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Zhang J, Sun T, Zhang W, Chen L. Identification of acidic stress-responsive genes and acid tolerance engineering in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 108:115. [PMID: 38204133 PMCID: PMC10781874 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12984-5] [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: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are excellent autotrophic photosynthetic chassis employed in synthetic biology, and previous studies have suggested that they have alkaline tolerance but low acid tolerance, significantly limiting their productivity as photosynthetic chassis and necessitating investigations into the acid stress resistance mechanism. In this study, differentially expressed genes were obtained by RNA sequencing-based comparative transcriptomic analysis under long-term acidic stress conditions and acidic shock treatment, in the model cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. A pathway enrichment analysis revealed the upregulated and downregulated pathways during long-term acidic and shock stress treatment. The subsequent single gene knockout and phenotype analysis showed that under acidic stress conditions, the strains with chlL, chlN, pex, synpcc7942_2038, synpcc7942_1890, or synpcc7942_2547 knocked out grew worse than the wild type, suggesting their involvement in acid tolerance. This finding was further confirmed by introducing the corresponding genes back into the knockout mutant individually. Moreover, individual overexpression of the chlL and chlN genes in the wild type successfully improved the tolerance of S. elongatus PCC 7942 to acidic stress. This work successfully identified six genes involved in acidic stress responses, and overexpressing chIL or chIN individually successfully improved acid tolerance in S. elongatus PCC 7942, providing valuable information to better understand the acid resistance mechanism in S. elongatus PCC 7942 and novel insights into the robustness and tolerance engineering of cyanobacterial chassis. KEY POINTS: • DEGs were identified by RNA-seq based transcriptomics analysis in response to acidic stress in S. elongatus PCC 7942. • Six genes were identified to be involved in acid tolerance in S. elongatus PCC 7942. • Overexpression of chIL or chIN individually successfully improved the acid tolerance of S. elongatus PCC 7942.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (MOE), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Sun
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (MOE), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
- Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Weiwen Zhang
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (MOE), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
- Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Chen
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China.
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (MOE), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People's Republic of China.
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2
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Victoria AJ, Selão TT, Moreno-Cabezuelo JÁ, Mills LA, Gale GAR, Lea-Smith DJ, McCormick AJ. A toolbox to engineer the highly productive cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 11901. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 196:1674-1690. [PMID: 38713768 PMCID: PMC11444289 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiae261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
Synechococcus sp. PCC 11901 (PCC 11901) is a fast-growing marine cyanobacterial strain that has a capacity for sustained biomass accumulation to very high cell densities, comparable to that achieved by commercially relevant heterotrophic organisms. However, genetic tools to engineer PCC 11901 for biotechnology applications are limited. Here we describe a suite of tools based on the CyanoGate MoClo system to unlock the engineering potential of PCC 11901. First, we characterized neutral sites suitable for stable genomic integration that do not affect growth even at high cell densities. Second, we tested a suite of constitutive promoters, terminators, and inducible promoters including a 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG)-inducible PhlF repressor system, which has not previously been demonstrated in cyanobacteria and showed tight regulation and a 228-fold dynamic range of induction. Lastly, we developed a DAPG-inducible dCas9-based CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) system and a modular method to generate markerless mutants using CRISPR-Cas12a. Based on our findings, PCC 11901 is highly responsive to CRISPRi-based repression and showed high efficiencies for single insertion (31% to 81%) and multiplex double insertion (25%) genome editing with Cas12a. We envision that these tools will lay the foundations for the adoption of PCC 11901 as a robust model strain for engineering biology and green biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo J Victoria
- Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
- Centre for Engineering Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
| | - Tiago Toscano Selão
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | | | - Lauren A Mills
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Grant A R Gale
- Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
- Centre for Engineering Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
| | - David J Lea-Smith
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Alistair J McCormick
- Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
- Centre for Engineering Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK
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3
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Li Y, Fan Y, Gao J, Zheng S, Xing Y, He C, Ye S, Xia H, Wang G, Pan H, Xia W, Sui M, Wang H, Liu J, Xie M, Xu K, Zhang Y. Engineered cyanobacteria-Fe 3O 4 hybrid system as oxygen generator and photosensitizer production factory for synergistic cancer PDT-immunotherapy. Mater Today Bio 2024; 28:101192. [PMID: 39221208 PMCID: PMC11364136 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2024.101192] [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: 05/12/2024] [Revised: 08/04/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The combination of photodynamic therapy (PDT)-immunotherapy has brought much hope for cancer patients. However, the hypoxia tumor microenvironment (TME) can regulate tumor angiogenesis and inhibit immune response, thus limiting the therapeutic effects. In this paper, engineered cyanobacteria-M2-like tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) targeting peptide modified Fe3O4 nanoparticles hybrid system (ECyano@Fe3O4-M2pep) was constructed for alleviating hypoxia and relieving immune suppression to achieve synergistic cancer PDT-immunotherapy. With the irradiation of red laser, oxygen was produced by the photosynthesis of ECyano to alleviate the hypoxia TME. Then, ECyano could secret 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) under the induction of theophylline for controllable PDT. In the process of PDT, the disulfide bond between ECyano and Fe3O4-M2pep was broken in response to reactive oxygen species (ROS), and then Fe3O4-M2pep was released to target M2-like TAMs, corresponding by the polarization of M2-like TAMs to M1-like TAMs for the killing of tumor cells. Compared with other groups, ECyano@Fe3O4-M2pep + theophylline + laser (ECyano@Fe3O4-M2pep + T + L) group displayed the lowest tumor volume (159.3 mm3) and the highest M1/M2 ratio (1.25- fold). We believe that this hybrid system will offer a promising way for the biomedical application of bacterial therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yize Li
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
| | - Yali Fan
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
| | - Jin Gao
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221006, China
| | - Shaohui Zheng
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
| | - Yujuan Xing
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
| | - Chunyan He
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221006, China
| | - Shuo Ye
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
| | - Hongfei Xia
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
| | - Gezhen Wang
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
| | - Hui Pan
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
| | - Wei Xia
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
| | - Meirong Sui
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
| | - Hanjie Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin Engineering Center of Micro-Nano Biomaterials and Detection-Treatment Technology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Jing Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin Engineering Center of Micro-Nano Biomaterials and Detection-Treatment Technology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Manman Xie
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
| | - Kai Xu
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221006, China
| | - Yingying Zhang
- School of Medical Imaging, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, China
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Chen XY, Yu DJ, Jia R. Screening high-efficiency promoter to construct trans-vp28 gene Anabaena sp. PCC7120 against white spot syndrome virus of Litopenaeus vannamei. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2024; 154:109912. [PMID: 39299405 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2024.109912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2024] [Revised: 09/15/2024] [Accepted: 09/17/2024] [Indexed: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
This study aimed to select high-quality promoters to construct trans-vp28 gene Anabaena sp. PCC7120 and feed Litopenaeus vannamei to assess the effect of L.vannamei against white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). Transgenic algae were created using five plasmids containing PrbcL, Pcpc560, Ptrc, Ptac, and PpsbA. According to the gene expression efficiency and the growth index of transgenic algae, Pcpc560 was determined to be the most efficient promoter. Shrimps were continuously fed trans-vp28 gene Anabaena sp. PCC7120 for one week and then challenged with WSSV. After the challenge, the transgenic algae group (vp28-7120 group) was continuously immunized [continuous immunization for 0 days (vp28-7120-0d); continuous immunization for 2 days (vp28-7120-2d); continuous immunization for 4 days (vp28-7120-4d)]. After seven days, the daily survival rate of each experimental group was continuously tracked. Following the viral challenge, the hepatopancreas samples were assayed for their levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), thioredoxin peroxidase (TPX), acid phosphatase (ACP), and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) at varying time intervals. In comparison to the positive control group (challenge and no vaccination) and the wild-type group (challenge, fed wild-type Anabaena sp. PCC7120), the vp28-7120 group (challenge, fed trans-vp28 gene Anabaena sp. PCC7120) exhibited a remarkable increase in survival rates, reaching 50 % (vp28-7120-0d), 76.67 % (vp28-7120-2d), and 80 % (vp28-7120-4d). Furthermore, the vp28-7120 group consistently displayed significantly higher activities of SOD, CAT, GSH-Px, ACP, and AKP, while exhibiting notably lower TPX activity, when compared to the control group. These results indicate that the Pcpc560 promoter effectively elevated the expression level of the exogenous vp28 gene and spurred the growth of the trans-vp28 gene Anabaena sp. PCC7120. Consequently, trans-vp28 gene Anabaena sp. PCC7120 significantly bolstered the immunity of L.vannamei. Therefore, utilizing the Pcpc560 promoter to develop trans-vp28 gene Anabaena sp. PCC7120 based oral vaccine is highly beneficial for industrial-scale cultivation, advancing its commercialization prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Yu Chen
- College of Marine Science and Ecological Environment, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Dian-Jiang Yu
- College of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361104, China
| | - Rui Jia
- College of Marine Science and Ecological Environment, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; Marine Biomedical Science and Technology Innovation Platform of Lin-gang Special Area, Shanghai, 201306, China.
