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Chen Q, Lei J, Li X, Zhang J, Liu D, Cui X, Ge F. Heterologous synthesis of ginsenoside F1 and its precursors in Nicotiana benthamiana. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 299:154276. [PMID: 38801806 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2024.154276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Ginsenoside F1 has high medicinal values, which is a kind of rare triterpene saponin isolated from Panax plants. The extremely low content of ginsenoside F1 in herbs has limited its research and application in medical field. In this work, we constructed a pathway in tobacco for the biosynthesis of ginsenoside F1 by metabolic engineering. Four enzyme genes (PnDDS, CYP716A47, CYP716S1 and UGT71A56) isolated from Panax notoginseng were introduced into tobacco. Thus, a biosynthetic pathway for ginsenoside F1 synthesis was artificially constructed in tobacco cells; moreover, the four exogenous genes could be expressed in the roots, stems and leaves of transgenic plants. Consequently, ginsenoside F1 and its precursors were successfully synthesized in the transgenic tobacco, compared with Panax plants, the content of ginsenoside F1 in transgenic tobacco was doubled. In addition, accumulation of ginsenoside F1 and its precursors in transgenic tobacco shows organ specificity. Based on these results, a new approach was established to produce rare ginsenoside F1; meanwhile, such strategy could also be employed in plant hosts for the heterologous synthesis of other important or rare natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Panax Notoginseng Resources of Yunnan Province, Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Jun Lei
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Panax Notoginseng Resources of Yunnan Province, Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Xiaolei Li
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Panax Notoginseng Resources of Yunnan Province, Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China; Analytical & Testing Research Center, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Jinyu Zhang
- Institute of Medicinal Plants, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, 650205, China
| | - Diqiu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Panax Notoginseng Resources of Yunnan Province, Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Xiuming Cui
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Panax Notoginseng Resources of Yunnan Province, Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China; State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Beijing, 100700, China.
| | - Feng Ge
- Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Panax Notoginseng Resources of Yunnan Province, Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China; State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Beijing, 100700, China.
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Jung S, Maeda HA. Debottlenecking the L-DOPA 4,5-dioxygenase step with enhanced tyrosine supply boosts betalain production in Nicotiana benthamiana. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 195:2456-2471. [PMID: 38498597 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiae166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Synthetic biology provides emerging tools to produce valuable compounds in plant hosts as sustainable chemical production platforms. However, little is known about how supply and utilization of precursors is coordinated at the interface of plant primary and specialized metabolism, limiting our ability to efficiently produce high levels of target specialized metabolites in plants. L-Tyrosine is an aromatic amino acid precursor of diverse plant natural products including betalain pigments, which are used as the major natural food red colorants and more recently a visual marker for plant transformation. Here, we studied the impact of enhanced L-tyrosine supply on the production of betalain pigments by expressing arogenate dehydrogenase (TyrA) from table beet (Beta vulgaris, BvTyrAα), which has relaxed feedback inhibition by L-tyrosine. Unexpectedly, betalain levels were reduced when BvTyrAα was coexpressed with the betalain pathway genes in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves; L-tyrosine and 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (L-DOPA) levels were drastically elevated but not efficiently converted to betalains. An additional expression of L-DOPA 4,5-dioxygenase (DODA), but not CYP76AD1 or cyclo-DOPA 5-O-glucosyltransferase, together with BvTyrAα and the betalain pathway, drastically enhanced betalain production, indicating that DODA is a major rate-limiting step of betalain biosynthesis in this system. Learning from this initial test and further debottlenecking the DODA step maximized betalain yield to an equivalent or higher level than that in table beet. Our data suggest that balancing between enhanced supply ("push") and effective utilization ("pull") of precursor by alleviating a bottleneck step is critical in successful plant synthetic biology to produce high levels of target compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soyoung Jung
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Hiroshi A Maeda
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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Naik B, Kumar V, Rizwanuddin S, Mishra S, Kumar V, Saris PEJ, Khanduri N, Kumar A, Pandey P, Gupta AK, Khan JM, Rustagi S. Biofortification as a solution for addressing nutrient deficiencies and malnutrition. Heliyon 2024; 10:e30595. [PMID: 38726166 PMCID: PMC11079288 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Malnutrition, defined as both undernutrition and overnutrition, is a major global health concern affecting millions of people. One possible way to address nutrient deficiency and combat malnutrition is through biofortification. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to explore the current state of biofortification research, including techniques, applications, effectiveness and challenges. Biofortification is a promising strategy for enhancing the nutritional condition of at-risk populations. Biofortified varieties of basic crops, including rice, wheat, maize and beans, with elevated amounts of vital micronutrients, such as iron, zinc, vitamin A and vitamin C, have been successfully developed using conventional and advanced technologies. Additionally, the ability to specifically modify crop genomes to improve their nutritional profiles has been made possible by recent developments in genetic engineering, such as CRISPR-Cas9 technology. The health conditions of people have been shown to improve and nutrient deficiencies were reduced when biofortified crops were grown. Particularly in environments with limited resources, biofortification showed considerable promise as a long-term and economical solution to nutrient shortages and malnutrition. To fully exploit the potential of biofortified crops to enhance public health and global nutrition, issues such as consumer acceptance, regulatory permitting and production and distribution scaling up need to be resolved. Collaboration among governments, researchers, non-governmental organizations and the private sector is essential to overcome these challenges and promote the widespread adoption of biofortification as a key part of global food security and nutrition strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bindu Naik
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Graphic Era (Deemed to Be) University, Bell Road, Clement Town, Dehradun, 248002, Uttarakhand, India
- School of Agriculture, Graphic Hill University, Clement Town, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Vijay Kumar
- Himalayan School of Biosciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Swami Rama Nagar, Jolly Grant, Dehradun, 248016, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Sheikh Rizwanuddin
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Graphic Era (Deemed to Be) University, Bell Road, Clement Town, Dehradun, 248002, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Sadhna Mishra
- Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, GLA University, Mathura, India
| | - Vivek Kumar
- Himalayan School of Biosciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Swami Rama Nagar, Jolly Grant, Dehradun, 248016, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Per Erik Joakim Saris
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, 00100, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Naresh Khanduri
- Himalayan School of Biosciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Swami Rama Nagar, Jolly Grant, Dehradun, 248016, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Akhilesh Kumar
- Himalayan School of Biosciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Swami Rama Nagar, Jolly Grant, Dehradun, 248016, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Piyush Pandey
- Soil and Environment Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchur, 788011, Assam, India
| | - Arun Kumar Gupta
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Graphic Era (Deemed to Be) University, Bell Road, Clement Town, Dehradun, 248002, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Javed Masood Khan
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, 2460, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sarvesh Rustagi
- Department of Food Technology, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, 248007, Uttarakhand, India
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Morey K, Khakhar A. Exploring the frontier of rapid prototyping technologies for plant synthetic biology and what could lie beyond. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 242:903-908. [PMID: 38426415 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Realizing the full potential of plant synthetic biology both to elucidate the relationship between genotype and phenotype and to apply these insights to engineer traits requires rapidly iterating through design-build-test cycles. However, the months-long process of transgenesis, the long generation times, and the size-based limitations on experimentation have stymied progress by limiting the speed and scale of these cycles. Herein, we review a representative sample of recent studies that demonstrate a variety of rapid prototyping technologies that overcome some of these bottlenecks and accelerate progress. However, each of them has caveats that limit their broad utility. Their complementary strengths and weaknesses point to the intriguing possibility that these strategies could be combined in the future to enable rapid and scalable deployment of synthetic biology in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Morey
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80525, USA
| | - Arjun Khakhar
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80525, USA
