1
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Sauciuc A, Morozzo Della Rocca B, Tadema MJ, Chinappi M, Maglia G. Translocation of linearized full-length proteins through an engineered nanopore under opposing electrophoretic force. Nat Biotechnol 2024; 42:1275-1281. [PMID: 37723268 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01954-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Nanopores have recently been used to identify and fingerprint proteins. However, because proteins, unlike DNA, do not have a uniform charge, the electrophoretic force cannot in general be used to translocate or linearize them. Here we show that the introduction of sets of charges in the lumen of the CytK nanopore spaced by ~1 nm creates an electroosmotic flow that induces the unidirectional transport of unstructured natural polypeptides against a strong electrophoretic force. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that this electroosmotic-dominated force has a strength of ~20 pN at -100 mV, which is similar to the electric force on single-stranded DNA. Unfolded polypeptides produce current signatures as they traverse the nanopore, which may be used to identify proteins. This approach can be used to translocate and stretch proteins for enzymatic and non-enzymatic protein identification and sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adina Sauciuc
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences & Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Matthijs Jonathan Tadema
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences & Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Mauro Chinappi
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Maglia
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences & Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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2
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Bidart GN, Hyeuk S, Alter TB, Yang L, Welner DH. A growth selection system for sucrose synthases (SuSy): design and test. AMB Express 2024; 14:70. [PMID: 38865019 PMCID: PMC11169191 DOI: 10.1186/s13568-024-01727-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
High throughput screening (HTS) methods of enzyme variants are essential for the development of robust biocatalysts suited for low impact, industrial scale, biobased synthesis of a myriad of compounds. However, for the majority of enzyme classes, current screening methods have limited throughput, or need expensive substrates in combination with sophisticated setups. Here, we present a straightforward, high throughput selection system that couples sucrose synthase activity to growth. Enabling high throughput screening of this enzyme class holds the potential to facilitate the creation of robust variants, which in turn can significantly impact the future of cost effective industrial glycosylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo N Bidart
- The Novo Nordisk Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 220, Kgs. Lyngby, DK-2800, Denmark
| | - Se Hyeuk
- The Novo Nordisk Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 220, Kgs. Lyngby, DK-2800, Denmark
| | - Tobias Benedikt Alter
- The Novo Nordisk Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 220, Kgs. Lyngby, DK-2800, Denmark
- RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 55, 52062, Aachen, Germany
| | - Lei Yang
- The Novo Nordisk Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 220, Kgs. Lyngby, DK-2800, Denmark
| | - Ditte Hededam Welner
- The Novo Nordisk Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 220, Kgs. Lyngby, DK-2800, Denmark.
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3
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Nieto-Domínguez M, Sako A, Enemark-Rasmussen K, Gotfredsen CH, Rago D, Nikel PI. Enzymatic synthesis of mono- and trifluorinated alanine enantiomers expands the scope of fluorine biocatalysis. Commun Chem 2024; 7:104. [PMID: 38724655 PMCID: PMC11082193 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-024-01188-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Fluorinated amino acids serve as an entry point for establishing new-to-Nature chemistries in biological systems, and novel methods are needed for the selective synthesis of these building blocks. In this study, we focused on the enzymatic synthesis of fluorinated alanine enantiomers to expand fluorine biocatalysis. The alanine dehydrogenase from Vibrio proteolyticus and the diaminopimelate dehydrogenase from Symbiobacterium thermophilum were selected for in vitro production of (R)-3-fluoroalanine and (S)-3-fluoroalanine, respectively, using 3-fluoropyruvate as the substrate. Additionally, we discovered that an alanine racemase from Streptomyces lavendulae, originally selected for setting an alternative enzymatic cascade leading to the production of these non-canonical amino acids, had an unprecedented catalytic efficiency in β-elimination of fluorine from the monosubstituted fluoroalanine. The in vitro enzymatic cascade based on the dehydrogenases of V. proteolyticus and S. thermophilum included a cofactor recycling system, whereby a formate dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas sp. 101 (either native or engineered) coupled formate oxidation to NAD(P)H formation. Under these conditions, the reaction yields for (R)-3-fluoroalanine and (S)-3-fluoroalanine reached >85% on the fluorinated substrate and proceeded with complete enantiomeric excess. The selected dehydrogenases also catalyzed the conversion of trifluoropyruvate into trifluorinated alanine as a first-case example of fluorine biocatalysis with amino acids carrying a trifluoromethyl group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Nieto-Domínguez
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Aboubakar Sako
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | | | - Daniela Rago
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
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4
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Hernández-Rollán C, Ehrmann AK, Vlassis A, Kandasamy V, Nørholm MHH. Neq2X7: a multi-purpose and open-source fusion DNA polymerase for advanced DNA engineering and diagnostics PCR. BMC Biotechnol 2024; 24:17. [PMID: 38566117 PMCID: PMC10988834 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-024-00844-7] [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] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Thermostable DNA polymerases, such as Taq isolated from the thermophilic bacterium Thermus aquaticus, enable one-pot exponential DNA amplification known as polymerase chain reaction (PCR). However, properties other than thermostability - such as fidelity, processivity, and compatibility with modified nucleotides - are important in contemporary molecular biology applications. Here, we describe the engineering and characterization of a fusion between a DNA polymerase identified in the marine archaea Nanoarchaeum equitans and a DNA binding domain from the thermophile Sulfolobus solfataricus. The fusion creates a highly active enzyme, Neq2X7, capable of amplifying long and GC-rich DNA, unaffected by replacing dTTP with dUTP in PCR, and tolerant to various known PCR inhibitors. This makes it an attractive DNA polymerase for use, e.g., with uracil excision (USER) DNA assembly and for contamination-free diagnostics. Using a magnification via nucleotide imbalance fidelity assay, Neq2X7 was estimated to have an error rate lower than 2 ∙ 10-5 bp-1 and an approximately 100x lower fidelity than the parental variant Neq2X, indicating a trade-off between fidelity and processivity - an observation that may be of importance for similarly engineered DNA polymerases. Neq2X7 is easy to produce for routine application in any molecular biology laboratory, and the expression plasmid is made freely available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Hernández-Rollán
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Building 220, Kongens Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
| | - Anja K Ehrmann
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Building 220, Kongens Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
| | - Arsenios Vlassis
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Building 220, Kongens Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
| | - Vijayalakshmi Kandasamy
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Building 220, Kongens Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
| | - Morten H H Nørholm
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Building 220, Kongens Lyngby, 2800, Denmark.
- Mycropt ApS, Kongens Lyngby, 2800, Denmark.
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5
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Kozaeva E, Nielsen ZS, Nieto-Domínguez M, Nikel P. The pAblo·pCasso self-curing vector toolset for unconstrained cytidine and adenine base-editing in Gram-negative bacteria. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:e19. [PMID: 38180826 PMCID: PMC10899774 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/07/2024] Open
Abstract
A synthetic biology toolkit, exploiting clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and modified CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) base-editors, was developed for genome engineering in Gram-negative bacteria. Both a cytidine base-editor (CBE) and an adenine base-editor (ABE) have been optimized for precise single-nucleotide modification of plasmid and genome targets. CBE comprises a cytidine deaminase conjugated to a Cas9 nickase from Streptococcus pyogenes (SpnCas9), resulting in C→T (or G→A) substitutions. Conversely, ABE consists of an adenine deaminase fused to SpnCas9 for A→G (or T→C) editing. Several nucleotide substitutions were achieved using these plasmid-borne base-editing systems and a novel protospacer adjacent motif (PAM)-relaxed SpnCas9 (SpRY) variant. Base-editing was validated in Pseudomonas putida and other Gram-negative bacteria by inserting premature STOP codons into target genes, thereby inactivating both fluorescent proteins and metabolic (antibiotic-resistance) functions. The functional knockouts obtained by engineering STOP codons via CBE were reverted to the wild-type genotype using ABE. Additionally, a series of induction-responsive vectors was developed to facilitate the curing of the base-editing platform in a single cultivation step, simplifying complex strain engineering programs without relying on homologous recombination and yielding plasmid-free, modified bacterial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Kozaeva
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Zacharias S Nielsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Manuel Nieto-Domínguez
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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6
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Frendorf PO, Heyde SAH, Nørholm MHH. Mutations upstream from sdaC and malT in Escherichia coli uncover a complex interplay between the cAMP receptor protein and different sigma factors. J Bacteriol 2024; 206:e0035523. [PMID: 38197669 PMCID: PMC10882989 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00355-23] [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: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
In Escherichia coli, one of the best understood microorganisms, much can still be learned about the basic interactions between transcription factors and promoters. When a cAMP-deficient cya mutant is supplied with maltose as the main carbon source, mutations develop upstream from the two genes malT and sdaC. Here, we explore the regulation of the two promoters, using fluorescence-based genetic reporters in combination with both spontaneously evolved and systematically engineered cis-acting mutations. We show that in the cya mutant, regulation of malT and sdaC evolves toward cAMP-independence and increased expression in the stationary phase. Furthermore, we show that the location of the cAMP receptor protein (Crp) binding site upstream of malT is important for alternative sigma factor usage. This provides new insights into the architecture of bacterial promoters and the global interplay between Crp and sigma factors in different growth phases.IMPORTANCEThis work provides new general insights into (1) the architecture of bacterial promoters, (2) the importance of the location of Class I Crp-dependent promoters, and (3) the global interplay between Crp and sigma factors in different growth phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pernille Ott Frendorf
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sophia A. H. Heyde
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Morten H. H. Nørholm
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
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7
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Ackermann YS, de Witt J, Mezzina MP, Schroth C, Polen T, Nikel PI, Wynands B, Wierckx N. Bio-upcycling of even and uneven medium-chain-length diols and dicarboxylates to polyhydroxyalkanoates using engineered Pseudomonas putida. Microb Cell Fact 2024; 23:54. [PMID: 38365718 PMCID: PMC10870600 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-024-02310-7] [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: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Bio-upcycling of plastics is an emerging alternative process that focuses on extracting value from a wide range of plastic waste streams. Such streams are typically too contaminated to be effectively processed using traditional recycling technologies. Medium-chain-length (mcl) diols and dicarboxylates (DCA) are major products of chemically or enzymatically depolymerized plastics, such as polyesters or polyethers. In this study, we enabled the efficient metabolism of mcl-diols and -DCA in engineered Pseudomonas putida as a prerequisite for subsequent bio-upcycling. We identified the transcriptional regulator GcdR as target for enabling metabolism of uneven mcl-DCA such as pimelate, and uncovered amino acid substitutions that lead to an increased coupling between the heterologous β-oxidation of mcl-DCA and the native degradation of short-chain-length DCA. Adaptive laboratory evolution and subsequent reverse engineering unravelled two distinct pathways for mcl-diol metabolism in P. putida, namely via the hydroxy acid and subsequent native β-oxidation or via full oxidation to the dicarboxylic acid that is further metabolized by heterologous β-oxidation. Furthermore, we demonstrated the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates from mcl-diols and -DCA by a single strain combining all required metabolic features. Overall, this study provides a powerful platform strain for the bio-upcycling of complex plastic hydrolysates to polyhydroxyalkanoates and leads the path for future yield optimizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannic S Ackermann