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5
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Li Z, Li S, Chen L, Sun T, Zhang W. Fast-growing cyanobacterial chassis for synthetic biology application. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2024; 44:414-428. [PMID: 36842999 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2023.2166455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/28/2023]
Abstract
Carbon neutrality by 2050 has become one of the most urgent challenges the world faces today. To address the issue, it is necessary to develop and promote new technologies related with CO2 recycling. Cyanobacteria are the only prokaryotes performing oxygenic photosynthesis, capable of fixing CO2 into biomass under sunlight and serving as one of the most important primary producers on earth. Notably, recent progress on synthetic biology has led to utilizing model cyanobacteria such as Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 as chassis for "light-driven autotrophic cell factories" to produce several dozens of biofuels and various fine chemicals directly from CO2. However, due to the slow growth rate and low biomass accumulation in the current chassis, the productivity for most products is still lower than the threshold necessary for large-scale commercial application, raising the importance of developing high-efficiency cyanobacterial chassis with fast growth and/or higher biomass accumulation capabilities. In this article, we critically reviewed recent progresses on identification, systems biology analysis, and engineering of fast-growing cyanobacterial chassis. Specifically, fast-growing cyanobacteria identified in recent years, such as S. elongatus UTEX 2973, S. elongatus PCC 11801, S. elongatus PCC 11802 and Synechococcus sp. PCC 11901 was comparatively analyzed. In addition, the progresses on their recent application in converting CO2 into chemicals, and genetic toolboxes developed for these new cyanobacterial chassis were discussed. Finally, the article provides insights into future challenges and perspectives on the synthetic biology application of cyanobacterial chassis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixiang Li
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, P.R. China
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Shubin Li
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, P.R. China
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Lei Chen
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, P.R. China
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Tao Sun
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, P.R. China
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, P.R. China
- Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, P.R. China
| | - Weiwen Zhang
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, P.R. China
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, P.R. China
- Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, P.R. China
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6
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Zhang J, Li S, Sun T, Zong Y, Luo Y, Wei Y, Zhang W, Zhao K. Oscillation of type IV pili regulated by the circadian clock in cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadd9485. [PMID: 38266097 PMCID: PMC10807798 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add9485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Type IV pili (TFP) are known to be functionally related to cell motilities and natural transformation in many bacteria. However, the molecular and ecological functions of the TFP have rarely been reported for photosynthetic cyanobacteria. Here, by labeling pili in model cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 (Syn7942), we have quantitatively characterized the TFP and its driven twitching motility in situ at the single-cell level. We found an oscillating pattern of TFP in accordance with the light and dark periods during light-dark cycles, which is correlated positively to the oscillating pattern of the natural transformation efficiency. We further showed that the internal circadian clock plays an important role in regulating the oscillating pattern of TFP, which is also supported by evidences at the molecular level by tracking the expression of 16 TFP-related genes. This study adds a detailed picture toward the gap between TFP and its relations to circadian regulations in Syn7942.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingchao Zhang
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
- Center for Medical Genetics, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan 611731, China
| | - Shubin Li
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
| | - Tao Sun
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
- Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
| | - Yiwu Zong
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
| | - Yan Luo
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
| | - Yufei Wei
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
| | - Weiwen Zhang
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
- Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
| | - Kun Zhao
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan 610054, China
- The Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study and The Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan 610054, China
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7
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Song X, Ju Y, Chen L, Zhang W. Construction of Xylose-Utilizing Cyanobacterial Chassis for Bioproduction Under Photomixotrophic Conditions. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2760:57-75. [PMID: 38468082 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3658-9_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Xylose is a major component of lignocellulose and the second most abundant sugar present in nature after glucose; it, therefore, has been considered to be a promising renewable resource for the production of biofuels and chemicals. However, no natural cyanobacterial strain is known capable of utilizing xylose. Here, we take the fast-growing cyanobacteria Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 as an example to develop the synthetic biology-based methodology of constructing a new xylose-utilizing cyanobacterial chassis with increased acetyl-CoA for bioproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Song
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontier Science Center of Synthetic Biology, The Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
- Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Ju
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontier Science Center of Synthetic Biology, The Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Chen
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontier Science Center of Synthetic Biology, The Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Weiwen Zhang
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontier Science Center of Synthetic Biology, The Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
- Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
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Cao K, Cui Y, Sun F, Zhang H, Fan J, Ge B, Cao Y, Wang X, Zhu X, Wei Z, Yao Q, Ma J, Wang Y, Meng C, Gao Z. Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology strategies for producing high-value natural pigments in Microalgae. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 68:108236. [PMID: 37586543 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Revised: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Microalgae are microorganisms capable of producing bioactive compounds using photosynthesis. Microalgae contain a variety of high value-added natural pigments such as carotenoids, phycobilins, and chlorophylls. These pigments play an important role in many areas such as food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Natural pigments have a health value that is unmatched by synthetic pigments. However, the current commercial production of natural pigments from microalgae is not able to meet the growing market demand. The use of metabolic engineering and synthetic biological strategies to improve the production performance of microalgal cell factories is essential to promote the large-scale production of high-value pigments from microalgae. This paper reviews the health and economic values, the applications, and the synthesis pathways of microalgal pigments. Overall, this review aims to highlight the latest research progress in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology in constructing engineered strains of microalgae with high-value pigments and the application of CRISPR technology and multi-omics in this context. Finally, we conclude with a discussion on the bottlenecks and challenges of microalgal pigment production and their future development prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Cao
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China; School of Life Sciences and medicine, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255049, China
| | - Yulin Cui
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Fengjie Sun
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science and Technology, Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, USA
| | - Hao Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Jianhua Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Baosheng Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing and Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Yujiao Cao
- School of Foreign Languages, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255090, China
| | - Xiaodong Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Xiangyu Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China; School of Life Sciences and medicine, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255049, China
| | - Zuoxi Wei
- School of Life Sciences and medicine, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255049, China
| | - Qingshou Yao
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Jinju Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Yu Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Chunxiao Meng
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China.
| | - Zhengquan Gao
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China.
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9
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Zedler JAZ, Michel M, Pohnert G, Russo DA. Cell surface composition, released polysaccharides, and ionic strength mediate fast sedimentation in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:1955-1966. [PMID: 37259888 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes of high ecological and biotechnological relevance that have been cultivated in laboratories around the world for more than 70 years. Prolonged laboratory culturing has led to multiple microevolutionary events and the appearance of a large number of 'domesticated' substrains among model cyanobacteria. Despite its widespread occurrence, strain domestication is still largely ignored. In this work we describe Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942-KU, a novel domesticated substrain of the model cyanobacterium S. elongatus PCC 7942, which presents a fast-sedimenting phenotype. Under higher ionic strengths the sedimentation rate increased leading to complete sedimentation in just 12 h. Through whole genome sequencing and gene deletion, we demonstrated that the Group 3 alternative sigma factor F plays a key role in cell sedimentation. Further analysis showed that significant changes in cell surface structures and a three-fold increase in released polysaccharides lead to the appearance of a fast-sedimenting phenotype. This work sheds light on the determinants of the planktonic to benthic transitions and provides genetic targets to generate fast-sedimenting strains that could unlock cost-effective cyanobacterial harvesting at scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Z Zedler
- Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Matthias Schleiden Institute for Genetics, Bioinformatics and Molecular Botany, Synthetic Biology of Photosynthetic Organisms, Jena, Germany
| | - Marlene Michel
- Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Bioorganic Analytics, Jena, Germany
| | - Georg Pohnert
- Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Bioorganic Analytics, Jena, Germany
| | - David A Russo
- Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Bioorganic Analytics, Jena, Germany
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10
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Agustinus B, Gillam EMJ. Solar-powered P450 catalysis: Engineering electron transfer pathways from photosynthesis to P450s. J Inorg Biochem 2023; 245:112242. [PMID: 37187017 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2023.112242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
With the increasing focus on green chemistry, biocatalysis is becoming more widely used in the pharmaceutical and other chemical industries for sustainable production of high value and structurally complex chemicals. Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) are attractive biocatalysts for industrial application due to their ability to transform a huge range of substrates in a stereo- and regiospecific manner. However, despite their appeal, the industrial application of P450s is limited by their dependence on costly reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and one or more auxiliary redox partner proteins. Coupling P450s to the photosynthetic machinery of a plant allows photosynthetically-generated electrons to be used to drive catalysis, overcoming this cofactor dependency. Thus, photosynthetic organisms could serve as photobioreactors with the capability to produce value-added chemicals using only light, water, CO2 and an appropriate chemical as substrate for the reaction/s of choice, yielding new opportunities for producing commodity and high-value chemicals in a carbon-negative and sustainable manner. This review will discuss recent progress in using photosynthesis for light-driven P450 biocatalysis and explore the potential for further development of such systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadius Agustinus
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Elizabeth M J Gillam
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia.
