1
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Lu M, Billerbeck S. Improving homology-directed repair by small molecule agents for genetic engineering in unconventional yeast?-Learning from the engineering of mammalian systems. Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14398. [PMID: 38376092 PMCID: PMC10878012 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The ability to precisely edit genomes by deleting or adding genetic information enables the study of biological functions and the building of efficient cell factories. In many unconventional yeasts, such as those promising new hosts for cell factory design but also human pathogenic yeasts and food spoilers, this progress has been limited by the fact that most yeasts favour non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) over homologous recombination (HR) as a DNA repair mechanism, impairing genetic access to these hosts. In mammalian cells, small molecules that either inhibit proteins involved in NHEJ, enhance protein function in HR, or arrest the cell cycle in HR-dominant phases are regarded as promising agents for the simple and transient increase of HR-mediated genome editing without the need for a priori host engineering. Only a few of these chemicals have been applied to the engineering of yeast, although the targeted proteins are mostly conserved, making chemical agents a yet-underexplored area for enhancing yeast engineering. Here, we consolidate knowledge of the available small molecules that have been used to improve HR efficiency in mammalian cells and the few ones that have been used in yeast. We include available high-throughput-compatible NHEJ/HR quantification assays that could be used to screen for and isolate yeast-specific inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Lu
- Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology InstituteUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Sonja Billerbeck
- Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology InstituteUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
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2
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Myburgh MW, Schwerdtfeger KS, Cripwell RA, van Zyl WH, Viljoen-Bloom M. Promoters and introns as key drivers for enhanced gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ADVANCES IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY 2023; 124:1-29. [PMID: 37597945 DOI: 10.1016/bs.aambs.2023.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
The transcription of genes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is governed by multiple layers of regulatory elements and proteins, cooperating to ensure optimum expression of the final protein product based on the cellular requirements. Promoters have always been regarded as the most important determinant of gene transcription, but introns also play a key role in the expression of intron-encoding genes. Some introns can enhance transcription when introduced either promoter-proximal or embedded in the open reading frame of genes. However, the outcome is seldom predictable, with some introns increasing or decreasing transcription depending on the promoter and reporter gene employed. This chapter provides an overview of the general structure and function of promoters and introns and how they may cooperate during transcription to allow intron-mediated enhancement of gene expression. Since S. cerevisiae is a suitable host for recombinant protein production on a commercial level, stronger and more controllable promoters are in high demand. Enhanced gene expression can be achieved via promoter engineering, which may include introns that increase the efficacy of recombinant expression cassettes. Different models for the role of introns in transcription are briefly discussed to show how these intervening sequences can actively interact with the transcription machinery. Furthermore, recent examples of improved protein production via the introduction of promoter-proximal introns are highlighted to showcase the potential value of intron-mediated enhancement of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rosemary Anne Cripwell
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, South Africa
| | - Willem Heber van Zyl
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, South Africa
| | - Marinda Viljoen-Bloom
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, South Africa.
