TheyeaS(leuE) gene ofEscherichia coliencodes an exporter of leucine, and the Lrp protein regulates its expression

Microbial production of sulfur-containing amino acids using metabolically engineered Escherichia coli

L-Cysteine and L-methionine, as the only two sulfur-containing amino acids among the canonical 20 amino acids, possess distinct characteristics and find wide-ranging industrial applications. The use of different organisms for fermentative production of L-cysteine and L-methionine is gaining increasing attention, with Escherichia coli being extensively studied as the preferred strain. This preference is due to its ability to grow rapidly in cost-effective media, its robustness for industrial processes, the well-characterized metabolism, and the availability of molecular tools for genetic engineering. This review focuses on the genetic and molecular mechanisms involved in the production of these sulfur-containing amino acids in E. coli. Additionally, we systematically summarize the metabolic engineering strategies employed to enhance their production, including the identification of new targets, modulation of metabolic fluxes, modification of transport systems, dynamic regulation strategies, and optimization of fermentation conditions. The strategies and design principles discussed in this review hold the potential to facilitate the development of strain and process engineering for direct fermentation of sulfur-containing amino acids.

Investigating the transcriptomic variances in two phases Ecytonucleospora hepatopenaei (EHP) in Litopenaeus vannamei

This study explores the transcriptomic differences in two distinct phases of Ecytonucleospora hepatopenaei (EHP) in Litopenaeus vannamei, a crucial aspect in shrimp health management. We employed high-throughput sequencing to categorize samples into two phases, 'Phase A' and 'Phase B', defined by the differential expression of PTP2 and TPS1 genes. Our analysis identified 2057 genes, with 78 exhibiting significant variances, including 62 upregulated and 16 downregulated genes. Enrichment analyses via GO and KEGG pathways highlighted these genes' roles in cellular metabolism, signal transduction, and immune responses. Notably, genes like IQGAP2, Rhob, Pim1, and PCM1 emerged as potentially crucial in EHP's infection process and lifecycle. We hypothesize that these genes may influence trehalose metabolism and glucose provision, impacting the biological activities within EHP during different phases. Interestingly, a lower transcript count in 'Phase A' EHP suggests a reduction in biological activities, likely preparing for host cell invasion. This research provides a foundational understanding of EHP infection mechanisms, offering vital insights for future studies and therapeutic interventions.

Combinatorial protein engineering and transporter engineering for efficient synthesis of L-Carnosine in Escherichia coli

L-Carnosine has various physiological functions and is widely used in cosmetics, medicine, food additives, and other fields. However, the yield of L-Carnosine obtained by biological methods is far from the level of industrial production. Herein, a cell factory for efficient synthesis of L-Carnosine was constructed based on transporter engineering and protein engineering. Firstly, a dipeptidase (SmpepD) was screened from Serratia marcescens through genome mining to construct a cell factory for synthesizing L-Carnosine. Subsequently, through rationally designed SmPepD, a double mutant T168S/G148D increased the L-Carnosine yield by 41.6% was obtained. Then, yeaS, a gene encoding the exporter of L-histidine, was deleted to further increase the production of L-Carnosine. Finally, L-Carnosine was produced by one-pot biotransformation in a 5 L bioreactor under optimized conditions with a yield of 133.2 mM. This study represented the highest yield of L-Carnosine synthesized in microorganisms and provided a biosynthetic pathway for the industrial production of L-Carnosine.

Genomic footprinting uncovers global transcription factor responses to amino acids in Escherichia coli

Our knowledge of transcriptional responses to changes in nutrient availability comes primarily from few well-studied transcription factors (TFs), often lacking an unbiased genome-wide perspective. Leveraging recent advances allowing bacterial genomic footprinting, we comprehensively mapped the genome-wide regulatory responses of Escherichia coli to exogenous leucine, methionine, alanine, and lysine. The global TF Lrp was found to individually sense three amino acids and mount three different target gene responses. Overall, 531 genes had altered RNA polymerase occupancy, and 32 TFs responded directly or indirectly to the presence of amino acids, including regulators of membrane and osmotic pressure homeostasis. About 70% of the detected TF-DNA interactions had not been reported before. We thus identified 682 previously unknown TF-binding locations, for a subset of which the involved TFs were identified by affinity purification. This comprehensive map of amino acid regulation illustrates the incompleteness of the known transcriptional regulation network, even in E. coli.

Construction of a plasmid-free L-leucine overproducing Escherichia coli strain through reprogramming of the metabolic flux

BACKGROUND

L-Leucine is a high-value amino acid with promising applications in the medicine and feed industries. However, the complex metabolic network and intracellular redox imbalance in fermentative microbes limit their efficient biosynthesis of L-leucine.

RESULTS

In this study, we applied rational metabolic engineering and a dynamic regulation strategy to construct a plasmid-free, non-auxotrophic Escherichia coli strain that overproduces L-leucine. First, the L-leucine biosynthesis pathway was strengthened through multi-step rational metabolic engineering. Then, a cooperative cofactor utilization strategy was designed to ensure redox balance for L-leucine production. Finally, to further improve the L-leucine yield, a toggle switch for dynamically controlling sucAB expression was applied to accurately regulate the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the carbon flux toward L-leucine biosynthesis. Strain LEU27 produced up to 55 g/L of L-leucine, with a yield of 0.23 g/g glucose.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of strategies can be applied to the development of microbial platforms that produce L-leucine and its derivatives.

Are Bacteria Leaky? Mechanisms of Metabolite Externalization in Bacterial Cross-Feeding

The metabolism of a bacterial cell stretches beyond its boundaries, often connecting with the metabolism of other cells to form extended metabolic networks that stretch across communities, and even the globe. Among the least intuitive metabolic connections are those involving cross-feeding of canonically intracellular metabolites. How and why are these intracellular metabolites externalized? Are bacteria simply leaky? Here I consider what it means for a bacterium to be leaky, and I review mechanisms of metabolite externalization from the context of cross-feeding. Despite common claims, diffusion of most intracellular metabolites across a membrane is unlikely. Instead, passive and active transporters are likely involved, possibly purging excess metabolites as part of homeostasis. Re-acquisition of metabolites by a producer limits the opportunities for cross-feeding. However, a competitive recipient can stimulate metabolite externalization and initiate a positive-feedback loop of reciprocal cross-feeding.