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11
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Cho JS, Yang D, Prabowo CPS, Ghiffary MR, Han T, Choi KR, Moon CW, Zhou H, Ryu JY, Kim HU, Lee SY. Targeted and high-throughput gene knockdown in diverse bacteria using synthetic sRNAs. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2359. [PMID: 37095132 PMCID: PMC10126203 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38119-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthetic sRNAs allow knockdown of target genes at translational level, but have been restricted to a limited number of bacteria. Here, we report the development of a broad-host-range synthetic sRNA (BHR-sRNA) platform employing the RoxS scaffold and the Hfq chaperone from Bacillus subtilis. BHR-sRNA is tested in 16 bacterial species including commensal, probiotic, pathogenic, and industrial bacteria, with >50% of target gene knockdown achieved in 12 bacterial species. For medical applications, virulence factors in Staphylococcus epidermidis and Klebsiella pneumoniae are knocked down to mitigate their virulence-associated phenotypes. For metabolic engineering applications, high performance Corynebacterium glutamicum strains capable of producing valerolactam (bulk chemical) and methyl anthranilate (fine chemical) are developed by combinatorial knockdown of target genes. A genome-scale sRNA library covering 2959 C. glutamicum genes is constructed for high-throughput colorimetric screening of indigoidine (natural colorant) overproducers. The BHR-sRNA platform will expedite engineering of diverse bacteria of both industrial and medical interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae Sung Cho
- Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 four), Institute for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Systems Metabolic Engineering and Systems Healthcare Cross-Generation Collaborative Laboratory, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Dongsoo Yang
- Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 four), Institute for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Systems Metabolic Engineering and Systems Healthcare Cross-Generation Collaborative Laboratory, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02481, Republic of Korea
| | - Cindy Pricilia Surya Prabowo
- Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 four), Institute for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Systems Metabolic Engineering and Systems Healthcare Cross-Generation Collaborative Laboratory, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Mohammad Rifqi Ghiffary
- Systems Metabolic Engineering and Systems Healthcare Cross-Generation Collaborative Laboratory, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Systems Biology and Medicine Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 four), KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Taehee Han
- Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 four), Institute for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Systems Metabolic Engineering and Systems Healthcare Cross-Generation Collaborative Laboratory, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyeong Rok Choi
- Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 four), Institute for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Systems Metabolic Engineering and Systems Healthcare Cross-Generation Collaborative Laboratory, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Cheon Woo Moon
- Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 four), Institute for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Systems Metabolic Engineering and Systems Healthcare Cross-Generation Collaborative Laboratory, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Hengrui Zhou
- Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 four), Institute for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Systems Metabolic Engineering and Systems Healthcare Cross-Generation Collaborative Laboratory, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Yong Ryu
- Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 four), Institute for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Systems Metabolic Engineering and Systems Healthcare Cross-Generation Collaborative Laboratory, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Duksung Women's University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Uk Kim
- Systems Metabolic Engineering and Systems Healthcare Cross-Generation Collaborative Laboratory, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Systems Biology and Medicine Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 four), KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- KAIST Institute for Artificial Intelligence, BioProcess Engineering Research Center and BioInformatics Research Center, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Yup Lee
- Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 four), Institute for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
- Systems Metabolic Engineering and Systems Healthcare Cross-Generation Collaborative Laboratory, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
- KAIST Institute for Artificial Intelligence, BioProcess Engineering Research Center and BioInformatics Research Center, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
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12
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Goodchild-Michelman IM, Church GM, Schubert MG, Tang TC. Light and carbon: Synthetic biology toward new cyanobacteria-based living biomaterials. Mater Today Bio 2023; 19:100583. [PMID: 36846306 PMCID: PMC9945787 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100583] [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: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are ideal candidates to use in developing carbon neutral and carbon negative technologies; they are efficient photosynthesizers and amenable to genetic manipulation. Over the past two decades, researchers have demonstrated that cyanobacteria can make sustainable, useful biomaterials, many of which are engineered living materials. However, we are only beginning to see such technologies applied at an industrial scale. In this review, we explore the ways in which synthetic biology tools enable the development of cyanobacteria-based biomaterials. First we give an overview of the ecological and biogeochemical importance of cyanobacteria and the work that has been done using cyanobacteria to create biomaterials so far. This is followed by a discussion of commonly used cyanobacteria strains and synthetic biology tools that exist to engineer cyanobacteria. Then, three case studies-bioconcrete, biocomposites, and biophotovoltaics-are explored as potential applications of synthetic biology in cyanobacteria-based materials. Finally, challenges and future directions of cyanobacterial biomaterials are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella M. Goodchild-Michelman
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - George M. Church
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Max G. Schubert
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tzu-Chieh Tang
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
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13
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Satta A, Esquirol L, Ebert BE. Current Metabolic Engineering Strategies for Photosynthetic Bioproduction in Cyanobacteria. Microorganisms 2023; 11:455. [PMID: 36838420 PMCID: PMC9964548 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms capable of using solar energy to convert CO2 and H2O into O2 and energy-rich organic compounds, thus enabling sustainable production of a wide range of bio-products. More and more strains of cyanobacteria are identified that show great promise as cell platforms for the generation of bioproducts. However, strain development is still required to optimize their biosynthesis and increase titers for industrial applications. This review describes the most well-known, newest and most promising strains available to the community and gives an overview of current cyanobacterial biotechnology and the latest innovative strategies used for engineering cyanobacteria. We summarize advanced synthetic biology tools for modulating gene expression and their use in metabolic pathway engineering to increase the production of value-added compounds, such as terpenoids, fatty acids and sugars, to provide a go-to source for scientists starting research in cyanobacterial metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Satta
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- Department of Biology, University of Padua, 35100 Padua, Italy
| | - Lygie Esquirol
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Natha, QLD 4111, Australia
| | - Birgitta E. Ebert
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
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14
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Dong Z, Sun T, Zhang W, Chen L. Improved salt tolerance of Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 by heterologous synthesis of compatible solute ectoine. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1123081. [PMID: 36819058 PMCID: PMC9932913 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1123081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Salt stress is one of the essential abiotic stresses for the survival of cyanobacteria. However, the realization of large-scale cultivation of cyanobacteria is inseparable from the utilization of abundant seawater resources. Therefore, research on the regulatory mechanism, as well as the improvement of salt tolerance of cyanobacteria is fundamental. Ectoine, a compatible solute which was found in halophilic microorganisms, has potentiality to confer salt tolerance. Here in this article, the salt tolerance of Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 (Syn7942) was significantly improved via expressing the ectoine biosynthetic pathway, reaching an increased final OD750 by 20% under 300 mM NaCl and 80% under 400 mM NaCl than that of wild-type (WT), respectively. Encouragingly, the engineered strain could even survive under 500 mM NaCl which was lethal to WT. In addition, by introducing the ectoine synthetic pathway into the sucrose-deficient strain, the salt tolerance of the obtained strain Syn7942/Δsps-ect was restored to the level of WT under 300 mM NaCl stress, demonstrating that ectoine could substitute for sucrose to combat against salt stress in Syn7942. In order to study the difference in the regulation of mechanism on the salt adaptation process after replacing sucrose with ectoine, transcriptomic analysis was performed for Syn7942/Δsps-ect and WT. The differentially expressed gene analysis successfully identified 19 up-regulated genes and 39 down-regulated genes in Syn7942/Δsps-ect compared with WT under salt stress condition. The results also showed that the global regulation of Syn7942/Δsps-ect and WT had certain differences in the process of salt adaptation, in which Syn7942/Δsps-ect reduced the demand for the intensity of sulfur metabolism in this process. This study provides a valuable reference for further salt tolerance engineering in cyanobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengxin Dong
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China,Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, China
| | - Tao Sun
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China,Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, China,Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China,*Correspondence: Tao Sun,
| | - Weiwen Zhang
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China,Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, China,Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Lei Chen
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China,Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, China,Lei Chen,
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15
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Tang C, Wang L, Zang L, Wang Q, Qi D, Dai Z. On-demand biomanufacturing through synthetic biology approach. Mater Today Bio 2023; 18:100518. [PMID: 36636637 PMCID: PMC9830231 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2022.100518] [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: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Biopharmaceuticals including protein therapeutics, engineered protein-based vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, are currently the mainstay products of the biotechnology industry. However, the need for specialized equipment and refrigeration during production and distribution poses challenges for the delivery of these technologies to the field and low-resource area. With the development of synthetic biology, multiple studies rewire the cell-free system or living cells to impact the portable, on-site and on-demand manufacturing of biomolecules. Here, we review these efforts and suggest future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenwang Tang
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage; National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthesis, Transformation and Separation of Extreme Environmental Nutrients, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Lin Wang
- Materials Synthetic Biology Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Lei Zang
- Materials Synthetic Biology Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Qing Wang
- Materials Synthetic Biology Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Dianpeng Qi
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage; National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthesis, Transformation and Separation of Extreme Environmental Nutrients, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Zhuojun Dai
- Materials Synthetic Biology Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
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16
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Casazza AP, Lombardi A, Menin B, Santabarbara S. Temperature-induced zeaxanthin overproduction in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2022; 22:783-794. [PMID: 36536270 DOI: 10.1007/s43630-022-00352-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The exogenous crtZ gene from Brevundimonas sp. SD212, coding for a 3,3' β-car hydroxylase, was expressed in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 under the control of a temperature-inducible promoter in an attempt to engineer the carotenoid metabolic pathway, to increase the content of zeaxanthin and its further hydroxylated derivatives caloxanthin and nostoxanthin. These molecules are of particular interest due to their renowned antioxidant properties. Cultivation of the engineered strain S7942Z-Ti at 35 °C, a temperature which is well tolerated by the wild-type strain and at which the inducible expression system is activated, led to a significant redistribution of the relative carotenoid content. β-Carotene decreased to about 10% of the pool that is an excess of a threefold decrease with respect to the control, and concomitantly, zeaxanthin became the dominant carotenoid accounting for about half of the pool. As a consequence, zeaxanthin and its derivatives caloxanthin and nostoxanthin collectively accounted for about 90% of the accumulated carotenoids. Yet, upon induction of CrtZ expression at 35 °C the S7942Z-Ti strain displayed a substantial growth impairment accompanied, initially, by a relative loss of carotenoids and successively by the appearance of chlorophyll degradation products which can be interpreted as markers of cellular stress. These observations suggest a limit to the exploitation of Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 for biotechnological purposes aimed at increasing the production of hydroxylated carotenoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Paola Casazza
- Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche, Via Bassini 15a, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Alessandro Lombardi
- Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche, Via Bassini 15a, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Barbara Menin
- Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche, Via Bassini 15a, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Santabarbara
- Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche, Via Bassini 15a, 20133, Milan, Italy.