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3
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Di Rienzo L, Miotto M, Milanetti E, Ruocco G. Computational structural-based GPCR optimization for user-defined ligand: Implications for the development of biosensors. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:3002-3009. [PMID: 37249971 PMCID: PMC10220229 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Organisms have developed effective mechanisms to sense the external environment. Human-designed biosensors exploit this natural optimization, where different biological machinery have been adapted to detect the presence of user-defined molecules. Specifically, the pheromone pathway in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae represents a suitable candidate as a synthetic signaling system. Indeed, it expresses just one G-Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR), Ste2, able to recognize pheromone and initiate the expression of pheromone-dependent genes. To date, the standard procedure to engineer this system relies on the substitution of the yeast GPCR with another one and on the modification of the yeast G-protein to bind the inserted receptor. Here, we propose an innovative computational procedure, based on geometrical and chemical optimization of protein binding pockets, to select the amino acid substitutions required to make the native yeast GPCR able to recognize a user-defined ligand. This procedure would allow the yeast to recognize a wide range of ligands, without a-priori knowledge about a GPCR recognizing them or the corresponding G protein. We used Monte Carlo simulations to design on Ste2 a binding pocket able to recognize epinephrine, selected as a test ligand. We validated Ste2 mutants via molecular docking and molecular dynamics. We verified that the amino acid substitutions we identified make Ste2 able to accommodate and remain firmly bound to epinephrine. Our results indicate that we sampled efficiently the huge space of possible mutants, proposing such a strategy as a promising starting point for the development of a new kind of S.cerevisiae-based biosensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Di Rienzo
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Mattia Miotto
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Edoardo Milanetti
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Ruocco
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
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4
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Abstract
The microbiome may impact cancer development, progression and treatment responsiveness, but its fungal components remain insufficiently studied in this context. In this review, we highlight accumulating evidence suggesting a possible involvement of commensal and pathogenic fungi in modulation of cancer-related processes. We discuss the mechanisms by which fungi can influence tumour biology, locally by activity exerted within the tumour microenvironment, or remotely through secretion of bioactive metabolites, modulation of host immunity and communications with neighbouring bacterial commensals. We examine prospects of utilising fungi-related molecular signatures in cancer diagnosis, patient stratification and assessment of treatment responsiveness, while highlighting challenges and limitations faced in performing such research. In all, we demonstrate that fungi likely constitute important members of mucosal and tumour-residing microbiomes. Exploration of fungal inter-kingdom interactions with the bacterial microbiome and the host and decoding of their causal impacts on tumour biology may enable their harnessing into cancer diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurelia Saftien
- Microbiome and Cancer Division, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jens Puschhof
- Microbiome and Cancer Division, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Eran Elinav
- Microbiome and Cancer Division, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Systems Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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5
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Zhou P, Liu H, Meng X, Zuo H, Qi M, Guo L, Gao C, Song W, Wu J, Chen X, Chen W, Liu L. Engineered Artificial Membraneless Organelles in Saccharomyces cerevisiae To Enhance Chemical Production. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202215778. [PMID: 36762978 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202215778] [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: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Microbial cell factories provide a green and sustainable opportunity to produce value-added products from renewable feedstock. However, the leakage of toxic or volatile intermediates decreases the efficiency of microbial cell factories. In this study, membraneless organelles (MLOs) were reconstructed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by the disordered protein sequence A-IDPs. A regulation system was designed to spatiotemporally regulate the size and rigidity of MLOs. Manipulating the MLO size of strain ZP03-FM, the amounts of assimilated methanol and malate were increased by 162 % and 61 %, respectively. Furthermore, manipulating the MLO rigidity in strain ZP04-RB made acetyl-coA synthesis from oxidative glycolysis change to non-oxidative glycolysis; consequently, CO2 release decreased by 35 % and the n-butanol yield increased by 20 %. This artificial MLO provides a strategy for the co-localization of enzymes to channel C1 starting materials into value-added chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Hui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Xin Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Huiyun Zuo
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Mengya Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Liang Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Cong Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Wei Song