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Jan de Witt
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Mariela P Mezzina
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Christoph Schroth
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Tino Polen
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Benedikt Wynands
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Nick Wierckx
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
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8
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Lachowicz JC, Lennox-Hvenekilde D, Myling-Petersen N, Salomonsen B, Verkleij G, Acevedo-Rocha CG, Caddell B, Gronenberg LS, Almo SC, Sommer MOA, Genee HJ, Grove TL. Discovery of a Biotin Synthase That Utilizes an Auxiliary 4Fe-5S Cluster for Sulfur Insertion. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:1860-1873. [PMID: 38215281 PMCID: PMC10813225 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c05481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Biotin synthase (BioB) is a member of the Radical SAM superfamily of enzymes that catalyzes the terminal step of biotin (vitamin B7) biosynthesis, in which it inserts a sulfur atom in desthiobiotin to form a thiolane ring. How BioB accomplishes this difficult reaction has been the subject of much controversy, mainly around the source of the sulfur atom. However, it is now widely accepted that the sulfur atom inserted to form biotin stems from the sacrifice of the auxiliary 2Fe-2S cluster of BioB. Here, we bioinformatically explore the diversity of BioBs available in sequence databases and find an unexpected variation in the coordination of the auxiliary iron-sulfur cluster. After in vitro characterization, including the determination of biotin formation and representative crystal structures, we report a new type of BioB utilized by virtually all obligate anaerobic organisms. Instead of a 2Fe-2S cluster, this novel type of BioB utilizes an auxiliary 4Fe-5S cluster. Interestingly, this auxiliary 4Fe-5S cluster contains a ligated sulfide that we propose is used for biotin formation. We have termed this novel type of BioB, Type II BioB, with the E. coli 2Fe-2S cluster sacrificial BioB representing Type I. This surprisingly ubiquitous Type II BioB has implications for our understanding of the function and evolution of Fe-S clusters in enzyme catalysis, highlighting the difference in strategies between the anaerobic and aerobic world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake C. Lachowicz
- Department
of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College
of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, United States
| | - David Lennox-Hvenekilde
- The
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
- Biosyntia
ApS, Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark
| | | | | | | | - Carlos G. Acevedo-Rocha
- The
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
- Biosyntia
ApS, Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark
| | | | | | - Steven C. Almo
- Department
of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College
of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, United States
| | - Morten O. A. Sommer
- The
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
| | | | - Tyler L. Grove
- Department
of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College
of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, United States
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9
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Pause L, Weimer A, Wirth NT, Nguyen AV, Lenz C, Kohlstedt M, Wittmann C, Nikel PI, Lai B, Krömer JO. Anaerobic glucose uptake in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 in a bioelectrochemical system. Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14375. [PMID: 37990843 PMCID: PMC10832537 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Providing an anodic potential in a bio-electrochemical system to the obligate aerobe Pseudomonas putida enables anaerobic survival and allows the cells to overcome redox imbalances. In this setup, the bacteria could be exploited to produce chemicals via oxidative pathways at high yield. However, the absence of anaerobic growth and low carbon turnover rates remain as obstacles for the application of such an electro-fermentation technology. Growth and carbon turnover start with carbon uptake into the periplasm and cytosol. P. putida KT2440 has three native transporting systems for glucose, each differing in energy and redox demand. This architecture previously led to the hypothesis that internal redox and energy constraints ultimately limit cytoplasmic carbon utilization in a bio-electrochemical system. However, it remains largely unclear which uptake route is predominantly used by P. putida under electro-fermentative conditions. To elucidate this, we created three gene deletion mutants of P. putida KT2440, forcing the cells to exclusively utilize one of the routes. When grown in a bio-electrochemical system, the pathway mutants were heavily affected in terms of sugar consumption, current output and product formation. Surprisingly, however, we found that about half of the acetate formed in the cytoplasm originated from carbon that was put into the system via the inoculation biomass, while the other half came from the consumption of substrate. The deletion of individual sugar uptake routes did not alter significantly the secreted acetate concentrations among different strains even with different carbon sources. This means that the stoichiometry of the sugar uptake routes is not a limiting factor during electro-fermentation and that the low rates might be caused by other reasons, for example energy limitations or a yet-to-be-identified oxygen-dependent regulatory mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Pause
- Systems Biotechnology groupHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZLeipzigGermany
| | - Anna Weimer
- Institute of Systems BiotechnologySaarland UniversitySaarbrückenGermany
| | - Nicolas T. Wirth
- Systems Environmental Microbiology Group, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for BiosustainabilityTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
| | - Anh Vu Nguyen
- Systems Biotechnology groupHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZLeipzigGermany
| | - Claudius Lenz
- Systems Biotechnology groupHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZLeipzigGermany
| | - Michael Kohlstedt
- Institute of Systems BiotechnologySaarland UniversitySaarbrückenGermany
| | | | - Pablo I. Nikel
- Systems Environmental Microbiology Group, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for BiosustainabilityTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
| | - Bin Lai
- BMBF Junior Research Group BiophotovoltaicsHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZLeipzigGermany
| | - Jens O. Krömer
- Systems Biotechnology groupHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZLeipzigGermany
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10
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Vinacour M, Moiana M, Forné I, Jung K, Bertea M, Calero Valdayo PM, Nikel PI, Imhof A, Palumbo MC, Fernández Do Porto D, Ruiz JA. Genetic dissection of the degradation pathways for the mycotoxin fusaric acid in Burkholderia ambifaria T16. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0063023. [PMID: 38054732 PMCID: PMC10734416 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00630-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Fusaric acid (FA) is an important virulence factor produced by several Fusarium species. These fungi are responsible for wilt and rot diseases in a diverse range of crops. FA is toxic for animals, humans and soil-borne microorganisms. This mycotoxin reduces the survival and competition abilities of bacterial species able to antagonize Fusarium spp., due to its negative effects on viability and the production of antibiotics effective against these fungi. FA biodegradation is not a common characteristic among bacteria, and the determinants of FA catabolism have not been identified so far in any microorganism. In this study, we identified genes, enzymes, and metabolic pathways involved in the degradation of FA in the soil bacterium Burkholderia ambifaria T16. Our results provide insights into the catabolism of a pyridine-derivative involved in plant pathogenesis by a rhizosphere bacterium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matias Vinacour
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales (INBA), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mauro Moiana
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales (INBA), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ignasi Forné
- Protein Analysis Unit, BioMedical Center (BMC), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Kirsten Jung
- Faculty Biology, Microbiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Micaela Bertea
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales (INBA), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Patricia M. Calero Valdayo
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pablo I. Nikel
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Axel Imhof
- Protein Analysis Unit, BioMedical Center (BMC), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Miranda C. Palumbo
- Instituto de Cálculo (IC), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Dario Fernández Do Porto
- Instituto de Cálculo (IC), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jimena A. Ruiz
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biociencias Agrícolas y Ambientales (INBA), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Faculty Biology, Microbiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Martinsried, Germany
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
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11
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Wirth NT, Rohr K, Danchin A, Nikel PI. Recursive genome engineering decodes the evolutionary origin of an essential thymidylate kinase activity in Pseudomonas putida KT2440. mBio 2023; 14:e0108123. [PMID: 37732760 PMCID: PMC10653934 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01081-23] [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: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Investigating fundamental aspects of metabolism is vital for advancing our understanding of the diverse biochemical capabilities and biotechnological applications of bacteria. The origin of the essential thymidylate kinase function in the model bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440, seemingly interrupted due to the presence of a large genomic island that disrupts the cognate gene, eluded a satisfactory explanation thus far. This is a first-case example of an essential metabolic function, likely acquired by horizontal gene transfer, which "landed" in a locus encoding the same activity. As such, foreign DNA encoding an essential dNMPK could immediately adjust to the recipient host-instead of long-term accommodation and adaptation. Understanding how these functions evolve is a major biological question, and the work presented here is a decisive step toward this direction. Furthermore, identifying essential and accessory genes facilitates removing those deemed irrelevant in industrial settings-yielding genome-reduced cell factories with enhanced properties and genetic stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas T. Wirth
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Katja Rohr
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Antoine Danchin
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Pablo I. Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
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12
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Poborsky M, Crocoll C, Motawie MS, Halkier BA. Systematic engineering pinpoints a versatile strategy for the expression of functional cytochrome P450 enzymes in Escherichia coli cell factories. Microb Cell Fact 2023; 22:219. [PMID: 37880718 PMCID: PMC10601251 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-023-02219-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Production of plant secondary metabolites in engineered microorganisms provides a scalable and sustainable alternative to their sourcing from nature or through chemical synthesis. However, the biosynthesis of many valuable plant-derived products relies on cytochromes P450 - enzymes notoriously difficult to express in microbes. To improve their expression in Escherichia coli, an arsenal of engineering strategies was developed, often paired with an extensive screening of enzyme variants. Here, attempting to identify a broadly applicable strategy, we systematically evaluated six common cytochrome P450 N-terminal modifications and their effect on in vivo activity of enzymes from the CYP79 and CYP83 families. We found that transmembrane domain truncation was the only modification with a significantly positive effect for all seven tested enzymes, increasing their product titres by 2- to 170-fold. Furthermore, when comparing the changes in the protein titre and product generation, we show that higher protein expression does not directly translate to higher in vivo activity, thus making the protein titre an unreliable screening target in the context of cell factories. We propose the transmembrane domain truncation as a first-line approach that enables the expression of wide range of highly active P450 enzymes in E. coli and circumvents the time-consuming screening process. Our results challenge the notion that the engineering strategy must be tailored for each individual cytochrome P450 enzyme and have the potential to simplify and accelerate the future design of E. coli cell factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Poborsky
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, DynaMo Center of Excellence, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiksberg C, 1871, Denmark
| | - Christoph Crocoll
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, DynaMo Center of Excellence, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiksberg C, 1871, Denmark
| | - Mohammed Saddik Motawie
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Section for Plant Biochemistry, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiksberg C, 1871, Denmark
| | - Barbara Ann Halkier
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, DynaMo Center of Excellence, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiksberg C, 1871, Denmark.