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17
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Tan C, Xu P, Tao F. Carbon-negative synthetic biology: challenges and emerging trends of cyanobacterial technology. Trends Biotechnol 2022; 40:1488-1502. [PMID: 36253158 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Global warming and climate instability have spurred interest in using renewable carbon resources for the sustainable production of chemicals. Cyanobacteria are ideal cellular factories for carbon-negative production of chemicals owing to their great potentials for directly utilizing light and CO2 as sole energy and carbon sources, respectively. However, several challenges in adapting cyanobacterial technology to industry, such as low productivity, poor tolerance, and product harvesting difficulty, remain. Synthetic biology may finally address these challenges. Here, we summarize recent advances in the production of value-added chemicals using cyanobacterial cell factories, particularly in carbon-negative synthetic biology and emerging trends in cyanobacterial applications. We also propose several perspectives on the future development of cyanobacterial technology for commercialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunlin Tan
- The State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ping Xu
- The State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fei Tao
- The State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
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18
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Light-Driven Synthetic Biology: Progress in Research and Industrialization of Cyanobacterial Cell Factory. LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:life12101537. [PMID: 36294972 PMCID: PMC9605453 DOI: 10.3390/life12101537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Light-driven synthetic biology refers to an autotrophic microorganisms-based research platform that remodels microbial metabolism through synthetic biology and directly converts light energy into bio-based chemicals. This technology can help achieve the goal of carbon neutrality while promoting green production. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms that use light and CO2 for growth and production. They thus possess unique advantages as "autotrophic cell factories". Various fuels and chemicals have been synthesized by cyanobacteria, indicating their important roles in research and industrial application. This review summarized the progresses and remaining challenges in light-driven cyanobacterial cell factory. The choice of chassis cells, strategies used in metabolic engineering, and the methods for high-value CO2 utilization will be discussed.
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19
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Liu S, Feng J, Sun T, Xu B, Zhang J, Li G, Zhou J, Jiang J. The Synthesis and Assembly of a Truncated Cyanophage Genome and Its Expression in a Heterogenous Host. LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:life12081234. [PMID: 36013413 PMCID: PMC9410186 DOI: 10.3390/life12081234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cyanophages play an important role in regulating the dynamics of cyanobacteria communities in the hydrosphere, representing a promising biological control strategy for cyanobacterial blooms. Nevertheless, most cyanophages are host-specific, making it difficult to control blooming cyanobacteria via single or multiple cyanophages. In order to address the issue, we explore the interaction between cyanophages and their heterologous hosts, with the aim of revealing the principles of designing and constructing an artificial cyanophage genome towards multiple cyanobacterial hosts. In the present study, we use synthetic biological approaches to assess the impact of introducing a fragment of cyanophage genome into a heterologous cyanobacterium under a variety of environmental conditions. Based on a natural cyanophage A-4L genome (41,750 bp), a truncated cyanophage genome Syn-A-4-8 is synthesized and assembled in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found that a 351-15,930 bp area of the A-4L genome has a fragment that is lethal to Escherichia coli during the process of attempting to assemble the full-length A-4L genome. Syn-A-4-8 was successfully introduced into E. coli and then transferred into the model cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 (Syn7942) via conjugation. Although no significant phenotypes of Syn7942 carrying Syn-A-4-8 (LS-02) could be observed under normal conditions, its growth exhibited a prolonged lag phase compared to that of the control strain under 290-millimolar NaCl stress. Finally, the mechanisms of altered salt tolerance in LS-02 were revealed through comparative transcriptomics, and ORF25 and ORF26 on Syn-A-4-8 turned out to be the key genes causing the phenotype. Our research represents an important attempt in designing artificial cyanophages towards multiple hosts, and offers new future insights into the control of cyanobacterial blooms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shujing Liu
- School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Jia Feng
- School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Tao Sun
- School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Bonan Xu
- School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Jiabao Zhang
- School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Guorui Li
- School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Jianting Zhou
- School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Correspondence: (J.Z.); (J.J.)
| | - Jianlan Jiang
- School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Correspondence: (J.Z.); (J.J.)
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20
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Wang L, Zhang X, Tang C, Li P, Zhu R, Sun J, Zhang Y, Cui H, Ma J, Song X, Zhang W, Gao X, Luo X, You L, Chen Y, Dai Z. Engineering consortia by polymeric microbial swarmbots. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3879. [PMID: 35790722 PMCID: PMC9256712 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31467-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthetic microbial consortia represent a new frontier for synthetic biology given that they can solve more complex problems than monocultures. However, most attempts to co-cultivate these artificial communities fail because of the winner-takes-all in nutrients competition. In soil, multiple species can coexist with a spatial organization. Inspired by nature, here we show that an engineered spatial segregation method can assemble stable consortia with both flexibility and precision. We create microbial swarmbot consortia (MSBC) by encapsulating subpopulations with polymeric microcapsules. The crosslinked structure of microcapsules fences microbes, but allows the transport of small molecules and proteins. MSBC method enables the assembly of various synthetic communities and the precise control over the subpopulations. These capabilities can readily modulate the division of labor and communication. Our work integrates the synthetic biology and material science to offer insights into consortia assembly and serve as foundation to diverse applications from biomanufacturing to engineered photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Center for Materials Synthetic Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Xi Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Center for Materials Synthetic Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Chenwang Tang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Center for Materials Synthetic Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Pengcheng Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Center for Materials Synthetic Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Runtao Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Center for Materials Synthetic Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Jing Sun
- Soft Bio-interface Electronics Lab, Center of Neural Engineering, CAS Key Laboratory of Human-Machine Intelligence-Synergy Systems, Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for Society, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Yunfeng Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Center for Materials Synthetic Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Hua Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Center for Materials Synthetic Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Jiajia Ma
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Xinyu Song
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Weiwen Zhang
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Xiang Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Center for Materials Synthetic Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Xiaozhou Luo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Center for Materials Synthetic Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Lingchong You
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Ye Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Center for Materials Synthetic Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zhuojun Dai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Center for Materials Synthetic Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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21
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Wang LJ, Jiang XR, Hou J, Wang CH, Chen GQ. Engineering Halomonas bluephagenesis via small regulatory RNAs. Metab Eng 2022; 73:58-69. [PMID: 35738548 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2022.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Halomonas bluephagenesis, a robust and contamination-resistant microorganism has been developed as a chassis for "Next Generation Industrial Biotechnology". The non-model H. bluephagenesis requires efficient tools to fine-tune its metabolic fluxes for enhanced production phenotypes. Here we report a highly efficient gene expression regulation system (PrrF1-2-HfqPa) in H. bluephagenesis, small regulatory RNA (sRNA) PrrF1 scaffold from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and a target-binding sequence that downregulate gene expression, and its cognate P. aeruginosa Hfq (HfqPa), recruited by the scaffold to facilitate the hybridization of sRNA and the target mRNA. The PrrF1-2-HfqPa system targeting prpC in H. bluephagenesis helps increase 3-hydroxyvalerate fraction in poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) to 21 mol% compared to 3.1 mol% of the control. This sRNA system repressed phaP1 and minD simultaneously, resulting in large polyhydroxybutyrate granules. Further, an sRNA library targeting 30 genes was employed for large-scale target identification to increase mevalonate production. This work expands the study on using an sRNA system not based on Escherichia coli MicC/SgrS-Hfq to repress gene expression, providing a framework to exploit new powerful genome engineering tools based on other sRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Juan Wang
- College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, China; Shandong Provincial Research Center for Bioinformatic Engineering and Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255049, China
| | - Xiao-Ran Jiang
- MOE Key Lab of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China; Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Jie Hou
- Shandong Provincial Research Center for Bioinformatic Engineering and Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255049, China
| | - Cong-Han Wang
- Shandong Provincial Research Center for Bioinformatic Engineering and Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255049, China
| | - Guo-Qiang Chen
- MOE Key Lab of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China; Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China; MOE Key Laboratory for Industrial Biocatalysis, Dept Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
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22
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Han Y, Li C, Yan Y, Lin M, Ke X, Zhang Y, Zhan Y. Post-transcriptional control of bacterial nitrogen metabolism by regulatory noncoding RNAs. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 38:126. [PMID: 35666348 PMCID: PMC9170634 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-022-03287-4] [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: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Nitrogen metabolism is the most basic process of material and energy metabolism in living organisms, and processes involving the uptake and use of different nitrogen sources are usually tightly regulated at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Bacterial regulatory noncoding RNAs are novel post-transcriptional regulators that repress or activate the expression of target genes through complementarily pairing with target mRNAs; therefore, these noncoding RNAs play an important regulatory role in many physiological processes, such as bacterial substance metabolism and stress response. In recent years, a study found that noncoding RNAs play a vital role in the post-transcriptional regulation of nitrogen metabolism, which is currently a hot topic in the study of bacterial nitrogen metabolism regulation. In this review, we present an overview of recent advances that increase our understanding on the regulatory roles of bacterial noncoding RNAs and describe in detail how noncoding RNAs regulate biological nitrogen fixation and nitrogen metabolic engineering. Furthermore, our goal is to lay a theoretical foundation for better understanding the molecular mechanisms in bacteria that are involved in environmental adaptations and metabolically-engineered genetic modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueyue Han
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Li
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yongliang Yan
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Min Lin
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiubin Ke
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yunhua Zhang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China. .,School of Resources and Environment, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China.