- School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Jing Wu
- School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Xiulai Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Wei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Liming Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
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6
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Park JH, Bassalo MC, Lin GM, Chen Y, Doosthosseini H, Schmitz J, Roubos JA, Voigt CA. Design of Four Small-Molecule-Inducible Systems in the Yeast Chromosome, Applied to Optimize Terpene Biosynthesis. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:1119-1132. [PMID: 36943773 PMCID: PMC10127285 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
The optimization of cellular functions often requires the balancing of gene expression, but the physical construction and screening of alternative designs are costly and time-consuming. Here, we construct a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that contains a "sensor array" containing bacterial regulators that respond to four small-molecule inducers (vanillic acid, xylose, aTc, IPTG). Four promoters can be independently controlled with low background and a 40- to 5000-fold dynamic range. These systems can be used to study the impact of changing the level and timing of gene expression without requiring the construction of multiple strains. We apply this approach to the optimization of a four-gene heterologous pathway to the terpene linalool, which is a flavor and precursor to energetic materials. Using this approach, we identify bottlenecks in the metabolic pathway. This work can aid the rapid automated strain development of yeasts for the bio-manufacturing of diverse products, including chemicals, materials, fuels, and food ingredients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jong Hyun Park
- Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 500 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Marcelo C Bassalo
- Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 500 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Geng-Min Lin
- Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 500 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Ye Chen
- Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 500 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Hamid Doosthosseini
- Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 500 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Joep Schmitz
- DSM Science & Innovation, Biodata & Translational Sciences, P.O. Box 1, 2600 MA Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Johannes A Roubos
- DSM Science & Innovation, Biodata & Translational Sciences, P.O. Box 1, 2600 MA Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Christopher A Voigt
- Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 500 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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7
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Szent-Gyorgyi C, Perkins LA, Schmidt BF, Liu Z, Bruchez MP, van de Weerd R. Bottom-Up Design: A Modular Golden Gate Assembly Platform of Yeast Plasmids for Simultaneous Secretion and Surface Display of Distinct FAP Fusion Proteins. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:3681-3698. [PMID: 36260923 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
A need in synthetic biology is the ability to precisely and efficiently make flexible fully designed vectors that addresses challenging cloning strategies of single plasmids that rely on combinatorial co-expression of a multitude of target and bait fusion reporters useful in projects like library screens. For these strategies, the regulatory elements and functional components need to correspond perfectly to project specific sequence elements that facilitate easy exchange of these elements. This requires systematic implementation and building on recent improvements in Golden Gate (GG) that ensures high cloning efficiency for such complex vectors. Currently, this is not addressed in the variety of molecular GG cloning techniques in synthetic biology. Here, we present the bottom-up design and plasmid synthesis to prepare 10 kb functional yeast secrete and display plasmids that uses an optimized version of GG in combination with fluorogen-activating protein reporter technology. This allowed us to demonstrate nanobody/target protein interactions in a single cell, as detected by cell surface retention of secreted target proteins by cognate nanobodies. This validates the GG constructional approach and suggests a new approach for discovering protein interactions. Our GG assembly platform paves the way for vector-based library screening and can be used for other recombinant GG platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Szent-Gyorgyi
- Molecular Biosensor & Imaging Center (MBIC), Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Lydia A Perkins
- Molecular Biosensor & Imaging Center (MBIC), Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Brigitte F Schmidt
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Zhen Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Marcel P Bruchez
- Molecular Biosensor & Imaging Center (MBIC), Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States.,Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Robert van de Weerd
- Molecular Biosensor & Imaging Center (MBIC), Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
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8