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13
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Hackney CM, Flórez Salcedo P, Mueller E, Koch TL, Kjelgaard LD, Watkins M, Zachariassen LG, Tuelung PS, McArthur JR, Adams DJ, Kristensen AS, Olivera B, Finol-Urdaneta RK, Safavi-Hemami H, Morth JP, Ellgaard L. A previously unrecognized superfamily of macro-conotoxins includes an inhibitor of the sensory neuron calcium channel Cav2.3. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002217. [PMID: 37535677 PMCID: PMC10437998 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal venom peptides represent valuable compounds for biomedical exploration. The venoms of marine cone snails constitute a particularly rich source of peptide toxins, known as conotoxins. Here, we identify the sequence of an unusually large conotoxin, Mu8.1, which defines a new class of conotoxins evolutionarily related to the well-known con-ikot-ikots and 2 additional conotoxin classes not previously described. The crystal structure of recombinant Mu8.1 displays a saposin-like fold and shows structural similarity with con-ikot-ikot. Functional studies demonstrate that Mu8.1 curtails calcium influx in defined classes of murine somatosensory dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. When tested on a variety of recombinantly expressed voltage-gated ion channels, Mu8.1 displayed the highest potency against the R-type (Cav2.3) calcium channel. Ca2+ signals from Mu8.1-sensitive DRG neurons were also inhibited by SNX-482, a known spider peptide modulator of Cav2.3 and voltage-gated K+ (Kv4) channels. Our findings highlight the potential of Mu8.1 as a molecular tool to identify and study neuronal subclasses expressing Cav2.3. Importantly, this multidisciplinary study showcases the potential of uncovering novel structures and bioactivities within the largely unexplored group of macro-conotoxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celeste M. Hackney
- Department of Biology, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Paula Flórez Salcedo
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Emilie Mueller
- Enzyme and Protein Chemistry, Section for Protein Chemistry and Enzyme Technology, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Thomas Lund Koch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lau D. Kjelgaard
- Department of Biology, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Maren Watkins
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Linda G. Zachariassen
- Department of Drug Design & Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Jeffrey R. McArthur
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
| | - David J. Adams
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Anders S. Kristensen
- Department of Drug Design & Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Baldomero Olivera
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Rocio K. Finol-Urdaneta
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
- Electrophysiology Facility for Cell Phenotyping and Drug Discovery, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Helena Safavi-Hemami
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Jens Preben Morth
- Enzyme and Protein Chemistry, Section for Protein Chemistry and Enzyme Technology, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Lars Ellgaard
- Department of Biology, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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14
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Batth TS, Simonsen JL, Hernández-Rollán C, Brander S, Morth JP, Johansen KS, Nørholm MHH, Hoof JB, Olsen JV. A seven-transmembrane methyltransferase catalysing N-terminal histidine methylation of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4202. [PMID: 37452022 PMCID: PMC10349129 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39875-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are oxidative enzymes that help break down lignocellulose, making them highly attractive for improving biomass utilization in industrial biotechnology. The catalytically essential N-terminal histidine (His1) of LPMOs is post-translationally modified by methylation in filamentous fungi to protect them from auto-oxidative inactivation, however, the responsible methyltransferase enzyme is unknown. Using mass-spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics in combination with systematic CRISPR/Cas9 knockout screening in Aspergillus nidulans, we identify the N-terminal histidine methyltransferase (NHMT) encoded by the gene AN4663. Targeted proteomics confirm that NHMT was solely responsible for His1 methylation of LPMOs. NHMT is predicted to encode a unique seven-transmembrane segment anchoring a soluble methyltransferase domain. Co-localization studies show endoplasmic reticulum residence of NHMT and co-expression in the industrial production yeast Komagataella phaffii with LPMOs results in His1 methylation of the LPMOs. This demonstrates the biotechnological potential of recombinant production of proteins and peptides harbouring this specific post-translational modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanveer S Batth
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Jonas L Simonsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Cristina Hernández-Rollán
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Søren Brander
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Jens Preben Morth
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Katja S Johansen
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Morten H H Nørholm
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Jakob B Hoof
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Jesper V Olsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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15
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Wilkes RA, Waldbauer J, Carroll A, Nieto-Domínguez M, Parker DJ, Zhang L, Guss AM, Aristilde L. Complex regulation in a Comamonas platform for diverse aromatic carbon metabolism. Nat Chem Biol 2023; 19:651-662. [PMID: 36747056 PMCID: PMC10154247 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-01237-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Critical to a sustainable energy future are microbial platforms that can process aromatic carbons from the largely untapped reservoir of lignin and plastic feedstocks. Comamonas species present promising bacterial candidates for such platforms because they can use a range of natural and xenobiotic aromatic compounds and often possess innate genetic constraints that avoid competition with sugars. However, the metabolic reactions of these species are underexplored, and the regulatory mechanisms are unknown. Here we identify multilevel regulation in the conversion of lignin-related natural aromatic compounds, 4-hydroxybenzoate and vanillate, and the plastics-related xenobiotic aromatic compound, terephthalate, in Comamonas testosteroni KF-1. Transcription-level regulation controls initial catabolism and cleavage, but metabolite-level thermodynamic regulation governs fluxes in central carbon metabolism. Quantitative 13C mapping of tricarboxylic acid cycle and cataplerotic reactions elucidates key carbon routing not evident from enzyme abundance changes. This scheme of transcriptional activation coupled with metabolic fine-tuning challenges outcome predictions during metabolic manipulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A Wilkes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Jacob Waldbauer
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Austin Carroll
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Manuel Nieto-Domínguez
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Darren J Parker
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Lichun Zhang
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Adam M Guss
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Ludmilla Aristilde
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Northwestern Center for Synthetic Biology, Evanston, IL, USA.
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16
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Lennox-Hvenekilde D, Bali AP, Gronenberg LS, Acevedo-Rocha C, Sommer MOA, Genee HJ. Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for high-level production of free lipoic acid. Metab Eng 2023; 76:39-49. [PMID: 36639019 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2023.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
L-Lipoic acid (LA) is an important antioxidant with various industrial applications as a nutraceutical and therapeutic. Currently, LA is produced by chemical synthesis. Cell factory development is complex as LA and its direct precursors only occur naturally in protein-bound forms. Here we report a rationally engineered LA cell factory and demonstrate de novo free LA production from glucose for the first time in E. coli. The pathway represents a significant challenge as the three key enzymes, native Octanoyltransferase (LipB) and Lipoyl Synthase (LipA), and heterologous Lipoamidase (LpA), are all toxic to overexpress in E. coli. To overcome the toxicity of LipB, functional metagenomic selection was used to identify a highly active and non-toxic LipB and LipA from S. liquefaciens. Using high throughput screening, we balanced translation initiation rates and dual, orthogonal induction systems for the toxic genes, LipA and LpA. The optimized strain yielded 2.5 mg free LA per gram of glucose in minimal media, expressing carefully balanced LipB and LipA, Enterococcus faecalis LpA, and a truncated, native, Dihydrolipoyllysine-residue acetyltransferase (AceF) lipoylation domain. When the optimized cell factory strain was cultivated in a fed-batch fermentation, a titer of 87 mg/L free LA in the supernatant was reached after 48 h. This titer is ∼3000-fold higher than previously reported free LA titer and ∼8-fold higher than the previous best total, protein-bound LA titer. The strategies presented here could be helpful in designing, constructing and balancing biosynthetic pathways that harbor toxic enzymes with protein-bound intermediates or products.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Lennox-Hvenekilde
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs, Lyngby, Denmark; Biosyntia ApS, Fruebjergvej 3, 2100, Oesterbro, Denmark
| | - Anne P Bali
- Biosyntia ApS, Fruebjergvej 3, 2100, Oesterbro, Denmark
| | | | | | - Morten O A Sommer
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Hans J Genee
- Biosyntia ApS, Fruebjergvej 3, 2100, Oesterbro, Denmark.