| | - Yuhua Zhan
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
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23
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Selão TT. Exploring cyanobacterial diversity for sustainable biotechnology. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:3057-3071. [PMID: 35467729 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are an evolutionarily ancient and diverse group of microorganisms. Their genetic diversity has
allowed them to occupy and play vital roles in a wide range of ecological niches, from desert soil crusts to tropical oceans. Owing to bioprospecting efforts and the development of new platform technologies enabling their study and manipulation, our knowledge of cyanobacterial metabolism is rapidly expanding. This review explores our current understanding of the genetic and metabolic features of cyanobacteria, from the more established cyanobacterial model strains to the newly isolated/described species, particularly the fast-growing, highly productive, and genetically amenable strains, as promising chassis for renewable biotechnology. It also discusses emerging technologies for their study and manipulation, enabling researchers to harness the astounding diversity of the cyanobacterial genomic and metabolic treasure trove towards the establishment of a sustainable bioeconomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Toscano Selão
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham, University Park Campus, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
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24
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Li Y, Mensah EO, Fordjour E, Bai J, Yang Y, Bai Z. Recent advances in high-throughput metabolic engineering: Generation of oligonucleotide-mediated genetic libraries. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 59:107970. [PMID: 35550915 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.107970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The preparation of genetic libraries is an essential step to evolve microorganisms and study genotype-phenotype relationships by high-throughput screening/selection. As the large-scale synthesis of oligonucleotides becomes easy, cheap, and high-throughput, numerous novel strategies have been developed in recent years to construct high-quality oligo-mediated libraries, leveraging state-of-art molecular biology tools for genome editing and gene regulation. This review presents an overview of recent advances in creating and characterizing in vitro and in vivo genetic libraries, based on CRISPR/Cas, regulatory RNAs, and recombineering, primarily for Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These libraries' applications in high-throughput metabolic engineering, strain evolution and protein engineering are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Li
- National Engineering Research Center for Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
| | - Emmanuel Osei Mensah
- National Engineering Research Center for Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Eric Fordjour
- National Engineering Research Center for Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Jing Bai
- School of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
| | - Yankun Yang
- National Engineering Research Center for Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Zhonghu Bai
- National Engineering Research Center for Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
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25
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Abstract
Strains of the freshwater cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus were first isolated approximately 60 years ago, and PCC 7942 is well established as a model for photosynthesis, circadian biology, and biotechnology research. The recent isolation of UTEX 3055 and subsequent discoveries in biofilm and phototaxis phenotypes suggest that lab strains of S. elongatus are highly domesticated. We performed a comprehensive genome comparison among the available genomes of S. elongatus and sequenced two additional laboratory strains to trace the loss of native phenotypes from the standard lab strains and determine the genetic basis of useful phenotypes. The genome comparison analysis provides a pangenome description of S. elongatus, as well as correction of extensive errors in the published sequence for the type strain PCC 6301. The comparison of gene sets and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) among strains clarifies strain isolation histories and, together with large-scale genome differences, supports a hypothesis of laboratory domestication. Prophage genes in laboratory strains, but not UTEX 3055, affect pigmentation, while unique genes in UTEX 3055 are necessary for phototaxis. The genomic differences identified in this study include previously reported SNPs that are, in reality, sequencing errors, as well as SNPs and genome differences that have phenotypic consequences. One SNP in the circadian response regulator rpaA that has caused confusion is clarified here as belonging to an aberrant clone of PCC 7942, used for the published genome sequence, that has confounded the interpretation of circadian fitness research.
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26
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Mapstone LJ, Leite MN, Purton S, Crawford IA, Dartnell L. Cyanobacteria and microalgae in supporting human habitation on Mars. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 59:107946. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.107946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Yao J, Wang J, Ju Y, Dong Z, Song X, Chen L, Zhang W. Engineering a Xylose-Utilizing Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 Chassis for 3-Hydroxypropionic Acid Biosynthesis under Photomixotrophic Conditions. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:678-688. [PMID: 35119824 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Photomixotrophic cultivation of cyanobacteria is considered a promising strategy to achieve both high cell density and product accumulation, since cyanobacteria can obtain carbon and energy sources from organic matter in addition to those obtained from CO2 and sunlight. Acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) is a key precursor used for the biosynthesis of a wide variety of important value-added chemicals. However, the acetyl-CoA content in cyanobacteria is typically low under photomixotrophic conditions, which limits the productivity of the derived chemicals. In this study, a xylose utilization pathway from Escherichia coli was first engineered into fast-growing Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 (hereafter Synechococcus 2973), enabling the xylose based photomixotrophy. Metabolomics analysis of the engineered strain showed that the utilization of xylose enhanced the carbon flow to the oxidative pentose phosphate (OPP) pathway, along with an increase in the intracellular abundance of metabolites such as fructose-6-phosphate (F6P), fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP), ribose-5-phosphate (R5P), erythrose-4-phosphate (E4P), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P). Then, the native glycolytic pathway was rewired via heterologous phosphoketolase (Pkt) gene expression, combined with phosphofructokinase (Pfk) gene knockout and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (Fbp) gene overexpression, to drive more carbon flux from xylose to acetyl-CoA. Finally, a heterologous 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) biosynthetic pathway was introduced. The results showed that 3-HP biosynthesis was improved by up to approximately 4.1-fold (from 22.5 mg/L to 91.3 mg/L) compared with the engineered strain without a rewired metabolism under photomixotrophic conditions and up to approximately 14-fold compared with the strain under photoautotrophic conditions. Using 3-HP as a "proof-of-molecule", our results demonstrated that this strategy could be applied to improve the intracellular pool of acetyl-CoA for the photomixotrophic production of value-added chemicals that require acetyl-CoA as a precursor in a cyanobacterial chassis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Yao
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Jin Wang
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Yue Ju
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Zhengxin Dong
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Xinyu Song
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Lei Chen
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Weiwen Zhang
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072, PR China
- Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
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28
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Long B, Fischer B, Zeng Y, Amerigian Z, Li Q, Bryant H, Li M, Dai SY, Yuan JS. Machine learning-informed and synthetic biology-enabled semi-continuous algal cultivation to unleash renewable fuel productivity. Nat Commun 2022; 13:541. [PMID: 35087023 PMCID: PMC8795378 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27665-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Algal biofuel is regarded as one of the ultimate solutions for renewable energy, but its commercialization is hindered by growth limitations caused by mutual shading and high harvest costs. We overcome these challenges by advancing machine learning to inform the design of a semi-continuous algal cultivation (SAC) to sustain optimal cell growth and minimize mutual shading. An aggregation-based sedimentation (ABS) strategy is then designed to achieve low-cost biomass harvesting and economical SAC. The ABS is achieved by engineering a fast-growing strain, Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973, to produce limonene, which increases cyanobacterial cell surface hydrophobicity and enables efficient cell aggregation and sedimentation. SAC unleashes cyanobacterial growth potential with 0.1 g/L/hour biomass productivity and 0.2 mg/L/hour limonene productivity over a sustained period in photobioreactors. Scaling-up the SAC with an outdoor pond system achieves a biomass yield of 43.3 g/m2/day, bringing the minimum biomass selling price down to approximately $281 per ton. Growth limitation caused by mutual shading and the high harvest cost hamper algal biofuel production. Here, the authors overcome these two problems by designing a semi-continuous algal cultivation system and an aggregation-based sedimentation strategy to achieve high levels production of biomass and limonene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Long
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Bart Fischer
- Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Yining Zeng
- Renewable Resources and Enabling Sciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, 80401, USA
| | - Zoe Amerigian
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Qiang Li
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Henry Bryant
- Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Man Li
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.,Synthetic and Systems Biology Innovation Hub (SSBiH), Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Susie Y Dai
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.,Synthetic and Systems Biology Innovation Hub (SSBiH), Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Joshua S Yuan
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA. .,Synthetic and Systems Biology Innovation Hub (SSBiH), Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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29
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Zhang M, Luo Q, Sun H, Fritze J, Luan G, Lu X. Engineering a Controllable Targeted Protein Degradation System and a Derived OR-GATE-Type Inducible Gene Expression System in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:125-134. [PMID: 34914362 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are important model organisms for exploring the mechanisms of photosynthesis and are considered as promising microbial platforms for photosynthetic biomanufacturing. The development of efficient cyanobacteria cell factories requires efficient and convenient tools to dynamically regulate and manipulate target proteins, modules, and pathways. Targeted protein degradation is important to achieve rapid responses of cellular metabolic networks to artificial or environmental signals, and there are currently limited approaches to induce protein degradation in cyanobacteria. In this work, we developed an Escherichia coli sourced ssrA-tagging system in an important cyanobacteria strain, Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, to achieve inducible degradation of target proteins. A modified version of the E. coli ssrA tag (ssrADAS) proved to be immune to the native ClpXP system in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, while induced expression of the E. coli sourced adaptor SspB and ClpXP resulted in effective degradation of the tagged proteins. Compared to the previously developed down-regulation approaches, the inducible ssrADAS-SspB-ClpXPEc system facilitated the smart and rapid degradation of target proteins in PCC7942 cells at different growth stages. Furthermore, when used to regulate the degradation of LacI, the repressor element of LacO-LacI transcription regulation system, an efficient and stringent inducible gene expression system was obtained based on an OR-GATE type genetic circuit design. The tools developed in this work expanded the cyanobacteria synthetic biology toolbox and will facilitate the success of future dynamic metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 189 Songling Road, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Quan Luo
- Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 189 Songling Road, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
| | - Huili Sun
- Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 189 Songling Road, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jacques Fritze
- Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 189 Songling Road, Qingdao, 266101, China
- University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, 70174, Germany
| | - Guodong Luan
- Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 189 Songling Road, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
| | - Xuefeng Lu
- Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 189 Songling Road, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China
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30