Taurine as a key intermediate for host-symbiont interaction in the tropical sponge Ianthella basta

Marine sponges are critical components of marine benthic fauna assemblages, where their filter-feeding and reef-building capabilities provide bentho-pelagic coupling and crucial habitat. As potentially the oldest representation of a metazoan-microbe symbiosis, they also harbor dense, diverse, and species-specific communities of microbes, which are increasingly recognized for their contributions to dissolved organic matter (DOM) processing. Recent omics-based studies of marine sponge microbiomes have proposed numerous pathways of dissolved metabolite exchange between the host and symbionts within the context of the surrounding environment, but few studies have sought to experimentally interrogate these pathways. By using a combination of metaproteogenomics and laboratory incubations coupled with isotope-based functional assays, we showed that the dominant gammaproteobacterial symbiont, 'Candidatus Taurinisymbion ianthellae', residing in the marine sponge, Ianthella basta, expresses a pathway for the import and dissimilation of taurine, a ubiquitously occurring sulfonate metabolite in marine sponges. 'Candidatus Taurinisymbion ianthellae' incorporates taurine-derived carbon and nitrogen while, at the same time, oxidizing the dissimilated sulfite into sulfate for export. Furthermore, we found that taurine-derived ammonia is exported by the symbiont for immediate oxidation by the dominant ammonia-oxidizing thaumarchaeal symbiont, 'Candidatus Nitrosospongia ianthellae'. Metaproteogenomic analyses also suggest that 'Candidatus Taurinisymbion ianthellae' imports DMSP and possesses both pathways for DMSP demethylation and cleavage, enabling it to use this compound as a carbon and sulfur source for biomass, as well as for energy conservation. These results highlight the important role of biogenic sulfur compounds in the interplay between Ianthella basta and its microbial symbionts.

High-level and -yield production of L-leucine in engineered Escherichia coli by multistep metabolic engineering

L-leucine is an essential amino acid widely used in food and pharmaceutical industries. However, the relatively low production efficiency limits its large-scale application. In this study, we rationally developed an efficient L-leucine-producing Escherichia coli strain. Initially, the L-leucine synthesis pathway was enhanced by overexpressing feedback-resistant 2-isopropylmalate synthase and acetohydroxy acid synthase both derived from Corynebacterium glutamicum, along with two other native enzymes. Next, the pyruvate and acetyl-CoA pools were enriched by deleting competitive pathways, employing the nonoxidative glycolysis pathway, and dynamically modulating the citrate synthase activity, which significantly promoted the L-leucine production and yield to 40.69 g/L and 0.30 g/g glucose, respectively. Then, the redox flux was improved by substituting the native NADPH-dependent acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase, branched chain amino acid transaminase, and glutamate dehydrogenase with their NADH-dependent equivalents. Finally, L-leucine efflux was accelerated by precise overexpression of the exporter and deletion of the transporter. Under fed-batch conditions, the final strain LXH-21 produced 63.29 g/L of L-leucine, with a yield and productivity of 0.37 g/g glucose and 2.64 g/(L h), respectively. To our knowledge, this study achieved the highest production efficiency of L-leucine to date. The strategies presented here will be useful for engineering E. coli strains for producing L-leucine and related products on an industrial scale.

l-Alanine Exporter AlaE Functions as One of the d-Alanine Exporters in Escherichia coli

d-amino acids have recently been found to be present in the extracellular milieu at millimolar levels and are therefore assumed to play a physiological function. However, the pathway (or potential pathways) by which these d-amino acids are secreted remains unknown. Recently, Escherichia coli has been found to possess one or more energy-dependent d-alanine export systems. To gain insight into these systems, we developed a novel screening system in which cells expressing a putative d-alanine exporter could support the growth of d-alanine auxotrophs in the presence of l-alanyl-l-alanine. In the initial screening, five d-alanine exporter candidates, AlaE, YmcD, YciC, YraM, and YidH, were identified. Transport assays of radiolabeled d-alanine in cells expressing these candidates indicated that YciC and AlaE resulted in lower intracellular levels of d-alanine. Further detailed transport assays of AlaE in intact cells showed that it exports d-alanine in an expression-dependent manner. In addition, the growth constraints on cells in the presence of 90 mM d-alanine were mitigated by the overexpression of AlaE, implying that AlaE could export free d-alanine in addition to l-alanine under conditions in which intracellular d/l-alanine levels are raised. This study also shows, for the first time, that YciC could function as a d-alanine exporter in intact cells.

Noisy metabolism can promote microbial cross-feeding

Cross-feeding, the exchange of nutrients between organisms, is ubiquitous in microbial communities. Despite its importance in natural and engineered microbial systems, our understanding of how inter-species cross-feeding arises is incomplete, with existing theories limited to specific scenarios. Here, we introduce a novel theory for the emergence of such cross-feeding, which we term noise-averaging cooperation (NAC). NAC is based on the idea that, due to their small size, bacteria are prone to noisy regulation of metabolism which limits their growth rate. To compensate, related bacteria can share metabolites with each other to ‘average out’ noise and improve their collective growth. According to the Black Queen Hypothesis, this metabolite sharing among kin, a form of ‘leakage’, then allows for the evolution of metabolic interdependencies among species including de novo speciation via gene deletions. We first characterize NAC in a simple ecological model of cell metabolism, showing that metabolite leakage can in principle substantially increase growth rate in a community context. Next, we develop a generalized framework for estimating the potential benefits of NAC among real bacteria. Using single-cell protein abundance data, we predict that bacteria suffer from substantial noise-driven growth inefficiencies, and may therefore benefit from NAC. We then discuss potential evolutionary pathways for the emergence of NAC. Finally, we review existing evidence for NAC and outline potential experimental approaches to detect NAC in microbial communities.

