. [PMID: 32974328 PMCID: PMC7471252 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.01020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Griffithsin, a broad-spectrum antiviral lectin, has potential to prevent and treat numerous viruses including HIV, HCV, HSV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. For these indications, the annual demand for Griffithsin could reach billions of doses and affordability is paramount. We report the lab-scale validation of a bioprocess that supports production volumes of >20 tons per year at a cost of goods sold below $3,500/kg. Recombinant expression in engineered E. coli enables Griffithsin titers ∼2.5 g/L. A single rapid precipitation step provides > 90% yield with 2-, 3-, and 4-log reductions in host cell proteins, endotoxin, and nucleic acids, respectively. Two polishing chromatography steps remove residual contaminants leading to pure, active Griffithsin. Compared to a conventional one this process shows lower costs and improved economies of scale. These results support the potential of biologics in very large-scale, cost-sensitive applications such as antivirals, and highlight the importance of bioprocess innovations in enabling these applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Michael D. Lynch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
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42
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Landberg J, Wright NR, Wulff T, Herrgård MJ, Nielsen AT. CRISPR interference of nucleotide biosynthesis improves production of a single-domain antibody in Escherichia coli. Biotechnol Bioeng 2020; 117:3835-3848. [PMID: 32808670 PMCID: PMC7818426 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Growth decoupling can be used to optimize the production of biochemicals and proteins in cell factories. Inhibition of excess biomass formation allows for carbon to be utilized efficiently for product formation instead of growth, resulting in increased product yields and titers. Here, we used CRISPR interference to increase the production of a single‐domain antibody (sdAb) by inhibiting growth during production. First, we screened 21 sgRNA targets in the purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis pathways and found that the repression of 11 pathway genes led to the increased green fluorescent protein production and decreased growth. The sgRNA targets pyrF, pyrG, and cmk were selected and further used to improve the production of two versions of an expression‐optimized sdAb. Proteomics analysis of the sdAb‐producing pyrF, pyrG, and cmk growth decoupling strains showed significantly decreased RpoS levels and an increase of ribosome‐associated proteins, indicating that the growth decoupling strains do not enter stationary phase and maintain their capacity for protein synthesis upon growth inhibition. Finally, sdAb production was scaled up to shake‐flask fermentation where the product yield was improved 2.6‐fold compared to the control strain with no sgRNA target sequence. An sdAb content of 14.6% was reached in the best‐performing pyrG growth decoupling strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Landberg
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Naia Risager Wright
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Tune Wulff
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Markus J Herrgård
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Alex Toftgaard Nielsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
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43
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Woodley JM. Towards the sustainable production of bulk-chemicals using biotechnology. N Biotechnol 2020; 59:59-64. [PMID: 32693028 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2020.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The design and development of new routes for the production of sustainable bulk-chemicals requires focus on feedstock, conversion technology and downstream product recovery. This brief article discusses some of the constraints with using fermentation and suggests the removal of some constraints by using microbial biocatalysis or enzyme biocatalysis, which give a number of benefits in the context of the requirements for bulk-chemical production. Some potential process concepts are described, for products in the suitable low-price range. These examples (biodiesel, furfurals and amines) are used to illustrate the power of biocatalysis. Suggestions for future research efforts beyond molecular biology, involving process-based concepts, are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Woodley
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Lyngby, Denmark.
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44
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Menacho‐Melgar R, Moreb EA, Efromson JP, Yang T, Hennigan JN, Wang R, Lynch MD. Improved two‐stage protein expression and purification via autoinduction of both autolysis and auto DNA/RNA hydrolysis conferred by phage lysozyme and DNA/RNA endonuclease. Biotechnol Bioeng 2020; 117:2852-2860. [DOI: 10.1002/bit.27444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Eirik A. Moreb
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University Durham North Carolina
| | - John P. Efromson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University Durham North Carolina
| | - Tian Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University Durham North Carolina
| | | | - Ruixin Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University Durham North Carolina
| | - Michael D. Lynch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University Durham North Carolina
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45
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Menacho-Melgar R, Ye Z, Moreb EA, Yang T, Efromson JP, Decker JS, Wang R, Lynch MD. Scalable, two-stage, autoinduction of recombinant protein expression in E. coli utilizing phosphate depletion. Biotechnol Bioeng 2020; 117:2715-2727. [PMID: 32441815 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
We report the scalable production of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli, reliant on tightly controlled autoinduction, triggered by phosphate depletion in the stationary phase. The method, reliant on engineered strains and plasmids, enables improved protein expression across scales. Expression levels using this approach have reached as high as 55% of the total cellular protein. The initial use of the method in instrumented fed-batch fermentations enables cell densities of ∼30 gCDW/L and protein titers up to 8.1 ± 0.7 g/L (∼270 mg/gCDW). The process has also been adapted to an optimized autoinduction media, enabling routine batch production at culture volumes of 20 μl (384-well plates), 100 μl (96-well plates), 20 ml, and 100 ml. In batch cultures, cell densities routinely reach ∼5-7 gCDW/L, offering protein titers above 2 g/L. The methodology has been validated with a set of diverse heterologous proteins and is of general use for the facile optimization of routine protein expression from high throughput screens to fed-batch fermentation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zhixia Ye
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Eirik A Moreb
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Tian Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - John P Efromson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - John S Decker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Ruixin Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Michael D Lynch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
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46
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Yao L, Shabestary K, Björk SM, Asplund-Samuelsson J, Joensson HN, Jahn M, Hudson EP. Pooled CRISPRi screening of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp PCC 6803 for enhanced industrial phenotypes. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1666. [PMID: 32245970 PMCID: PMC7125299 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15491-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are model organisms for photosynthesis and are attractive for biotechnology applications. To aid investigation of genotype-phenotype relationships in cyanobacteria, we develop an inducible CRISPRi gene repression library in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, where we aim to target all genes for repression. We track the growth of all library members in multiple conditions and estimate gene fitness. The library reveals several clones with increased growth rates, and these have a common upregulation of genes related to cyclic electron flow. We challenge the library with 0.1 M L-lactate and find that repression of peroxiredoxin bcp2 increases growth rate by 49%. Transforming the library into an L-lactate-secreting Synechocystis strain and sorting top lactate producers enriches clones with sgRNAs targeting nutrient assimilation, central carbon metabolism, and cyclic electron flow. In many examples, productivity can be enhanced by repression of essential genes, which are difficult to access by transposon insertion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lun Yao
