1
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Zhang S, Wang J, Liu Y, Xu Z. Multiple strategies to improve extracellular secretion and activity of feruloyl esterase. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 269:132082. [PMID: 38705319 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132082] [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: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Feruloyl esterase has a wide range of applications, but there are still problems with low enzyme yield and activity, and complex purification steps. Our previous research found Lactobacillus amylovorus feruloyl esterase could be secreted extracellular in Escherichia coli. In this study, multiple strategies were implemented to maximize the extracellular production of feruloyl esterase with improved activity in E. coli. Firstly, codon-optimized feruloyl esterase was obtained based on the preference of E. coli, resulting in 41.97 % increase in extracellular secretion. Furthermore, by cascading T7 promoters, replacing the 5' UTR, randomly mutating the N-terminal sequence, and co-expressing secretory cofactors, the extracellular secretion was increased by 36.46 %, 31.25 %, 20.66 % and 25.75 %, respectively. Moreover, the feruloyl esterase were mutated to improve the substrate affinity and activity. The catalytic efficiency of Fae-Q134T and Fae-Q198A increased by 4.62-fold and 5.42-fold. Combining above strategies, extracellular feruloyl esterase activity was increased from 2013.70 U/L to 10,349.04 U/L. These results indicated that the activity and yield of feruloyl esterase secreted by E. coli were significantly increased, which laid a foundation for its industrial application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susu Zhang
- College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, PR China; Dongying Key Laboratory of Salt Tolerance Mechanism and Application of Halophytes, Dongying Institute, Shandong Normal University, Dongying 257000, PR China
| | - Jiapeng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology, Shandong Academy of Science, Jinan 250353, PR China; Department of Bioengineering, Qilu University of Technology, Shandong Academy of Science, Jinan 250353, PR China
| | - Yaohan Liu
- College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, PR China
| | - Zhenshang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology, Shandong Academy of Science, Jinan 250353, PR China; Department of Bioengineering, Qilu University of Technology, Shandong Academy of Science, Jinan 250353, PR China.
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2
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Cumming A, Khananisho D, Balka M, Liljestrand N, Daley DO. Biosensor that Detects Stress Caused by Periplasmic Proteins. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:1477-1491. [PMID: 38676700 PMCID: PMC11106774 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00720] [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: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Escherichia coli is often used as a factory to produce recombinant proteins. In many cases, the recombinant protein needs disulfide bonds to fold and function correctly. These proteins are genetically fused to a signal peptide so that they are secreted to the oxidizing environment of the periplasm (where the enzymes required for disulfide bond formation exist). Currently, it is difficult to determine in vivo whether a recombinant protein is efficiently secreted from the cytoplasm and folded in the periplasm or if there is a bottleneck in one of these steps because cellular capacity has been exceeded. To address this problem, we have developed a biosensor that detects cellular stress caused by (1) inefficient secretion of proteins from the cytoplasm and (2) aggregation of proteins in the periplasm. We demonstrate how the fluorescence fingerprint obtained from the biosensor can be used to identify induction conditions that do not exceed the capacity of the cell and therefore do not cause cellular stress. These induction conditions result in more effective biomass and in some cases higher titers of soluble recombinant proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alister
J. Cumming
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-19468, Sweden
| | - Diana Khananisho
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-19468, Sweden
| | - Mateusz Balka
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-19468, Sweden
| | - Nicklas Liljestrand
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-19468, Sweden
| | - Daniel O. Daley
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-19468, Sweden
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3
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Zabolotskii AI, Riabkova NS. A new look at the fluorescent protein-based approach for identifying optimal coding sequence for recombinant protein expression in E. coli. Biotechnol J 2024; 19:e2300343. [PMID: 38622786 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202300343] [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: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Due to the degeneracy of the genetic code, most amino acids are encoded by several codons. The choice among synonymous codons at the N-terminus of genes has a profound effect on protein expression in Escherichia coli. This is often explained by the different contributions of synonymous codons to mRNA secondary structure formation. Strong secondary structures at the 5'-end of mRNA interfere with ribosome binding and affect the process of translation initiation. In silico optimization of the gene 5'-end can significantly increase the level of protein expression; however, this method is not always effective due to the uncertainty of the exact mechanism by which synonymous substitutions affect expression; thus, it may produce nonoptimal variants as well as miss some of the best producers. In this paper, an alternative approach is proposed based on screening a partially randomized library of expression constructs comprising hundreds of selected synonymous variants. The effect of such substitutions was evaluated using the gene of interest fused to the reporter gene of the fluorescent protein with subsequent screening for the most promising candidates according to the reporter's signal intensity. The power of the approach is demonstrated by a significant increase in the prokaryotic expression of three proteins: canine cystatin C, human BCL2-associated athanogene 3 and human cardiac troponin I. This simple approach was suggested which may provide an efficient, easy, and inexpensive optimization method for poorly expressed proteins in bacteria.
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4
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Zabolotskii AI, Kozlovskiy SV, Katrukha AG. The Influence of the Nucleotide Composition of Genes and Gene Regulatory Elements on the Efficiency of Protein Expression in Escherichia coli. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2023; 88:S176-S191. [PMID: 37069120 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297923140109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
Recombinant proteins expressed in Escherichia coli are widely used in biochemical research and industrial processes. At the same time, achieving higher protein expression levels and correct protein folding still remains the key problem, since optimization of nutrient media, growth conditions, and methods for induction of protein synthesis do not always lead to the desired result. Often, low protein expression is determined by the sequences of the expressed genes and their regulatory regions. The genetic code is degenerated; 18 out of 20 amino acids are encoded by more than one codon. Choosing between synonymous codons in the coding sequence can significantly affect the level of protein expression and protein folding due to the influence of the gene nucleotide composition on the probability of formation of secondary mRNA structures that affect the ribosome binding at the translation initiation phase, as well as the ribosome movement along the mRNA during elongation, which, in turn, influences the mRNA degradation and the folding of the nascent protein. The nucleotide composition of the mRNA untranslated regions, in particular the promoter and Shine-Dalgarno sequences, also affects the efficiency of mRNA transcription, translation, and degradation. In this review, we describe the genetic principles that determine the efficiency of protein production in Escherichia coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artur I Zabolotskii
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
| | | | - Alexey G Katrukha
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
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5
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Bayer C, Sepulchro AGV, Rennig M, Nørholm MH. Efficient Bacterial Genome Engineering throughout the Central Dogma Using the Dual-Selection Marker tetAOPT. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:3440-3450. [PMID: 36206506 PMCID: PMC9594774 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Engineering of bacterial genomes is a fundamental craft in contemporary biotechnology. The ability to precisely edit chromosomes allows for the development of cells with specific phenotypes for metabolic engineering and for the creation of minimized genomes. Genetic tools are needed to select for cells that underwent editing, and dual-selection markers that enable both positive and negative selection are highly useful. Here, we present an optimized and easy-to-use version of the tetA dual-selection marker and demonstrate how this tetAOPT can be used efficiently to engineer at different stages of the central dogma of molecular biology. On the DNA level, tetAOPT can be used to create scarless knockouts across the Escherichia coli genome with efficiency above 90%, whereas recombinant gene integrations can be achieved with approximately 50% efficiency. On the RNA and protein level, we show that tetAOPT enables advanced genome engineering of both gene translation and transcription by introducing sequence variation in the translation initiation region or by exchanging promoters. Finally, we demonstrate the use of tetAOPT for genome engineering in the industrially relevant probiotic strain E. coli Nissle.