The Escherichia coli Amino Acid Uptake Protein CycA: Regulation of Its Synthesis and Practical Application in l-Isoleucine Production

Amino acid transport systems perform important physiological functions; their role should certainly be considered in microbial production of amino acids. Typically, in the context of metabolic engineering, efforts are focused on the search for and application of specific amino acid efflux pumps. However, in addition, importers can also be used to improve the industrial process as a whole. In this study, the protein CycA, which is known for uptake of nonpolar amino acids, was characterized from the viewpoint of regulating its expression and range of substrates. We prepared a cycA-overexpressing strain and found that it exhibited high sensitivity to branched-chain amino acids and their structural analogues, with relatively increased consumption of these amino acids, suggesting that they are imported by CycA. The expression of cycA was found to be dependent on the extracellular concentrations of substrate amino acids. The role of some transcription factors in cycA expression, including of Lrp and Crp, was studied using a reporter gene construct. Evidence for the direct binding of Crp to the cycA regulatory region was obtained using a gel-retardation assay. The enhanced import of named amino acids due to cycA overexpression in the l-isoleucine-producing strain resulted in a significant reduction in the generation of undesirable impurities. This work demonstrates the importance of uptake systems with respect to their application in metabolic engineering.

Importance of transmembrane helix 4 of l-alanine exporter AlaE in oligomer formation and substrate export activity in Escherichia coli

AlaE is the smallest amino acid exporter identified in Escherichia coli. It exports l-alanine using the proton motive force and plays a pivotal role in maintaining intracellular l-alanine homeostasis by acting as a safety valve. However, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of substrate export by AlaE is still limited because structural information is lacking. Due to its small size (149 amino acid residues), it has been speculated that AlaE functions by forming an oligomer. In this study, we performed chemical cross-linking and pull-down assays and showed that AlaE indeed generates homo-oligomers as a functional unit. Previous random mutagenesis experiments identified three loss-of-function AlaE point mutations in the predicted transmembrane helix 4 (TM4) region, two of which are present in the GxxxG motif. When alanine-scanning mutagenesis was applied to the TM4 region, the AlaE derivatives that had amino acid substitutions around the GxxxG motif showed low l-alanine export activities, indicating that the GxxxG motif in TM4 plays an important role in substrate export. However, these AlaE variants with low activity could still form oligomers. We therefore concluded that AlaE forms homo-oligomers and that the GxxxG motif in the TM4 region plays an essential role in AlaE activity but is not involved in AlaE oligomer formation.

Topological analyses of the L-lysine exporter LysO reveal a critical role for a conserved pair of intramembrane solvent-exposed acidic residues

LysO, a prototypical member of the LysO family, mediates export of L-lysine (Lys) and resistance to the toxic Lys antimetabolite, L-thialysine (Thl) in Escherichia coli. Here, we have addressed unknown aspects of LysO function pertaining to its membrane topology and the mechanism by which it mediates Lys/Thl export. Using substituted cysteine (Cys) accessibility, here we delineated the membrane topology of LysO. Our studies support a model in which both the N- and C-termini of LysO are present at the periplasmic face of the membrane with a transmembrane (TM) domain comprising eight TM segments (TMSs) between them. In addition, a feature of intramembrane solvent exposure in LysO is inferred with the identification of membrane-located solvent-exposed Cys residues. Isosteric substitutions of a pair of conserved acidic residues, one E233, located in the solvent-exposed TMS7 and the other D261, in a solvent-exposed intramembrane segment located between TMS7 and TMS8, abolished LysO function in vivo. Thl, but not Lys, elicited proton release in inside-out membrane vesicles, a process requiring the presence of both E233 and D261. We postulate that Thl may be exported in antiport with H+ and that Lys may be a low-affinity export substrate. Our findings are compatible with a physiological scenario wherein in vivo LysO exports the naturally occurring antimetabolite Thl with higher affinity over the essential cellular metabolite Lys, thus affording protection from Thl toxicity and limiting wasteful export of Lys.

The leucine-responsive regulatory proteins/feast-famine regulatory proteins: an ancient and complex class of transcriptional regulators in bacteria and archaea

Since the discovery of the Escherichia coli leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) almost 50 years ago, hundreds of Lrp homologs have been discovered, occurring in 45% of sequenced bacteria and almost all sequenced archaea. Lrp-like proteins are often referred to as the feast/famine regulatory proteins (FFRPs), reflecting their common regulatory roles. Acting as either global or local transcriptional regulators, FFRPs detect the environmental nutritional status by sensing small effector molecules (usually amino acids) and regulate the expression of genes involved in metabolism, virulence, motility, nutrient transport, stress tolerance, and antibiotic resistance to implement appropriate behaviors for the specific ecological niche of each organism. Despite FFRPs' complexity, a significant role in gene regulation, and prevalence throughout prokaryotes, the last comprehensive review on this family of proteins was published about a decade ago. In this review, we integrate recent notable findings regarding E. coli Lrp and other FFRPs across bacteria and archaea with previous observations to synthesize a more complete view on the mechanistic details and biological roles of this ancient class of transcription factors.

Microbial methionine transporters and biotechnological applications

Methionine (Met) is an essential amino acid with commercial value in animal feed, human nutrition, and as a chemical precursor. Microbial production of Met has seen intensive investigation towards a more sustainable alternative to the chemical synthesis that currently meets the global Met demand. Indeed, efficient Met biosynthesis has been achieved in genetically modified bacteria that harbor engineered enzymes and streamlined metabolic pathways. Very recently, the export of Met as the final step during its fermentative production has been studied and optimized, primarily through identification and expression of microbial Met efflux transporters. In this mini-review, we summarize the current knowledge on four families of Met export and import transporters that have been harnessed for the production of Met and other valuable biomolecules. These families are discussed with respect to their function, gene regulation, and biotechnological applications. We cover methods for identification and characterization of Met transporters as the basis for the further engineering of these proteins and for exploration of other solute carrier families. The available arsenal of Met transporters from different species and protein families provides blueprints not only for fermentative production but also synthetic biology systems, such as molecular sensors and cell-cell communication systems. KEY POINTS: • Sustainable production of methionine (Met) using microbes is actively explored. • Met transporters of four families increase production yield and specificity. • Further applications include other biosynthetic pathways and synthetic biology.

