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Fu C, Xu X, Xie Y, Liu Y, Liu M, Chen A, Blamey JM, Shi J, Zhao S, Sun J. Rational design of GDP‑D‑mannose mannosyl hydrolase for microbial L‑fucose production. Microb Cell Fact 2023; 22:56. [PMID: 36964553 PMCID: PMC10037897 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-023-02060-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND L‑Fucose is a rare sugar that has beneficial biological activities, and its industrial production is mainly achieved with brown algae through acidic/enzymatic fucoidan hydrolysis and a cumbersome purification process. Fucoidan is synthesized through the condensation of a key substance, guanosine 5'‑diphosphate (GDP)‑L‑fucose. Therefore, a more direct approach for biomanufacturing L‑fucose could be the enzymatic degradation of GDP‑L‑fucose. However, no native enzyme is known to efficiently catalyze this reaction. Therefore, it would be a feasible solution to engineering an enzyme with similar function to hydrolyze GDP‑L‑fucose. RESULTS Herein, we constructed a de novo L‑fucose synthetic route in Bacillus subtilis by introducing heterologous GDP‑L‑fucose synthesis pathway and engineering GDP‑mannose mannosyl hydrolase (WcaH). WcaH displays a high binding affinity but low catalytic activity for GDP‑L‑fucose, therefore, a substrate simulation‑based structural analysis of the catalytic center was employed for the rational design and mutagenesis of selected positions on WcaH to enhance its GDP‑L‑fucose‑splitting efficiency. Enzyme mutants were evaluated in vivo by inserting them into an artificial metabolic pathway that enabled B. subtilis to yield L‑fucose. WcaHR36Y/N38R was found to produce 1.6 g/L L‑fucose during shake‑flask growth, which was 67.3% higher than that achieved by wild‑type WcaH. The accumulated L‑fucose concentration in a 5 L bioreactor reached 6.4 g/L. CONCLUSIONS In this study, we established a novel microbial engineering platform for the fermentation production of L‑fucose. Additionally, we found an efficient GDP‑mannose mannosyl hydrolase mutant for L‑fucose biosynthesis that directly hydrolyzes GDP‑L‑fucose. The engineered strain system established in this study is expected to provide new solutions for L‑fucose or its high value‑added derivatives production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Fu
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xuexia Xu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Yukang Xie
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yufei Liu
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Min Liu
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Ai Chen
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jenny M Blamey
- Fundación Biociencia, José Domingo Cañas, 2280, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile
- Facultad de Química Y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, 3363, Alameda, Estación Central, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jiping Shi
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Suwen Zhao
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China.
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China.
| | - Junsong Sun
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201210, China.
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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Rabinowitch I. Synthetic connectomes at the interface: Reply to comments on "What would a synthetic connectome look like?". Phys Life Rev 2020; 33:30-33. [PMID: 32711947 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2020.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ithai Rabinowitch
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, IMRIC - Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ein Kerem Campus, Jerusalem, 9112002, Israel.
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Gramelsberger G. Synthetic Morphology: A Vision of Engineering Biological Form. JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF BIOLOGY 2020; 53:295-309. [PMID: 32358710 DOI: 10.1007/s10739-020-09601-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Morphological engineering is an emerging research area in synthetic biology. In 2008 "synthetic morphology" was proposed as a prospective approach to engineering self-constructing anatomies by Jamie A. Davies of the University of Edinburgh. Synthetic morphology can establish a new paradigm, according to Davies, insofar as "cells can be programmed to organize themselves into specific, designed arrangements, structures and tissues." It is obvious that this new approach will extrapolate morphology into a new realm beyond the traditional logic of morphological research. However, synthetic morphology is a highly idealized vision of morphology which derives its visionary ideas from morphological engineering and mathematical idealizations in order to understand the principles of molecular morphology. Thus, the question is, if this approach will help to understand morphogenesis better or if it will just enable biologists to engineer morphogenesis. The paper investigates the development of synthetic morphology and its relation to synthetic biology as well as its epistemic gains.
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Porcar M, Latorre A, Moya A. What Symbionts Teach us about Modularity. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2013; 1:14. [PMID: 25023877 PMCID: PMC4090905 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2013.00014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2013] [Accepted: 10/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The main goal of Synthetic Biology (SB) is to apply engineering principles to biotechnology in order to make life easier to engineer. These engineering principles include modularity: decoupling of complex systems into smaller, orthogonal sub-systems that can be used in a range of different applications. The successful use of modules in engineering is expected to be reproduced in synthetic biological systems. But the difficulties experienced up to date with SB approaches question the short-term feasibility of designing life. Considering the “engineerable” nature of life, here we discuss the existence of modularity in natural living systems, particularly in symbiotic interactions, and compare the behavior of such systems, with those of engineered modules. We conclude that not only is modularity present but it is also common among living structures, and that symbioses are a new example of module-like sub-systems having high similarity with modularly designed ones. However, we also detect and stress fundamental differences between man-made and biological modules. Both similarities and differences should be taken into account in order to adapt SB design to biological laws.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Porcar
- Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universitat de València , València , Spain ; Fundació General de la Universitat de València , València , Spain
| | - Amparo Latorre
- Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universitat de València , València , Spain ; Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Genómica y Salud, Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana - Salud Pública , València , Spain
| | - Andrés Moya
- Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universitat de València , València , Spain ; Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Genómica y Salud, Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana - Salud Pública , València , Spain
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Friedrich K. Digital 'faces' of synthetic biology. STUDIES IN HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES 2013; 44:217-224. [PMID: 23578486 DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2013.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
In silicio design plays a fundamental role in the endeavour to synthesise biological systems. In particular, computer-aided design software enables users to manage the complexity of biological entities that is connected to their construction and reconfiguration. The software's graphical user interface bridges the gap between the machine-readable data on the algorithmic subface of the computer and its human-amenable surface represented by standardised diagrammatic elements. Notations like the Systems Biology Graphical Notation (SBGN), together with interactive operations such as drag & drop, allow the user to visually design and simulate synthetic systems as 'bio-algorithmic signs'. Finally, the digital programming process should be extended to the wet lab to manufacture the designed synthetic biological systems. By exploring the different 'faces' of synthetic biology, I argue that in particular computer-aided design (CAD) is pushing the idea to automatically produce de novo objects. Multifaceted software processes serve mutually aesthetic, epistemic and performative purposes by simultaneously black-boxing and bridging different data sources, experimental operations and community-wide standards. So far, synthetic biology is mainly a product of digital media technologies that structurally mimic the epistemological challenge to take both qualitative as well as quantitative aspects of biological systems into account in order to understand and produce new and functional entities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Friedrich
- Academy of Media Arts Cologne, Peter-Welter-Platz 2, 50676 Köln, Germany.
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