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6
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Komarova ES, Dontsova OA, Pyshnyi DV, Kabilov MR, Sergiev PV. Flow-Seq Method: Features and Application in Bacterial Translation Studies. Acta Naturae 2022; 14:20-37. [PMID: 36694903 PMCID: PMC9844084 DOI: 10.32607/actanaturae.11820] [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: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The Flow-seq method is based on using reporter construct libraries, where a certain element regulating the gene expression of fluorescent reporter proteins is represented in many thousands of variants. Reporter construct libraries are introduced into cells, sorted according to their fluorescence level, and then subjected to next-generation sequencing. Therefore, it turns out to be possible to identify patterns that determine the expression efficiency, based on tens and hundreds of thousands of reporter constructs in one experiment. This method has become common in evaluating the efficiency of protein synthesis simultaneously by multiple mRNA variants. However, its potential is not confined to this area. In the presented review, a comparative analysis of the Flow-seq method and other alternative approaches used for translation efficiency evaluation of mRNA was carried out; the features of its application and the results obtained by Flow-seq were also considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. S. Komarova
- Institute of Functional Genomics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234 Russia
| | - O. A. Dontsova
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234 Russia
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, 121205 Russia
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234 Russia
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117437 Russia
| | - D. V. Pyshnyi
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, 630090 Russia
| | - M. R. Kabilov
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, 630090 Russia
| | - P. V. Sergiev
- Institute of Functional Genomics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234 Russia
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234 Russia
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, 121205 Russia
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234 Russia
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7
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Zhang ZX, Nong FT, Wang YZ, Yan CX, Gu Y, Song P, Sun XM. Strategies for efficient production of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli: alleviating the host burden and enhancing protein activity. Microb Cell Fact 2022; 21:191. [PMID: 36109777 PMCID: PMC9479345 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-01917-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli, one of the most efficient expression hosts for recombinant proteins (RPs), is widely used in chemical, medical, food and other industries. However, conventional expression strains are unable to effectively express proteins with complex structures or toxicity. The key to solving this problem is to alleviate the host burden associated with protein overproduction and to enhance the ability to accurately fold and modify RPs at high expression levels. Here, we summarize the recently developed optimization strategies for the high-level production of RPs from the two aspects of host burden and protein activity. The aim is to maximize the ability of researchers to quickly select an appropriate optimization strategy for improving the production of RPs.
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8
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Engineering microbial cell viability for enhancing chemical production by second codon engineering. Metab Eng 2022; 73:235-246. [PMID: 35987432 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2022.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Microbial cell factories offer a promising strategy for the sustainable production of industrial chemicals from renewable biomass feedstock. However, their performance is often limited by poor microbial cell viability (MCV). Here, MCV was engineered to enhance chemical production by optimizing the regulation of lifespan-specific genes to reduce the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In Escherichia coli, MCV was improved by reducing ROS accumulation using second codon engineering to regulate hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (arcA), resulting in lysine production up to 213 g L-1 with its productivity 5.90 g L-1·h-1. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, MCV was increased by decreasing ROS accumulation using second codon engineering to fine-tune ceramide synthase (lag1), leading to glucaric acid production up to 9.50 g L-1 with its productivity 0.057 g L-1·h-1. These results demonstrate that engineering MCV is a potential strategy to boost the performance of microbial cell factories in industrial processes.
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9
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Santos SP, Garcés LFS, Silva FS, Santiago LF, Pinheiro CS, Alcantara-Neves NM, Pacheco LG. Engineering an optimized expression operating unit for improved recombinant protein production in Escherichia coli. Protein Expr Purif 2022; 199:106150. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2022.106150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
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10
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Shilling PJ, Khananisho D, Cumming J, Söderström B, Daley DO. Signal Amplification of araC pBAD Using a Standardised Translation Initiation Region. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2022; 7:ysac009. [PMID: 35903559 PMCID: PMC9316229 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysac009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
araC pBAD is a genetic fragment that regulates the expression of the araBAD operon in bacteria, which is required for the metabolism of L-arabinose. It is widely used in bioengineering applications because it can drive regulatable and titratable expression of genes and genetic pathways in microbial cell factories. A notable limitation of araC pBAD is that it generates a low signal when induced with high concentrations of L-arabinose (the maximum ON state). Herein we have amplified the maximum ON state of araC pBAD by coupling it to a synthetically evolved translation initiation region (TIREVOL). The coupling maintains regulatable and titratable expression from araC pBAD and yet increases the maximal ON state by >5-fold. The general principle demonstrated in the study can be applied to amplify the signal from similar genetic modules.
Graphical Abstract
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Shilling
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University , Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Diana Khananisho
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University , Stockholm, Sweden
| | - James Cumming
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University , Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bill Söderström
- Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection, University of Technology Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Daniel O Daley
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University , Stockholm, Sweden
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11
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Wang J, Xia X, Zhao P, He X, Zhang S, Wang T, Xu Z. High-level secretory production of lysostaphin in Escherichia coli mutant by codon optimization and atmospheric and room temperature plasma mutagenesis. Lebensm Wiss Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2022.113744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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12
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Virolainen MS, Søltoft CL, Pedersen PA, Ellgaard L. Production of an Active, Human Membrane Protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Full-Length FICD. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23052458. [PMID: 35269596 PMCID: PMC8910494 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23052458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The human Fic domain-containing protein (FICD) is a type II endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane protein that is important for the maintenance of ER proteostasis. Structural and in vitro biochemical characterisation of FICD AMPylase and deAMPylase activity have been restricted to the soluble ER-luminal domain produced in Escherichia coli. Information about potentially important features, such as structural motifs, modulator binding sites or other regulatory elements, is therefore missing for the approximately 100 N-terminal residues including the transmembrane region of FICD. Expressing and purifying the required quantity and quality of membrane proteins is demanding because of the low yields and poor stability often observed. Here, we produce full-length FICD by combining a Saccharomyces cerevisiae-based platform with green fluorescent protein (GFP) tagging to optimise the conditions for expression, solubilisation and purification. We subsequently employ these conditions to purify milligram quantities of His-tagged FICD per litre of culture, and show that the purified, detergent-solubilised membrane protein is an active deAMPylating enzyme. Our work provides a straightforward methodology for producing not only full-length FICD, but also other membrane proteins in S. cerevisiae for structural and biochemical characterisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minttu S. Virolainen
- Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; (M.S.V.); (C.L.S.)
| | - Cecilie L. Søltoft
- Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; (M.S.V.); (C.L.S.)
| | - Per A. Pedersen
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Correspondence: (P.A.P.); (L.E.)
| | - Lars Ellgaard
- Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; (M.S.V.); (C.L.S.)
- Correspondence: (P.A.P.); (L.E.)