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Shao M, Xu F, Ke X, Huang M, Chu J. Enhancing erythromycin production in Saccharopolyspora erythraea through rational engineering and fermentation refinement: A Design-Build-Test-Learn approach. Biotechnol J 2024; 19:e2400039. [PMID: 38797723 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202400039] [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: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Industrial production of bioactive compounds from actinobacteria, such as erythromycin and its derivatives, faces challenges in achieving optimal yields. To this end, the Design-Build-Test-Learn (DBTL) framework, a systematic metabolic engineering approach, was employed to enhance erythromycin production in Saccharopolyspora erythraea (S. erythraea) E3 strain. A genetically modified strain, S. erythraea E3-CymRP21-dcas9-sucC (S. erythraea CS), was developed by suppressing the sucC gene using an inducible promoter and dcas9 protein. The strain exhibited improved erythromycin synthesis, attributed to enhanced precursor synthesis and increased NADPH availability. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed altered central carbon metabolism, amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, and co-factor/vitamin metabolism in CS. Augmented amino acid metabolism led to nitrogen depletion, potentially causing cellular autolysis during later fermentation stages. By refining the fermentation process through ammonium sulfate supplementation, erythromycin yield reached 1125.66 mg L-1, a 43.5% increase. The results demonstrate the power of the DBTL methodology in optimizing erythromycin production, shedding light on its potential for revolutionizing antibiotic manufacturing in response to the global challenge of antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghao Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Feng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiang Ke
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Mingzhi Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Ju Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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6
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Giannantoni L, Bardini R, Savino A, Di Carlo S. Biology System Description Language (BiSDL): a modeling language for the design of multicellular synthetic biological systems. BMC Bioinformatics 2024; 25:166. [PMID: 38664639 PMCID: PMC11046772 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-024-05782-x] [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: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Biology System Description Language (BiSDL) is an accessible, easy-to-use computational language for multicellular synthetic biology. It allows synthetic biologists to represent spatiality and multi-level cellular dynamics inherent to multicellular designs, filling a gap in the state of the art. Developed for designing and simulating spatial, multicellular synthetic biological systems, BiSDL integrates high-level conceptual design with detailed low-level modeling, fostering collaboration in the Design-Build-Test-Learn cycle. BiSDL descriptions directly compile into Nets-Within-Nets (NWNs) models, offering a unique approach to spatial and hierarchical modeling in biological systems. RESULTS BiSDL's effectiveness is showcased through three case studies on complex multicellular systems: a bacterial consortium, a synthetic morphogen system and a conjugative plasmid transfer process. These studies highlight the BiSDL proficiency in representing spatial interactions and multi-level cellular dynamics. The language facilitates the compilation of conceptual designs into detailed, simulatable models, leveraging the NWNs formalism. This enables intuitive modeling of complex biological systems, making advanced computational tools more accessible to a broader range of researchers. CONCLUSIONS BiSDL represents a significant step forward in computational languages for synthetic biology, providing a sophisticated yet user-friendly tool for designing and simulating complex biological systems with an emphasis on spatiality and cellular dynamics. Its introduction has the potential to transform research and development in synthetic biology, allowing for deeper insights and novel applications in understanding and manipulating multicellular systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Giannantoni
- Department of Control and Computer Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 100129, Turin, TO, Italy
| | - Roberta Bardini
- Department of Control and Computer Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 100129, Turin, TO, Italy.
| | - Alessandro Savino
- Department of Control and Computer Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 100129, Turin, TO, Italy
| | - Stefano Di Carlo
- Department of Control and Computer Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 100129, Turin, TO, Italy
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7
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Wang Q, Hu Z, Li Z, Liu T, Bian G. Exploring the Application and Prospects of Synthetic Biology in Engineered Living Materials. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023:e2305828. [PMID: 37677048 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202305828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
At the intersection of synthetic biology and materials science, engineered living materials (ELMs) exhibit unprecedented potential. Possessing unique "living" attributes, ELMs represent a significant paradigm shift in material design, showcasing self-organization, self-repair, adaptability, and evolvability, surpassing conventional synthetic materials. This review focuses on reviewing the applications of ELMs derived from bacteria, fungi, and plants in environmental remediation, eco-friendly architecture, and sustainable energy. The review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research progress and emerging design strategies for ELMs in various application fields from the perspectives of synthetic biology and materials science. In addition, the review provides valuable references for the design of novel ELMs, extending the potential applications of future ELMs. The investigation into the synergistic application possibilities amongst different species of ELMs offers beneficial reference information for researchers and practitioners in this field. Finally, future trends and development challenges of synthetic biology for ELMs in the coming years are discussed in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiwen Wang
- Department of Urology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
- Center of Materials Synthetic Biology, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zhehui Hu
- Center of Materials Synthetic Biology, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Zhixuan Li
- Center of Materials Synthetic Biology, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Tiangang Liu
- Department of Urology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Guangkai Bian
- Center of Materials Synthetic Biology, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
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Muhamadali H, Winder CL, Dunn WB, Goodacre R. Unlocking the secrets of the microbiome: exploring the dynamic microbial interplay with humans through metabolomics and their manipulation for synthetic biology applications. Biochem J 2023; 480:891-908. [PMID: 37378961 PMCID: PMC10317162 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20210534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Metabolomics is a powerful research discovery tool with the potential to measure hundreds to low thousands of metabolites. In this review, we discuss the application of GC-MS and LC-MS in discovery-based metabolomics research, we define metabolomics workflows and we highlight considerations that need to be addressed in order to generate robust and reproducible data. We stress that metabolomics is now routinely applied across the biological sciences to study microbiomes from relatively simple microbial systems to their complex interactions within consortia in the host and the environment and highlight this in a range of biological species and mammalian systems including humans. However, challenges do still exist that need to be overcome to maximise the potential for metabolomics to help us understanding biological systems. To demonstrate the potential of the approach we discuss the application of metabolomics in two broad research areas: (1) synthetic biology to increase the production of high-value fine chemicals and reduction in secondary by-products and (2) gut microbial interaction with the human host. While burgeoning in importance, the latter is still in its infancy and will benefit from the development of tools to detangle host-gut-microbial interactions and their impact on human health and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howbeer Muhamadali
- Centre for Metabolomics Research, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, U.K
| | - Catherine L. Winder
- Centre for Metabolomics Research, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, U.K
| | - Warwick B. Dunn
- Centre for Metabolomics Research, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, U.K
| | - Royston Goodacre
- Centre for Metabolomics Research, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, U.K
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Park H, Faulkner M, Toogood HS, Chen GQ, Scrutton N. Online Omics Platform Expedites Industrial Application of Halomonas bluephagenesis TD1.0. Bioinform Biol Insights 2023; 17:11779322231171779. [PMID: 37200674 PMCID: PMC10185862 DOI: 10.1177/11779322231171779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Multi-omic data mining has the potential to revolutionize synthetic biology especially in non-model organisms that have not been extensively studied. However, tangible engineering direction from computational analysis remains elusive due to the interpretability of large datasets and the difficulty in analysis for non-experts. New omics data are generated faster than our ability to use and analyse results effectively, resulting in strain development that proceeds through classic methods of trial-and-error without insight into complex cell dynamics. Here we introduce a user-friendly, interactive website hosting multi-omics data. Importantly, this new platform allows non-experts to explore questions in an industrially important chassis whose cellular dynamics are still largely unknown. The web platform contains a complete KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway enrichment analysis derived from principal components analysis, an interactive bio-cluster heatmap analysis of genes, and the Halomonas TD1.0 genome-scale metabolic (GEM) model. As a case study of the effectiveness of this platform, we applied unsupervised machine learning to determine key differences between Halomonas bluephagenesis TD1.0 cultivated under varied conditions. Specifically, cell motility and flagella apparatus are identified to drive energy expenditure usage at different osmolarities, and predictions were verified experimentally using microscopy and fluorescence labelled flagella staining. As more omics projects are completed, this landing page will facilitate exploration and targeted engineering efforts of the robust, industrial chassis H bluephagenesis for researchers without extensive bioinformatics background.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Park