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17
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Norrild RK, Johansson KE, O’Shea C, Morth JP, Lindorff-Larsen K, Winther JR. Increasing protein stability by inferring substitution effects from high-throughput experiments. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2022; 2:100333. [PMID: 36452862 PMCID: PMC9701609 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
We apply a computational model, global multi-mutant analysis (GMMA), to inform on effects of most amino acid substitutions from a randomly mutated gene library. Using a high mutation frequency, the method can determine mutations that increase the stability of even very stable proteins for which conventional selection systems have reached their limit. As a demonstration of this, we screened a mutant library of a highly stable and computationally redesigned model protein using an in vivo genetic sensor for folding and assigned a stability effect to 374 of 912 possible single amino acid substitutions. Combining the top 9 substitutions increased the unfolding energy 47 to 69 kJ/mol in a single engineering step. Crystal structures of stabilized variants showed small perturbations in helices 1 and 2, which rendered them closer in structure to the redesign template. This case study illustrates the capability of the method, which is applicable to any screen for protein function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rasmus Krogh Norrild
- Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Kristoffer Enøe Johansson
- Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Charlotte O’Shea
- Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Jens Preben Morth
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Kresten Lindorff-Larsen
- Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Jakob Rahr Winther
- Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
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18
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Kozaeva E, Nieto-Domínguez M, Hernández AD, Nikel PI. Synthetic metabolism for in vitro acetone biosynthesis driven by ATP regeneration. RSC Chem Biol 2022; 3:1331-1341. [PMID: 36349222 PMCID: PMC9627730 DOI: 10.1039/d2cb00170e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
In vitro ketone production continues to be a challenge due to the biochemical features of the enzymes involved-even when some of them have been extensively characterized (e.g. thiolase from Clostridium acetobutylicum), the assembly of synthetic enzyme cascades still face significant limitations (including issues with protein aggregation and multimerization). Here, we designed and assembled a self-sustaining enzyme cascade with acetone yields close to the theoretical maximum using acetate as the only carbon input. The efficiency of this system was further boosted by coupling the enzymatic sequence to a two-step ATP-regeneration system that enables continuous, cost-effective acetone biosynthesis. Furthermore, simple methods were implemented for purifying the enzymes necessary for this synthetic metabolism, including a first-case example on the isolation of a heterotetrameric acetate:coenzyme A transferase by affinity chromatography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Kozaeva
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark 2800 Kongens Lyngby Denmark +93 51 19 18
| | - Manuel Nieto-Domínguez
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark 2800 Kongens Lyngby Denmark +93 51 19 18
| | - Abril D Hernández
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark 2800 Kongens Lyngby Denmark +93 51 19 18
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark 2800 Kongens Lyngby Denmark +93 51 19 18
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19
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Wirth NT, Gurdo N, Krink N, Vidal-Verdú À, Donati S, Férnandez-Cabezón L, Wulff T, Nikel PI. A synthetic C2 auxotroph of Pseudomonas putida for evolutionary engineering of alternative sugar catabolic routes. Metab Eng 2022; 74:83-97. [PMID: 36155822 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2022.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Acetyl-coenzyme A (AcCoA) is a metabolic hub in virtually all living cells, serving as both a key precursor of essential biomass components and a metabolic sink for catabolic pathways for a large variety of substrates. Owing to this dual role, tight growth-production coupling schemes can be implemented around the AcCoA node. Building on this concept, a synthetic C2 auxotrophy was implemented in the platform bacterium Pseudomonas putida through an in silico-informed engineering approach. A growth-coupling strategy, driven by AcCoA demand, allowed for direct selection of an alternative sugar assimilation route-the phosphoketolase (PKT) shunt from bifidobacteria. Adaptive laboratory evolution forced the synthetic P. putida auxotroph to rewire its metabolic network to restore C2 prototrophy via the PKT shunt. Large-scale structural chromosome rearrangements were identified as possible mechanisms for adjusting the network-wide proteome profile, resulting in improved PKT-dependent growth phenotypes. 13C-based metabolic flux analysis revealed an even split between the native Entner-Doudoroff pathway and the synthetic PKT bypass for glucose processing, leading to enhanced carbon conservation. These results demonstrate that the P. putida metabolism can be radically rewired to incorporate a synthetic C2 metabolism, creating novel network connectivities and highlighting the importance of unconventional engineering strategies to support efficient microbial production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas T Wirth
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, 220 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Nicolás Gurdo
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, 220 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Nicolas Krink
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, 220 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Àngela Vidal-Verdú
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology I2SysBio (Universitat de València-CSIC), Calle del Catedràtic Agustin Escardino Benlloch 9, 46980, Paterna, Spain
| | - Stefano Donati
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, 220 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Lorena Férnandez-Cabezón
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, 220 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Tune Wulff
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, 220 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, 220 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
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20
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Kozaeva E, Mol V, Nikel PI, Nielsen AT. High-throughput colorimetric assays optimized for detection of ketones and aldehydes produced by microbial cell factories. Microb Biotechnol 2022; 15:2426-2438. [PMID: 35689383 PMCID: PMC9437884 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Randomized strain and pathway engineering are critical to improving microbial cell factory performance, calling for the development of high‐throughput screening and selection systems. To facilitate this effort, we have developed two 96‐well plate format colorimetric assays for reliable quantification of various ketones and aldehydes from culture supernatants, based on either a vanillin‐acetone reaction or the 2,4‐dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4‐DNPH) reagent. The vanillin‐acetone assay enabled accurate and selective measurement of acetone titers up to 2 g l−1 in a minimal culture medium. The 2,4‐DNPH‐based assay can be used for a wide range of aldehydes and ketones, shown here through the optimization of conditions for 15 different compounds. Both assays were implemented to improve acetone production from different substrates by an engineered Escherichia coli strain. The fast and user‐friendly colorimetric assays proposed here open the potential for iterative rounds of (automated) strain and pathway engineering and screening, facilitating the efforts towards further boosting production titers of industrially relevant ketones and aldehydes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Kozaeva
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Viviënne Mol
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Alex Toftgaard Nielsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
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21
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Wirth NT, Nikel PI. Combinatorial pathway balancing provides biosynthetic access to 2-fluoro- cis, cis-muconate in engineered Pseudomonas putida. CHEM CATALYSIS 2021; 1:1234-1259. [PMID: 34977847 PMCID: PMC8711041 DOI: 10.1016/j.checat.2021.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2021] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The wealth of bio-based building blocks produced by engineered microorganisms seldom include halogen atoms. Muconate is a platform chemical with a number of industrial applications that could be broadened by introducing fluorine atoms to tune its physicochemical properties. The soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida naturally assimilates benzoate via the ortho-cleavage pathway with cis,cis-muconate as intermediate. Here, we harnessed the native enzymatic machinery (encoded within the ben and cat gene clusters) to provide catalytic access to 2-fluoro-cis,cis-muconate (2-FMA) from fluorinated benzoates. The reactions in this pathway are highly imbalanced, leading to accumulation of toxic intermediates and limited substrate conversion. By disentangling regulatory patterns of ben and cat in response to fluorinated effectors, metabolic activities were adjusted to favor 2-FMA biosynthesis. After implementing this combinatorial approach, engineered P. putida converted 3-fluorobenzoate to 2-FMA at the maximum theoretical yield. Hence, this study illustrates how synthetic biology can expand the diversity of nature's biochemical catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas T Wirth
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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22
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Bertelsen AB, Hackney CM, Bayer CN, Kjelgaard LD, Rennig M, Christensen B, Sørensen ES, Safavi‐Hemami H, Wulff T, Ellgaard L, Nørholm MHH. DisCoTune: versatile auxiliary plasmids for the production of disulphide-containing proteins and peptides in the E. coli T7 system. Microb Biotechnol 2021; 14:2566-2580. [PMID: 34405535 PMCID: PMC8601162 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Secreted proteins and peptides hold large potential both as therapeutics and as enzyme catalysts in biotechnology. The high stability of many secreted proteins helps maintain functional integrity in changing chemical environments and is a contributing factor to their commercial potential. Disulphide bonds constitute an important post-translational modification that stabilizes many of these proteins and thus preserves the active state under chemically stressful conditions. Despite their importance, the discovery and applications within this group of proteins and peptides are limited by the availability of synthetic biology tools and heterologous production systems that allow for efficient formation of disulphide bonds. Here, we refine the design of two DisCoTune (Disulphide bond formation in E. coli with tunable expression) plasmids that enable the formation of disulphides in the highly popular Escherichia coli T7 protein production system. We show that this new system promotes significantly higher yield and activity of an industrial protease and a conotoxin, which belongs to a group of disulphide-rich venom peptides from cone snails with strong potential as research tools and pharmacological agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas B. Bertelsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for BiosustainabilityTechnical University of DenmarkKongens Lyngby2800Denmark
| | - Celeste Menuet Hackney
- Department of BiologyLinderstrøm‐Lang Centre for Protein ScienceUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagen N.2200Denmark
| | - Carolyn N. Bayer
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for BiosustainabilityTechnical University of DenmarkKongens Lyngby2800Denmark
| | - Lau D. Kjelgaard
- Department of BiologyLinderstrøm‐Lang Centre for Protein ScienceUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagen N.2200Denmark
| | - Maja Rennig
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for BiosustainabilityTechnical University of DenmarkKongens Lyngby2800Denmark
| | - Brian Christensen
- Department of Molecular Biology and GeneticsAarhus UniversityAarhus C8000Denmark
| | | | - Helena Safavi‐Hemami
- Department of BiologyLinderstrøm‐Lang Centre for Protein ScienceUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagen N.2200Denmark
- Department of Biomedical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagen N2200Denmark
- Department of Biochemistry and School of Biological SciencesUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUT84112USA
| | - Tune Wulff
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for BiosustainabilityTechnical University of DenmarkKongens Lyngby2800Denmark
| | - Lars Ellgaard
- Department of BiologyLinderstrøm‐Lang Centre for Protein ScienceUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagen N.2200Denmark
| | - Morten H. H. Nørholm
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for BiosustainabilityTechnical University of DenmarkKongens Lyngby2800Denmark
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23
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Chen PJ, Hussmann JA, Yan J, Knipping F, Ravisankar P, Chen PF, Chen C, Nelson JW, Newby GA, Sahin M, Osborn MJ, Weissman JS, Adamson B, Liu DR. Enhanced prime editing systems by manipulating cellular determinants of editing outcomes. Cell 2021; 184:5635-5652.e29. [PMID: 34653350 PMCID: PMC8584034 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 318] [Impact Index Per Article: 106.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
While prime editing enables precise sequence changes in DNA, cellular determinants of prime editing remain poorly understood. Using pooled CRISPRi screens, we discovered that DNA mismatch repair (MMR) impedes prime editing and promotes undesired indel byproducts. We developed PE4 and PE5 prime editing systems in which transient expression of an engineered MMR-inhibiting protein enhances the efficiency of substitution, small insertion, and small deletion prime edits by an average 7.7-fold and 2.0-fold compared to PE2 and PE3 systems, respectively, while improving edit/indel ratios by 3.4-fold in MMR-proficient cell types. Strategic installation of silent mutations near the intended edit can enhance prime editing outcomes by evading MMR. Prime editor protein optimization resulted in a PEmax architecture that enhances editing efficacy by 2.8-fold on average in HeLa cells. These findings enrich our understanding of prime editing and establish prime editing systems that show substantial improvement across 191 edits in seven mammalian cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Chen