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Myburgh MW, Rose SH, Viljoen-Bloom M. Evaluating and engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae promoters for increased amylase expression and bioethanol production from raw starch. FEMS Yeast Res 2021; 20:5891427. [PMID: 32785598 DOI: 10.1093/femsyr/foaa047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Bioethanol production from starchy biomass via consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) will benefit from amylolytic Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that produce high levels of recombinant amylases. This could be achieved by using strong promoters and modification thereof to improve gene expression under industrial conditions. This study evaluated eight endogenous S. cerevisiae promoters for the expression of a starch-hydrolysing α-amylase gene. A total of six of the native promoters were modified to contain a promoter-proximal intron directly downstream of the full-length promoter. Varying results were obtained; four native promoters outperformed the ENO1P benchmark under aerobic conditions and two promoters showed better expression under simulated CBP conditions. The addition of the RPS25A intron significantly improved the expression from most promoters, displaying increased transcript levels, protein concentrations and amylase activities. Raw starch-utilising strains were constructed through co-expression of selected α-amylase cassettes and a glucoamylase gene. The amylolytic strains displayed improved fermentation vigour on raw corn starch and broken rice, reaching 97% of the theoretical ethanol yield and converting 100% of the available carbon to products within 120 h in small-scale CBP fermentations on broken rice. This study showed that enhanced amylolytic strains for the conversion of raw starch to ethanol can be achieved through turnkey promoter selection and/or engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marthinus W Myburgh
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa
| | - Shaunita H Rose
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa
| | - Marinda Viljoen-Bloom
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa
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9
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Xu L, Liu P, Dai Z, Fan F, Zhang X. Fine-tuning the expression of pathway gene in yeast using a regulatory library formed by fusing a synthetic minimal promoter with different Kozak variants. Microb Cell Fact 2021; 20:148. [PMID: 34320991 PMCID: PMC8317321 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-021-01641-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tailoring gene expression to balance metabolic fluxes is critical for the overproduction of metabolites in yeast hosts, and its implementation requires coordinated regulation at both transcriptional and translational levels. Although synthetic minimal yeast promoters have shown many advantages compared to natural promoters, their transcriptional strength is still limited, which restricts their applications in pathway engineering. RESULTS In this work, we sought to expand the application scope of synthetic minimal yeast promoters by enhancing the corresponding translation levels using specific Kozak sequence variants. Firstly, we chose the reported UASF-E-C-Core1 minimal promoter as a library template and determined its Kozak motif (K0). Next, we randomly mutated the K0 to generate a chimeric promoter library, which was able to drive green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression with translational strengths spanning a 500-fold range. A total of 14 chimeric promoters showed at least two-fold differences in GFP expression strength compared to the K0 control. The best one named K528 even showed 8.5- and 3.3-fold increases in fluorescence intensity compared with UASF-E-C-Core1 and the strong native constitutive promoter PTDH3, respectively. Subsequently, we chose three representative strong chimeric promoters (K540, K536, and K528) from this library to regulate pathway gene expression. In conjunction with the tHMG1 gene for squalene production, the K528 variant produced the best squalene titer of 32.1 mg/L in shake flasks, which represents a more than 10-fold increase compared to the parental K0 control (3.1 mg/L). CONCLUSIONS All these results demonstrate that this chimeric promoter library developed in this study is an effective tool for pathway engineering in yeast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Xu
- School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 96, JinZhai Road, Baohe District, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, People's Republic of China.,Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
| | - Pingping Liu
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China.,National Innovation Center for Synthetic Biotechnology, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhubo Dai
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China.,National Innovation Center for Synthetic Biotechnology, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
| | - Feiyu Fan
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China. .,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China. .,National Innovation Center for Synthetic Biotechnology, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xueli Zhang
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China. .,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China. .,National Innovation Center for Synthetic Biotechnology, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China.
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10