- EPSRC/BBSRC Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub and BBSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Matthew Faulkner
- EPSRC/BBSRC Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub and BBSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Helen S Toogood
- EPSRC/BBSRC Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub and BBSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Guo-Qiang Chen
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Nigel Scrutton
- EPSRC/BBSRC Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub and BBSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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10
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Anderson CE, Ferreira SS, Antunes MS. Integration of multiple stress signals in plants using synthetic Boolean logic gates. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023:kiad254. [PMID: 37119276 PMCID: PMC10400031 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
As photosynthetic organisms, plants have a potential role in the sustainable production of high-value products such as medicines, biofuels, and chemical feedstocks. With effective engineering using synthetic biology approaches, plant-based platforms could conceivably be designed to minimize the costs and waste of production for materials that would otherwise be uneconomical. Additionally, modern agricultural crops could be engineered to be more productive, resilient, or restorative in different or rapidly changing environments and climates. Information-processing genetic devices and circuits containing multiple interacting parts that behave predictably must be developed to achieve these complex goals. A genetic Boolean AND logic gate is a device that computes the presence or absence of two inputs (signals, stimuli) and produces an output (response) only when both inputs are present. We optimized individual genetic components and used synthetic protein heterodimerizing domains to rationally assemble genetic AND logic gates that integrate two hormonal inputs in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants. These AND gates produce an output only in the presence of both abscisic acid and auxin but not when either or neither hormone is present. The AND logic gate can also integrate signals resulting from two plant stresses, cold temperature and bacterial infection, to produce a response. The design principles used here are generalizable, and, therefore, multiple orthogonal AND gates could be assembled and rationally layered to process complex genetic information in plants. These layered logic gates may be used in genetic circuits to probe fundamental questions in plant biology, such as hormonal crosstalk, in addition to plant engineering for bioproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles E Anderson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
- BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
| | - Savio S Ferreira
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
- BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
| | - Mauricio S Antunes
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
- BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
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11
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Castro JC, Castro CG, Cobos M. Genetic and biochemical strategies for regulation of L-ascorbic acid biosynthesis in plants through the L-galactose pathway. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1099829. [PMID: 37021310 PMCID: PMC10069634 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1099829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid, AsA) is an essential compound with pleiotropic functions in many organisms. Since its isolation in the last century, AsA has attracted the attention of the scientific community, allowing the discovery of the L-galactose pathway, which is the main pathway for AsA biosynthesis in plants. Thus, the aim of this review is to analyze the genetic and biochemical strategies employed by plant cells for regulating AsA biosynthesis through the L-galactose pathway. In this pathway, participates eight enzymes encoded by the genes PMI, PMM, GMP, GME, GGP, GPP, GDH, and GLDH. All these genes and their encoded enzymes have been well characterized, demonstrating their participation in AsA biosynthesis. Also, have described some genetic and biochemical strategies that allow its regulation. The genetic strategy includes regulation at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. In the first one, it was demonstrated that the expression levels of the genes correlate directly with AsA content in the tissues/organs of the plants. Also, it was proved that these genes are light-induced because they have light-responsive promoter motifs (e.g., ATC, I-box, GT1 motif, etc.). In addition, were identified some transcription factors that function as activators (e.g., SlICE1, AtERF98, SlHZ24, etc.) or inactivators (e.g., SlL1L4, ABI4, SlNYYA10) regulate the transcription of these genes. In the second one, it was proved that some genes have alternative splicing events and could be a mechanism to control AsA biosynthesis. Also, it was demonstrated that a conserved cis-acting upstream open reading frame (5'-uORF) located in the 5'-untranslated region of the GGP gene induces its post-transcriptional repression. Among the biochemical strategies discovered is the control of the enzyme levels (usually by decreasing their quantities), control of the enzyme catalytic activity (by increasing or decreasing its activity), feedback inhibition of some enzymes (GME and GGP), subcellular compartmentation of AsA, the metabolon assembly of the enzymes, and control of AsA biosynthesis by electron flow. Together, the construction of this basic knowledge has been establishing the foundations for generating genetically improved varieties of fruits and vegetables enriched with AsA, commonly used in animal and human feed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan C. Castro
- Unidad Especializada del Laboratorio de Investigación en Biotecnología (UELIB), Centro de Investigaciones de Recursos Naturales de la UNAP (CIRNA), Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana (UNAP), Iquitos, Peru
- Departamento Académico de Ciencias Biomédicas y Biotecnología (DACBB), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas (FCB), Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana (UNAP), Iquitos, Peru
| | - Carlos G. Castro
- Unidad Especializada del Laboratorio de Investigación en Biotecnología (UELIB), Centro de Investigaciones de Recursos Naturales de la UNAP (CIRNA), Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana (UNAP), Iquitos, Peru
| | - Marianela Cobos
- Unidad Especializada del Laboratorio de Investigación en Biotecnología (UELIB), Centro de Investigaciones de Recursos Naturales de la UNAP (CIRNA), Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana (UNAP), Iquitos, Peru
- Departamento Académico de Ciencias Biomédicas y Biotecnología (DACBB), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas (FCB), Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana (UNAP), Iquitos, Peru
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12
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Chamness JC, Kumar J, Cruz AJ, Rhuby E, Holum MJ, Cody JP, Tibebu R, Gamo ME, Starker CG, Zhang F, Voytas DF. An extensible vector toolkit and parts library for advanced engineering of plant genomes. THE PLANT GENOME 2023:e20312. [PMID: 36896468 DOI: 10.1002/tpg2.20312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Plant biotechnology is rife with new advances in transformation and genome engineering techniques. A common requirement for delivery and coordinated expression in plant cells, however, places the design and assembly of transformation constructs at a crucial juncture as desired reagent suites grow more complex. Modular cloning principles have simplified some aspects of vector design, yet many important components remain unavailable or poorly adapted for rapid implementation in biotechnology research. Here, we describe a universal Golden Gate cloning toolkit for vector construction. The toolkit chassis is compatible with the widely accepted Phytobrick standard for genetic parts, and supports assembly of arbitrarily complex T-DNAs through improved capacity, positional flexibility, and extensibility in comparison to extant kits. We also provision a substantial library of newly adapted Phytobricks, including regulatory elements for monocot and dicot gene expression, and coding sequences for genes of interest such as reporters, developmental regulators, and site-specific recombinases. Finally, we use a series of dual-luciferase assays to measure contributions to expression from promoters, terminators, and from cross-cassette interactions attributable to enhancer elements in certain promoters. Taken together, these publicly available cloning resources can greatly accelerate the testing and deployment of new tools for plant engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- James C Chamness
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Precision Plant Genomics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Jitesh Kumar
- Center for Precision Plant Genomics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Anna J Cruz
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Precision Plant Genomics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Elissa Rhuby
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Precision Plant Genomics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Mason J Holum
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Precision Plant Genomics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Jon P Cody
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Precision Plant Genomics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Redeat Tibebu
- Center for Precision Plant Genomics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Maria Elena Gamo
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Precision Plant Genomics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Colby G Starker
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Precision Plant Genomics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Feng Zhang
- Center for Precision Plant Genomics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Daniel F Voytas
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Precision Plant Genomics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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13
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Engineering yeast for industrial-level production of the antimalarial drug artemisinin. Trends Biotechnol 2023; 41:267-269. [PMID: 36528397 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Artemisinin-based combination therapies are the gold standard treatment for uncomplicated malaria. A seminal study by Paddon et al. detailed an efficient approach for producing artemisinic acid from engineered yeast and its conversion to artemisinin, and demonstrated how to use metabolic engineering and synthetic biology for the production of bioactive compounds.