Efflux Transporters' Engineering and Their Application in Microbial Production of Heterologous Metabolites

Metabolic engineering of microbial hosts for the production of heterologous metabolites and biochemicals is an enabling technology to generate meaningful quantities of desired products that may be otherwise difficult to produce by traditional means. Heterologous metabolite production can be restricted by the accumulation of toxic products within the cell. Efflux transport proteins (transporters) provide a potential solution to facilitate the export of these products, mitigate toxic effects, and enhance production. Recent investigations using knockout lines, heterologous expression, and expression profiling of transporters have revealed candidates that can enhance the export of heterologous metabolites from microbial cell systems. Transporter engineering efforts have revealed that some exhibit flexible substrate specificity and may have broader application potentials. In this Review, the major superfamilies of efflux transporters, their mechanistic modes of action, selection of appropriate efflux transporters for desired compounds, and potential transporter engineering strategies are described for potential applications in enhancing engineered microbial metabolite production. Future studies in substrate recognition, heterologous expression, and combinatorial engineering of efflux transporters will assist efforts to enhance heterologous metabolite production in microbial hosts.

Comparative population genomic analyses of transporters within the Asgard archaeal superphylum

Upon discovery of the first archaeal species in the 1970s, life has been subdivided into three domains: Eukarya, Archaea, and Bacteria. However, the organization of the three-domain tree of life has been challenged following the discovery of archaeal lineages such as the TACK and Asgard superphyla. The Asgard Superphylum has emerged as the closest archaeal ancestor to eukaryotes, potentially improving our understanding of the evolution of life forms. We characterized the transportomes and their substrates within four metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), that is, Odin-, Thor-, Heimdall- and Loki-archaeota as well as the fully sequenced genome of Candidatus Prometheoarchaeum syntrophicum strain MK-D1 that belongs to the Loki phylum. Using the Transporter Classification Database (TCDB) as reference, candidate transporters encoded within the proteomes were identified based on sequence similarity, alignment coverage, compatibility of hydropathy profiles, TMS topologies and shared domains. Identified transport systems were compared within the Asgard superphylum as well as within dissimilar eukaryotic, archaeal and bacterial organisms. From these analyses, we infer that Asgard organisms rely mostly on the transport of substrates driven by the proton motive force (pmf), the proton electrochemical gradient which then can be used for ATP production and to drive the activities of secondary carriers. The results indicate that Asgard archaea depend heavily on the uptake of organic molecules such as lipid precursors, amino acids and their derivatives, and sugars and their derivatives. Overall, the majority of the transporters identified are more similar to prokaryotic transporters than eukaryotic systems although several instances of the reverse were documented. Taken together, the results support the previous suggestions that the Asgard superphylum includes organisms that are largely mixotrophic and anaerobic but more clearly define their metabolic potential while providing evidence regarding their relatedness to eukaryotes.

Engineering transport systems for microbial production

The rapid development in the field of metabolic engineering has enabled complex modifications of metabolic pathways to generate a diverse product portfolio. Manipulating substrate uptake and product export is an important research area in metabolic engineering. Optimization of transport systems has the potential to enhance microbial production of renewable fuels and chemicals. This chapter comprehensively reviews the transport systems critical for microbial production as well as current genetic engineering strategies to improve transport functions and thus production metrics. In addition, this chapter highlights recent advancements in engineering microbial efflux systems to enhance cellular tolerance to industrially relevant chemical stress. Lastly, future directions to address current technological gaps are discussed.

Cystine import is a valuable but risky process whose hazards Escherichia coli minimizes by inducing a cysteine exporter

The structure of free cysteine makes it vulnerable to oxidation by molecular oxygen; consequently, organisms that live in oxic habitats have acquired the ability to import cystine as a sulfur source. We show that cystine imported into Escherichia coli can transfer disulfide bonds to cytoplasmic proteins. To minimize this problem, the imported cystine is rapidly reduced. However, this conversion of cystine to cysteine precludes product inhibition of the importer, so cystine import continues into cells that are already sated with cysteine. The burgeoning cysteine pool is itself hazardous, as cysteine promotes the formation of reactive oxygen species, triggers sulfide production and competitively inhibits a key enzyme in the isoleucine biosynthetic pathway. The Lrp transcription factor senses the excess cysteine and induces AlaE, an export protein that pumps cysteine back out of the cell until transcriptional controls succeed in lowering the amount of the importer. While it lasts, the overall phenomenon roughly doubles the NADPH demand of the cell. It comprises another example of the incompatibility of the reduced cytoplasms of microbes with the oxic world in which they dwell. It also reveals one natural source of cytoplasmic disulfide stress and sheds light on a role for broad-spectrum amino acid exporters.

L-Alanine Exporter, AlaE, of Escherichia coli Functions as a Safety Valve to Enhance Survival under Feast Conditions

The intracellular level of amino acids is determined by the balance between their anabolic and catabolic pathways. L-alanine is anabolized by three L-alanine synthesizing enzymes and catabolized by two racemases and D-amino acid dehydrogenase (DadA). In addition, its level is regulated by L-alanine movement across the inner membrane. We identified the novel gene alaE, encoding an L-alanine exporter. To elucidate the physiological function of L-Alanine exporter, AlaE, we determined the susceptibility of alaE-, dadA-, and alaE/dadA-deficient mutants, derived from the wild-type strain MG1655, to L-alanyl-L-alanine (Ala-Ala), which shows toxicity to the L-alanine-nonmetabolizing variant lacking alaE. The dadA-deficient mutant has a similar minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) (>1.25 mg/mL) to that observed in MG1655. However, alaE- and alaE/dadA-deficient mutants had MICs of 0.04 and 0.0025 mg/mL, respectively. The results suggested that the efficacy of AlaE to relieve stress caused by toxic intracellular accumulation of L-alanine was higher than that of DadA. Consistent with this, the intracellular level of alanine in the alaE-mutant was much higher than that in MG1655 and the dadA-mutant. We, therefore, conclude that AlaE functions as a ‘safety-valve’ to prevent the toxic level accumulation of intracellular L-alanine under a peptide-rich environment, such as within the animal intestine.