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Ito Y, Terai G, Ishigami M, Hashiba N, Nakamura Y, Bamba T, Kumokita R, Hasunuma T, Asai K, Ishii J, Kondo A. Exchange of endogenous and heterogeneous yeast terminators in Pichia pastoris to tune mRNA stability and gene expression. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 48:13000-13012. [PMID: 33257988 PMCID: PMC7736810 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa1066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, terminator sequences not only terminate transcription but also affect expression levels of the protein-encoded upstream of the terminator. The non-conventional yeast Pichia pastoris (syn. Komagataella phaffii) has frequently been used as a platform for metabolic engineering but knowledge regarding P. pastoris terminators is limited. To explore terminator sequences available to tune protein expression levels in P. pastoris, we created a 'terminator catalog' by testing 72 sequences, including terminators from S. cerevisiae or P. pastoris and synthetic terminators. Altogether, we found that the terminators have a tunable range of 17-fold. We also found that S. cerevisiae terminator sequences maintain function when transferred to P. pastoris. Successful tuning of protein expression levels was shown not only for the reporter gene used to define the catalog but also using betaxanthin production as an example application in pathway flux regulation. Moreover, we found experimental evidence that protein expression levels result from mRNA abundance and in silico evidence that levels reflect the stability of mRNA 3'-UTR secondary structure. In combination with promoter selection, the novel terminator catalog constitutes a basic toolbox for tuning protein expression levels in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology in P. pastoris.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoichiro Ito
- Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.,Engineering Biology Research Center, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Goro Terai
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8561, Japan
| | - Misa Ishigami
- Technology Research Association of Highly Efficient Gene Design, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Noriko Hashiba
- Technology Research Association of Highly Efficient Gene Design, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Nakamura
- Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.,Engineering Biology Research Center, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Takahiro Bamba
- Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Ryota Kumokita
- Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Tomohisa Hasunuma
- Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.,Engineering Biology Research Center, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Asai
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8561, Japan
| | - Jun Ishii
- Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.,Engineering Biology Research Center, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Akihiko Kondo
- Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.,Engineering Biology Research Center, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.,Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
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11
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Ma J, Gu Y, Xu P. A roadmap to engineering antiviral natural products synthesis in microbes. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2020; 66:140-149. [PMID: 32795662 PMCID: PMC7419324 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2020.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Natural products continue to be the inspirations for us to discover and acquire new drugs. The seemingly unstoppable viruses have kept records high to threaten human health and well-being. The diversity and complexity of natural products (NPs) offer remarkable efficacy and specificity to target viral infection steps and serve as excellent source for antiviral agents. The discovery and production of antiviral NPs remain challenging due to low abundance in their native hosts. Reconstruction of NP biosynthetic pathways in microbes is a promising solution to overcome this limitation. In this review, we surveyed 23 most prominent NPs (from more than 200 antiviral NP candidates) with distinct antiviral mode of actions and summarized the recent metabolic engineering effort to produce these compounds in various microbial hosts. We envision that the scalable and low-cost production of novel antiviral NPs, enabled by metabolic engineering, may light the hope to control and eradicate the deadliest viruses that plague our society and humanity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingbo Ma
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA
| | - Yang Gu
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA; Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Peng Xu
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA.
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12
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Lacerda MP, Oh EJ, Eckert C. The Model System Saccharomyces cerevisiae Versus Emerging Non-Model Yeasts for the Production of Biofuels. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:E299. [PMID: 33233378 PMCID: PMC7700301 DOI: 10.3390/life10110299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms are effective platforms for the production of a variety of chemicals including biofuels, commodity chemicals, polymers and other natural products. However, deep cellular understanding is required for improvement of current biofuel cell factories to truly transform the Bioeconomy. Modifications in microbial metabolic pathways and increased resistance to various types of stress caused by the production of these chemicals are crucial in the generation of robust and efficient production hosts. Recent advances in systems and synthetic biology provide new tools for metabolic engineering to design strategies and construct optimal biocatalysts for the sustainable production of desired chemicals, especially in the case of ethanol and fatty acid production. Yeast is an efficient producer of bioethanol and most of the available synthetic biology tools have been developed for the industrial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Non-conventional yeast systems have several advantageous characteristics that are not easily engineered such as ethanol tolerance, low pH tolerance, thermotolerance, inhibitor tolerance, genetic diversity and so forth. Currently, synthetic biology is still in its initial steps for studies in non-conventional yeasts such as Yarrowia lipolytica, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Issatchenkia orientalis and Pichia pastoris. Therefore, the development and application of advanced synthetic engineering tools must also focus on these underexploited, non-conventional yeast species. Herein, we review the basic synthetic biology tools that can be applied to the standard S. cerevisiae model strain, as well as those that have been developed for non-conventional yeasts. In addition, we will discuss the recent advances employed to develop non-conventional yeast strains that are efficient for the production of a variety of chemicals through the use of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Priscila Lacerda
- Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA;
| | - Eun Joong Oh
- Department of Food Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA;
| | - Carrie Eckert
- Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA;
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Biosciences Center, Golden, CO 80401, USA
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Rowe JB, Taghon GJ, Kapolka NJ, Morgan WM, Isom DG. CRISPR-addressable yeast strains with applications in human G protein-coupled receptor profiling and synthetic biology. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:8262-8271. [PMID: 32358068 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.013066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome stability is essential for engineering cell-based devices and reporter systems. With the advent of CRISPR technology, it is now possible to build such systems by installing the necessary genetic parts directly into an organism's genome. Here, we used this approach to build a set of 10 versatile yeast-based reporter strains for studying human G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest class of membrane receptors in humans. These reporter strains contain the necessary genetically encoded parts for studying human GPCR signaling in yeast, as well as four CRISPR-addressable expression cassettes, i.e. landing pads, installed at known safe-harbor sites in the yeast genome. We showcase the utility of these strains in two applications. First, we demonstrate that increasing GPCR expression by incrementally increasing GPCR gene copy number potentiates Gα coupling of the pharmacologically dark receptor GPR68. Second, we used two CRISPR-addressable landing pads for autocrine activation of a GPCR (the somatostatin receptor SSTR5) with its peptide agonist SRIF-14. The utility of these reporter strains can be extended far beyond these select examples to include applications such as nanobody development, mutational analysis, drug discovery, and studies of GPCR chaperoning. Additionally, we present a BY4741 yeast strain created for broad applications in the yeast and synthetic biology communities that contains only the four CRISPR-addressable landing pads. The general utility of these yeast strains provides an inexpensive, scalable, and easy means of installing and expressing genes directly from the yeast genome to build genome-barcoded sensors, reporter systems, and cell-based factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob B Rowe
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Geoffrey J Taghon
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Nicholas J Kapolka
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - William M Morgan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Daniel G Isom
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA .,University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami, Florida, USA.,University of Miami Center for Computational Sciences, Miami, Florida, USA
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Zha W, An T, Li T, Zhu J, Gao K, Sun Z, Xu W, Lin P, Zi J. Reconstruction of the Biosynthetic Pathway of Santalols under Control of the GAL Regulatory System in Yeast. ACS Synth Biol 2020; 9:449-456. [PMID: 31940436 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Sandalwood oil has been widely used in perfumery industries and aromatherapy. Santalols are its major components. Herein, we attempted to construct santalol-producing yeasts. To alter flux from predominant triterpenoid/steroid biosynthesis to sesquiterpenoid production, expression of ERG9 (encoding yeast squalene synthase) was depressed by replacing its innate promotor with PHXT1 and fermenting the resulting strains in galactose-rich media. And the genes related to santalol biosynthesis were overexpressed under control of GAL promotors, which linked santalol biosynthesis to GAL regulatory system. GAL4 (a transcriptional activator of GAL promotors) and PGM2 (a yeast phosphoglucomutase) were overexpressed to overall promote this artificial santalol biosynthetic pathway and enhance galactose uptake. 1.3 g/L santalols and 1.2 g/L Z-α-santalol were achieved in the strain WL17 expressing SaSS (α-santalene synthase from Santalum album) and WL19 expressing SanSyn (α-santalene synthase from Clausena lansium) by fed-batch fermentation, respectively. This study constructed the microbial santalol-producing platform for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenlong Zha
- Biotechnological Institute of Chinese Materia Medic, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Tianyue An
- Biotechnological Institute of Chinese Materia Medic, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Ting Li
- Biotechnological Institute of Chinese Materia Medic, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Jianxun Zhu
- Biotechnological Institute of Chinese Materia Medic, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Ke Gao
- Biotechnological Institute of Chinese Materia Medic, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Zhenjiao Sun
- Guangdong Qingyunshan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shaoguan 512600, China
| | - Wendong Xu
- National Engineering Research Center for Modernization of Extraction and Separation Process of TCM/Guangzhou Hanfang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510240, China