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13
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Cumming A, Khananisho D, Harris R, Bayer CN, Nørholm MHH, Jamshidi S, Ilag LL, Daley DO. Antibiotic-Efficient Genetic Cassette for the TEM-1 β-Lactamase That Improves Plasmid Performance. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:241-253. [PMID: 34982550 PMCID: PMC8787818 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance cassettes are indispensable tools in recombinant DNA technology, synthetic biology, and metabolic engineering. The genetic cassette encoding the TEM-1 β-lactamase (denoted Tn3.1) is one of the most commonly used and can be found in more than 120 commercially available bacterial expression plasmids (e.g., the pET, pUC, pGEM, pQE, pGEX, pBAD, and pSEVA series). A widely acknowledged problem with the cassette is that it produces excessively high titers of β-lactamase that rapidly degrade β-lactam antibiotics in the culture media, leading to loss of selective pressure, and eventually a large percentage of cells that do not have a plasmid. To address these shortcomings, we have engineered a next-generation version that expresses minimal levels of β-lactamase (denoted Tn3.1MIN). We have also engineered a version that is compatible with the Standard European Vector Architecture (SEVA) (denoted Ap (pSEVA#1MIN--)). Expression plasmids containing either Tn3.1MIN or Ap (pSEVA#1MIN--) can be selected using a 5-fold lower concentration of β-lactam antibiotics and benefit from the increased half-life of the β-lactam antibiotics in the culture medium (3- to 10-fold). Moreover, more cells in the culture retain the plasmid. In summary, we present two antibiotic-efficient genetic cassettes encoding the TEM-1 β-lactamase that reduce antibiotic consumption (an integral part of antibiotic stewardship), reduce production costs, and improve plasmid performance in bacterial cell factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alister
J. Cumming
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm
University, Stockholm SE106 91, Sweden
| | - Diana Khananisho
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm
University, Stockholm SE106 91, Sweden
| | - Ramona Harris
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm
University, Stockholm SE106 91, Sweden
| | - Carolyn N. Bayer
- The
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby 2800, Denmark
| | - Morten H. H. Nørholm
- The
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby 2800, Denmark
- CloneOpt
AB, Upplands Väsby SE194 68, Sweden
- Mycropt
ApS, Kongens Lyngby 2800, Denmark
| | - Sara Jamshidi
- Department
of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE106 91, Sweden
| | - Leopold L. Ilag
- Department
of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE106 91, Sweden
| | - Daniel O. Daley
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm
University, Stockholm SE106 91, Sweden
- CloneOpt
AB, Upplands Väsby SE194 68, Sweden
- Mycropt
ApS, Kongens Lyngby 2800, Denmark
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14
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Tietze L, Lale R. Importance of the 5' regulatory region to bacterial synthetic biology applications. Microb Biotechnol 2021; 14:2291-2315. [PMID: 34171170 PMCID: PMC8601185 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The field of synthetic biology is evolving at a fast pace. It is advancing beyond single-gene alterations in single hosts to the logical design of complex circuits and the development of integrated synthetic genomes. Recent breakthroughs in deep learning, which is increasingly used in de novo assembly of DNA components with predictable effects, are also aiding the discipline. Despite advances in computing, the field is still reliant on the availability of pre-characterized DNA parts, whether natural or synthetic, to regulate gene expression in bacteria and make valuable compounds. In this review, we discuss the different bacterial synthetic biology methodologies employed in the creation of 5' regulatory regions - promoters, untranslated regions and 5'-end of coding sequences. We summarize methodologies and discuss their significance for each of the functional DNA components, and highlight the key advances made in bacterial engineering by concentrating on their flaws and strengths. We end the review by outlining the issues that the discipline may face in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Tietze
- PhotoSynLabDepartment of BiotechnologyFaculty of Natural SciencesNorwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheimN‐7491Norway
| | - Rahmi Lale
- PhotoSynLabDepartment of BiotechnologyFaculty of Natural SciencesNorwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheimN‐7491Norway
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15
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Bayer CN, Rennig M, Ehrmann AK, Nørholm MHH. A standardized genome architecture for bacterial synthetic biology (SEGA). Nat Commun 2021; 12:5876. [PMID: 34620865 PMCID: PMC8497626 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26155-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromosomal recombinant gene expression offers a number of advantages over plasmid-based synthetic biology. However, the methods applied for bacterial genome engineering are still challenging and far from being standardized. Here, in an attempt to realize the simplest recombinant genome technology imaginable and facilitate the transition from recombinant plasmids to genomes, we create a simplistic methodology and a comprehensive strain collection called the Standardized Genome Architecture (SEGA). In its simplest form, SEGA enables genome engineering by combining only two reagents: a DNA fragment that can be ordered from a commercial vendor and a stock solution of bacterial cells followed by incubation on agar plates. Recombinant genomes are identified by visual inspection using green-white colony screening akin to classical blue-white screening for recombinant plasmids. The modular nature of SEGA allows precise multi-level control of transcriptional, translational, and post-translational regulation. The SEGA architecture simultaneously supports increased standardization of genetic designs and a broad application range by utilizing well-characterized parts optimized for robust performance in the context of the bacterial genome. Ultimately, its adaption and expansion by the scientific community should improve predictability and comparability of experimental outcomes across different laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn N Bayer
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Maja Rennig
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Anja K Ehrmann
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Morten H H Nørholm
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
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16
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Sun M, Gao AX, Li A, Liu X, Wang R, Yang Y, Li Y, Liu C, Bai Z. Bicistronic design as recombinant expression enhancer: characteristics, applications, and structural optimization. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:7709-7720. [PMID: 34596722 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11611-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The bicistronic design (BCD) is characterized by a short fore-cistron sequence and a second Shine-Dalgarno (SD2) sequence upstream of the target gene. The outstanding performance of this expression cassette in promoting recombinant protein production has attracted attention. Recently, the application of the BCD has been further extended to gene expression control, protein translation monitoring, and membrane protein production. In this review, we summarize the characteristics, molecular mechanisms, applications, and structural optimization of the BCD expression cassette. We also specifically discuss the challenges that the BCD system still faces. This is the first review of the BCD expression strategy, and it is believed that an in-depth understanding of the BCD will help researchers to better utilize and develop it. KEY POINTS: • Summary of the characteristics and molecular mechanisms of the BCD system. • Review of the actual applications of the BCD expression cassette. • Summary of the structural optimization of the BCD system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manman Sun
- National Engineering Laboratory of Cereal Fermentation Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214112, China.,Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China.,Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Alex Xiong Gao
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - An Li
- National Engineering Laboratory of Cereal Fermentation Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214112, China.,Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China.,Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Xiuxia Liu
- National Engineering Laboratory of Cereal Fermentation Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214112, China. .,Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China. .,Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China.
| | - Rongbing Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory of Cereal Fermentation Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214112, China.,Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China.,Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Yankun Yang
- National Engineering Laboratory of Cereal Fermentation Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214112, China.,Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China.,Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Ye Li
- National Engineering Laboratory of Cereal Fermentation Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214112, China.,Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China.,Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Chunli Liu
- National Engineering Laboratory of Cereal Fermentation Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214112, China.,Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China.,Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Zhonghu Bai
- National Engineering Laboratory of Cereal Fermentation Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214112, China. .,Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China. .,Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China.