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Wendt KE, Walker P, Sengupta A, Ungerer J, Pakrasi HB. Engineering Natural Competence into the Fast-Growing Cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus Strain UTEX 2973. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0188221. [PMID: 34705549 PMCID: PMC8752150 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01882-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural transformation is the process by which bacteria actively take up and integrate extracellular DNA into their genomes. In cyanobacteria, natural transformation has only been experimentally demonstrated in a few species. Although cyanobacteria are important model systems for studying photosynthesis and circadian cycling, natural transformation in cyanobacteria has not been characterized to the degree that the process has been studied in other Gram-negative bacteria. Two cyanobacterial species that are 99.8% genetically identical provide a unique opportunity to better understand the nuances of natural transformation in cyanobacteria: Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 and Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 (hereafter called Synechococcus 7942 and Synechococcus 2973, respectively). Synechococcus 7942 is a naturally transformable model system, while Synechococcus 2973 is a recently discovered species that is not naturally competent. Taking only 1.5 h to replicate, Synechococcus 2973 is the fastest-growing cyanobacterial species known and thus is a strong candidate for serving as a model organism. However, its inability to undergo natural transformation has prevented it from becoming a widely used model system. By substituting polymorphic alleles from Synechococcus 7942 for native Synechococcus 2973 alleles, natural transformation was introduced into Synechococcus 2973. Two genetic loci were found to be involved in differential natural competence between the two organisms: transformation pilus component pilN and circadian transcriptional master regulator rpaA. By using targeted genome editing and enrichment outgrowth, a strain that was both naturally transformable and fast-growing was created. This new Synechococcus 2973-T strain will serve as a valuable resource to the cyanobacterial research community. IMPORTANCE Certain bacterial species have the ability to take up naked extracellular DNA and integrate it into their genomes. This process is known as natural transformation and is widely considered to play a major role in bacterial evolution. Because of the ease of introducing new genes into naturally transformable organisms, this capacity is also highly valued in the laboratory. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic and can therefore serve as model systems for some important aspects of plant physiology. Here, we describe the creation of a modified cyanobacterial strain (Synechococcus 2973-T) that is capable of undergoing natural transformation and has a replication time on par with that of the fastest-growing cyanobacterium discovered to date. This new cyanobacterium has the potential to serve as a new model organism for the cyanobacterial research community and will allow experiments to be completed in a fraction of the time it has taken to complete previous assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen E. Wendt
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Patricia Walker
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Annesha Sengupta
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Justin Ungerer
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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The Molecular Toolset and Techniques Required to Build Cyanobacterial Cell Factories. ADVANCES IN BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING/BIOTECHNOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/10_2022_210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Dookeran ZA, Nielsen DR. Systematic Engineering of Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 for Photosynthetic Production of l-Lysine, Cadaverine, and Glutarate. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:3561-3575. [PMID: 34851612 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Amino acids and related targets are typically produced by well-characterized heterotrophs including Corynebacterium glutamicum and Escherichia coli. Cyanobacteria offer an opportunity to supplant these sugar-intensive processes by instead directly utilizing atmospheric CO2 and sunlight. Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 (hereafter UTEX 2973) is a particularly promising photoautotrophic platform due to its fast growth rate. Here, we first engineered UTEX 2973 to overproduce l-lysine (hereafter lysine), after which both cadaverine and glutarate production were achieved through further pathway engineering. To facilitate metabolic engineering, the relative activities of a subset of previously uncharacterized promoters were investigated, in each case, while also comparing the effects of both chromosomal (from neutral site NS3) and episomal (from pAM4788) expressions. Using these parts, lysine overproduction in UTEX 2973 was engineered by introducing a feedback-resistant copy of aspartate kinase (encoded by lysCfbr) and a lysine exporter (encoded by ybjE), both from E. coli. While chromosomal expression resulted in lysine production up to just 325.3 ± 14.8 mg/L after 120 h, this was then increased to 556.3 ± 62.3 mg/L via plasmid-based expression, also surpassing prior reports of photoautotrophic lysine bioproduction. Lastly, additional products of interest were then targeted by modularly extending the lysine pathway to glutarate and cadaverine, two 5-carbon, bioplastic monomers. By this approach, glutarate has so far been produced at final titers reaching 67.5 ± 2.2 mg/L by 96 h, whereas cadaverine has been produced at up to 55.3 ± 6.7 mg/L. Overcoming pathway and/or transport bottlenecks, meanwhile, will be important to improving upon these initial outputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary A. Dookeran
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 876106, Tempe, Arizona 85287-6106, United States
| | - David R. Nielsen
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 876106, Tempe, Arizona 85287-6106, United States
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O'Neill CE, Skilton RJ, Forster J, Cleary DW, Pearson SA, Lampe DJ, Thomson NR, Clarke IN. An inducible transposon mutagenesis approach for the intracellular human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis. Wellcome Open Res 2021; 6:312. [PMID: 35087955 PMCID: PMC8767425 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16068.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Chlamydia trachomatis is a prolific human pathogen that can cause serious long-term conditions if left untreated. Recent developments in Chlamydia genetics have opened the door to conducting targeted and random mutagenesis experiments to identify gene function. In the present study, an inducible transposon mutagenesis approach was developed for C. trachomatis using a self-replicating vector to deliver the transposon-transposase cassette - a significant step towards our ultimate aim of achieving saturation mutagenesis of the Chlamydia genome. Methods: The low transformation efficiency of C. trachomatis necessitated the design of a self-replicating vector carrying the transposon mutagenesis cassette (i.e. the Himar-1 transposon containing the beta lactamase gene as well as a hyperactive transposase gene under inducible control of the tet promoter system with the addition of a riboswitch). Chlamydia transformed with this vector (pSW2-RiboA-C9Q) were induced at 24 hours post-infection. Through dual control of transcription and translation, basal expression of transposase was tightly regulated to stabilise the plasmid prior to transposition. Results: Here we present the preliminary sequencing results of transposon mutant pools of both C. trachomatis biovars, using two plasmid-free representatives: urogenital strain C. trachomatis SWFP- and the lymphogranuloma venereum isolate L2(25667R). DNA sequencing libraries were generated and analysed using Oxford Nanopore Technologies' MinION technology. This enabled 'proof of concept' for the methods as an initial low-throughput screen of mutant libraries; the next step is to employ high throughput sequencing to assess saturation mutagenesis. Conclusions: This significant advance provides an efficient method for assaying C. trachomatis gene function and will enable the identification of the essential gene set of C. trachomatis. In the long-term, the methods described herein will add to the growing knowledge of chlamydial infection biology leading to the discovery of novel drug or vaccine targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colette E. O'Neill
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire, SO166YD, UK
| | - Rachel J. Skilton
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire, SO166YD, UK
| | - Jade Forster
- Cancer Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - David W. Cleary
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire, SO166YD, UK
| | - Sarah A. Pearson
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire, SO166YD, UK
| | - David J. Lampe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15116, USA
| | - Nicholas R. Thomson
- Bacterial Genomics and Evolution, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Ian N. Clarke
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire, SO166YD, UK
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Racharaks R, Arnold W, Peccia J. Development of CRISPR-Cas9 knock-in tools for free fatty acid production using the fast-growing cyanobacterial strain Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973. J Microbiol Methods 2021; 189:106315. [PMID: 34454980 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2021.106315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 has one of the fastest measured doubling time of cyanobacteria making it an important candidate for metabolic engineering. Traditional genetic engineering methods, which rely on homologous recombination, however, are inefficient, labor-intensive, and time-consuming due to the oligoploidy or polyploidy nature of cyanobacteria and the reliance on unique antibiotic resistance markers. CRISPR-Cas9 has emerged as an effective and versatile editing platform in a wide variety of organisms, but its application for cyanobacterial engineering is limited by the inherent toxicity of Cas9 resulting in poor transformation efficiencies. Here, we demonstrated that a single-plasmid CRISPR-Cas9 system, pCRISPOmyces-2, can effectively knock-in a truncated thioesterase gene from Escherichia coli to generate free fatty acid (FFA) producing mutants of Syn2973. To do so, three parameters were evaluated on the effect of generating recipient colonies after conjugation with pCRISPOmyces-2-based plasmids: 1) a modified conjugation protocol termed streaked conjugation, 2) the deletion of the gene encoding RecJ exonuclease, and 3) single guide RNA (sgRNA) sequence. With the use of the streaked conjugation protocol and a ΔrecJ mutant strain of Syn2973, the conjugation efficiency for the pCRISPomyces-2 plasmid could be improved by 750-fold over the wildtype (WT) for a conjugation efficiency of 2.0 × 10-6 transconjugants/recipient cell. While deletion of the RecJ exonuclease alone increased the conjugation efficiency by 150-fold over the WT, FFA generation was impaired in FFA-producing mutants with the ΔrecJ background, and the large number of poor FFA-producing isolates indicated the potential increase in spontaneous mutation rates. The sgRNA sequence was found to be critical in achieving the desired CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knock-in mutation as the sgRNA impacts conjugation efficiency, likelihood of homogenous recombinants, and free fatty acid production in engineered strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ratanachat Racharaks
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Wyatt Arnold
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jordan Peccia
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Sun X, Li S, Zhang F, Sun T, Chen L, Zhang W. Development of a N-Acetylneuraminic Acid-Based Sensing and Responding Switch for Orthogonal Gene Regulation in Cyanobacterial Synechococcus Strains. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:1920-1930. [PMID: 34370452 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Advances in synthetic biology have allowed photosynthetic cyanobacteria as promising "green cell factories" for sustainable production of biofuels and biochemicals. However, a limited of genetic switches developed in cyanobacteria restrict the complex and orthogonal metabolic regulation. In addition, suitable and controllable switches sensing and responding to specific inducers would allow for the separation of cellular growth and expression of exogenous genes or pathways that cause metabolic burden or toxicity. Here in this study, we developed a genetic switch repressed by NanR and induced by N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) in a fast-growing cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 along with its highly homologous strain S. elongatus PCC 7942. First, nanR from Escherichia coli and a previously optimized cognate promoter PJ23119H10 were introduced into Syn2973 to control the expression of the reporter gene lacZ encoding β-galactosidase, achieving induction with negligible leakage. Second, the switch was systemically optimized to reach ∼738-fold induction by fine-tuning the expression level of NanR and introducing additional transporter of Neu5Ac. Finally, the orthogonality between the NanR/Neu5Ac switch and theophylline-responsive riboregulator was investigated, achieving a coordinated regulation or binary regulation toward the target gene. Our work here provided a new switch for transcriptional control and orthogonal regulation strategies in cyanobacteria, which would promote the metabolic regulation for the cyanobacterial chassis in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuyang Sun
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shubin Li
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Fenfang Zhang
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tao Sun
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Law School of Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lei Chen
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Weiwen Zhang
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
- Law School of Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
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36
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Chen L, Liu H, Wang L, Tan X, Yang S. Synthetic counter-selection markers and their application in genetic modification of Synechococcus elongatus UTEX2973. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:5077-5086. [PMID: 34106311 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11391-y] [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: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Due to its robustness to environmental stresses and fast growth, Synechococcus elongatus UTEX2973 is developed as a new model for researches on cyanobacterial molecular biology and biotechnology. However, systematic genetic modifications of S. elongatus UTEX2973 were hindered by the lack of effective genetic manipulation tools, especially available counter-selection markers. Here, six synthetic counter-selection markers (SCOMs) were assembled by fusing six toxin genes from either Escherichia coli or cyanobacteria with a theophylline-inducible promoter. The SCOMs containing SYNPCC7002_G0085 from Synechococcus sp. PCC7002 or mazF from E. coli were proved to be inducible by theophylline in S. elongatus UTEX2973. By using the mazF-based SCOM, the neutral locus 1 and 23 small regulatory RNAs were completely deleted from the genome of S. elongatus UTEX2973 after one round of selection with both kanamycin and theophylline. The genetic tools developed in this work will facilitate future researches on molecular genetics and synthetic biology in S. elongatus UTEX2973. KEY POINTS: • Two inducible counter-selection markers are lethal to S. elongatus UTEX2973. • The counter-selection marker benefits the gene targeting in S. elongatus UTEX2973. • Twentry-three small regulatory RNAs were fully deleted via the novel gene targeting method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liyuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Environmental Microbial Technology Center of Hubei Province, and School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Hai Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Environmental Microbial Technology Center of Hubei Province, and School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Li Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Environmental Microbial Technology Center of Hubei Province, and School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Xiaoming Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Environmental Microbial Technology Center of Hubei Province, and School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China.