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14
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Helleckes LM, Müller C, Griesbach T, Waffenschmidt V, Moch M, Osthege M, Wiechert W, Oldiges M. Explore or exploit? A model-based screening strategy for PETase secretion by Corynebacterium glutamicum. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:139-153. [PMID: 36225165 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28261] [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: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Extracellular production of target proteins simplifies downstream processing due to obsolete cell disruption. However, optimal combinations of a heterologous protein, suitable signal peptide, and secretion host can currently not be predicted, resulting in large strain libraries that need to be tested. On the experimental side, this challenge can be tackled by miniaturization, parallelization, and automation, which provide high-throughput screening data. These data need to be condensed into a candidate ranking for decision-making to focus bioprocess development on the most promising candidates. We screened for Bacillus subtilis signal peptides mediating Sec secretion of two polyethylene terephthalate degrading enzymes (PETases), leaf-branch compost cutinase (LCC) and polyester hydrolase mutants, by Corynebacterium glutamicum. We developed a fully automated screening process and constructed an accompanying Bayesian statistical modeling framework, which we applied in screenings for highest activity in 4-nitrophenyl palmitate degradation. In contrast to classical evaluation methods, batch effects and biological errors are taken into account and their uncertainty is quantified. Within only two rounds of screening, the most suitable signal peptide was identified for each PETase. Results from LCC secretion in microliter-scale cultivation were shown to be scalable to laboratory-scale bioreactors. This work demonstrates an experiment-modeling loop that can accelerate early-stage screening in a way that experimental capacities are focused to the most promising strain candidates. Combined with high-throughput cloning, this paves the way for using large strain libraries of several hundreds of strains in a Design-Build-Test-Learn approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Helleckes
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.,Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Carolin Müller
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.,Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Tim Griesbach
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Vera Waffenschmidt
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Matthias Moch
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Michael Osthege
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.,Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Wiechert
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.,Computational Systems Biotechnology (AVT.CSB), RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Marco Oldiges
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.,Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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15
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Mitra S, Anand U, Ghorai M, Kant N, Kumar M, Radha, Jha NK, Swamy MK, Proćków J, de la Lastra JMP, Dey A. Genome editing technologies, mechanisms and improved production of therapeutic phytochemicals: Opportunities and prospects. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:82-94. [PMID: 36224758 PMCID: PMC10091730 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28260] [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: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Plants produce a large number of secondary metabolites, known as phytometabolites that may be employed as medicines, dyes, poisons, and insecticides in the field of medicine, agriculture, and industrial use, respectively. The rise of genome management approaches has promised a factual revolution in genetic engineering. Targeted genome editing in living entities permits the understanding of the biological systems very clearly, and also sanctions to address a wide-ranging objective in the direction of improving features of plant and their yields. The last few years have introduced a number of unique genome editing systems, including transcription activator-like effector nucleases, zinc finger nucleases, and miRNA-regulated clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9 (CRISPR/Cas9). Genome editing systems have helped in the transformation of metabolic engineering, allowing researchers to modify biosynthetic pathways of different secondary metabolites. Given the growing relevance of editing genomes in plant research, the exciting novel methods are briefly reviewed in this chapter. Also, this chapter highlights recent discoveries on the CRISPR-based modification of natural products in different medicinal plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sicon Mitra
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering & Technology, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | | | - Mimosa Ghorai
- Department of Life Sciences, Presidency University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Nishi Kant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Manoj Kumar
- Chemical and Biochemical Processing Division, ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
| | - Radha
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Niraj K Jha
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering & Technology, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.,Department of Biotechnology Engineering and Food Technology, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India.,Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied & Life Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Mallappa K Swamy
- Department of Biotechnology, East West First Grade College of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Jarosław Proćków
- Department of Plant Biology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
| | - José M Pérez de la Lastra
- Biotechnology of Macromolecules Research Group, Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, (IPNA-CSIC), San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Abhijit Dey
- Department of Life Sciences, Presidency University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
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16
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Babele PK, Srivastava A, Selim KA, Kumar A. Millet-inspired systems metabolic engineering of NUE in crops. Trends Biotechnol 2022; 41:701-713. [PMID: 36566140 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.10.008] [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: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers in agriculture has a great ability to increase crop productivity. However, their excessive use has detrimental effects on the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to develop crop varieties with improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) that require less N but have substantial yields. Orphan crops such as millets are cultivated in limited regions and are well adapted to lower input conditions. Therefore, they serve as a rich source of beneficial traits that can be transferred into major crops to improve their NUE. This review highlights the tremendous potential of systems biology to unravel the enzymes and pathways involved in the N metabolism of millets, which can open new possibilities to generate transgenic crops with improved NUE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piyoosh K Babele
- Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi 284003, Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Amit Srivastava
- University of Jyväskylä, Nanoscience Centre, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Khaled A Selim
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', Tübingen University, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anil Kumar
- Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi 284003, Uttar Pradesh, India
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17
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Ojeda-Rivera JO, Alejo-Jacuinde G, Nájera-González HR, López-Arredondo D. Prospects of genetics and breeding for low-phosphate tolerance: an integrated approach from soil to cell. TAG. THEORETICAL AND APPLIED GENETICS. THEORETISCHE UND ANGEWANDTE GENETIK 2022; 135:4125-4150. [PMID: 35524816 PMCID: PMC9729153 DOI: 10.1007/s00122-022-04095-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Improving phosphorus (P) crop nutrition has emerged as a key factor toward achieving a more resilient and sustainable agriculture. P is an essential nutrient for plant development and reproduction, and phosphate (Pi)-based fertilizers represent one of the pillars that sustain food production systems. To meet the global food demand, the challenge for modern agriculture is to increase food production and improve food quality in a sustainable way by significantly optimizing Pi fertilizer use efficiency. The development of genetically improved crops with higher Pi uptake and Pi-use efficiency and higher adaptability to environments with low-Pi availability will play a crucial role toward this end. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of Pi nutrition and the regulation of Pi-starvation responses in plants, and provide new perspectives on how to harness the ample repertoire of genetic mechanisms behind these adaptive responses for crop improvement. We discuss on the potential of implementing more integrative, versatile, and effective strategies by incorporating systems biology approaches and tools such as genome editing and synthetic biology. These strategies will be invaluable for producing high-yielding crops that require reduced Pi fertilizer inputs and to develop a more sustainable global agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Odilón Ojeda-Rivera
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Gerardo Alejo-Jacuinde
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Héctor-Rogelio Nájera-González
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Damar López-Arredondo
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA.
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18
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Krzywonos M, Piwowar-Sulej K. Plant-Based Innovations for the Transition to Sustainability: A Bibliometric and in-Depth Content Analysis. Foods 2022; 11:foods11193137. [PMID: 36230212 PMCID: PMC9561981 DOI: 10.3390/foods11193137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants maintain the ecological equilibrium of the earth and stabilize the ecosystem. Today, traditional commodities and new value-added markets can be served simultaneously. There is significant biosource and bioprocess innovation for biobased industrial products. Furthermore, plant-based innovation is associated with the transition to sustainability. This study performed a bibliometric and in-depth content analysis to review plant-based innovations in the research field between 1995 and 2022. A set of 313 articles was identified from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Different analytical scientometric tools (topic mapping and overlay visualization networks) were used to analyze 124 articles; the most influential countries, institutions, authors, journals and articles were identified. Through in-depth studies, based on the grounded theory approach, five leading research areas related to plant-based innovation were determined: (1) agricultural/environmental innovation, (2) plant-based food or feed innovation, (3) innovation within the medical/pharmaceutical research area, (4) technology-related innovation and (5) economic/business aspects of plant-based innovations. Future research directions include exploring less examined and new topics, such as the sustainability implications of incorporating various plant-based foods and Industry 4.0 in plant-based innovation, and linking and developing findings from different research areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Małgorzata Krzywonos
- Department of Process Management, Wrocław University of Economics and Business, Komandorska 118/120, 53-345 Wrocław, Poland
- Correspondence:
| | - Katarzyna Piwowar-Sulej
- Department of Labor, Capital and Innovation, Wrocław University of Economics and Business, Komandorska 118/120, 53-345 Wrocław, Poland
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19
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Chen G, Harwood JL, Lemieux MJ, Stone SJ, Weselake RJ. Acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase: Properties, physiological roles, metabolic engineering and intentional control. Prog Lipid Res 2022; 88:101181. [PMID: 35820474 DOI: 10.1016/j.plipres.2022.101181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT, EC 2.3.1.20) catalyzes the last reaction in the acyl-CoA-dependent biosynthesis of triacylglycerol (TAG). DGAT activity resides mainly in membrane-bound DGAT1 and DGAT2 in eukaryotes and bifunctional wax ester synthase-diacylglycerol acyltransferase (WSD) in bacteria, which are all membrane-bound proteins but exhibit no sequence homology to each other. Recent studies also identified other DGAT enzymes such as the soluble DGAT3 and diacylglycerol acetyltransferase (EaDAcT), as well as enzymes with DGAT activities including defective in cuticular ridges (DCR) and steryl and phytyl ester synthases (PESs). This review comprehensively discusses research advances on DGATs in prokaryotes and eukaryotes with a focus on their biochemical properties, physiological roles, and biotechnological and therapeutic applications. The review begins with a discussion of DGAT assay methods, followed by a systematic discussion of TAG biosynthesis and the properties and physiological role of DGATs. Thereafter, the review discusses the three-dimensional structure and insights into mechanism of action of human DGAT1, and the modeled DGAT1 from Brassica napus. The review then examines metabolic engineering strategies involving manipulation of DGAT, followed by a discussion of its therapeutic applications. DGAT in relation to improvement of livestock traits is also discussed along with DGATs in various other eukaryotic organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanqun Chen
- Department of Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6H 2P5, Canada.
| | - John L Harwood
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK
| | - M Joanne Lemieux
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Membrane Protein Disease Research Group, Edmonton T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Scot J Stone
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E5, Canada.