Competitive Repression of the artPIQM Operon for Arginine and Ornithine Transport by Arginine Repressor and Leucine-Responsive Regulatory Protein in Escherichia coli

Two out of the three major uptake systems for arginine in Escherichia coli are encoded by the artJ-artPIQM gene cluster. ArtJ is the high-affinity periplasmic arginine-specific binding protein (ArgBP-I), whereas artI encodes the arginine and ornithine periplasmic binding protein (AO). Both ArtJ and ArtI are supposed to combine with the inner membrane-associated ArtQMP₂ transport complex of the ATP-binding cassette-type (ABC). Transcription of artJ is repressed by arginine repressor (ArgR) and the artPIQM operon is regulated by the transcriptional regulators ArgR and Leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp). Whereas repression by ArgR requires arginine as corepressor, repression of P_artP by Lrp is partially counteracted by leucine, its major effector molecule. We demonstrate that binding of dimeric Lrp to the artP control region generates four complexes with a distinct migration velocity, and that leucine has an effect on both global binding affinity and cooperativity in the binding. We identify the binding sites for Lrp in the artP control region, reveal interferences in the binding of ArgR and Lrp in vitro and demonstrate that the two transcription factors act as competitive repressors in vivo, each one being a more potent regulator in the absence of the other. This competitive behavior may be explained by the partial steric overlap of their respective binding sites. Furthermore, we demonstrate ArgR binding to an unusual position in the control region of the lrp gene, downstream of the transcription initiation site. From this unusual position for an ArgR-specific operator, ArgR has little direct effect on lrp expression, but interferes with the negative leucine-sensitive autoregulation exerted by Lrp. Direct arginine and ArgR-dependent repression of lrp could be observed with a 25-bp deletion mutant, in which the ArgR binding site was artificially moved to a position immediately downstream of the lrp transcription initiation site. This finding is reminiscent of a previous observation made for the carAB operon encoding carbamoylphosphate synthase, where ArgR bound in overlap with the downstream promoter P2 does not block transcription initiated 67 bp upstream at the P1 promoter, and further supports the hypothesis that ArgR does not act as an efficient roadblock.

Metabolic engineering of l-leucine production in Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum: a review

l-Leucine, as an essential branched-chain amino acid for humans and animals, has recently been attracting much attention because of its potential for a fast-growing market demand. The applicability ranges from flavor enhancers, animal feed additives and ingredients in cosmetic to specialty nutrients in pharmaceutical and medical fields. Microbial fermentation is the major method for producing l-leucine by using Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum as host bacteria. This review gives an overview of the metabolic pathway of l-leucine (i.e. production, import and export systems) and highlights the main regulatory mechanisms of operons in E. coli and C. glutamicum l-leucine biosynthesis. We summarize here the current trends in metabolic engineering techniques and strategies for manipulating l-leucine producing strains. Finally, future perspectives to construct industrially advantageous strains are considered with respect to recent advances in biology.

Characterization and engineering of the Lrp/AsnC family regulator SACE_5717 for erythromycin overproduction in Saccharopolyspora erythraea

In this work, we found that the Lrp/AsnC family protein SACE_5717 negatively regulated erythromycin biosynthesis in S. erythraea. Disruption of SACE_5717 led to a 27% improvement in the yield of erythromycin in S. erythraea A226. SACE_5717 directly repressed its own gene expression, as well as that of the adjacent gene SACE_5716 by binding to the target sequence 5'-GAACGTTCGCCGTCACGCC-3'. The predicted LysE superfamily protein SACE_5716 directly influenced the export of lysine, histidine, threonine and glycine in S. erythraea. Arginine, tyrosine and tryptophan were characterized as the effectors of SACE_5717 by weakening the binding affinity of SACE_5717. In the industrial S. erythraea WB strain, deletion of SACE_5717 (WBΔSACE_5717) increased erythromycin yield by 20%, and by 36% when SACE_5716 was overexpressed in WBΔSACE_5717 (WBΔSACE_5717/5716). In large-scale 5-L fermentation experiment, erythromycin yield in the engineered strain WBΔSACE_5717/5716 reached 4686 mg/L, a 41% enhancement over 3323 mg/L of the parent WB strain.

Metabolic engineering advances and prospects for amino acid production

Amino acid fermentation is one of the major pillars of industrial biotechnology. The multi-billion USD amino acid market is rising steadily and is diversifying. Metabolic engineering is no longer focused solely on strain development for the bulk amino acids L-glutamate and L-lysine that are produced at the million-ton scale, but targets specialty amino acids. These demands are met by the development and application of new metabolic engineering tools including CRISPR and biosensor technologies as well as production processes by enabling a flexible feedstock concept, co-production and co-cultivation schemes. Metabolic engineering advances are exemplified for specialty proteinogenic amino acids, cyclic amino acids, omega-amino acids, and amino acids functionalized by hydroxylation, halogenation and N-methylation.