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17
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Shilling PJ, Daley DO. Implementing Novel Designs in pET Expression Plasmids that Increase Protein Production. Bio Protoc 2021; 11:e4133. [PMID: 34541050 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4133] [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: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
pET expression plasmids are widely used in the biotechnology, biopharmaceutical, and basic research sectors for the production of recombinant proteins. Typically, they are used off-the-shelf because they support high production titers; however, we have identified two design flaws in many pET plasmids that limit their production capacity. We used modern methods of DNA assembly and directed evolution to identify improved designs for these modules and demonstrated that these designs support higher protein production yields. Herein, we present two PCR protocols for implementing the designs and increasing protein production from existing pET expression plasmids. Graphic abstract: A simple workflow for implementing novel designs in pET expression plasmids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Shilling
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Daniel O Daley
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,CloneOpt AB, Upplands Väsby, Sweden
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18
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Preisler SS, Hansen KM, Nurup CN, Beich-Frandsen M, Pedersen PA. Recombinant production of membrane proteins in yeast. Methods Enzymol 2021; 660:21-52. [PMID: 34742390 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Biochemical pathways are compartmentalized in living cells. This permits each cell to maintain chemical compositions that differ between the cytosol, intracellular organelles and the external environment. Achieving this requires each compartment to be very selective in what is allowed to enter and leave. Nature has solved this by surrounding each cell and each organelle with a virtually solute impermeable lipid membrane, embedded with integral membrane proteins that mediate strictly controlled trans-membrane movement of matter and information. Access to pure and active integral membrane proteins is therefore required to comprehend membrane biology, ultimately through high-resolution structures of the membrane proteome and, therefore, also for our understanding of physiology. Unfortunately, apart from a few exceptions, membrane proteins cannot be purified from native tissue but need to be produced recombinantly, which is eminently challenging. This chapter shows how we have engineered yeast to provide high levels of prime quality membrane proteins of prokaryotic, archaeal or eukaryotic origin for structural biology.
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19
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Colarusso A, Lauro C, Calvanese M, Parrilli E, Tutino ML. Improvement of Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125 as a Cell Factory: IPTG-Inducible Plasmid Construction and Strain Engineering. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8101466. [PMID: 32987756 PMCID: PMC7598627 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8101466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2020] [Revised: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Our group has used the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125 (PhTAC125) as a platform for the successful recombinant production of “difficult” proteins, including eukaryotic proteins, at low temperatures. However, there is still room for improvement both in the refinement of PhTAC125 expression plasmids and in the bacterium’s intrinsic ability to accumulate and handle heterologous products. Here, we present an integrated approach of plasmid design and strain engineering finalized to increment the recombinant expression and optimize the inducer uptake in PhTAC125. To this aim, we developed the IPTG-inducible plasmid pP79 and an engineered PhTAC125 strain called KrPL LacY+. This mutant was designed to express the E. coli lactose permease and to produce only a truncated version of the endogenous Lon protease through an integration-deletion strategy. In the wild-type strain, pP79 assured a significantly better production of two reporters in comparison to the most recent expression vector employed in PhTAC125. Nevertheless, the use of KrPL LacY+ was crucial to achieving satisfying production levels using reasonable IPTG concentrations, even at 0 °C. Both the wild-type and the mutant recombinant strains are characterized by an average graded response upon IPTG induction and they will find different future applications depending on the desired levels of expression.
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20
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Komarova ES, Chervontseva ZS, Osterman IA, Evfratov SA, Rubtsova MP, Zatsepin TS, Semashko TA, Kostryukova ES, Bogdanov AA, Gelfand MS, Dontsova OA, Sergiev PV. Influence of the spacer region between the Shine-Dalgarno box and the start codon for fine-tuning of the translation efficiency in Escherichia coli. Microb Biotechnol 2020; 13:1254-1261. [PMID: 32202698 PMCID: PMC7264876 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Translation efficiency contributes several orders of magnitude difference in the overall yield of exogenous gene expression in bacteria. In diverse bacteria, the translation initiation site, whose sequence is the primary determinant of the translation performance, is comprised of the start codon and the Shine-Dalgarno box located upstream. Here, we have examined how the sequence of a spacer between these main components of the translation initiation site contributes to the yield of synthesized protein. We have created a library of reporter constructs with the randomized spacer region, performed fluorescently activated cell sorting and applied next-generation sequencing analysis (the FlowSeq protocol). As a result, we have identified sequence motifs for the spacer region between the Shine-Dalgarno box and AUG start codon that may modulate the translation efficiency in a 100-fold range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina S. Komarova
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and TechnologyMoscow143025Russia
- Department of ChemistryFaculty of Bioengineering and BioinformaticsInstitute of Functional GenomicsA.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico‐Chemical BiologyLomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscow119992Russia
| | - Zoya S. Chervontseva
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and TechnologyMoscow143025Russia
- A.A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems RASMoscow127051Russia
| | - Ilya A. Osterman
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and TechnologyMoscow143025Russia
- Department of ChemistryFaculty of Bioengineering and BioinformaticsInstitute of Functional GenomicsA.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico‐Chemical BiologyLomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscow119992Russia
| | - Sergey A. Evfratov
- Department of ChemistryFaculty of Bioengineering and BioinformaticsInstitute of Functional GenomicsA.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico‐Chemical BiologyLomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscow119992Russia
| | - Maria P. Rubtsova
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and TechnologyMoscow143025Russia
- Department of ChemistryFaculty of Bioengineering and BioinformaticsInstitute of Functional GenomicsA.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico‐Chemical BiologyLomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscow119992Russia
| | - Timofei S. Zatsepin
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and TechnologyMoscow143025Russia
- Department of ChemistryFaculty of Bioengineering and BioinformaticsInstitute of Functional GenomicsA.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico‐Chemical BiologyLomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscow119992Russia
| | | | - Elena S. Kostryukova
- Research Institute for Physical‐Chemical MedicineFMBAMoscow119435Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and TechnologyMoscow region141700Russia
| | - Alexey A. Bogdanov
- Department of ChemistryFaculty of Bioengineering and BioinformaticsInstitute of Functional GenomicsA.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico‐Chemical BiologyLomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscow119992Russia
| | - Mikhail S. Gelfand
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and TechnologyMoscow143025Russia
- A.A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems RASMoscow127051Russia
- National Research University Higher School of EconomicsMoscow125319Russia
| | - Olga A. Dontsova
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and TechnologyMoscow143025Russia
- Department of ChemistryFaculty of Bioengineering and BioinformaticsInstitute of Functional GenomicsA.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico‐Chemical BiologyLomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscow119992Russia
- Shemyakin‐Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic ChemistryMoscow117997Russia
| | - Petr V. Sergiev
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and TechnologyMoscow143025Russia
- Department of ChemistryFaculty of Bioengineering and BioinformaticsInstitute of Functional GenomicsA.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico‐Chemical BiologyLomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscow119992Russia
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21
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Shilling PJ, Mirzadeh K, Cumming AJ, Widesheim M, Köck Z, Daley DO. Improved designs for pET expression plasmids increase protein production yield in Escherichia coli. Commun Biol 2020; 3:214. [PMID: 32382055 PMCID: PMC7205610 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-0939-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The pET series of expression plasmids are widely used for recombinant protein production in Escherichia coli. The genetic modules controlling transcription and translation in these plasmids were first described in the 1980s and have not changed since. Herein we report design flaws in these genetic modules. We present improved designs and demonstrate that, when incorporated into pET28a, they support increases in protein production. The improved designs are applicable to most of the 103 vectors in the pET series and can be easily implemented. Patrick Shilling et al. increase the protein production yield from the pET28a expression plasmid by modifying the genetic modules that control transcription and translation initiation. These improved designs are applicable to most vectors in the pET series and can be easily implemented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Shilling
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Kiavash Mirzadeh
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Xbrane Biopharma, Solna, Sweden
| | - Alister J Cumming
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Magnus Widesheim
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Zoe Köck
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Goethe Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Daniel O Daley
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
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22
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Mirzadeh K, Shilling PJ, Elfageih R, Cumming AJ, Cui HL, Rennig M, Nørholm MHH, Daley DO. Increased production of periplasmic proteins in Escherichia coli by directed evolution of the translation initiation region. Microb Cell Fact 2020; 19:85. [PMID: 32264894 PMCID: PMC7137448 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-020-01339-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Recombinant proteins are often engineered with an N-terminal signal peptide, which facilitates their secretion to the oxidising environment of the periplasm (gram-negative bacteria) or the culture supernatant (gram-positive bacteria). A commonly encountered problem is that the signal peptide influences the synthesis and secretion of the recombinant protein in an unpredictable manner. A molecular understanding of this phenomenon is highly sought after, as it could lead to improved methods for producing recombinant proteins in bacterial cell factories. Results Herein we demonstrate that signal peptides contribute to an unpredictable translation initiation region. A directed evolution approach that selects a new translation initiation region, whilst leaving the amino acid sequence of the signal peptide unchanged, can increase production levels of secreted recombinant proteins. The approach can increase production of single chain antibody fragments, hormones and other recombinant proteins in the periplasm of E. coli. Conclusions The study demonstrates that signal peptide performance is coupled to the efficiency of the translation initiation region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiavash Mirzadeh
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,CloneOpt AB, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Patrick J Shilling
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rageia Elfageih
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alister J Cumming
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Huanhuan L Cui
- Department of Medicine (Solna), Division of Microbial Pathogenesis, BioClinicum, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maja Rennig
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Morten H H Nørholm
- CloneOpt AB, Stockholm, Sweden.,Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Daniel O Daley
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. .,CloneOpt AB, Stockholm, Sweden.