| | - Randall J Weselake
- Department of Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6H 2P5, Canada
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20
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Climate-Resilient Microbial Biotechnology: A Perspective on Sustainable Agriculture. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14095574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
We designed this review to describe a compilation of studies to enlighten the concepts of plant–microbe interactions, adopted protocols in smart crop farming, and biodiversity to reaffirm sustainable agriculture. The ever-increasing use of agrochemicals to boost crop production has created health hazards to humans and the environment. Microbes can bring up the hidden strength of plants, augmenting disease resistance and yield, hereafter, crops could be grown without chemicals by harnessing microbes that live in/on plants and soil. This review summarizes an understanding of the functions and importance of indigenous microbial communities; host–microbial and microbial–microbial interactions; simplified experimentally controlled synthetic flora used to perform targeted operations; maintaining the molecular mechanisms; and microbial agent application technology. It also analyzes existing problems and forecasts prospects. The real advancement of microbiome engineering requires a large number of cycles to obtain the necessary ecological principles, precise manipulation of the microbiome, and predictable results. To advance this approach, interdisciplinary collaboration in the areas of experimentation, computation, automation, and applications is required. The road to microbiome engineering seems to be long; however, research and biotechnology provide a promising approach for proceeding with microbial engineering and address persistent social and environmental issues.
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21
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The ease and complexity of identifying and using specialized metabolites for crop engineering. Emerg Top Life Sci 2022; 6:153-162. [PMID: 35302160 PMCID: PMC9023015 DOI: 10.1042/etls20210248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Plants produce a broad variety of specialized metabolites with distinct biological activities and potential applications. Despite this potential, most biosynthetic pathways governing specialized metabolite production remain largely unresolved across the plant kingdom. The rapid advancement of genetics and biochemical tools has enhanced our ability to identify plant specialized metabolic pathways. Further advancements in transgenic technology and synthetic biology approaches have extended this to a desire to design new pathways or move existing pathways into new systems to address long-running difficulties in crop systems. This includes improving abiotic and biotic stress resistance, boosting nutritional content, etc. In this review, we assess the potential and limitations for (1) identifying specialized metabolic pathways in plants with multi-omics tools and (2) using these enzymes in synthetic biology or crop engineering. The goal of these topics is to highlight areas of research that may need further investment to enhance the successful application of synthetic biology for exploiting the myriad of specialized metabolic pathways.
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22
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Abstract
Auxin biology as a field has been at the forefront of advances in delineating the structures, dynamics, and control of plant growth networks. Advances have been enabled by combining the complementary fields of top-down, holistic systems biology and bottom-up, build-to-understand synthetic biology. Continued collaboration between these approaches will facilitate our understanding of and ability to engineer auxin's control of plant growth, development, and physiology. There is a need for the application of similar complementary approaches to improving equity and justice through analysis and redesign of the human systems in which this research is undertaken.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Clay Wright
- Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
| | - Britney L Moss
- Department of Biology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington 99362, USA
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23
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Guo D, Liu J, Wang X. On development of multi-resolution detector for tomato disease diagnosis. JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT & FUZZY SYSTEMS 2021. [DOI: 10.3233/jifs-210262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Plant disease is one of the major threats to food security. Accurate diagnosis of plant diseases can benefit the agricultural production. For the purpose of real-time plant disease diagnostics, the deep learning models are employed. In this study, we present an accurate identification method for common diseases of tomatoes based on deep-learning methods. The devising of multi-resolution detector, in line with bounding box generating and assigning, facilitates the feature extracting process of detection. The employment of an dropout and ADAMW (Adaptive moment estimation with decoupled weight decay) optimizer further resolve the overfitting problem. Using the collected images of healthy and diseased tomatoes, our detector is trained to identify 10 different diseases. Experimental results showed that the disease identification method proposed in this study could accurately and rapidly identify common diseases of tomato with an average accuracy of 85.03%and a recognition speed of 61 frames per second, which was superior to other models under the same conditions and was beneficial for tomato disease control work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dugang Guo
- Shandong Provincial University Laboratory for Protected Horticulture, Blockchain Laboratory of Agricultural Vegetables, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Weifang, Shandong, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Shandong Provincial University Laboratory for Protected Horticulture, Blockchain Laboratory of Agricultural Vegetables, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Weifang, Shandong, China
| | - Xuewei Wang
- Shandong Provincial University Laboratory for Protected Horticulture, Blockchain Laboratory of Agricultural Vegetables, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Weifang, Shandong, China
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24
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Wu T, Kerbler SM, Fernie AR, Zhang Y. Plant cell cultures as heterologous bio-factories for secondary metabolite production. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS 2021; 2:100235. [PMID: 34746764 PMCID: PMC8554037 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2021.100235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic biology has been developing rapidly in the last decade and is attracting increasing attention from many plant biologists. The production of high-value plant-specific secondary metabolites is, however, limited mostly to microbes. This is potentially problematic because of incorrect post-translational modification of proteins and differences in protein micro-compartmentalization, substrate availability, chaperone availability, product toxicity, and cytochrome p450 reductase enzymes. Unlike other heterologous systems, plant cells may be a promising alternative for the production of high-value metabolites. Several commercial plant suspension cell cultures from different plant species have been used successfully to produce valuable metabolites in a safe, low cost, and environmentally friendly manner. However, few metabolites are currently being biosynthesized using plant platforms, with the exception of the natural pigment anthocyanin. Both Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum cell cultures can be developed by multiple gene transformations and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing. Given that the introduction of heterologous biosynthetic pathways into Arabidopsis and N. tabacum is not widely used, the biosynthesis of foreign metabolites is currently limited; however, therein lies great potential. Here, we discuss the exemplary use of plant cell cultures and prospects for using A. thaliana and N. tabacum cell cultures to produce valuable plant-specific metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Wu
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Sandra M. Kerbler
- Leibniz-Institute für Gemüse- und Zierpflanzenbau, Theodor-Echtermeyer-Weg 1, 14979 Groβbeeren, Germany
| | - Alisdair R. Fernie
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
- Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Youjun Zhang
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
- Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
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Molina-Hidalgo FJ, Vazquez-Vilar M, D'Andrea L, Demurtas OC, Fraser P, Giuliano G, Bock R, Orzáez D, Goossens A. Engineering Metabolism in Nicotiana Species: A Promising Future. Trends Biotechnol 2021; 39:901-913. [PMID: 33341279 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Molecular farming intends to use crop plants as biofactories for high value-added compounds following application of a wide range of biotechnological tools. In particular, the conversion of nonfood crops into efficient biofactories is expected to be a strong asset in the development of a sustainable bioeconomy. The 'nonfood' status combined with the high metabolic versatility and the capacity of high-yield cultivation highlight the plant genus Nicotiana as one of the most appropriate 'chassis' for molecular farming. Nicotiana species are a rich source of valuable industrial, active pharmaceutical ingredients and nutritional compounds, synthesized from highly complex biosynthetic networks. Here, we review and discuss approaches currently used to design enriched Nicotiana species for molecular farming using new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Javier Molina-Hidalgo
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent, Belgium; VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marta Vazquez-Vilar
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP-UPV-CSIC), Valencia, Spain
| | - Lucio D'Andrea
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Olivia C Demurtas
- Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Rome, Italy
| | - Paul Fraser
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, London, UK
| | - Giovanni Giuliano
- Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Rome, Italy
| | - Ralph Bock
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Diego Orzáez
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP-UPV-CSIC), Valencia, Spain
| | - Alain Goossens
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent, Belgium; VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium.