| | - Shihui Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Environmental Microbial Technology Center of Hubei Province, and School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China
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Cui J, Sun T, Chen L, Zhang W. Salt-Tolerant Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 Obtained via Engineering of Heterologous Synthesis of Compatible Solute Glucosylglycerol. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:650217. [PMID: 34084156 PMCID: PMC8168540 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.650217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The recently isolated cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 (Syn2973) is characterized by a faster growth rate and greater tolerance to high temperature and high light, making it a good candidate chassis for autotrophic photosynthetic microbial cell factories. However, Syn2973 is sensitive to salt stress, making it urgently important to improve the salt tolerance of Syn2973 for future biotechnological applications. Glucosylglycerol, a compatible solute, plays an important role in resisting salt stress in moderate and marine halotolerant cyanobacteria. In this study, the salt tolerance of Syn2973 was successfully improved by introducing the glucosylglycerol (GG) biosynthetic pathway (OD750 improved by 24% at 60 h). In addition, the salt tolerance of Syn2973 was further enhanced by overexpressing the rate-limiting step of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and downregulating the gene rfbA, which encodes UDP glucose pyrophosphorylase. Taken together, these results indicate that the growth of the end-point strain M-2522-GgpPS-drfbA was improved by 62% compared with the control strain M-pSI-pSII at 60 h under treatment with 0.5 M NaCl. Finally, a comparative metabolomic analysis between strains M-pSI-pSII and M-2522-GgpPS-drfbA was performed to characterize the carbon flux in the engineered M-2522-GgpPS-drfbA strain, and the results showed that more carbon flux was redirected from ADP-GLC to GG synthesis. This study provides important engineering strategies to improve salt tolerance and GG production in Syn2973 in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyu Cui
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin, China
| | - Tao Sun
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Lei Chen
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin, China
| | - Weiwen Zhang
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin, China.,Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
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One step forward, two steps back: Transcriptional advancements and fermentation phenomena in Actinobacillus succinogenes 130Z. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245407. [PMID: 33939701 PMCID: PMC8092802 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Within the field of bioproduction, non-model organisms offer promise as bio-platform candidates. Non-model organisms can possess natural abilities to consume complex feedstocks, produce industrially useful chemicals, and withstand extreme environments that can be ideal for product extraction. However, non-model organisms also come with unique challenges due to lack of characterization. As a consequence, developing synthetic biology tools, predicting growth behavior, and building computational models can be difficult. There have been many advancements that have improved work with non-model organisms to address broad limitations, however each organism can come with unique surprises. Here we share our work in the non-model bacterium Actinobacillus succinognes 130Z, which includes both advancements in synthetic biology toolkit development and pitfalls in unpredictable fermentation behaviors. To develop a synthetic biology “tool kit” for A. succinogenes, information gleaned from a growth study and antibiotic screening was used to characterize 22 promoters which demonstrated a 260-fold range of fluorescence protein expression. The strongest of the promoters was incorporated into an inducible system for tunable gene control in A. succinogenes using the promoter for the lac operon as a template. This system flaunted a 481-fold range of expression and no significant basal expression. These findings were accompanied by unexpected changes in fermentation products characterized by a loss of succinic acid and increase in lactic acid after approximately 10 months in the lab. During evaluation of the fermentation shifts, new tests of the synthetic biology tools in a succinic acid producing strain revealed a significant loss in their functionality. Contamination and mutation were ruled out as causes and further testing is needed to elucidate the driving factors. The significance of this work is to share a successful tool development strategy that could be employed in other non-model species, report on an unfortunate phenomenon that needs addressed for further development of A. succinogenes, and provide a cautionary tale for those undertaking non-model research. In sharing our findings, we seek to provide tools and necessary information for further development of A. succinogenes as a platform for bioproduction of succinic acid and to illustrate the importance of diligent and long-term observation when working with non-model bacteria.
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Genetic, Genomics, and Responses to Stresses in Cyanobacteria: Biotechnological Implications. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12040500. [PMID: 33805386 PMCID: PMC8066212 DOI: 10.3390/genes12040500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are widely-diverse, environmentally crucial photosynthetic prokaryotes of great interests for basic and applied science. Work to date has focused mostly on the three non-nitrogen fixing unicellular species Synechocystis PCC 6803, Synechococcus PCC 7942, and Synechococcus PCC 7002, which have been selected for their genetic and physiological interests summarized in this review. Extensive "omics" data sets have been generated, and genome-scale models (GSM) have been developed for the rational engineering of these cyanobacteria for biotechnological purposes. We presently discuss what should be done to improve our understanding of the genotype-phenotype relationships of these models and generate robust and predictive models of their metabolism. Furthermore, we also emphasize that because Synechocystis PCC 6803, Synechococcus PCC 7942, and Synechococcus PCC 7002 represent only a limited part of the wide biodiversity of cyanobacteria, other species distantly related to these three models, should be studied. Finally, we highlight the need to strengthen the communication between academic researchers, who know well cyanobacteria and can engineer them for biotechnological purposes, but have a limited access to large photobioreactors, and industrial partners who attempt to use natural or engineered cyanobacteria to produce interesting chemicals at reasonable costs, but may lack knowledge on cyanobacterial physiology and metabolism.
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Jodlbauer J, Rohr T, Spadiut O, Mihovilovic MD, Rudroff F. Biocatalysis in Green and Blue: Cyanobacteria. Trends Biotechnol 2021; 39:875-889. [PMID: 33468423 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Recently, several studies have proven the potential of cyanobacteria as whole-cell biocatalysts for biotransformation. Compared to heterotrophic hosts, cyanobacteria show unique advantages thanks to their photoautotrophic metabolism. Their ability to use light as energy and CO2 as carbon source promises a truly sustainable production platform. Their photoautotrophic metabolism offers an encouraging source of reducing power, which makes them attractive for redox-based biotechnological purposes. To exploit the full potential of these whole-cell biocatalysts, cyanobacterial cells must be considered in their entirety. With this emphasis, this review summarizes the latest developments in cyanobacteria research with a strong focus on the benefits associated with their unique metabolism. Remaining bottlenecks and recent strategies to overcome them are evaluated for their potential in future applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Jodlbauer
- Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry, TU Wien, Getreidemarkt 9/OC-163, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Rohr
- Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry, TU Wien, Getreidemarkt 9/OC-163, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Oliver Spadiut
- Institute of Chemical Engineering, research area Biochemical Engineering, TU Wien, Gumpendorfer Strasse 1a, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Marko D Mihovilovic
- Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry, TU Wien, Getreidemarkt 9/OC-163, 1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Florian Rudroff
- Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry, TU Wien, Getreidemarkt 9/OC-163, 1060 Vienna, Austria.
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Drogalis LK, Batey RT. Requirements for efficient ligand-gated co-transcriptional switching in designed variants of the B. subtilis pbuE adenine-responsive riboswitch in E. coli. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0243155. [PMID: 33259551 PMCID: PMC7707468 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Riboswitches, generally located in the 5'-leader of bacterial mRNAs, direct expression via a small molecule-dependent structural switch that informs the transcriptional or translational machinery. While the structure and function of riboswitch effector-binding (aptamer) domains have been intensely studied, only recently have the requirements for efficient linkage between small molecule binding and the structural switch in the cellular and co-transcriptional context begun to be actively explored. To address this aspect of riboswitch function, we have performed a structure-guided mutagenic analysis of the B. subtilis pbuE adenine-responsive riboswitch, one of the simplest riboswitches that employs a strand displacement switching mechanism to regulate transcription. Using a cell-based fluorescent protein reporter assay to assess ligand-dependent regulatory activity in E. coli, these studies revealed previously unrecognized features of the riboswitch. Within the aptamer domain, local and long-range conformational dynamics influenced by sequences within helices have a significant effect upon efficient regulatory switching. Sequence features of the expression platform including the pre-aptamer leader sequence, a toehold helix and an RNA polymerase pause site all serve to promote strong ligand-dependent regulation. By optimizing these features, we were able to improve the performance of the B. subtilis pbuE riboswitch in E. coli from 5.6-fold induction of reporter gene expression by the wild type riboswitch to over 120-fold in the top performing designed variant. Together, these data point to sequence and structural features distributed throughout the riboswitch required to strike a balance between rates of ligand binding, transcription and secondary structural switching via a strand exchange mechanism and yield new insights into the design of artificial riboswitches.
