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Cao W, Huang C, Zhou X, Zhou S, Deng Y. Engineering two-component systems for advanced biosensing: From architecture to applications in biotechnology. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 75:108404. [PMID: 39002783 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
Two-component systems (TCSs) are prevalent signaling pathways in bacteria. These systems mediate phosphotransfer between histidine kinase and a response regulator, facilitating responses to diverse physical, chemical, and biological stimuli. Advancements in synthetic and structural biology have repurposed TCSs for applications in monitoring heavy metals, disease-associated biomarkers, and the production of bioproducts. However, the utility of many TCS biosensors is hindered by undesired performance due to the lack of effective engineering methods. Here, we briefly discuss the architectures and regulatory mechanisms of TCSs. We also summarize the recent advancements in TCS engineering by experimental or computational-based methods to fine-tune the biosensor functional parameters, such as response curve and specificity. Engineered TCSs have great potential in the medical, environmental, and biorefinery fields, demonstrating a crucial role in a wide area of biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyan Cao
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Chao Huang
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Xuan Zhou
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Shenghu Zhou
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
| | - Yu Deng
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
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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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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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Feedforward growth rate control mitigates gene activation burden. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7054. [PMID: 36396941 PMCID: PMC9672102 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34647-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterologous gene activation causes non-physiological burden on cellular resources that cells are unable to adjust to. Here, we introduce a feedforward controller that actuates growth rate upon activation of a gene of interest (GOI) to compensate for such a burden. The controller achieves this by activating a modified SpoT enzyme (SpoTH) with sole hydrolysis activity, which lowers ppGpp level and thus increases growth rate. An inducible RelA+ expression cassette further allows to precisely set the basal level of ppGpp, and thus nominal growth rate, in any bacterial strain. Without the controller, activation of the GOI decreased growth rate by more than 50%. With the controller, we could activate the GOI to the same level without growth rate defect. A cell strain armed with the controller in co-culture enabled persistent population-level activation of a GOI, which could not be achieved by a strain devoid of the controller. The feedforward controller is a tunable, modular, and portable tool that allows dynamic gene activation without growth rate defects for bacterial synthetic biology applications.
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Xu P, Zhou K. Editorial overview: Analytical biotechnology for healthcare, strain engineering, biosensing and synthetic biology. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2022; 77:102765. [PMID: 35988531 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2022.102765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Peng Xu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong - Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou 515063, China.
| | - Kang Zhou
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117585, Singapore.
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