Fermentative Production of Cysteine by Pantoea ananatis

Cysteine is a commercially important amino acid; however, it lacks an efficient fermentative production method. Due to its cytotoxicity, intracellular cysteine levels are stringently controlled via several regulatory modes. Managing its toxic effects as well as understanding and deregulating the complexities of regulation are crucial for establishing the fermentative production of cysteine. The regulatory modes include feedback inhibition of key metabolic enzymes, degradation, efflux pumps, and the transcriptional regulation of biosynthetic genes by a master cysteine regulator, CysB. These processes have been extensively studied using Escherichia coli for overproducing cysteine by fermentation. In this study, we genetically engineered Pantoea ananatis, an emerging host for the fermentative production of bio-based materials, to identify key factors required for cysteine production. According to this and our previous studies, we identified a major cysteine desulfhydrase gene, ccdA (formerly PAJ_0331), involved in cysteine degradation, and the cysteine efflux pump genes cefA and cefB (formerly PAJ_3026 and PAJ_p0018, respectively), which may be responsible for downregulating the intracellular cysteine level. Our findings revealed that ccdA deletion and cefA and cefB overexpression are crucial factors for establishing fermentative cysteine production in P. ananatis and for obtaining a higher cysteine yield when combined with genes in the cysteine biosynthetic pathway. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of cysteine production in P. ananatis, which has fundamental implications for establishing overproduction in this microbe.IMPORTANCE The efficient production of cysteine is a major challenge in the amino acid fermentation industry. In this study, we identified cysteine efflux pumps and degradation pathways as essential elements and genetically engineered Pantoea ananatis, an emerging host for the fermentative production of bio-based materials, to establish the fermentative production of cysteine. This study provides crucial insights into the design and construction of cysteine-producing strains, which may play central roles in realizing commercial basis production.

Benzoate- and Salicylate-Tolerant Strains of Escherichia coli K-12 Lose Antibiotic Resistance during Laboratory Evolution

Escherichia coli K-12 W3110 grows in the presence of membrane-permeant organic acids that can depress cytoplasmic pH and accumulate in the cytoplasm. We conducted experimental evolution by daily diluting cultures in increasing concentrations of benzoic acid (up to 20 mM) buffered at external pH 6.5, a pH at which permeant acids concentrate in the cytoplasm. By 2,000 generations, clones isolated from evolving populations showed increasing tolerance to benzoate but were sensitive to chloramphenicol and tetracycline. Sixteen clones grew to stationary phase in 20 mM benzoate, whereas the ancestral strain W3110 peaked and declined. Similar growth occurred in 10 mM salicylate. Benzoate-evolved strains grew like W3110 in the absence of benzoate, in media buffered at pH 4.8, pH 7.0, or pH 9.0, or in 20 mM acetate or sorbate at pH 6.5. Genomes of 16 strains revealed over 100 mutations, including single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), large deletions, and insertion knockouts. Most strains acquired deletions in the benzoate-induced multiple antibiotic resistance (Mar) regulon or in associated regulators such as rob and cpxA, as well as the multidrug resistance (MDR) efflux pumps emrA, emrY, and mdtA Strains also lost or downregulated the Gad acid fitness regulon. In 5 mM benzoate or in 2 mM salicylate (2-hydroxybenzoate), most strains showed increased sensitivity to the antibiotics chloramphenicol and tetracycline; some strains were more sensitive than a marA knockout strain. Thus, our benzoate-evolved strains may reveal additional unknown drug resistance components. Benzoate or salicylate selection pressure may cause general loss of MDR genes and regulators.

IMPORTANCE

Benzoate is a common food preservative, and salicylate is the primary active metabolite of aspirin. In the gut microbiome, genetic adaptation to salicylate may involve loss or downregulation of inducible multidrug resistance systems. This discovery implies that aspirin therapy may modulate the human gut microbiome to favor salicylate tolerance at the expense of drug resistance. Similar aspirin-associated loss of drug resistance might occur in bacterial pathogens found in arterial plaques.

Expression of the alaE gene is positively regulated by the global regulator Lrp in response to intracellular accumulation of l-alanine in Escherichia coli

The alaE gene in Escherichia coli encodes an l-alanine exporter that catalyzes the active export of l-alanine using proton electrochemical potential. In our previous study, alaE expression was shown to increase in the presence of l-alanyl-l-alanine (Ala-Ala). In this study, the global regulator leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) was identified as an activator of the alaE gene. A promoter less β-galactosidase gene was fused to an alaE upstream region (240 nucleotides). Cells that were lacZ-deficient and harbored this reporter plasmid showed significant induction of β-galactosidase activity (approximately 17-fold) in the presence of 6 mM l-alanine, l-leucine, and Ala-Ala. However, a reporter plasmid possessing a smaller alaE upstream region (180 nucleotides) yielded transformants with strikingly low enzyme activity under the same conditions. In contrast, lrp-deficient cells showed almost no β-galactosidase induction, indicating that Lrp positively regulates alaE expression. We next performed an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and a DNase I footprinting assay using purified hexahistidine-tagged Lrp (Lrp-His). Consequently, we found that Lrp-His binds to the alaE upstream region spanning nucleotide -161 to -83 with a physiologically relevant affinity (apparent K_D, 288.7 ± 83.8 nM). Furthermore, the binding affinity of Lrp-His toward its cis-element was increased by l-alanine and l-leucine, but not by Ala-Ala and d-alanine. Based on these results, we concluded that the gene expression of the alaE is regulated by Lrp in response to intracellular levels of l-alanine, which eventually leads to intracellular homeostasis of l-alanine concentrations.

Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli W3110 for the production of L-methionine

In this study, we constructed an L-methionine-producing recombinant strain from wild-type Escherichia coli W3110 by metabolic engineering. To enhance the carbon flux to methionine and derepression met regulon, thrBC, lysA, and metJ were deleted in turn. Methionine biosynthesis obstacles were overcome by overexpression of metA ^Fbr (Fbr, Feedback resistance), metB, and malY under control of promoter pN25. Recombinant strain growth and methionine production were further improved by attenuation of metK gene expression through replacing native promoter by metK84p. Blocking the threonine pathway by deletion of thrBC or thrC was compared. Deletion of thrC showed faster growth rate and higher methionine production. Finally, metE, metF, and metH were overexpressed to enhance methylation efficiency. Compared with the original strain E. coli W3110, the finally obtained Me05 (pETMA^Fbr-B-Y/pKKmetH) improved methionine production from 0 to 0.65 and 5.62 g/L in a flask and a 15-L fermenter, respectively.