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MESH Headings
- Adenine/metabolism
- Aptamers, Nucleotide/chemistry
- Aptamers, Nucleotide/genetics
- Aptamers, Nucleotide/metabolism
- Bacillus subtilis/genetics
- Bacillus subtilis/metabolism
- Escherichia coli K12/genetics
- Genes, Reporter
- Genetic Variation
- Ligands
- Models, Genetic
- Models, Molecular
- Mutagenesis
- Nucleic Acid Conformation
- RNA, Bacterial/chemistry
- RNA, Bacterial/genetics
- RNA, Bacterial/metabolism
- Riboswitch/genetics
- Transcription, Genetic
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea K. Drogalis
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Robert T. Batey
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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42
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Synthetic small regulatory RNAs in microbial metabolic engineering. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 105:1-12. [PMID: 33201273 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-020-10971-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) finely control gene expression in prokaryotes and synthetic sRNA has become a useful high-throughput approach to tackle current challenges in metabolic engineering because of its many advantages compared to conventional gene knockouts. In this review, we first focus on the modular structures of sRNAs and rational design strategies of synthetic sRNAs on the basis of their modular structures. The wide applications of synthetic sRNAs in bacterial metabolic engineering, with or without the aid of heterogeneously expressed Hfq protein, were also covered. In addition, we give attention to the improvements in implementing synthetic sRNAs, which make the synthetic sRNA strategy universally applicable in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. KEY POINTS: • Synthetic sRNAs can be rationally designed based on modular structures of natural sRNAs. • Synthetic sRNAs were widely used for metabolic engineering in various microorganisms. • Several technological improvements made the synthetic sRNA strategy more applicable.
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Qiao Y, Wang W, Lu X. Engineering cyanobacteria as cell factories for direct trehalose production from CO2. Metab Eng 2020; 62:161-171. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/29/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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44
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Schirmacher AM, Hanamghar SS, Zedler JAZ. Function and Benefits of Natural Competence in Cyanobacteria: From Ecology to Targeted Manipulation. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:E249. [PMID: 33105681 PMCID: PMC7690421 DOI: 10.3390/life10110249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Revised: 10/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural competence is the ability of a cell to actively take up and incorporate foreign DNA in its own genome. This trait is widespread and ecologically significant within the prokaryotic kingdom. Here we look at natural competence in cyanobacteria, a group of globally distributed oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria. Many cyanobacterial species appear to have the genetic potential to be naturally competent, however, this ability has only been demonstrated in a few species. Reasons for this might be due to a high variety of largely uncharacterised competence inducers and a lack of understanding the ecological context of natural competence in cyanobacteria. To shed light on these questions, we describe what is known about the molecular mechanisms of natural competence in cyanobacteria and analyse how widespread this trait might be based on available genomic datasets. Potential regulators of natural competence and what benefits or drawbacks may derive from taking up foreign DNA are discussed. Overall, many unknowns about natural competence in cyanobacteria remain to be unravelled. A better understanding of underlying mechanisms and how to manipulate these, can aid the implementation of cyanobacteria as sustainable production chassis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Julie A. Z. Zedler
- Matthias Schleiden Institute for Genetics, Bioinformatics and Molecular Botany, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany; (A.M.S.); (S.S.H.)
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45
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Diao J, Song X, Zhang L, Cui J, Chen L, Zhang W. Tailoring cyanobacteria as a new platform for highly efficient synthesis of astaxanthin. Metab Eng 2020; 61:275-287. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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46
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Zhang M, Qiao C, Luan G, Luo Q, Lu X. Systematic Identification of Target Genes for Cellular Morphology Engineering in Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1608. [PMID: 32754143 PMCID: PMC7381316 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are serving as promising microbial platforms for development of photosynthetic cell factories. For enhancing the economic competitiveness of the photosynthetic biomanufacturing technology, comprehensive improvements on industrial properties of the cyanobacteria chassis cells and engineered strains are required. Cellular morphology engineering is an up-and-coming strategy for development of microbial cell factories fitting the requirements of industrial application. In this work, we performed systematic evaluation of potential genes for cyanobacterial cellular morphology engineering. Twelve candidate genes participating in cell morphogenesis of an important model cyanobacteria strain, Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942, were knocked out/down and overexpressed, respectively, and the influences on cell sizes and cell shapes were imaged and calculated. Targeting the selected genes with potentials for cellular morphology engineering, the controllable cell lengthening machinery was also explored based on the application of sRNA approaches. The findings in this work not only provided many new targets for cellular morphology engineering in cyanobacteria, but also helped to further understand the cell division process and cell elongation process of Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Cuncun Qiao
- Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guodong Luan
- Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Quan Luo
- Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Xuefeng Lu
- Key Laboratory of Biofuels, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian, China.,Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
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47
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Photosynthetic Co-Production of Succinate and Ethylene in A Fast-Growing Cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus PCC 11801. Metabolites 2020; 10:metabo10060250. [PMID: 32560048 PMCID: PMC7345232 DOI: 10.3390/metabo10060250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are emerging as hosts for photoautotrophic production of chemicals. Recent studies have attempted to stretch the limits of photosynthetic production, typically focusing on one product at a time, possibly to minimise the additional burden of product separation. Here, we explore the simultaneous production of two products that can be easily separated: ethylene, a gaseous product, and succinate, an organic acid that accumulates in the culture medium. This was achieved by expressing a single copy of the ethylene forming enzyme (efe) under the control of PcpcB, the inducer-free super-strong promoter of phycocyanin β subunit. We chose the recently reported, fast-growing and robust cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus PCC 11801, as the host strain. A stable recombinant strain was constructed using CRISPR-Cpf1 in a first report of markerless genome editing of this cyanobacterium. Under photoautotrophic conditions, the recombinant strain shows specific productivities of 338.26 and 1044.18 μmole/g dry cell weight/h for ethylene and succinate, respectively. These results compare favourably with the reported productivities for individual products in cyanobacteria that are highly engineered. Metabolome profiling and 13C labelling studies indicate carbon flux redistribution and suggest avenues for further improvement. Our results show that S. elongatus PCC 11801 is a promising candidate for metabolic engineering.
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48
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Engineering salt tolerance of photosynthetic cyanobacteria for seawater utilization. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 43:107578. [PMID: 32553809 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Revised: 05/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthetic cyanobacteria are capable of utilizing sunlight and CO2 as sole energy and carbon sources, respectively. With genetically modified cyanobacteria being used as a promising chassis to produce various biofuels and chemicals in recent years, future large-scale cultivation of cyanobacteria would have to be performed in seawater, since freshwater supplies of the earth are very limiting. However, high concentration of salt is known to inhibit the growth of cyanobacteria. This review aims at comparing the mechanisms that different cyanobacteria respond to salt stress, and then summarizing various strategies of developing salt-tolerant cyanobacteria for seawater cultivation, including the utilization of halotolerant cyanobacteria and the engineering of salt-tolerant freshwater cyanobacteria. In addition, the challenges and potential strategies related to further improving salt tolerance in cyanobacteria are also discussed.
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Cui J, Sun T, Li S, Xie Y, Song X, Wang F, Chen L, Zhang W. Improved Salt Tolerance and Metabolomics Analysis of Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 by Overexpressing Mrp Antiporters. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:500. [PMID: 32528943 PMCID: PMC7264159 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The fast-growing cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 (Syn2973) is a promising candidate for photosynthetic microbial factory. Seawater utilization is necessary for large-scale cultivation of Syn2973 in the future. However, Syn2973 is sensitive to salt stress, making it necessary to improve its salt tolerance. In this study, 21 exogenous putative transporters were individually overexpressed in Syn2973 to evaluate their effects on salt tolerance. The results showed the overexpression of three Mrp antiporters significantly improved the salt tolerance of Syn2973. Notably, overexpressing the Mrp antiporter from Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 improved cell growth by 57.7% under 0.4 M NaCl condition. In addition, the metabolomics and biomass composition analyses revealed the possible mechanisms against salt stress in both Syn2973 and the genetically engineered strain. The study provides important engineering strategies to improve salt tolerance of Syn2973 and is valuable for understanding mechanisms of salt tolerance in cyanobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyu Cui
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin, China
| | - Tao Sun
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Shubin Li
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin, China
| | - Yaru Xie
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin, China
| | - Xinyu Song
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Fangzhong Wang
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Lei Chen
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin, China
| | - Weiwen Zhang
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin, China.,Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
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50
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The circadian clock and darkness control natural competence in cyanobacteria. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1688. [PMID: 32245943 PMCID: PMC7125226 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15384-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus is a model organism for the study of circadian rhythms. It is naturally competent for transformation—that is, it takes up DNA from the environment, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we use a genome-wide screen to identify genes required for natural transformation in S. elongatus, including genes encoding a conserved Type IV pilus, genes known to be associated with competence in other bacteria, and others. Pilus biogenesis occurs daily in the morning, while natural transformation is maximal when the onset of darkness coincides with the dusk circadian peak. Thus, the competence state in cyanobacteria is regulated by the circadian clock and can adapt to seasonal changes of day length. The cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus is a model organism for the study of circadian rhythms, and is naturally competent for transformation. Here, Taton et al. identify genes required for natural transformation in this organism, and show that the coincidence of circadian dusk and darkness regulates the competence state in different day lengths.
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