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Gupta D, Sharma G, Saraswat P, Ranjan R. Synthetic Biology in Plants, a Boon for Coming Decades. Mol Biotechnol 2021; 63:1138-1154. [PMID: 34420149 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-021-00386-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Recently an enormous expansion of knowledge is seen in various disciplines of science. This surge of information has given rise to concept of interdisciplinary fields, which has resulted in emergence of newer research domains, one of them is 'Synthetic Biology' (SynBio). It captures basics from core biology and integrates it with concepts from the other areas of study such as chemical, electrical, and computational sciences. The essence of synthetic biology is to rewire, re-program, and re-create natural biological pathways, which are carried through genetic circuits. A genetic circuit is a functional assembly of basic biological entities (DNA, RNA, proteins), created using typical design, built, and test cycles. These circuits allow scientists to engineer nearly all biological systems for various useful purposes. The development of sophisticated molecular tools, techniques, genomic programs, and ease of nucleic acid synthesis have further fueled several innovative application of synthetic biology in areas like molecular medicines, pharmaceuticals, biofuels, drug discovery, metabolomics, developing plant biosensors, utilization of prokaryotic systems for metabolite production, and CRISPR/Cas9 in the crop improvement. These applications have largely been dominated by utilization of prokaryotic systems. However, newer researches have indicated positive growth of SynBio for the eukaryotic systems as well. This paper explores advances of synthetic biology in the plant field by elaborating on its core components and potential applications. Here, we have given a comprehensive idea of designing, development, and utilization of synthetic biology in the improvement of the present research state of plant system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipinte Gupta
- Plant Biotechnology Lab, Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Dayalbagh Educational Institute (Deemed to be University), Dayalbagh, Agra, 282005, India
| | - Gauri Sharma
- Plant Biotechnology Lab, Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Dayalbagh Educational Institute (Deemed to be University), Dayalbagh, Agra, 282005, India
| | - Pooja Saraswat
- Plant Biotechnology Lab, Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Dayalbagh Educational Institute (Deemed to be University), Dayalbagh, Agra, 282005, India
| | - Rajiv Ranjan
- Plant Biotechnology Lab, Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Dayalbagh Educational Institute (Deemed to be University), Dayalbagh, Agra, 282005, India.
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27
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Zhu Q, Liu YG. TransGene Stacking II Vector System for Plant Metabolic Engineering and Synthetic Biology. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2238:19-35. [PMID: 33471322 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1068-8_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Efficient stacking of multiple genes is a critical element in metabolic engineering of complex pathways, synthetic biology, and genetic improvement of complex agronomic traits in plants. Here we present a high-efficiency multigene assembly and transformation vector system, TransGene Stacking II (TGS II), for these purposes. The operation process is described in detail, and the successful operation mainly depends on effective reagents, special Escherichia coli strains, and basic molecular biological means without other specific equipments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinlong Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yao-Guang Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
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28
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Jackson HO, Taunt HN, Mordaka PM, Smith AG, Purton S. The Algal Chloroplast as a Testbed for Synthetic Biology Designs Aimed at Radically Rewiring Plant Metabolism. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:708370. [PMID: 34630459 PMCID: PMC8497815 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.708370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Sustainable and economically viable support for an ever-increasing global population requires a paradigm shift in agricultural productivity, including the application of biotechnology to generate future crop plants. Current genetic engineering approaches aimed at enhancing the photosynthetic efficiency or composition of the harvested tissues involve relatively simple manipulations of endogenous metabolism. However, radical rewiring of central metabolism using new-to-nature pathways, so-called "synthetic metabolism", may be needed to really bring about significant step changes. In many cases, this will require re-programming the metabolism of the chloroplast, or other plastids in non-green tissues, through a combination of chloroplast and nuclear engineering. However, current technologies for sophisticated chloroplast engineering ("transplastomics") of plants are limited to just a handful of species. Moreover, the testing of metabolic rewiring in the chloroplast of plant models is often impractical given their obligate phototrophy, the extended time needed to create stable non-chimeric transplastomic lines, and the technical challenges associated with regeneration of whole plants. In contrast, the unicellular green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a facultative heterotroph that allows for extensive modification of chloroplast function, including non-photosynthetic designs. Moreover, chloroplast engineering in C. reinhardtii is facile, with the ability to generate novel lines in a matter of weeks, and a well-defined molecular toolbox allows for rapid iterations of the "Design-Build-Test-Learn" (DBTL) cycle of modern synthetic biology approaches. The recent development of combinatorial DNA assembly pipelines for designing and building transgene clusters, simple methods for marker-free delivery of these clusters into the chloroplast genome, and the pre-existing wealth of knowledge regarding chloroplast gene expression and regulation in C. reinhardtii further adds to the versatility of transplastomics using this organism. Herein, we review the inherent advantages of the algal chloroplast as a simple and tractable testbed for metabolic engineering designs, which could then be implemented in higher plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry O. Jackson
- Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Henry N. Taunt
- Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pawel M. Mordaka
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Alison G. Smith
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Saul Purton
- Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Saul Purton
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29
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Barnum CR, Endelman BJ, Shih PM. Utilizing Plant Synthetic Biology to Improve Human Health and Wellness. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:691462. [PMID: 34504505 PMCID: PMC8421571 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.691462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Plants offer a vast source of bioactive chemicals with the potential to improve human health through the prevention and treatment of disease. However, many potential therapeutics are produced in small amounts or in species that are difficult to cultivate. The rapidly evolving field of plant synthetic biology provides tools to capitalize on the inventive chemistry of plants by transferring metabolic pathways for therapeutics into far more tenable plants, increasing our ability to produce complex pharmaceuticals in well-studied plant systems. Plant synthetic biology also provides methods to enhance the ability to fortify crops with nutrients and nutraceuticals. In this review, we discuss (1) the potential of plant synthetic biology to improve human health by generating plants that produce pharmaceuticals, nutrients, and nutraceuticals and (2) the technological challenges hindering our ability to generate plants producing health-promoting small molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin R. Barnum
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Benjamin J. Endelman
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Patrick M. Shih
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Feedstocks Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, United States
- Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Patrick M. Shih,
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30
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Dey A. CRISPR/Cas genome editing to optimize pharmacologically active plant natural products. Pharmacol Res 2020; 164:105359. [PMID: 33285226 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2020.105359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Since time immemorial, human use medicinal plants as sources of food, therapy and industrial purpose. Classical biotechnology and recent next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques have been successfully used to optimize plant-derived natural-products of biomedical significance. Earlier, protein based editing tools viz. zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like endonucleases (TALENs) have been popularized for transcriptional level genome manipulation. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated9 (Cas9) endonuclease system is an efficient, robust and selective site-directed mutagenesis strategy for RNA-guided genome-editing. CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing tool employs designed guide-RNAs that identifies a 3 base-pair protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) sequence occurring downstream of the target-DNA. The present review comprehensively complies the recent literature (2010-2020) retrieved from scientific-databases on the application of CRISPR/Cas9-editing-tools as potent genome-editing strategies in medicinal-plants discussing the recent developments, challenges and future-perspectives with notes on broader applicability of the technique in plants and lower-organisms. In plants, CRISPR/Cas-editing has been implemented successfully in relation to crop-yield and stress-tolerance. However, very few medicinal plants have been edited using CRISPR/Cas genome tool owing to the lack of whole-genome and mRNA-sequences and shortfall of suitable transformation and regeneration strategies. However, recently a number of plant secondary metabolic-pathways (viz. alkaloid, terpenoid, flavonoids, phenolic, saponin etc.) have been engineered employing CRISPR/Cas-editing via knock-out, knock-in, point-mutation, fine-tuning of gene-expression and targeted-mutagenesis. This genome-editing tool further extends its applicability incorporating the tools of synthetic- and systems-biology, functional-genomics and NGS to produce genetically-engineered medicinal-crops with advanced-traits facilitating the production of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhijit Dey
- Department of Life Sciences, Presidency University, 86/1 College Street, Kolkata 700073, India.
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31
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Nascimento LDS, Reichert FM, Janissek-Muniz R, Zawislak PA. Dynamic interactions among knowledge management, strategic foresight and emerging technologies. JOURNAL OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1108/jkm-01-2020-0044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to discuss the dynamic interactions among knowledge management, strategic foresight and emerging technologies, resulting in a framework that can help companies to shape these interactions for achieving positive outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
This conceptual paper is based on prior literature streams, which were interrelated through an abductive research process. This iterative conceptualization approach led to the formation of testable propositions that advance the understanding on the interactions among knowledge management, strategic foresight and emerging technologies.
Findings
The framework demonstrates the existence of an actions cycle between strategic foresight and knowledge management through a constructivist perspective, where one can improve the other. These interactions can be useful both for the development of emerging technologies and for identifying these innovations in market that can be applied in companies. Hence, all these dynamic interactions do not point to a hegemonic relationship of one construct over the others, but for the value equality among them.