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-171 21, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Protein Science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kiyan Shabestary
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-171 21, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Protein Science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sara M Björk
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-171 21, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Protein Science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johannes Asplund-Samuelsson
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-171 21, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Protein Science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Haakan N Joensson
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-171 21, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Protein Science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Michael Jahn
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-171 21, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Protein Science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elton P Hudson
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-171 21, Stockholm, Sweden. .,Department of Protein Science, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
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47
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Su B, Song D, Yang F, Zhu H. Engineering a growth-phase-dependent biosynthetic pathway for carotenoid production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 47:383-393. [PMID: 32236768 DOI: 10.1007/s10295-020-02271-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic engineering is usually focused on static control of microbial cell factories to efficient production of interested chemicals, though heterologous pathways compete with endogenous metabolism. However, products like carotenoids may cause metabolic burden on engineering strains, thus limiting product yields and influencing strain growth. Herein, a growth-phase-dependent regulation was developed to settle this matter, and its efficiency was verified using the heterogenous biosynthesis of lycopene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as an example. Through growth-phase-dependent control of the lycopene biosynthetic pathway, limited step in MVA pathway, and competitive squalene pathway, production yield was increased by approximately 973-fold (from 0.034- to 33.1-mg/g CDW) and 1.48 g/L of production was obtained by one-stage fermentation in a 5-L bioreactor. Our study not only introduces an economically approach to the production of carotenoids, but also provides an example of dynamic regulation of biosynthetic pathways for metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Buli Su
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510070, People's Republic of China
| | - Dandan Song
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510070, People's Republic of China
| | - Fan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510070, People's Republic of China
| | - Honghui Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510070, People's Republic of China.
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48
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Schramm T, Lempp M, Beuter D, Sierra SG, Glatter T, Link H. High-throughput enrichment of temperature-sensitive argininosuccinate synthetase for two-stage citrulline production in E. coli. Metab Eng 2020; 60:14-24. [PMID: 32179161 PMCID: PMC7225747 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Controlling metabolism of engineered microbes is important to modulate cell growth and production during a bioprocess. For example, external parameters such as light, chemical inducers, or temperature can act on metabolism of production strains by changing the abundance or activity of enzymes. Here, we created temperature-sensitive variants of an essential enzyme in arginine biosynthesis of Escherichia coli (argininosuccinate synthetase, ArgG) and used them to dynamically control citrulline overproduction and growth of E. coli. We show a method for high-throughput enrichment of temperature-sensitive ArgG variants with a fluorescent TIMER protein and flow cytometry. With 90 of the thus derived ArgG variants, we complemented an ArgG deletion strain showing that 90% of the strains exhibit temperature-sensitive growth and 69% of the strains are auxotrophic for arginine at 42 °C and prototrophic at 30 °C. The best temperature-sensitive ArgG variant enabled precise and tunable control of cell growth by temperature changes. Expressing this variant in a feedback-dysregulated E. coli strain allowed us to realize a two-stage bioprocess: a 33 °C growth-phase for biomass accumulation and a 39 °C stationary-phase for citrulline production. With this two-stage strategy, we produced 3 g/L citrulline during 45 h cultivation in a 1-L bioreactor. These results show that temperature-sensitive enzymes can be created en masse and that they may function as metabolic valves in engineered bacteria. Method to enrich temperature-sensitive enzymes en masse. Temperature-sensitive enzymes function as metabolic valve. Temperature controlled two-stage production of citrulline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorben Schramm
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 16, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Martin Lempp
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 16, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Dominik Beuter
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 16, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Silvia González Sierra
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 16, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Timo Glatter
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 16, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Hannes Link
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 16, 35043, Marburg, Germany.
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49
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Landberg J, Mundhada H, Nielsen AT. An autoinducible trp-T7 expression system for production of proteins and biochemicals in Escherichia coli. Biotechnol Bioeng 2020; 117:1513-1524. [PMID: 32022248 PMCID: PMC7186829 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Inducible expression systems can be applied to control the expression of proteins or biochemical pathways in cell factories. However, several of the established systems require the addition of expensive inducers, making them unfeasible for large‐scale production. Here, we establish a genome integrated trp‐T7 expression system where tryptophan can be used to control the induction of a gene or a metabolic pathway. We show that the initiation of gene expression from low‐ and high‐copy vectors can be tuned by varying the initial concentration of tryptophan or yeast extract, and that expression is tightly regulated and homogenous when compared with the commonly used lac‐T7 system. Finally, we apply the trp‐T7 expression system for the production of l‐serine, where we reach titers of 26 g/L in fed‐batch fermentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Landberg
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Hemanshu Mundhada
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.,CysBio ApS, Hørsholm, Denmark
| | - Alex Toftgaard Nielsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
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50
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Woodley JM. Advances in biological conversion technologies: new opportunities for reaction engineering. REACT CHEM ENG 2020. [DOI: 10.1039/c9re00422j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Reaction engineering needs to embrace biological conversion technologies, on the road to identify more sustainable routes for chemical manufacture.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M. Woodley
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
- DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby
- Denmark
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