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02141, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Jeffrey A Hussmann
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jun Yan
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Friederike Knipping
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA; Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55108, USA; Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Purnima Ravisankar
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Pin-Fang Chen
- Human Neuron Core, Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Cidi Chen
- Human Neuron Core, Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - James W Nelson
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02141, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Gregory A Newby
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02141, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Mustafa Sahin
- Human Neuron Core, Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mark J Osborn
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA; Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55108, USA; Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Jonathan S Weissman
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Britt Adamson
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - David R Liu
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02141, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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24
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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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25
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Lauritsen I, Frendorf PO, Capucci S, Heyde SAH, Blomquist SD, Wendel S, Fischer EC, Sekowska A, Danchin A, Nørholm MHH. Temporal evolution of master regulator Crp identifies pyrimidines as catabolite modulator factors. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5880. [PMID: 34620864 PMCID: PMC8497467 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26098-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of microorganisms often involves changes of unclear relevance, such as transient phenotypes and sequential development of multiple adaptive mutations in hotspot genes. Previously, we showed that ageing colonies of an E. coli mutant unable to produce cAMP when grown on maltose, accumulated mutations in the crp gene (encoding a global transcription factor) and in genes involved in pyrimidine metabolism such as cmk; combined mutations in both crp and cmk enabled fermentation of maltose (which usually requires cAMP-mediated Crp activation for catabolic pathway expression). Here, we study the sequential generation of hotspot mutations in those genes, and uncover a regulatory role of pyrimidine nucleosides in carbon catabolism. Cytidine binds to the cytidine regulator CytR, modifies the expression of sigma factor 32 (RpoH), and thereby impacts global gene expression. In addition, cytidine binds and activates a Crp mutant directly, thus modulating catabolic pathway expression, and could be the catabolite modulating factor whose existence was suggested by Jacques Monod and colleagues in 1976. Therefore, transcription factor Crp appears to work in concert with CytR and RpoH, serving a dual role in sensing both carbon availability and metabolic flux towards DNA and RNA. Our findings show how certain alterations in metabolite concentrations (associated with colony ageing and/or due to mutations in metabolic or regulatory genes) can drive the evolution in non-growing cells. Microbial evolution often involves transient phenotypes and sequential development of multiple mutations of unclear relevance. Here, the authors show that the evolution of non-growing E. coli cells can be driven by alterations in pyrimidine nucleoside levels associated with colony ageing and/or due to mutations in metabolic or regulatory genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida Lauritsen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pernille Ott Frendorf
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Silvia Capucci
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sophia A H Heyde
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sarah D Blomquist
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sofie Wendel
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Emil C Fischer
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | | | - Morten H H Nørholm
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
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26
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Currin A, Parker S, Robinson CJ, Takano E, Scrutton NS, Breitling R. The evolving art of creating genetic diversity: From directed evolution to synthetic biology. Biotechnol Adv 2021; 50:107762. [PMID: 34000294 PMCID: PMC8299547 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The ability to engineer biological systems, whether to introduce novel functionality or improved performance, is a cornerstone of biotechnology and synthetic biology. Typically, this requires the generation of genetic diversity to explore variations in phenotype, a process that can be performed at many levels, from single molecule targets (i.e., in directed evolution of enzymes) to whole organisms (e.g., in chassis engineering). Recent advances in DNA synthesis technology and automation have enhanced our ability to create variant libraries with greater control and throughput. This review highlights the latest developments in approaches to create such a hierarchy of diversity from the enzyme level to entire pathways in vitro, with a focus on the creation of combinatorial libraries that are required to navigate a target's vast design space successfully to uncover significant improvements in function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Currin
- Manchester Centre for Synthetic Biology of Fine and Speciality Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, United Kingdom.
| | - Steven Parker
- Manchester Centre for Synthetic Biology of Fine and Speciality Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher J Robinson
- Manchester Centre for Synthetic Biology of Fine and Speciality Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, United Kingdom
| | - Eriko Takano
- Manchester Centre for Synthetic Biology of Fine and Speciality Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel S Scrutton
- Manchester Centre for Synthetic Biology of Fine and Speciality Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, United Kingdom
| | - Rainer Breitling
- Manchester Centre for Synthetic Biology of Fine and Speciality Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, United Kingdom.
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27
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Kozaeva E, Volkova S, Matos MRA, Mezzina MP, Wulff T, Volke DC, Nielsen LK, Nikel PI. Model-guided dynamic control of essential metabolic nodes boosts acetyl-coenzyme A-dependent bioproduction in rewired Pseudomonas putida. Metab Eng 2021; 67:373-386. [PMID: 34343699 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2021.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Pseudomonas putida is evolutionarily endowed with features relevant for bioproduction, especially under harsh operating conditions. The rich metabolic versatility of this species, however, comes at the price of limited formation of acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) from sugar substrates. Since acetyl-CoA is a key metabolic precursor for a number of added-value products, in this work we deployed an in silico-guided rewiring program of central carbon metabolism for upgrading P. putida as a host for acetyl-CoA-dependent bioproduction. An updated kinetic model, integrating fluxomics and metabolomics datasets in addition to manually-curated information of enzyme mechanisms, identified targets that would lead to increased acetyl-CoA levels. Based on these predictions, a set of plasmids based on clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and dead CRISPR-associated protein 9 (dCas9) was constructed to silence genes by CRISPR interference (CRISPRi). Dynamic reduction of gene expression of two key targets (gltA, encoding citrate synthase, and the essential accA gene, encoding subunit A of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase complex) mediated an 8-fold increase in the acetyl-CoA content of rewired P. putida. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) was adopted as a proxy of acetyl-CoA availability, and two synthetic pathways were engineered for biopolymer accumulation. By including cell morphology as an extra target for the CRISPRi approach, fully rewired P. putida strains programmed for PHB accumulation had a 5-fold increase in PHB titers in bioreactor cultures using glucose. Thus, the strategy described herein allowed for rationally redirecting metabolic fluxes in P. putida from central metabolism towards product biosynthesis-especially relevant when deletion of essential pathways is not an option.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Kozaeva
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Svetlana Volkova
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Marta R A Matos
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Mariela P Mezzina
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Tune Wulff
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Daniel C Volke
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Lars K Nielsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark; Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
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28
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Ipsen JØ, Hernández-Rollán C, Muderspach SJ, Brander S, Bertelsen AB, Jensen PE, Nørholm MHH, Lo Leggio L, Johansen KS. Copper binding and reactivity at the histidine brace motif: insights from mutational analysis of the Pseudomonas fluorescens copper chaperone CopC. FEBS Lett 2021; 595:1708-1720. [PMID: 33896006 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The histidine brace (His-brace) is a copper-binding motif that is associated with both oxidative enzymes and proteinaceous copper chaperones. Here, we used biochemical and structural methods to characterize mutants of a His-brace-containing copper chaperone from Pseudomonas fluorescens (PfCopC). A total of 15 amino acid variants in primary and second-sphere residues were produced and characterized in terms of their copper binding and redox properties. PfCopC has a very high affinity for Cu(II) and also binds Cu(I). A high reorganization barrier likely prevents redox cycling and, thus, catalysis. In contrast, mutations in the conserved second-sphere Glu27 enable slow oxidation of ascorbate. The crystal structure of the variant E27A confirmed copper binding at the His-brace. Unexpectedly, Asp83 at the equatorial position was shown to be indispensable for Cu(II) binding in the His-brace of PfCopC. A PfCopC mutant that was designed to mimic the His-brace from lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase-like family X325 did not bind Cu(II), but was still able to bind Cu(I). These results highlight the importance of the proteinaceous environment around the copper His-brace for reactivity and, thus, the difference between enzyme and chaperone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Ø Ipsen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Copenhagen University, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Cristina Hernández-Rollán
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Søren Brander
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Copenhagen University, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Andreas B Bertelsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Poul Erik Jensen
- Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Morten H H Nørholm
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Katja S Johansen
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Copenhagen University, Frederiksberg, Denmark
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29
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Podolsky IA, Seppälä S, Xu H, Jin YS, O'Malley MA. A SWEET surprise: Anaerobic fungal sugar transporters and chimeras enhance sugar uptake in yeast. Metab Eng 2021; 66:137-147. [PMID: 33887459 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2021.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, microbial fuels and chemicals production on lignocellulosic hydrolysates is constrained by poor sugar transport. For biotechnological applications, it is desirable to source transporters with novel or enhanced function from nonconventional organisms in complement to engineering known transporters. Here, we identified and functionally screened genes from three strains of early-branching anaerobic fungi (Neocallimastigomycota) that encode sugar transporters from the recently discovered Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporter (SWEET) superfamily in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A novel fungal SWEET, NcSWEET1, was identified that localized to the plasma membrane and complemented growth in a hexose transporter-deficient yeast strain. Single cross-over chimeras were constructed from a leading NcSWEET1 expression-enabling domain paired with all other candidate SWEETs to broadly scan the sequence and functional space for enhanced variants. This led to the identification of a chimera, NcSW1/PfSW2:TM5-7, that enhanced the growth rate significantly on glucose, fructose, and mannose. Additional chimeras with varied cross-over junctions identified residues in TM1 that affect substrate selectivity. Furthermore, we demonstrate that NcSWEET1 and the enhanced NcSW1/PfSW2:TM5-7 variant facilitated novel co-consumption of glucose and xylose in S. cerevisiae. NcSWEET1 utilized 40.1% of both sugars, exceeding the 17.3% utilization demonstrated by the control HXT7(F79S) strain. Our results suggest that SWEETs from anaerobic fungi are beneficial tools for enhancing glucose and xylose co-utilization and offers a promising step towards biotechnological application of SWEETs in S. cerevisiae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor A Podolsky
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Susanna Seppälä
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Haiqing Xu
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA; Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Yong-Su Jin
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA; Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA; Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproduct Innovation (CABBI), Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Michelle A O'Malley
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA; Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA, 94608, USA.