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23
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Rennig M, Mundhada H, Wordofa GG, Gerngross D, Wulff T, Worberg A, Nielsen AT, Nørholm MHH. Industrializing a Bacterial Strain for l-Serine Production through Translation Initiation Optimization. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:2347-2358. [PMID: 31550142 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Turning a proof-of-concept synthetic biology design into a robust, high performing cell factory is a major time and money consuming task, which severely limits the growth of the white biotechnology sector. Here, we extend the use of tunable antibiotic resistance markers for synthetic evolution (TARSyn), a workflow for screening translation initiation region (TIR) libraries with antibiotic selection, to generic pathway engineering, and transform a proof-of-concept synbio design into a process that performs at industrially relevant levels. Using a combination of rational design and adaptive evolution, we recently engineered a high-performing bacterial strain for production of the important building block biochemical l-serine, based on two high-copy pET vectors facilitating expression of the serine biosynthetic genes serA, serC, and serB from three independent transcriptional units. Here, we prepare the bacterial strain for industrial scale up by transferring and reconfiguring the three genes into an operon encoded on a single low-copy plasmid. Not surprisingly, this initially reduces production titers considerably. We use TARSyn to screen both experimental and computational optimization designs resulting in high-performing synthetic serine operons and reach industrially relevant production levels of 50 g/L in fed-batch fermentations, the highest reported so far for serine production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Rennig
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Building 220, Kemitorvet, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- Mycropt IVS, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Hemanshu Mundhada
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Building 220, Kemitorvet, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Gossa G. Wordofa
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Building 220, Kemitorvet, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Daniel Gerngross
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tune Wulff
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Building 220, Kemitorvet, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Andreas Worberg
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Building 220, Kemitorvet, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Alex T. Nielsen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Building 220, Kemitorvet, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- Mycropt IVS, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Morten H. H. Nørholm
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Building 220, Kemitorvet, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- Mycropt IVS, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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24
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Rosano GL, Morales ES, Ceccarelli EA. New tools for recombinant protein production in Escherichia coli: A 5-year update. Protein Sci 2019; 28:1412-1422. [PMID: 31219641 PMCID: PMC6635841 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The production of proteins in sufficient amounts is key for their study or use as biotherapeutic agents. Escherichia coli is the host of choice for recombinant protein production given its fast growth, easy manipulation, and cost-effectiveness. As such, its protein production capabilities are continuously being improved. Also, the associated tools (such as plasmids and cultivation conditions) are subject of ongoing research to optimize product yield. In this work, we review the latest advances in recombinant protein production in E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Germán L. Rosano
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), CONICET. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y FarmacéuticasUniversidad Nacional de RosarioRosarioArgentina
| | - Enrique S. Morales
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), CONICET. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y FarmacéuticasUniversidad Nacional de RosarioRosarioArgentina
| | - Eduardo A. Ceccarelli
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), CONICET. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y FarmacéuticasUniversidad Nacional de RosarioRosarioArgentina
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25
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Claassens NJ, Finger-Bou M, Scholten B, Muis F, de Groot JJ, de Gier JW, de Vos WM, van der Oost J. Bicistronic Design-Based Continuous and High-Level Membrane Protein Production in Escherichia coli. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:1685-1690. [PMID: 31264406 PMCID: PMC6646956 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Escherichia coli has been widely used as a platform microorganism for both membrane protein production and cell factory engineering. The current methods to produce membrane proteins in this organism require the induction of target gene expression and often result in unstable, low yields. Here, we present a method combining a constitutive promoter with a library of bicistronic design (BCD) elements, which enables inducer-free, tuned translation initiation for optimal protein production. Our system mediates stable, constitutive production of bacterial membrane proteins at yields that outperform those obtained with E. coli Lemo21(DE3), the current gold standard for bacterial membrane protein production. We envisage that the continuous, fine-tunable, and high-level production of membrane proteins by our method will greatly facilitate their study and their utilization in engineering cell factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico J. Claassens
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Max Finger-Bou
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bart Scholten
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Frederieke Muis
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jonas J. de Groot
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan-Willem de Gier
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for Biomembrane Research, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Willem M. de Vos
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Human Microbiome Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 3, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - John van der Oost
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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26
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Presnell KV, Flexer-Harrison M, Alper HS. Design and synthesis of synthetic UP elements for modulation of gene expression in Escherichia coli. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2019; 4:99-106. [PMID: 31080900 PMCID: PMC6501063 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2019.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic engineering requires fine-tuned gene expression for most pathway optimization applications. To develop a suitable suite of promoters, traditional bacterial promoter engineering efforts have focused on modifications to the core region, especially the −10 and −35 regions, of native promoters. Here, we demonstrate an alternate, unexplored route of promoter engineering through randomization of the UP element of the promoter—a region that contacts the alpha subunit carboxy-terminal domain instead of the sigma subunit of the RNA polymerase holoenzyme. Through this work, we identify five novel UP element sequences through library-based searches in Escherichia coli. The resulting elements were used to activate the E. coli core promoter, rrnD promoter, to levels on par and higher than the prevalent strong bacterial promoter, OXB15. These relative levels of expression activation were transferrable when applied upstream of alternate core promoter sequences, including rrnA and rrnH. This work thus presents and validates a novel strategy for bacterial promoter engineering with transferability across varying core promoters and potential for transferability across bacterial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin V Presnell
- McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 200 E Dean Keeton St. Stop C0400, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Madeleine Flexer-Harrison
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, 2500 Speedway Avenue, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Hal S Alper
- McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 200 E Dean Keeton St. Stop C0400, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.,Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, 2500 Speedway Avenue, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
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27