Originality/value
Although current literature points to the existence of relationships among knowledge management, strategic foresight and emerging technologies, the dynamism inherent in these interactions as well as their positive effects for companies’ results are not properly discussed. This paper fills such a gap and proposes directions for future research.
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32
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Lu H, Yuan G, Strauss SH, Tschaplinski TJ, Tuskan GA, Chen JG, Yang X. Reconfiguring Plant Metabolism for Biodegradable Plastic Production. BIODESIGN RESEARCH 2020; 2020:9078303. [PMID: 37849903 PMCID: PMC10530661 DOI: 10.34133/2020/9078303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/11/2020] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
For decades, plants have been the subject of genetic engineering to synthesize novel, value-added compounds. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a large class of biodegradable biopolymers naturally synthesized in eubacteria, are among the novel products that have been introduced to make use of plant acetyl-CoA metabolic pathways. It was hoped that renewable PHA production would help address environmental issues associated with the accumulation of nondegradable plastic wastes. However, after three decades of effort synthesizing PHAs, and in particular the simplest form polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), and seeking to improve their production in plants, it has proven very difficult to reach a commercially profitable rate in a normally growing plant. This seems to be due to the growth defects associated with PHA production and accumulation in plant cells. Here, we review major breakthroughs that have been made in plant-based PHA synthesis using traditional genetic engineering approaches and discuss challenges that have been encountered. Then, from the point of view of plant synthetic biology, we provide perspectives on reprograming plant acetyl-CoA pathways for PHA production, with the goal of maximizing PHA yield while minimizing growth inhibition. Specifically, we suggest genetic elements that can be considered in genetic circuit design, approaches for nuclear genome and plastome modification, and the use of multiomics and mathematical modeling in understanding and restructuring plant metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiwei Lu
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Guoliang Yuan
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- The Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Steven H. Strauss
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Timothy J. Tschaplinski
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- The Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Gerald A. Tuskan
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- The Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Jin-Gui Chen
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- The Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Xiaohan Yang
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- The Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
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33
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Henry R. Innovations in Agriculture and Food Supply in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. MOLECULAR PLANT 2020; 13:1095-1097. [PMID: 32711125 PMCID: PMC7374153 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2020.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Henry
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072 Australia.
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34
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Molecular mechanisms for biosynthesis and assembly of nutritionally important very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in microorganisms. Prog Lipid Res 2020; 79:101047. [DOI: 10.1016/j.plipres.2020.101047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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35
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Fabian BK, Tetu SG, Paulsen IT. Application of Transposon Insertion Sequencing to Agricultural Science. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:291. [PMID: 32256512 PMCID: PMC7093568 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Many plant-associated bacteria have the ability to positively affect plant growth and there is growing interest in utilizing such bacteria in agricultural settings to reduce reliance on pesticides and fertilizers. However, our capacity to utilize microbes in this way is currently limited due to patchy understanding of bacterial-plant interactions at a molecular level. Traditional methods of studying molecular interactions have sought to characterize the function of one gene at a time, but the slow pace of this work means the functions of the vast majority of bacterial genes remain unknown or poorly understood. New approaches to improve and speed up investigations into the functions of bacterial genes in agricultural systems will facilitate efforts to optimize microbial communities and develop microbe-based products. Techniques enabling high-throughput gene functional analysis, such as transposon insertion sequencing analyses, have great potential to be widely applied to determine key aspects of plant-bacterial interactions. Transposon insertion sequencing combines saturation transposon mutagenesis and high-throughput sequencing to simultaneously investigate the function of all the non-essential genes in a bacterial genome. This technique can be used for both in vitro and in vivo studies to identify genes involved in microbe-plant interactions, stress tolerance and pathogen virulence. The information provided by such investigations will rapidly accelerate the rate of bacterial gene functional determination and provide insights into the genes and pathways that underlie biotic interactions, metabolism, and survival of agriculturally relevant bacteria. This knowledge could be used to select the most appropriate plant growth promoting bacteria for a specific set of conditions, formulating crop inoculants, or developing crop protection products. This review provides an overview of transposon insertion sequencing, outlines how this approach has been applied to study plant-associated bacteria, and proposes new applications of these techniques for the benefit of agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belinda K. Fabian
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sasha G. Tetu
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ian T. Paulsen
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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36
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Batista-Silva W, da Fonseca-Pereira P, Martins AO, Zsögön A, Nunes-Nesi A, Araújo WL. Engineering Improved Photosynthesis in the Era of Synthetic Biology. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS 2020; 1:100032. [PMID: 33367233 PMCID: PMC7747996 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2020.100032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Much attention has been given to the enhancement of photosynthesis as a strategy for the optimization of crop productivity. As traditional plant breeding is most likely reaching a plateau, there is a timely need to accelerate improvements in photosynthetic efficiency by means of novel tools and biotechnological solutions. The emerging field of synthetic biology offers the potential for building completely novel pathways in predictable directions and, thus, addresses the global requirements for higher yields expected to occur in the 21st century. Here, we discuss recent advances and current challenges of engineering improved photosynthesis in the era of synthetic biology toward optimized utilization of solar energy and carbon sources to optimize the production of food, fiber, and fuel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willian Batista-Silva
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais 36570-900, Brazil
| | - Paula da Fonseca-Pereira
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais 36570-900, Brazil
| | | | - Agustín Zsögön
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais 36570-900, Brazil
| | - Adriano Nunes-Nesi
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais 36570-900, Brazil
| | - Wagner L. Araújo
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais 36570-900, Brazil
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37
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Bartley BA, Beal J, Karr JR, Strychalski EA. Organizing genome engineering for the gigabase scale. Nat Commun 2020; 11:689. [PMID: 32019919 PMCID: PMC7000699 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14314-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-scale engineering holds great potential to impact science, industry, medicine, and society, and recent improvements in DNA synthesis have enabled the manipulation of megabase genomes. However, coordinating and integrating the workflows and large teams necessary for gigabase genome engineering remains a considerable challenge. We examine this issue and recommend a path forward by: 1) adopting and extending existing representations for designs, assembly plans, samples, data, and workflows; 2) developing new technologies for data curation and quality control; 3) conducting fundamental research on genome-scale modeling and design; and 4) developing new legal and contractual infrastructure to facilitate collaboration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jacob Beal
- Raytheon BBN Technologies, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
| | - Jonathan R Karr
- Icahn Institute and Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10128, USA
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38
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Zhu Q, Wang B, Tan J, Liu T, Li L, Liu YG. Plant Synthetic Metabolic Engineering for Enhancing Crop Nutritional Quality. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS 2020; 1:100017. [PMID: 33404538 PMCID: PMC7747972 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2019.100017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Nutrient deficiencies in crops are a serious threat to human health, especially for populations in poor areas. To overcome this problem, the development of crops with nutrient-enhanced traits is imperative. Biofortification of crops to improve nutritional quality helps combat nutrient deficiencies by increasing the levels of specific nutrient components. Compared with agronomic practices and conventional plant breeding, plant metabolic engineering and synthetic biology strategies are more effective and accurate in synthesizing specific micronutrients, phytonutrients, and/or bioactive components in crops. In this review, we discuss recent progress in the field of plant synthetic metabolic engineering, specifically in terms of research strategies of multigene stacking tools and engineering complex metabolic pathways, with a focus on improving traits related to micronutrients, phytonutrients, and bioactive components. Advances and innovations in plant synthetic metabolic engineering would facilitate the development of nutrient-enriched crops to meet the nutritional needs of humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinlong Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources; College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Bin Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources; College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Jiantao Tan
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources; College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Taoli Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources; College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Li Li
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Yao-Guang Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources; College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510642, China
- Corresponding author
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39
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Nutritional enhancement in plants - green and greener. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2020; 61:122-127. [PMID: 31911264 PMCID: PMC7103755 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Transgenic plants as green factories for the production of compounds with human health benefits. Reduced environmental footprint and improved sustainability via GM plants. Translation of basic research into tangible products.
The global challenges of ensuring sufficient safe and nutritious food for all are enshrined within the Sustainable Development Goals. As our planet's population continues to grow, and as the impacts of climate change and environmental pollution become more visible to all, new solutions continue to be sought as to how best address these. Transgenic crops specifically focussed on delivering health-beneficial compounds will likely play a role in this, and this review will consider several areas where good progress has been made. In particular, the transition from basic research to commercial product is a journey that more and more projects are embarking on, hopefully leading to the fulfilment of earlier promises as to the potential of genetically modified (GM) plants to deliver improved human nutrition.