Branched-Chain Amino Acids

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), viz., L-isoleucine, L-leucine, and L-valine, are essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized in higher organisms and are important nutrition for humans as well as livestock. They are also valued as synthetic intermediates for pharmaceuticals. Therefore, the demand for BCAAs in the feed and pharmaceutical industries is increasing continuously. Traditional industrial fermentative production of BCAAs was performed using microorganisms isolated by random mutagenesis. A collection of these classical strains was also scientifically useful to clarify the details of the BCAA biosynthetic pathways, which are tightly regulated by feedback inhibition and transcriptional attenuation. Based on this understanding of the metabolism of BCAAs, it is now possible for us to pursue strains with higher BCAA productivity using rational design and advanced molecular biology techniques. Additionally, systems biology approaches using augmented omics information help us to optimize carbon flux toward BCAA production. Here, we describe the biosynthetic pathways of BCAAs and their regulation and then overview the microorganisms developed for BCAA production. Other chemicals, including isobutanol, i.e., a second-generation biofuel, can be synthesized by branching the BCAA biosynthetic pathways, which are also outlined.

Exporters for Production of Amino Acids and Other Small Molecules

Microbes are talented catalysts to synthesize valuable small molecules in their cytosol. However, to make full use of their skills - and that of metabolic engineers - the export of intracellularly synthesized molecules to the culture medium has to be considered. This step is as essential as is each step for the synthesis of the favorite molecule of the metabolic engineer, but is frequently not taken into account. To export small molecules via the microbial cell envelope, a range of different types of carrier proteins is recognized to be involved, which are primary active carriers, secondary active carriers, or proteins increasing diffusion. Relevant export may require just one carrier as is the case with L-lysine export by Corynebacterium glutamicum or involve up to four carriers as known for L-cysteine excretion by Escherichia coli. Meanwhile carriers for a number of small molecules of biotechnological interest are recognized, like for production of peptides, nucleosides, diamines, organic acids, or biofuels. In addition to carriers involved in amino acid excretion, such carriers and their impact on product formation are described, as well as the relatedness of export carriers which may serve as a hint to identify further carriers required to improve product formation by engineering export.

Efflux systems in bacteria and their metabolic engineering applications

The production of valuable chemicals from metabolically engineered microbes can be limited by excretion from the cell. Efflux is often overlooked as a bottleneck in metabolic pathways, despite its impact on alleviating feedback inhibition and product toxicity. In the past, it has been assumed that endogenous efflux pumps and membrane porins can accommodate product efflux rates; however, there are an increasing number of examples wherein overexpressing efflux systems is required to improve metabolite production. In this review, we highlight specific examples from the literature where metabolite export has been studied to identify unknown transporters, increase tolerance to metabolites, and improve the production capabilities of engineered bacteria. The review focuses on the export of a broad spectrum of valuable chemicals including amino acids, sugars, flavins, biofuels, and solvents. The combined set of examples supports the hypothesis that efflux systems can be identified and engineered to confer export capabilities on industrially relevant microbes.

Characterization of the l-alanine exporter AlaE of Escherichia coli and its potential role in protecting cells from a toxic-level accumulation of l-alanine and its derivatives

We previously reported that the alaE gene of Escherichia coli encodes the l-alanine exporter AlaE. The objective of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of the AlaE exporter. The minimum inhibitory concentration of l-alanine and l-alanyl-l-alanine in alaE-deficient l-alanine-nonmetabolizing cells MLA301ΔalaE was 4- and >4000-fold lower, respectively, than in the alaE-positive parent cells MLA301, suggesting that AlaE functions as an efflux pump to avoid a toxic-level accumulation of intracellular l-alanine and its derivatives. Furthermore, the growth of the alaE-deficient mutant derived from the l-alanine-metabolizing strain was strongly inhibited in the presence of a physiological level of l-alanyl-l-alanine. Intact MLA301ΔalaE and MLA301ΔalaE/pAlaE cells producing plasmid-borne AlaE, accumulated approximately 200% and 50%, respectively, of the [³H]l-alanine detected in MLA301 cells, suggesting that AlaE exports l-alanine. When 200 mmol/L l-alanine-loaded inverted membrane vesicles prepared from MLA301ΔalaE/pAlaE were placed in a solution containing 200 mmol/L or 0.34 μmol/L l-alanine, energy-dependent [³H]l-alanine accumulation occurred under either condition. This energy-dependent uphill accumulation of [³H]l-alanine was strongly inhibited in the presence of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone but not by dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, suggesting that the AlaE-mediated l-alanine extrusion was driven by proton motive force. Based on these results, physiological roles of the l-alanine exporter are discussed.

Distinct Paths for Basic Amino Acid Export in Escherichia coli: YbjE (LysO) Mediates Export of L-Lysine

In Escherichia coli, argO encodes an exporter for L-arginine (Arg) and its toxic analogue canavanine (CAN), and its transcriptional activation and repression, by Arg and L-lysine (Lys), respectively, are mediated by the regulator ArgP. Accordingly argO and argP mutants are CAN supersensitive (CAN(ss)). We report the identification of ybjE as a gene encoding a predicted inner membrane protein that mediates export of Lys, and our results confirm the previous identification with a different approach of YbjE as a Lys exporter, reported by Ueda and coworkers (T. Ueda, Y. Nakai, Y. Gunji, R. Takikawa, and Y. Joe, U.S. patents 7,629,142 B2 [December 2009] and 8,383,363 B1 [February 2013] and European patent 1,664,318 B1 [September 2009]). ybjE was isolated as a multicopy suppressor of the CAN(ss) phenotype of a strain lacking ArgO. The absence of YbjE did not confer a CAN(ss) phenotype but instead conferred hypersensitivity to the lysine antimetabolite thialysine and led to growth inhibition by the dipeptide lysylalanine, which is associated with elevated cellular Lys content. YbjE overproduction resulted in Lys excretion and syntrophic cross-feeding of a Lys auxotroph. Constitutive overexpression of argO promoted Lys cross-feeding that is indicative of a latent Lys export potential of ArgO. Arg modestly repressed ybjE transcription in an ArgR-dependent manner, and ArgR displayed Arg-sensitive binding to the ybjE promoter region in vitro. Our studies suggest that the reciprocal repression of argO and ybjE, respectively, by Lys and Arg confers the specificity for basic amino acid export by distinct paths and that such cross-repression contributes to maintenance of cytoplasmic Arg/Lys balance. We propose that YbjE be redesignated LysO.