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Nieuwkoop T, Claassens NJ, van der Oost J. Improved protein production and codon optimization analyses in Escherichia coli by bicistronic design. Microb Biotechnol 2019; 12:173-179. [PMID: 30484964 PMCID: PMC6302717 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Different codon optimization algorithms are available that aim at improving protein production by optimizing translation elongation. In these algorithms, it is generally not considered how the altered protein coding sequence will affect the secondary structure of the corresponding RNA transcript, particularly not the effect on the 5'-UTR structure and related ribosome binding site availability. This is a serious drawback, because the influence of codon usage on mRNA secondary structures, especially near the start of a gene, may strongly influence translation initiation. In this study, we aim to reduce the effect of codon usage on translation initiation by applying a bicistronic design (BCD) element. Protein production of several codon-optimized gene variants is tested in parallel for a BCD and a standard monocistronic design (MCD). We demonstrate that these distinct architectures can drastically change the relative performance of different codon optimization algorithms. We conclude that a BCD is indispensable in future studies that aim to reveal the impact of codon optimization and codon usage correlations. Furthermore, irrespective of the algorithm used, using a BCD does improve protein production compared with an MCD. The overall highest expression from BCDs for both GFP and RFP is at least twofold higher than the highest levels found for the MCDs, while for codon variants having very low expression from the MCD, even 10-fold to 100-fold increases in expression were achieved by the BCD. This shows the great potential of the BCD element for recombinant protein production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thijs Nieuwkoop
- Laboratory of MicrobiologyWageningen University and ResearchStippeneng 46708 WEWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Nico J. Claassens
- Laboratory of MicrobiologyWageningen University and ResearchStippeneng 46708 WEWageningenThe Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant PhysiologyAm Mühlenberg 114476Potsdam‐GolmGermany
| | - John van der Oost
- Laboratory of MicrobiologyWageningen University and ResearchStippeneng 46708 WEWageningenThe Netherlands
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28
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Abstract
Most proteins need to fold into a specific 3D structure to function. The mechanism by which isolated proteins fold has been thoroughly studied by experiment and theory. However, in the cell proteins do not fold in isolation but are synthesized as linear chains by the ribosome during translation. It is therefore natural to ask at which point during synthesis proteins fold, and whether this differs from the folding of isolated protein molecules. By studying folding of a well-characterized protein domain, titin I27, stalled at different points during translation, we show that it already folds in the mouth of the ribosome exit tunnel and that the mechanism is almost identical to that of the isolated protein. Proteins that fold cotranslationally may do so in a restricted configurational space, due to the volume occupied by the ribosome. How does this environment, coupled with the close proximity of the ribosome, affect the folding pathway of a protein? Previous studies have shown that the cotranslational folding process for many proteins, including small, single domains, is directly affected by the ribosome. Here, we investigate the cotranslational folding of an all-β Ig domain, titin I27. Using an arrest peptide-based assay and structural studies by cryo-EM, we show that I27 folds in the mouth of the ribosome exit tunnel. Simulations that use a kinetic model for the force dependence of escape from arrest accurately predict the fraction of folded protein as a function of length. We used these simulations to probe the folding pathway on and off the ribosome. Our simulations—which also reproduce experiments on mutant forms of I27—show that I27 folds, while still sequestered in the mouth of the ribosome exit tunnel, by essentially the same pathway as free I27, with only subtle shifts of critical contacts from the C to the N terminus.
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29
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Abstract
Strategies to select highly expressed variants of a protein coding sequence are usually based on trial-and-error approaches, which are time-consuming and expensive. We address this problem using translationally coupled antibiotic resistance markers. The system requires that the target gene can be fused at the 3'-end with a translational coupling element and an antibiotic resistance gene. Highly expressed target genes can then be selected using a fast and simple whole cell survival assay in the presence of high antibiotic concentrations. Herein we show that the system can be used to select highly expressing clones from libraries sampling translation initiation sites.
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30
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Saladi SM, Javed N, Müller A, Clemons WM. A statistical model for improved membrane protein expression using sequence-derived features. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:4913-4927. [PMID: 29378850 PMCID: PMC5880134 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra117.001052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The heterologous expression of integral membrane proteins (IMPs) remains a major bottleneck in the characterization of this important protein class. IMP expression levels are currently unpredictable, which renders the pursuit of IMPs for structural and biophysical characterization challenging and inefficient. Experimental evidence demonstrates that changes within the nucleotide or amino acid sequence for a given IMP can dramatically affect expression levels, yet these observations have not resulted in generalizable approaches to improve expression levels. Here, we develop a data-driven statistical predictor named IMProve that, using only sequence information, increases the likelihood of selecting an IMP that expresses in Escherichia coli The IMProve model, trained on experimental data, combines a set of sequence-derived features resulting in an IMProve score, where higher values have a higher probability of success. The model is rigorously validated against a variety of independent data sets that contain a wide range of experimental outcomes from various IMP expression trials. The results demonstrate that use of the model can more than double the number of successfully expressed targets at any experimental scale. IMProve can immediately be used to identify favorable targets for characterization. Most notably, IMProve demonstrates for the first time that IMP expression levels can be predicted directly from sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shyam M Saladi
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125
| | - Nauman Javed
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125
| | - Axel Müller
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125
| | - William M Clemons
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125.
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31
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Ferro R, Rennig M, Hernández-Rollán C, Daley DO, Nørholm MHH. A synbio approach for selection of highly expressed gene variants in Gram-positive bacteria. Microb Cell Fact 2018. [PMID: 29519251 PMCID: PMC5842541 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-018-0886-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The market for recombinant proteins is on the rise, and Gram-positive strains are widely exploited for this purpose. Bacillus subtilis is a profitable host for protein production thanks to its ability to secrete large amounts of proteins, and Lactococcus lactis is an attractive production organism with a long history in food fermentation. RESULTS We have developed a synbio approach for increasing gene expression in two Gram-positive bacteria. First of all, the gene of interest was coupled to an antibiotic resistance gene to create a growth-based selection system. We then randomised the translation initiation region (TIR) preceding the gene of interest and selected clones that produced high protein titres, as judged by their ability to survive on high concentrations of antibiotic. Using this approach, we were able to significantly increase production of two industrially relevant proteins; sialidase in B. subtilis and tyrosine ammonia lyase in L. lactis. CONCLUSION Gram-positive bacteria are widely used to produce industrial enzymes. High titres are necessary to make the production economically feasible. The synbio approach presented here is a simple and inexpensive way to increase protein titres, which can be carried out in any laboratory within a few days. It could also be implemented as a tool for applications beyond TIR libraries, such as screening of synthetic, homologous or domain-shuffled genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Ferro
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.,Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Maja Rennig
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Cristina Hernández-Rollán
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Daniel O Daley
- Center for Biomembrane Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,CloneOpt AB, Upplands Väsby, Sweden
| | - Morten H H Nørholm
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark. .,CloneOpt AB, Upplands Väsby, Sweden.