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30
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Zhang J, Chen Y, Fu L, Guo E, Wang B, Dai L, Si T. Accelerating strain engineering in biofuel research via build and test automation of synthetic biology. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2021; 67:88-98. [PMID: 33508635 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2021.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Biofuels are a type of sustainable and renewable energy. However, for the economical production of bulk-volume biofuels, biosystems design is particularly challenging to achieve sufficient yield, titer, and productivity. Because of the lack of predictive modeling, high-throughput screening remains essential. Recently established biofoundries provide an emerging infrastructure to accelerate biological design-build-test-learn (DBTL) cycles through the integration of robotics, synthetic biology, and informatics. In this review, we first introduce the technical advances of build and test automation in synthetic biology, focusing on the use of industry-standard microplates for DNA assembly, chassis engineering, and enzyme and strain screening. Proof-of-concept studies on prototypes of automated foundries are then discussed, for improving biomass deconstruction, metabolic conversion, and host robustness. We conclude with future challenges and opportunities in creating a flexible, versatile, and data-driven framework to support biofuel research and development in biofoundries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianzhi Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yongcan Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Lihao Fu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Erpeng Guo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Bo Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Lei Dai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Tong Si
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
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31
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Young R, Haines M, Storch M, Freemont PS. Combinatorial metabolic pathway assembly approaches and toolkits for modular assembly. Metab Eng 2020; 63:81-101. [PMID: 33301873 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic Biology is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field that is primarily built upon foundational advances in molecular biology combined with engineering design principles such as modularity and interoperability. The field considers living systems as programmable at the genetic level and has been defined by the development of new platform technologies and methodological advances. A key concept driving the field is the Design-Build-Test-Learn cycle which provides a systematic framework for building new biological systems. One major application area for synthetic biology is biosynthetic pathway engineering that requires the modular assembly of different genetic regulatory elements and biosynthetic enzymes. In this review we provide an overview of modular DNA assembly and describe and compare the plethora of in vitro and in vivo assembly methods for combinatorial pathway engineering. Considerations for part design and methods for enzyme balancing are also presented, and we briefly discuss alternatives to intracellular pathway assembly including microbial consortia and cell-free systems for biosynthesis. Finally, we describe computational tools and automation for pathway design and assembly and argue that a deeper understanding of the many different variables of genetic design, pathway regulation and cellular metabolism will allow more predictive pathway design and engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosanna Young
- Department of Infectious Disease, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Matthew Haines
- Department of Infectious Disease, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Marko Storch
- Department of Infectious Disease, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK; London Biofoundry, Imperial College Translation & Innovation Hub, London, W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Paul S Freemont
- Department of Infectious Disease, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK; London Biofoundry, Imperial College Translation & Innovation Hub, London, W12 0BZ, UK; UK DRI Care Research and Technology Centre, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.
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32
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Choi BH, Hwang HJ, Lee JE, Oh SH, Hwang JS, Lee BY, Lee PC. Microbial Production of Retinyl Palmitate and Its Application as a Cosmeceutical. Antioxidants (Basel) 2020; 9:antiox9111130. [PMID: 33202630 PMCID: PMC7698207 DOI: 10.3390/antiox9111130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemically synthesized retinyl palmitate has been widely used in the cosmetic and biotechnology industry. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the microbial production of retinyl palmitate and the benefits of microbial retinyl palmitate in skin physiology. A heterologous retinyl palmitate biosynthesis pathway was reconstructed in metabolically engineered Escherichia coli using synthetic expression modules from Pantoea agglomerans, Salinibacter ruber, and Homo sapiens. High production of retinyl palmitate (69.96 ± 2.64 mg/L) was obtained using a fed-batch fermentation process. Moreover, application of purified microbial retinyl palmitate to human foreskin HS68 fibroblasts led to increased cellular retinoic acid-binding protein 2 (CRABP2) mRNA level [1.7-fold (p = 0.001) at 100 μg/mL], acceleration of cell proliferation, and enhancement of procollagen synthesis [111% (p < 0.05) at 100 μg/mL], strongly indicating an anti-ageing-related effect of this substance. These results would pave the way for large-scale production of retinyl palmitate in microbial systems and represent the first evidence for the application of microbial retinyl palmitate as a cosmeceutical.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Hyun Choi
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, World cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16499, Korea; (B.H.C.); (H.J.H.); (S.H.O.); (B.Y.L.)
| | - Hee Jin Hwang
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, World cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16499, Korea; (B.H.C.); (H.J.H.); (S.H.O.); (B.Y.L.)
| | - Ji Eun Lee
- Department of Genetic Engineering & Graduate School of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 17104, Korea; (J.E.L.); (J.S.H.)
| | - Soon Hwan Oh
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, World cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16499, Korea; (B.H.C.); (H.J.H.); (S.H.O.); (B.Y.L.)
| | - Jae Sung Hwang
- Department of Genetic Engineering & Graduate School of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 17104, Korea; (J.E.L.); (J.S.H.)
| | - Bun Yeoul Lee
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, World cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16499, Korea; (B.H.C.); (H.J.H.); (S.H.O.); (B.Y.L.)
