1
|
Shrestha S, Goswami S, Banerjee D, Garcia V, Zhou E, Olmsted CN, Majumder ELW, Kumar D, Awasthi D, Mukhopadhyay A, Singer SW, Gladden JM, Simmons BA, Choudhary H. Perspective on Lignin Conversion Strategies That Enable Next Generation Biorefineries. CHEMSUSCHEM 2024:e202301460. [PMID: 38669480 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202301460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The valorization of lignin, a currently underutilized component of lignocellulosic biomass, has attracted attention to promote a stable and circular bioeconomy. Successful approaches including thermochemical, biological, and catalytic lignin depolymerization have been demonstrated, enabling opportunities for lignino-refineries and lignocellulosic biorefineries. Although significant progress in lignin valorization has been made, this review describes unexplored opportunities in chemical and biological routes for lignin depolymerization and thereby contributes to economically and environmentally sustainable lignin-utilizing biorefineries. This review also highlights the integration of chemical and biological lignin depolymerization and identifies research gaps while also recommending future directions for scaling processes to establish a lignino-chemical industry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shilva Shrestha
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, United States
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
| | - Shubhasish Goswami
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, United States
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Deepanwita Banerjee
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, United States
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Valentina Garcia
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, United States
- Department of Biomanufacturing and Biomaterials, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA 94550, United States
| | - Elizabeth Zhou
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, United States
| | - Charles N Olmsted
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Erica L-W Majumder
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Deepak Kumar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, United States
| | - Deepika Awasthi
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, United States
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Aindrila Mukhopadhyay
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, United States
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Steven W Singer
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, United States
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - John M Gladden
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, United States
- Department of Biomanufacturing and Biomaterials, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA 94550, United States
| | - Blake A Simmons
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, United States
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Hemant Choudhary
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, United States
- Department of Bioresource and Environmental Security, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA 94550, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Boob AG, Chen J, Zhao H. Enabling pathway design by multiplex experimentation and machine learning. Metab Eng 2024; 81:70-87. [PMID: 38040110 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2023.11.006] [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: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
The remarkable metabolic diversity observed in nature has provided a foundation for sustainable production of a wide array of valuable molecules. However, transferring the biosynthetic pathway to the desired host often runs into inherent failures that arise from intermediate accumulation and reduced flux resulting from competing pathways within the host cell. Moreover, the conventional trial and error methods utilized in pathway optimization struggle to fully grasp the intricacies of installed pathways, leading to time-consuming and labor-intensive experiments, ultimately resulting in suboptimal yields. Considering these obstacles, there is a pressing need to explore the enzyme expression landscape and identify the optimal pathway configuration for enhanced production of molecules. This review delves into recent advancements in pathway engineering, with a focus on multiplex experimentation and machine learning techniques. These approaches play a pivotal role in overcoming the limitations of traditional methods, enabling exploration of a broader design space and increasing the likelihood of discovering optimal pathway configurations for enhanced production of molecules. We discuss several tools and strategies for pathway design, construction, and optimization for sustainable and cost-effective microbial production of molecules ranging from bulk to fine chemicals. We also highlight major successes in academia and industry through compelling case studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aashutosh Girish Boob
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, United States; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, United States; DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Junyu Chen
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, United States; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, United States; DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Huimin Zhao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, United States; Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, United States; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, United States; DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Shebek KM, Strutz J, Broadbelt LJ, Tyo KEJ. Pickaxe: a Python library for the prediction of novel metabolic reactions. BMC Bioinformatics 2023; 24:106. [PMID: 36949401 PMCID: PMC10031857 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-023-05149-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biochemical reaction prediction tools leverage enzymatic promiscuity rules to generate reaction networks containing novel compounds and reactions. The resulting reaction networks can be used for multiple applications such as designing novel biosynthetic pathways and annotating untargeted metabolomics data. It is vital for these tools to provide a robust, user-friendly method to generate networks for a given application. However, existing tools lack the flexibility to easily generate networks that are tailor-fit for a user's application due to lack of exhaustive reaction rules, restriction to pre-computed networks, and difficulty in using the software due to lack of documentation. RESULTS Here we present Pickaxe, an open-source, flexible software that provides a user-friendly method to generate novel reaction networks. This software iteratively applies reaction rules to a set of metabolites to generate novel reactions. Users can select rules from the prepackaged JN1224min ruleset, derived from MetaCyc, or define their own custom rules. Additionally, filters are provided which allow for the pruning of a network on-the-fly based on compound and reaction properties. The filters include chemical similarity to target molecules, metabolomics, thermodynamics, and reaction feasibility filters. Example applications are given to highlight the capabilities of Pickaxe: the expansion of common biological databases with novel reactions, the generation of industrially useful chemicals from a yeast metabolome database, and the annotation of untargeted metabolomics peaks from an E. coli dataset. CONCLUSION Pickaxe predicts novel metabolic reactions and compounds, which can be used for a variety of applications. This software is open-source and available as part of the MINE Database python package ( https://pypi.org/project/minedatabase/ ) or on GitHub ( https://github.com/tyo-nu/MINE-Database ). Documentation and examples can be found on Read the Docs ( https://mine-database.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ ). Through its documentation, pre-packaged features, and customizable nature, Pickaxe allows users to generate novel reaction networks tailored to their application.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M Shebek
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Jonathan Strutz
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Linda J Broadbelt
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Keith E J Tyo
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Weiland F, Kohlstedt M, Wittmann C. Guiding stars to the field of dreams: Metabolically engineered pathways and microbial platforms for a sustainable lignin-based industry. Metab Eng 2021; 71:13-41. [PMID: 34864214 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2021.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Lignin is an important structural component of terrestrial plants and is readily generated during biomass fractionation in lignocellulose processing facilities. Due to lacking alternatives the majority of technical lignins is industrially simply burned into heat and energy. However, regarding its vast abundance and a chemically interesting richness in aromatics, lignin is presently regarded as the most under-utilized and promising feedstock for value-added applications. Notably, microbes have evolved powerful enzymes and pathways that break down lignin and metabolize its various aromatic components. This natural pathway atlas meanwhile serves as a guiding star for metabolic engineers to breed designed cell factories and efficiently upgrade this global waste stream. The metabolism of aromatic compounds, in combination with success stories from systems metabolic engineering, as reviewed here, promises a sustainable product portfolio from lignin, comprising bulk and specialty chemicals, biomaterials, and fuels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fabia Weiland
- Institute of Systems Biotechnology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Michael Kohlstedt
- Institute of Systems Biotechnology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Christoph Wittmann
- Institute of Systems Biotechnology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Azubuike CC, Allemann MN, Michener JK. Microbial assimilation of lignin-derived aromatic compounds and conversion to value-added products. Curr Opin Microbiol 2021; 65:64-72. [PMID: 34775172 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2021.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Lignin is an abundant and sustainable source of aromatic compounds that can be converted to value-added products. However, lignin is underutilized, since depolymerization produces a complex mixture of aromatic compounds that is difficult to convert to a single product. Microbial conversion of mixed aromatic substrates provides a potential solution to this conversion challenge. Recent advances have expanded the range of lignin-derived aromatic substrates that can be assimilated and demonstrated efficient conversion via central metabolism to new potential products. The development of additional non-model microbial hosts and genetic tools for these hosts have accelerated engineering efforts. However, yields with real depolymerized lignin are still low, and additional work will be required to achieve viable conversion processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Marco N Allemann
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA
| | - Joshua K Michener
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA.
| |
Collapse
|