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32
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Rennig M, Martinez V, Mirzadeh K, Dunas F, Röjsäter B, Daley DO, Nørholm MHH. TARSyn: Tunable Antibiotic Resistance Devices Enabling Bacterial Synthetic Evolution and Protein Production. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:432-442. [PMID: 29257878 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Evolution can be harnessed to optimize synthetic biology designs. A prominent example is recombinant protein production-a dominating theme in biotechnology for more than three decades. Typically, a protein coding sequence (cds) is recombined with genetic elements, such as promoters, ribosome binding sites and terminators, which control expression in a cell factory. A major bottleneck during production is translational initiation. Previously we identified more effective translation initiation regions (TIRs) by creating sequence libraries and then selecting for a TIR that drives high-level expression-an example of synthetic evolution. However, manual screening limits the ability to assay expression levels of all putative sequences in the libraries. Here we have solved this bottleneck by designing a collection of translational coupling devices based on a RNA secondary structure. Exchange of different sequence elements in this device allows for different coupling efficiencies, therefore giving the devices a tunable nature. Sandwiching these devices between the cds and an antibiotic selection marker that functions over a broad dynamic range of antibiotic concentrations adds to the tunability and allows expression levels in large clone libraries to be probed using a simple cell survival assay on the respective antibiotic. The power of the approach is demonstrated by substantially increasing production of two commercially interesting proteins, a Nanobody and an Affibody. The method is a simple and inexpensive alternative to advanced screening techniques that can be carried out in any laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Rennig
- Novo
Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Virginia Martinez
- Novo
Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Kiavash Mirzadeh
- Center
for Biomembrane Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
- CloneOpt AB, 19468 Upplands Väsby, Sweden
| | | | | | - Daniel O. Daley
- Center
for Biomembrane Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
- CloneOpt AB, 19468 Upplands Väsby, Sweden
| | - Morten H. H. Nørholm
- Novo
Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- CloneOpt AB, 19468 Upplands Väsby, Sweden
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33
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Lauritsen I, Martínez V, Ronda C, Nielsen AT, Nørholm MHH. Bacterial Genome Editing Strategy for Control of Transcription and Protein Stability. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1671:27-37. [PMID: 29170951 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7295-1_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In molecular biology and cell factory engineering, tools that enable control of protein production and stability are highly important. Here, we describe protocols for tagging genes in Escherichia coli allowing for inducible degradation and transcriptional control of any soluble protein of interest. The underlying molecular biology is based on the two cross-kingdom tools CRISPRi and the N-end rule for protein degradation. Genome editing is performed with the CRMAGE technology and randomization of the translational initiation region minimizes the polar effects of tag insertion. The approach has previously been applied for targeting proteins originating from essential operon-located genes and has potential to serve as a universal synthetic biology tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida Lauritsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Anker Engelunds Vej 1, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Virginia Martínez
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Anker Engelunds Vej 1, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Carlotta Ronda
- Systems and Synthetic Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, 3960 Broadway, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Alex Toftgaard Nielsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Anker Engelunds Vej 1, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Morten H H Nørholm
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Anker Engelunds Vej 1, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
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34
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Purification and functional comparison of nine human Aquaporins produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the purpose of biophysical characterization. Sci Rep 2017; 7:16899. [PMID: 29203835 PMCID: PMC5715081 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17095-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The sparse number of high-resolution human membrane protein structures severely restricts our comprehension of molecular physiology and ability to exploit rational drug design. In the search for a standardized, cheap and easily handled human membrane protein production platform, we thoroughly investigated the capacity of S. cerevisiae to deliver high yields of prime quality human AQPs, focusing on poorly characterized members including some previously shown to be difficult to isolate. Exploiting GFP labeled forms we comprehensively optimized production and purification procedures resulting in satisfactory yields of all nine AQP targets. We applied the obtained knowledge to successfully upscale purification of histidine tagged human AQP10 produced in large bioreactors. Glycosylation analysis revealed that AQP7 and 12 were O-glycosylated, AQP10 was N-glycosylated while the other AQPs were not glycosylated. We furthermore performed functional characterization and found that AQP 2, 6 and 8 allowed flux of water whereas AQP3, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12 also facilitated a glycerol flux. In conclusion, our S. cerevisiae platform emerges as a powerful tool for isolation of functional, difficult-to-express human membrane proteins suitable for biophysical characterization.
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35
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Jia B, Jeon CO. High-throughput recombinant protein expression in Escherichia coli: current status and future perspectives. Open Biol 2017; 6:rsob.160196. [PMID: 27581654 PMCID: PMC5008019 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.160196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The ease of genetic manipulation, low cost, rapid growth and number of previous studies have made Escherichia coli one of the most widely used microorganism species for producing recombinant proteins. In this post-genomic era, challenges remain to rapidly express and purify large numbers of proteins for academic and commercial purposes in a high-throughput manner. In this review, we describe several state-of-the-art approaches that are suitable for the cloning, expression and purification, conducted in parallel, of numerous molecules, and we discuss recent progress related to soluble protein expression, mRNA folding, fusion tags, post-translational modification and production of membrane proteins. Moreover, we address the ongoing efforts to overcome various challenges faced in protein expression in E. coli, which could lead to an improvement of the current system from trial and error to a predictable and rational design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baolei Jia
- Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea
| | - Che Ok Jeon
- Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea
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36
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Claassens NJ, Siliakus MF, Spaans SK, Creutzburg SCA, Nijsse B, Schaap PJ, Quax TEF, van der Oost J. Improving heterologous membrane protein production in Escherichia coli by combining transcriptional tuning and codon usage algorithms. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0184355. [PMID: 28902855 PMCID: PMC5597330 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
High-level, recombinant production of membrane-integrated proteins in Escherichia coli is extremely relevant for many purposes, but has also been proven challenging. Here we study a combination of transcriptional fine-tuning in E. coli LEMO21(DE3) with different codon usage algorithms for heterologous production of membrane proteins. The overexpression of 6 different membrane proteins is compared for the wild-type gene codon usage variant, a commercially codon-optimized variant, and a codon-harmonized variant. We show that transcriptional fine-tuning plays a major role in improving the production of all tested proteins. Moreover, different codon usage variants significantly improved production of some of the tested proteins. However, not a single algorithm performed consistently best for the membrane-integrated production of the 6 tested proteins. In conclusion, for improving heterologous membrane protein production in E. coli, the major effect is accomplished by transcriptional tuning. In addition, further improvements may be realized by attempting different codon usage variants, such as codon harmonized variants, which can now be easily generated through our online Codon Harmonizer tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico J. Claassens
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Melvin F. Siliakus
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sebastiaan K. Spaans
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Bart Nijsse
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter J. Schaap
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Tessa E. F. Quax
- Institut für Biologie II, Albert Ludwigs Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - John van der Oost
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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37
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Efficient genetic approaches for improvement of plasmid based expression of recombinant protein in Escherichia coli : A review. Process Biochem 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2017.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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38