| | - Pyung Cheon Lee
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, World cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16499, Korea; (B.H.C.); (H.J.H.); (S.H.O.); (B.Y.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-31-219-2461
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Brander S, Horvath I, Ipsen JØ, Peciulyte A, Olsson L, Hernández-Rollán C, Nørholm MHH, Mossin S, Leggio LL, Probst C, Thiele DJ, Johansen KS. Biochemical evidence of both copper chelation and oxygenase activity at the histidine brace. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16369. [PMID: 33004835 PMCID: PMC7529816 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73266-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) and copper binding protein CopC share a similar mononuclear copper site. This site is defined by an N-terminal histidine and a second internal histidine side chain in a configuration called the histidine brace. To understand better the determinants of reactivity, the biochemical and structural properties of a well-described cellulose-specific LPMO from Thermoascus aurantiacus (TaAA9A) is compared with that of CopC from Pseudomonas fluorescens (PfCopC) and with the LPMO-like protein Bim1 from Cryptococcus neoformans. PfCopC is not reduced by ascorbate but is a very strong Cu(II) chelator due to residues that interacts with the N-terminus. This first biochemical characterization of Bim1 shows that it is not redox active, but very sensitive to H2O2, which accelerates the release of Cu ions from the protein. TaAA9A oxidizes ascorbate at a rate similar to free copper but through a mechanism that produce fewer reactive oxygen species. These three biologically relevant examples emphasize the diversity in how the proteinaceous environment control reactivity of Cu with O2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Søren Brander
- Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, 1958, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Istvan Horvath
- Division of Chemical Biology, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Kemivägen 10, 412 96, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Johan Ø Ipsen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Ausra Peciulyte
- Division of Industrial Biotechnology, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Kemivägen 10, 412 96, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Lisbeth Olsson
- Division of Industrial Biotechnology, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Kemivägen 10, 412 96, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Cristina Hernández-Rollán
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Morten H H Nørholm
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Susanne Mossin
- Centre for Catalysis and Sustainable Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Leila Lo Leggio
- Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Corinna Probst
- Department of Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Dennis J Thiele
- Department of Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Katja S Johansen
- Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, 1958, Frederiksberg, Denmark. .,Division of Industrial Biotechnology, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Kemivägen 10, 412 96, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Landberg J, Wright NR, Wulff T, Herrgård MJ, Nielsen AT. CRISPR interference of nucleotide biosynthesis improves production of a single-domain antibody in Escherichia coli. Biotechnol Bioeng 2020; 117:3835-3848. [PMID: 32808670 PMCID: PMC7818426 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Growth decoupling can be used to optimize the production of biochemicals and proteins in cell factories. Inhibition of excess biomass formation allows for carbon to be utilized efficiently for product formation instead of growth, resulting in increased product yields and titers. Here, we used CRISPR interference to increase the production of a single‐domain antibody (sdAb) by inhibiting growth during production. First, we screened 21 sgRNA targets in the purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis pathways and found that the repression of 11 pathway genes led to the increased green fluorescent protein production and decreased growth. The sgRNA targets pyrF, pyrG, and cmk were selected and further used to improve the production of two versions of an expression‐optimized sdAb. Proteomics analysis of the sdAb‐producing pyrF, pyrG, and cmk growth decoupling strains showed significantly decreased RpoS levels and an increase of ribosome‐associated proteins, indicating that the growth decoupling strains do not enter stationary phase and maintain their capacity for protein synthesis upon growth inhibition. Finally, sdAb production was scaled up to shake‐flask fermentation where the product yield was improved 2.6‐fold compared to the control strain with no sgRNA target sequence. An sdAb content of 14.6% was reached in the best‐performing pyrG growth decoupling strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Landberg
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Naia Risager Wright
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Tune Wulff
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Markus J Herrgård
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Alex Toftgaard Nielsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
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Li A, Acevedo‐Rocha CG, D'Amore L, Chen J, Peng Y, Garcia‐Borràs M, Gao C, Zhu J, Rickerby H, Osuna S, Zhou J, Reetz MT. Regio- and Stereoselective Steroid Hydroxylation at C7 by Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenase Mutants. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:12499-12505. [PMID: 32243054 PMCID: PMC7384163 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202003139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Steroidal C7β alcohols and their respective esters have shown significant promise as neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory agents to treat chronic neuronal damage like stroke, brain trauma, and cerebral ischemia. Since C7 is spatially far away from any functional groups that could direct C-H activation, these transformations are not readily accessible using modern synthetic organic techniques. Reported here are P450-BM3 mutants that catalyze the oxidative hydroxylation of six different steroids with pronounced C7 regioselectivities and β stereoselectivities, as well as high activities. These challenging transformations were achieved by a focused mutagenesis strategy and application of a novel technology for protein library construction based on DNA assembly and USER (Uracil-Specific Excision Reagent) cloning. Upscaling reactions enabled the purification of the respective steroidal alcohols in moderate to excellent yields. The high-resolution X-ray structure and molecular dynamics simulations of the best mutant unveil the origin of regio- and stereoselectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aitao Li
- School of life scienceHubei UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering#368 Youyi RoadWuhan430062P.R. China
| | | | - Lorenzo D'Amore
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi and Departament de QuímicaUniversitat de GironaCarrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany 6917003GironaCataloniaSpain
| | - Jinfeng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Bio-organic and Natural Products ChemistryCenter for Excellence in Molecular SynthesisShanghai Institute of Organic ChemistryUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200032P. R. China
| | - Yaqin Peng
- School of life scienceHubei UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering#368 Youyi RoadWuhan430062P.R. China
| | - Marc Garcia‐Borràs
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi and Departament de QuímicaUniversitat de GironaCarrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany 6917003GironaCataloniaSpain
| | - Chenghua Gao
- School of life scienceHubei UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering#368 Youyi RoadWuhan430062P.R. China
| | - Jinmei Zhu
- School of life scienceHubei UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering#368 Youyi RoadWuhan430062P.R. China
| | - Harry Rickerby
- LabGeniusG.01-06 Cocoa Studios100 Drummond RdLondonSE16 4DGUK
| | - Sílvia Osuna
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi and Departament de QuímicaUniversitat de GironaCarrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany 6917003GironaCataloniaSpain
- ICREAPg. Lluís Companys 2308010BarcelonaSpain
| | - Jiahai Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Bio-organic and Natural Products ChemistryCenter for Excellence in Molecular SynthesisShanghai Institute of Organic ChemistryUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200032P. R. China
| | - Manfred T. Reetz
- Max-Planck-Institut für KohlenforschungKaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 145470MuelheimGermany
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial BiotechnologyChinese Academy of Sciences32 West 7th AvenueTianjin300308P. R. China
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36
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Bali AP, Lennox-Hvenekilde D, Myling-Petersen N, Buerger J, Salomonsen B, Gronenberg LS, Sommer MO, Genee HJ. Improved biotin, thiamine, and lipoic acid biosynthesis by engineering the global regulator IscR. Metab Eng 2020; 60:97-109. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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37
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Li A, Acevedo‐Rocha CG, D'Amore L, Chen J, Peng Y, Garcia‐Borràs M, Gao C, Zhu J, Rickerby H, Osuna S, Zhou J, Reetz MT. Regio‐ and Stereoselective Steroid Hydroxylation at C7 by Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenase Mutants. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202003139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Aitao Li
- School of life science Hubei University State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering #368 Youyi Road Wuhan 430062 P.R. China
| | | | - Lorenzo D'Amore
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi and Departament de Química Universitat de Girona Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69 17003 Girona Catalonia Spain
| | - Jinfeng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Bio-organic and Natural Products Chemistry Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 200032 P. R. China
| | - Yaqin Peng
- School of life science Hubei University State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering #368 Youyi Road Wuhan 430062 P.R. China
| | - Marc Garcia‐Borràs
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi and Departament de Química Universitat de Girona Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69 17003 Girona Catalonia Spain
| | - Chenghua Gao
- School of life science Hubei University State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering #368 Youyi Road Wuhan 430062 P.R. China
| | - Jinmei Zhu
- School of life science Hubei University State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering #368 Youyi Road Wuhan 430062 P.R. China
| | - Harry Rickerby
- LabGenius G.01-06 Cocoa Studios 100 Drummond Rd London SE16 4DG UK
| | - Sílvia Osuna
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi and Departament de Química Universitat de Girona Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69 17003 Girona Catalonia Spain
- ICREA Pg. Lluís Companys 23 08010 Barcelona Spain
| | - Jiahai Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Bio-organic and Natural Products Chemistry Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 200032 P. R. China
| | - Manfred T. Reetz
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1 45470 Muelheim Germany
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology Chinese Academy of Sciences 32 West 7th Avenue Tianjin 300308 P. R. China
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38
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Volke DC, Friis L, Wirth NT, Turlin J, Nikel PI. Synthetic control of plasmid replication enables target- and self-curing of vectors and expedites genome engineering of Pseudomonas putida. Metab Eng Commun 2020; 10:e00126. [PMID: 32215253 PMCID: PMC7090339 DOI: 10.1016/j.mec.2020.e00126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome engineering of non-conventional microorganisms calls for the development of dedicated synthetic biology tools. Pseudomonas putida is a Gram-negative, non-pathogenic soil bacterium widely used for metabolic engineering owing to its versatile metabolism and high levels of tolerance to different types of stress. Genome editing of P. putida largely relies on homologous recombination events, assisted by helper plasmid-based expression of genes encoding DNA modifying enzymes. Plasmid curing from selected isolates is the most tedious and time-consuming step of this procedure, and implementing commonly used methods to this end in P. putida (e.g. temperature-sensitive replicons) is often impractical. To tackle this issue, we have developed a toolbox for both target- and self-curing of plasmid DNA in Pseudomonas species. Our method enables plasmid-curing in a simple cultivation step by combining in vivo digestion of vectors by the I-SceI homing nuclease with synthetic control of plasmid replication, triggered by the addition of a cheap chemical inducer (3-methylbenzoate) to the medium. The system displays an efficiency of vector curing >90% and the screening of plasmid-free clones is greatly facilitated by the use of fluorescent markers that can be selected according to the application intended. Furthermore, quick genome engineering of P. putida using self-curing plasmids is demonstrated through genome reduction of the platform strain EM42 by eliminating all genes encoding β-lactamases, the catabolic ben gene cluster, and the pyoverdine synthesis machinery. Physiological characterization of the resulting streamlined strain, P. putida SEM10, revealed advantageous features that could be exploited for metabolic engineering. Plasmid-curing is the most time-consuming step in genome engineering approaches. We have developed a system for easy target- and self-curing of plasmid DNA. Synthetic control of replication and highly-specific in vivo DNA digestion were used. Plasmid curing with this system displays an efficiency >90% in a 24-h cultivation. Quick genome engineering facilitated genome reduction of P. putida.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Volke