| | - Pengcheng Lin
- College of Pharmacy, Qinghai Nationalities University, Xining 810007, China
| | - Jiachen Zi
- Biotechnological Institute of Chinese Materia Medic, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
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Oreb M. Construction of artificial membrane transport metabolons – an emerging strategy in metabolic engineering. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2020; 367:5735437. [DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnaa027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The term ‘membrane transport metabolon’ refers to the physical association of membrane transporters with enzymes that metabolize the transported substrates. In naturally evolved systems, physiological relevance of coupling transport with sequential enzymatic reactions resides, for instance, in faster turnover rates, protection of substrates from competing pathways or shielding the cellular environment from toxic compounds. Such underlying principles offer attractive possibilities for metabolic engineering approaches and concepts for constructing artificial transporter-enzyme complexes are recently being developed. In this minireview, the modes of substrate channeling across biological membranes and design principles for artificial transport metabolons are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mislav Oreb
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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The gal80 Deletion by CRISPR-Cas9 in Engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae Produces Artemisinic Acid Without Galactose Induction. Curr Microbiol 2019; 76:1313-1319. [PMID: 31392501 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-019-01752-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-Cas system has emerged as the dominating tool for genome engineering, while also changes the speed and efficiency of metabolic engineering in conventional and non-conventional yeasts. Among these CRISPR-Cas systems, CRISPR-Cas9 technology has usually been applied for removing unfavorable target genes. Here, we used CRISPR-Cas9 technology to delete the gal80 gene in uracil-deficient strain and had successfully remolded the engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae that can produce artemisinic acid without galactose induction. An L9(34) orthogonal test was adopted to investigate the effects of different factors on artemisinic acid production. Fermentation medium III with sucrose as carbon sources, 1% inoculum level, and 84-h culture time were identified as the optimal fermentation conditions. Under this condition, the maximum artemisinic acid production by engineered S. cerevisiae 1211-2 was 740 mg/L in shake-flask cultivation level. This study provided an effective approach to reform metabolic pathway of artemisinic acid-producing strain. The engineered S. cerevisiae 1211-2 may be applied to artemisinic acid production by industrial fermentation in the future.
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Tuite MF. Yeast models of neurodegenerative diseases. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2019; 168:351-379. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2019.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Young R, Purton S. CITRIC: cold-inducible translational readthrough in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii using a novel temperature-sensitive transfer RNA. Microb Cell Fact 2018; 17:186. [PMID: 30474564 PMCID: PMC6260665 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-018-1033-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The chloroplast of eukaryotic microalgae such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a potential platform for metabolic engineering and the production of recombinant proteins. In industrial biotechnology, inducible expression is often used so that the translation or function of the heterologous protein does not interfere with biomass accumulation during the growth stage. However, the existing systems used in bacterial or fungal platforms do not transfer well to the microalgal chloroplast. We sought to develop a simple inducible expression system for the microalgal chloroplast, exploiting an unused stop codon (TGA) in the plastid genome. We have previously shown that this codon can be translated as tryptophan when we introduce into the chloroplast genome a trnWUCA gene encoding a plastidial transfer RNA with a modified anticodon sequence, UCA. Results A mutated version of our trnWUCA gene was developed that encodes a temperature-sensitive variant of the tRNA. This allows transgenes that have been modified to contain one or more internal TGA codons to be translated differentially according to the culture temperature, with a gradient of recombinant protein accumulation from 35 °C (low/off) to 15 °C (high). We have named this the CITRIC system, an acronym for cold-inducible translational readthrough in chloroplasts. The exact induction behaviour can be tailored by altering the number of TGA codons within the transgene. Conclusions CITRIC adds to the suite of genetic engineering tools available for the microalgal chloroplast, allowing a greater degree of control over the timing of heterologous protein expression. It could also be used as a heat-repressible system for studying the function of essential native genes in the chloroplast. The genetic components of CITRIC are entirely plastid-based, so no engineering of the nuclear genome is required. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12934-018-1033-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosanna Young
- Algal Research Group, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.,Department of Medicine, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Saul Purton
- Algal Research Group, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
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