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Zhong C, Wei P, Zhang YHP. Enhancing functional expression of codon-optimized heterologous enzymes in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) by selective introduction of synonymous rare codons. Biotechnol Bioeng 2016; 114:1054-1064. [PMID: 27943233 DOI: 10.1002/bit.26238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Revised: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Rare codon in a heterologous gene may cause premature termination of protein synthesis, misincorporation of amino acids, and/or slow translation of mRNA, decreasing the heterologous protein expression. However, its hypothetical function pertaining to functional protein folding has been barely reported. Here, we investigated the effects of selective introduction of synonymous rare codons (SRCs) to two codon-optimized (i.e., rare codon-free) genes sucrose phosphorylase (SP) gene from Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum and amidohydrolase gene from Streptomyces caatingaensis on their expression levels in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). We investigated the introduction of a single SRC to the coding regions of alpha-helix, beta-strand, or linker in the first half of rare codon-free sp and ah gene. The introduction of a single SRC in the beginning of the coding regions of beta-strand greatly enhanced their soluble expression levels as compared to the other regions. Also, we applied directed evolution to test multi-SRC-containing sp gene mutants for enhanced soluble SP expression levels. To easily identify the soluble SP expression level of colonies growing on Petri dishes, mCherry fluorescent protein was used as a SP-folding reporter when it was fused to the 3' end of the sp gene mutant libraries. After three rounds of screening, the best sp gene mutant containing nine SRCs exhibited an approximately six-fold enhancement in soluble protein expression level as compared to the wild-type and rare codon-free sp control. This study suggests that the selective introduction of SRCs can attenuate translation at specific points and such discontinuous attenuation can temporally separate the translation of segments of the peptide chains and actively coordinates their co-translational folding, resulting in enhanced functional protein expression. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1054-1064. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Zhong
- Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, 304 Seitz Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061.,College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, China
| | - Ping Wei
- College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, China
| | - Yi-Heng Percival Zhang
- Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, 304 Seitz Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061.,Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, China
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39
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Vazquez-Albacete D, Cavaleiro AM, Christensen U, Seppälä S, Møller BL, Nørholm MHH. An expression tag toolbox for microbial production of membrane bound plant cytochromes P450. Biotechnol Bioeng 2016; 114:751-760. [PMID: 27748524 DOI: 10.1002/bit.26203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Revised: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 10/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Membrane-associated Cytochromes P450 (P450s) are one of the most important enzyme families for biosynthesis of plant-derived medicinal compounds. However, the hydrophobic nature of P450s makes their use in robust cell factories a challenge. Here, we explore a small library of N-terminal expression tag chimeras of the model plant P450 CYP79A1 in different Escherichia coli strains. Using a high-throughput screening platform based on C-terminal GFP fusions, we identify several highly expressing and robustly performing chimeric designs. Analysis of long-term cultures by flow cytometry showed homogeneous populations for some of the conditions. Three chimeric designs were chosen for a more complex combinatorial assembly of a multigene pathway consisting of two P450s and a redox partner. Cells expressing these recombinant enzymes catalyzed the conversion of the substrate to highly different ratios of the intermediate and the final product of the pathway. Finally, the effect of a robustly performing expression tag was explored with a library of 49 different P450s from medicinal plants and nearly half of these were improved in expression by more than twofold. The developed toolbox serves as a platform to tune P450 performance in microbial cells, thereby facilitating recombinant production of complex plant P450-derived biochemicals. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 751-760. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Vazquez-Albacete
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kogle allé 6, Hørsholm, Denmark
| | - Ana Mafalda Cavaleiro
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kogle allé 6, Hørsholm, Denmark
| | - Ulla Christensen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kogle allé 6, Hørsholm, Denmark
| | - Susanna Seppälä
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kogle allé 6, Hørsholm, Denmark
| | - Birger Lindberg Møller
- Plant Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Center for Synthetic Biology: bioSYNergy, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten H H Nørholm
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kogle allé 6, Hørsholm, Denmark.,Center for Synthetic Biology: bioSYNergy, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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40
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Kim SH, Cavaleiro AM, Rennig M, Nørholm MHH. SEVA Linkers: A Versatile and Automatable DNA Backbone Exchange Standard for Synthetic Biology. ACS Synth Biol 2016; 5:1177-1181. [PMID: 26917044 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.5b00257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
DNA vectors serve to maintain and select recombinant DNA in cell factories, and as design complexity increases, there is a greater need for well-characterized parts and methods for their assembly. Standards in synthetic biology are top priority, but standardizing molecular cloning contrasts flexibility, and different researchers prefer and master different molecular technologies. Here, we describe a new, highly versatile and automatable standard "SEVA linkers" for vector exchange. SEVA linkers enable backbone swapping with 20 combinations of classical enzymatic restriction/ligation, Gibson isothermal assembly, uracil excision cloning, and a nicking enzyme-based methodology we term SEVA cloning. SEVA cloning is a simplistic one-tube protocol for backbone swapping directly from plasmid stock solutions. We demonstrate the different performance of 30 plasmid backbones for small molecule and protein production and obtain more than 10-fold improvement from a four-gene biosynthetic pathway and 430-fold improvement with a difficult-to-express membrane protein. The standardized linkers and protocols add to the Standard European Vectors Architecture (SEVA) resource and are freely available to the synthetic biology community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Se Hyeuk Kim
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center
for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Hørsholm DK-2970, Denmark
| | - Ana Mafalda Cavaleiro
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center
for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Hørsholm DK-2970, Denmark
| | - Maja Rennig
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center
for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Hørsholm DK-2970, Denmark
| | - Morten H. H. Nørholm
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center
for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Hørsholm DK-2970, Denmark
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41
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Tools and Principles for Microbial Gene Circuit Engineering. J Mol Biol 2016; 428:862-88. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2015.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Revised: 10/05/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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42
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Abstract
The first crystal structures of recombinant mammalian membrane proteins were solved in 2005 using protein that had been produced in yeast cells. One of these, the rabbit Ca(2+)-ATPase SERCA1a, was synthesized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. All host systems have their specific advantages and disadvantages, but yeast has remained a consistently popular choice in the eukaryotic membrane protein field because it is quick, easy and cheap to culture, whilst being able to post-translationally process eukaryotic membrane proteins. Very recent structures of recombinant membrane proteins produced in S. cerevisiae include those of the Arabidopsis thaliana NRT1.1 nitrate transporter and the fungal plant pathogen lipid scramblase, TMEM16. This chapter provides an overview of the methodological approaches underpinning these successes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lina Mikaliunaite
- School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK
| | - Roslyn M Bill
- School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK.
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43
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Mirzadeh K, Toddo S, Nørholm MHH, Daley DO. Codon Optimizing for Increased Membrane Protein Production: A Minimalist Approach. Methods Mol Biol 2016; 1432:53-61. [PMID: 27485329 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3637-3_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Reengineering a gene with synonymous codons is a popular approach for increasing production levels of recombinant proteins. Here we present a minimalist alternative to this method, which samples synonymous codons only at the second and third positions rather than the entire coding sequence. As demonstrated with two membrane-embedded transporters in Escherichia coli, the method was more effective than optimizing the entire coding sequence. The method we present is PCR based and requires three simple steps: (1) the design of two PCR primers, one of which is degenerate; (2) the amplification of a mini-library by PCR; and (3) screening for high-expressing clones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiavash Mirzadeh
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for Biomembrane Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Stephen Toddo
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for Biomembrane Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Morten H H Nørholm
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Daniel O Daley
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for Biomembrane Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
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