IMPORTANCE

This work ascribes a lysine export function to the product of the ybjE gene of Escherichia coli, leading to a physiological scenario wherein two proteins, ArgO and YbjE, perform the task of separately exporting arginine and lysine, respectively, which is distinct from that seen for Corynebacterium glutamicum, where the ortholog of ArgO, LysE, mediates export of both arginine and lysine. Repression of argO transcription by lysine is thought to effect this separation. Accordingly, ArgO mediates lysine export when repression of its transcription by lysine is bypassed. Repression of ybjE transcription by arginine via the ArgR repressor, together with the lysine repression of argO effected by ArgP, is indicative of a mechanism of maintenance of arginine/lysine balance in E. coli.

Syntrophic exchange in synthetic microbial communities

Metabolic crossfeeding is an important process that can broadly shape microbial communities. However, little is known about specific crossfeeding principles that drive the formation and maintenance of individuals within a mixed population. Here, we devised a series of synthetic syntrophic communities to probe the complex interactions underlying metabolic exchange of amino acids. We experimentally analyzed multimember, multidimensional communities of Escherichia coli of increasing sophistication to assess the outcomes of synergistic crossfeeding. We find that biosynthetically costly amino acids including methionine, lysine, isoleucine, arginine, and aromatics, tend to promote stronger cooperative interactions than amino acids that are cheaper to produce. Furthermore, cells that share common intermediates along branching pathways yielded more synergistic growth, but exhibited many instances of both positive and negative epistasis when these interactions scaled to higher dimensions. In more complex communities, we find certain members exhibiting keystone species-like behavior that drastically impact the community dynamics. Based on comparative genomic analysis of >6,000 sequenced bacteria from diverse environments, we present evidence suggesting that amino acid biosynthesis has been broadly optimized to reduce individual metabolic burden in favor of enhanced crossfeeding to support synergistic growth across the biosphere. These results improve our basic understanding of microbial syntrophy while also highlighting the utility and limitations of current modeling approaches to describe the dynamic complexities underlying microbial ecosystems. This work sets the foundation for future endeavors to resolve key questions in microbial ecology and evolution, and presents a platform to develop better and more robust engineered synthetic communities for industrial biotechnology.

Engineering ecosystems and synthetic ecologies

Microbial ecosystems play an important role in nature. Engineering these systems for industrial, medical, or biotechnological purposes are important pursuits for synthetic biologists and biological engineers moving forward. Here we provide a review of recent progress in engineering natural and synthetic microbial ecosystems. We highlight important forward engineering design principles, theoretical and quantitative models, new experimental and manipulation tools, and possible applications of microbial ecosystem engineering. We argue that simply engineering individual microbes will lead to fragile homogenous populations that are difficult to sustain, especially in highly heterogeneous and unpredictable environments. Instead, engineered microbial ecosystems are likely to be more robust and able to achieve complex tasks at the spatial and temporal resolution needed for truly programmable biology.

A novel family of bacterial dioxygenases that catalyse the hydroxylation of free L-amino acids

L-isoleucine-4-hydroxylase (IDO) is a recently discovered member of the Pfam family PF10014 (the former DUF 2257 family) of uncharacterized conserved bacterial proteins. To uncover the range of biochemical activities carried out by PF10014 members, eight in silico-selected IDO homologues belonging to the PF10014 were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. L-methionine, L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-threonine were found to be catalysed by the investigated enzymes, producing L-methionine sulfoxide, 4-hydroxyleucine, 4-hydroxyisoleucine and 4-hydroxythreonine, respectively. An investigation of enzyme kinetics suggested the existence of a novel subfamily of bacterial dioxygenases within the PF10014 family for which free L-amino acids could be accepted as in vivo substrates. A hypothesis regarding the physiological significance of hydroxylated l-amino acids is also discussed.

Application of the bacteriophage Mu-driven system for the integration/amplification of target genes in the chromosomes of engineered Gram-negative bacteria--mini review

The advantages of phage Mu transposition-based systems for the chromosomal editing of plasmid-less strains are reviewed. The cis and trans requirements for Mu phage-mediated transposition, which include the L/R ends of the Mu DNA, the transposition factors MuA and MuB, and the cis/trans functioning of the E element as an enhancer, are presented. Mini-Mu(LR)/(LER) units are Mu derivatives that lack most of the Mu genes but contain the L/R ends or a properly arranged E element in cis to the L/R ends. The dual-component system, which consists of an integrative plasmid with a mini-Mu and an easily eliminated helper plasmid encoding inducible transposition factors, is described in detail as a tool for the integration/amplification of recombinant DNAs. This chromosomal editing method is based on replicative transposition through the formation of a cointegrate that can be resolved in a recombination-dependent manner. (E-plus)- or (E-minus)-helpers that differ in the presence of the trans-acting E element are used to achieve the proper mini-Mu transposition intensity. The systems that have been developed for the construction of stably maintained mini-Mu multi-integrant strains of Escherichia coli and Methylophilus methylotrophus are described. A novel integration/amplification/fixation strategy is proposed for consecutive independent replicative transpositions of different mini-Mu(LER) units with “excisable” E elements in methylotrophic cells.