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Mellor SB, Vinde MH, Nielsen AZ, Hanke GT, Abdiaziz K, Roessler MM, Burow M, Motawia MS, Møller BL, Jensen PE. Defining optimal electron transfer partners for light-driven cytochrome P450 reactions. Metab Eng 2019; 55:33-43. [PMID: 31091467 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2019.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Plants and cyanobacteria are promising heterologous hosts for metabolic engineering, and particularly suited for expression of cytochrome P450 (P450s), enzymes that catalyse key steps in biosynthetic pathways leading to valuable natural products such as alkaloids, terpenoids and phenylpropanoids. P450s are often difficult to express and require a membrane-bound NADPH-dependent reductase, complicating their use in metabolic engineering and bio-production. We previously demonstrated targeting of heterologous P450s to thylakoid membranes both in N. benthamiana chloroplasts and cyanobacteria, and functional substitution of their native reductases with the photosynthetic apparatus via the endogenous soluble electron carrier ferredoxin. However, because ferredoxin acts as a sorting hub for photosynthetic reducing power, there is fierce competition for reducing equivalents, which limits photosynthesis-driven P450 output. This study compares the ability of four electron carriers to increase photosynthesis-driven P450 activity. These carriers, three plant ferredoxins and a flavodoxin-like engineered protein derived from cytochrome P450 reductase, show only modest differences in their electron transfer to our model P450, CYP79A1 in vitro. However, only the flavodoxin-like carrier supplies appreciable reducing power in the presence of competition for reduced ferredoxin, because it possesses a redox potential that renders delivery of reducing equivalents to endogenous processes inefficient. We further investigate the efficacy of these electron carrier proteins in vivo by expressing them transiently in N. benthamiana fused to CYP79A1. All but one of the fusion enzymes show improved sequestration of photosynthetic reducing power. Fusion with the flavodoxin-like carrier offers the greatest improvement in this comparison - nearly 25-fold on a per protein basis. Thus, this study demonstrates that synthetic electron transfer pathways with optimal redox potentials can alleviate the problem of endogenous competition for reduced ferredoxin and sets out a new metabolic engineering strategy useful for producing valuable natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silas Busck Mellor
- Copenhagen Plant Science Center, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Marcos Hamborg Vinde
- Copenhagen Plant Science Center, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Agnieszka Zygadlo Nielsen
- Copenhagen Plant Science Center, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Guy Thomas Hanke
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Kaltum Abdiaziz
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Maxie M Roessler
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Meike Burow
- DyNaMo Center of Excellence, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Mohammed Saddik Motawia
- Villum Research Center for Plant Plasticity, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Birger Lindberg Møller
- Villum Research Center for Plant Plasticity, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Poul Erik Jensen
- Copenhagen Plant Science Center, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
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Myburg AA, Hussey SG, Wang JP, Street NR, Mizrachi E. Systems and Synthetic Biology of Forest Trees: A Bioengineering Paradigm for Woody Biomass Feedstocks. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:775. [PMID: 31281326 PMCID: PMC6597874 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Fast-growing forest plantations are sustainable feedstocks of plant biomass that can serve as alternatives to fossil carbon resources for materials, chemicals, and energy. Their ability to efficiently harvest light energy and carbon from the atmosphere and sequester this into metabolic precursors for lignocellulosic biopolymers and a wide range of plant specialized metabolites make them excellent biochemical production platforms and living biorefineries. Their large sizes have facilitated multi-omics analyses and systems modeling of key biological processes such as lignin biosynthesis in trees. High-throughput 'omics' approaches have also been applied in segregating tree populations where genetic variation creates abundant genetic perturbations of system components allowing construction of systems genetics models linking genes and pathways to complex trait variation. With this information in hand, it is now possible to start using synthetic biology and genome editing techniques in a bioengineering approach based on a deeper understanding and rational design of biological parts, devices, and integrated systems. However, the complexity of the biology and interacting components will require investment in big data informatics, machine learning, and intuitive visualization to fully explore multi-dimensional patterns and identify emergent properties of biological systems. Predictive systems models could be tested rapidly through high-throughput synthetic biology approaches and multigene editing. Such a bioengineering paradigm, together with accelerated genomic breeding, will be crucial for the development of a new generation of woody biorefinery crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander A. Myburg
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
| | - Steven G. Hussey
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
| | - Jack P. Wang
- Forest Biotechnology Group, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Nathaniel R. Street
- Umeå Plant Science Center, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Eshchar Mizrachi
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
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Niazian M. Application of genetics and biotechnology for improving medicinal plants. PLANTA 2019; 249:953-973. [PMID: 30715560 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-019-03099-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Plant tissue culture has been used for conservation, micropropagation, and in planta overproduction of some pharma molecules of medicinal plants. New biotechnology-based breeding methods such as targeted genome editing methods are able to create custom-designed medicinal plants with different secondary metabolite profiles. For a long time, humans have used medicinal plants for therapeutic purposes and in food and other industries. Classical biotechnology techniques have been exploited in breeding medicinal plants. Now, it is time to apply faster biotechnology-based breeding methods (BBBMs) to these valuable plants. Assessment of the genetic diversity, conservation, proliferation, and overproduction are the main ways by which genetics and biotechnology can help to improve medicinal plants faster. Plant tissue culture (PTC) plays an important role as a platform to apply other BBBMs in medicinal plants. Agrobacterium-mediated gene transformation and artificial polyploidy induction are the main BBBMs that are directly dependent on PTC. Manageable regulation of endogens and/or transferred genes via engineered zinc-finger proteins or transcription activator-like effectors can help targeted manipulation of secondary metabolite pathways in medicinal plants. The next-generation sequencing techniques have great potential to study the genetic diversity of medicinal plants through restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) technique and also to identify the genes and enzymes that are involved in the biosynthetic pathway of secondary metabolites through precise transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq). The sequence-specific nucleases of transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), zinc-finger nucleases, and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated (Cas) are the genome editing methods that can produce user-designed medicinal plants. These current targeted genome editing methods are able to manage plant synthetic biology and open new gates to medicinal plants to be introduced into appropriate industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Niazian
- Department of Tissue and Cell Culture, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, 3135933151, Iran.
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Hanson AD, Jez JM. Synthetic biology meets plant metabolism. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2018; 273:1-2. [PMID: 29907301 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Revised: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Hanson
- Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States; Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, United States
| | - Joseph M Jez
- Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States; Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, United States.
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Goold HD, Wright P, Hailstones D. Emerging Opportunities for Synthetic Biology in Agriculture. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:E341. [PMID: 29986428 PMCID: PMC6071285 DOI: 10.3390/genes9070341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid expansion in the emerging field of synthetic biology has to date mainly focused on the microbial sciences and human health. However, the zeitgeist is that synthetic biology will also shortly deliver major outcomes for agriculture. The primary industries of agriculture, fisheries and forestry, face significant and global challenges; addressing them will be assisted by the sector’s strong history of early adoption of transformative innovation, such as the genetic technologies that underlie synthetic biology. The implementation of synthetic biology within agriculture may, however, be hampered given the industry is dominated by higher plants and mammals, where large and often polyploid genomes and the lack of adequate tools challenge the ability to deliver outcomes in the short term. However, synthetic biology is a rapidly growing field, new techniques in genome design and synthesis, and more efficient molecular tools such as CRISPR/Cas9 may harbor opportunities more broadly than the development of new cultivars and breeds. In particular, the ability to use synthetic biology to engineer biosensors, synthetic speciation, microbial metabolic engineering, mammalian multiplexed CRISPR, novel anti microbials, and projects such as Yeast 2.0 all have significant potential to deliver transformative changes to agriculture in the short, medium and longer term. Specifically, synthetic biology promises to deliver benefits that increase productivity and sustainability across primary industries, underpinning the industry’s prosperity in the face of global challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugh Douglas Goold
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia.
- New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, Woodbridge Road, Menangle, NSW 2568, Australia.
| | - Philip Wright
- New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Locked Bag 21, 161 Kite St, Orange, NSW 2800, Australia.
| | - Deborah Hailstones
- New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, Woodbridge Road, Menangle, NSW 2568, Australia.
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