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Laura Friis
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Nicolas T Wirth
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Justine Turlin
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
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39
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Batianis C, Kozaeva E, Damalas SG, Martín‐Pascual M, Volke DC, Nikel PI, Martins dos Santos VA. An expanded CRISPRi toolbox for tunable control of gene expression in Pseudomonas putida. Microb Biotechnol 2020; 13:368-385. [PMID: 32045111 PMCID: PMC7017828 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Owing to its wide metabolic versatility and physiological robustness, together with amenability to genetic manipulations and high resistance to stressful conditions, Pseudomonas putida is increasingly becoming the organism of choice for a range of applications in both industrial and environmental applications. However, a range of applied synthetic biology and metabolic engineering approaches are still limited by the lack of specific genetic tools to effectively and efficiently regulate the expression of target genes. Here, we present a single-plasmid CRISPR-interference (CRISPRi) system expressing a nuclease-deficient cas9 gene under the control of the inducible XylS/Pm expression system, along with the option of adopting constitutively expressed guide RNAs (either sgRNA or crRNA and tracrRNA). We showed that the system enables tunable, tightly controlled gene repression (up to 90%) of chromosomally expressed genes encoding fluorescent proteins, either individually or simultaneously. In addition, we demonstrate that this method allows for suppressing the expression of the essential genes pyrF and ftsZ, resulting in significantly low growth rates or morphological changes respectively. This versatile system expands the capabilities of the current CRISPRi toolbox for efficient, targeted and controllable manipulation of gene expression in P. putida.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christos Batianis
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic BiologyWageningen & Research University6708WageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Ekaterina Kozaeva
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for BiosustainabilityTechnical University of Denmark2800Kgs. LyngbyDenmark
| | - Stamatios G. Damalas
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic BiologyWageningen & Research University6708WageningenThe Netherlands
| | - María Martín‐Pascual
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic BiologyWageningen & Research University6708WageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Daniel C. Volke
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for BiosustainabilityTechnical University of Denmark2800Kgs. LyngbyDenmark
| | - Pablo I. Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for BiosustainabilityTechnical University of Denmark2800Kgs. LyngbyDenmark
| | - Vitor A.P. Martins dos Santos
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic BiologyWageningen & Research University6708WageningenThe Netherlands
- Lifeglimmer GmbH12163BerlinGermany
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40
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Landberg J, Mundhada H, Nielsen AT. An autoinducible trp-T7 expression system for production of proteins and biochemicals in Escherichia coli. Biotechnol Bioeng 2020; 117:1513-1524. [PMID: 32022248 PMCID: PMC7186829 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Inducible expression systems can be applied to control the expression of proteins or biochemical pathways in cell factories. However, several of the established systems require the addition of expensive inducers, making them unfeasible for large‐scale production. Here, we establish a genome integrated trp‐T7 expression system where tryptophan can be used to control the induction of a gene or a metabolic pathway. We show that the initiation of gene expression from low‐ and high‐copy vectors can be tuned by varying the initial concentration of tryptophan or yeast extract, and that expression is tightly regulated and homogenous when compared with the commonly used lac‐T7 system. Finally, we apply the trp‐T7 expression system for the production of l‐serine, where we reach titers of 26 g/L in fed‐batch fermentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Landberg
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Hemanshu Mundhada
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.,CysBio ApS, Hørsholm, Denmark
| | - Alex Toftgaard Nielsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
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41
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Moon JH, Lee K, Lee JH, Lee PC. Redesign and reconstruction of a steviol-biosynthetic pathway for enhanced production of steviol in Escherichia coli. Microb Cell Fact 2020; 19:20. [PMID: 32013995 PMCID: PMC6998089 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-020-1291-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Steviol glycosides such as stevioside have attracted the attention of the food and beverage industry. Recently, efforts were made to produce these natural sweeteners in microorganisms using metabolic engineering. Nonetheless, the steviol titer is relatively low in metabolically engineered microorganisms, and therefore a steviol-biosynthetic pathway in heterologous microorganisms needs to be metabolically optimized. The purpose of this study was to redesign and reconstruct a steviol-biosynthetic pathway via synthetic-biology approaches in order to overproduce steviol in Escherichia coli. RESULTS A genome-engineered E. coli strain, which coexpressed 5' untranslated region (UTR)-engineered geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase, copalyl diphosphate synthase, and kaurene synthase, produced 623.6 ± 3.0 mg/L ent-kaurene in batch fermentation. Overexpression of 5'-UTR-engineered, N-terminally modified kaurene oxidase of Arabidopsis thaliana yielded 41.4 ± 5 mg/L ent-kaurenoic acid. Enhanced ent-kaurenoic acid production (50.7 ± 9.8 mg/L) was achieved by increasing the cellular NADPH/NADP+ ratio. The expression of a fusion protein, UtrCYP714A2-AtCPR2 derived from A. thaliana, where trCYP714A2 was 5'-UTR-engineered and N-terminally modified, gave 38.4 ± 1.7 mg/L steviol in batch fermentation. CONCLUSIONS 5'-UTR engineering, the fusion protein approach, and redox balancing improved the steviol titer in flask fermentation and bioreactor fermentation. The expression engineering of steviol-biosynthetic enzymes and the genome engineering described here can serve as the basis for producing terpenoids-including steviol glycosides and carotenoids-in microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Ho Moon
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology and Department of Applied Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Ajou University, Woncheon-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 16499, South Korea
| | - Kunjoong Lee
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology and Department of Applied Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Ajou University, Woncheon-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 16499, South Korea
| | - Jun Ho Lee
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology and Department of Applied Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Ajou University, Woncheon-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 16499, South Korea
| | - Pyung Cheon Lee
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology and Department of Applied Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Ajou University, Woncheon-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 16499, South Korea.
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42
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Martínez-García E, Goñi-Moreno A, Bartley B, McLaughlin J, Sánchez-Sampedro L, Pascual del Pozo H, Prieto Hernández C, Marletta AS, De Lucrezia D, Sánchez-Fernández G, Fraile S, de Lorenzo V. SEVA 3.0: an update of the Standard European Vector Architecture for enabling portability of genetic constructs among diverse bacterial hosts. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:D1164-D1170. [PMID: 31740968 PMCID: PMC7018797 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz1024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2019] [Revised: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The Standard European Vector Architecture 3.0 database (SEVA-DB 3.0, http://seva.cnb.csic.es) is the update of the platform launched in 2013 both as a web-based resource and as a material repository of formatted genetic tools (mostly plasmids) for analysis, construction and deployment of complex bacterial phenotypes. The period between the first version of SEVA-DB and the present time has witnessed several technical, computational and conceptual advances in genetic/genomic engineering of prokaryotes that have enabled upgrading of the utilities of the updated database. Novelties include not only a more user-friendly web interface and many more plasmid vectors, but also new links of the plasmids to advanced bioinformatic tools. These provide an intuitive visualization of the constructs at stake and a range of virtual manipulations of DNA segments that were not possible before. Finally, the list of canonical SEVA plasmids is available in machine-readable SBOL (Synthetic Biology Open Language) format. This ensures interoperability with other platforms and affords simulations of their behaviour under different in vivo conditions. We argue that the SEVA-DB will remain a useful resource for extending Synthetic Biology approaches towards non-standard bacterial species as well as genetically programming new prokaryotic chassis for a suite of fundamental and biotechnological endeavours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Martínez-García
- Systems Biology Program, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología CSIC, Campus de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Spain
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Sofía Fraile
- Systems Biology Program, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología CSIC, Campus de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Spain
| | - Víctor de Lorenzo
- Systems Biology Program, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología CSIC, Campus de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Spain
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Wirth NT, Kozaeva E, Nikel PI. Accelerated genome engineering of Pseudomonas putida by I-SceI-mediated recombination and CRISPR-Cas9 counterselection. Microb Biotechnol 2020; 13:233-249. [PMID: 30861315 PMCID: PMC6922521 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas species have become reliable platforms for bioproduction due to their capability to tolerate harsh conditions imposed by large-scale bioprocesses and their remarkable resistance to diverse physicochemical stresses. The last few years have brought forth a variety of synthetic biology tools for the genetic manipulation of pseudomonads, but most of them are either applicable only to obtain certain types of mutations, lack efficiency, or are not easily accessible to be used in different Pseudomonas species (e.g. natural isolates). In this work, we describe a versatile, robust and user-friendly procedure that facilitates virtually any kind of genomic manipulation in Pseudomonas species in 3-5 days. The protocol presented here is based on DNA recombination forced by double-stranded DNA cuts (through the activity of the I-SceI homing meganuclease from yeast) followed by highly efficient counterselection of mutants (aided by a synthetic CRISPR-Cas9 device). The individual parts of the genome engineering toolbox, tailored for knocking genes in and out, have been standardized to enable portability and easy exchange of functional gene modules as needed. The applicability of the procedure is illustrated both by eliminating selected genomic regions in the platform strain P. putida KT2440 (including difficult-to-delete genes) and by integrating different reporter genes (comprising novel variants of fluorescent proteins) into a defined landing site in the target chromosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas T. Wirth
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for BiosustainabilityTechnical University of Denmark2800Kongens LyngbyDenmark
| | - Ekaterina Kozaeva
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for BiosustainabilityTechnical University of Denmark2800Kongens LyngbyDenmark
| | - Pablo I. Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for BiosustainabilityTechnical University of Denmark2800Kongens LyngbyDenmark
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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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Vassaux A, Meunier L, Vandenbol M, Baurain D, Fickers P, Jacques P, Leclère V. Nonribosomal peptides in fungal cell factories: from genome mining to optimized heterologous production. Biotechnol Adv 2019; 37:107449. [PMID: 31518630 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2019.107449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Fungi are notoriously prolific producers of secondary metabolites including nonribosomal peptides (NRPs). The structural complexity of NRPs grants them interesting activities such as antibiotic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. The discovery of these compounds with attractive activities can be achieved by using two approaches: either by screening samples originating from various environments for their biological activities, or by identifying the related clusters in genomic sequences thanks to bioinformatics tools. This genome mining approach has grown tremendously due to recent advances in genome sequencing, which have provided an incredible amount of genomic data from hundreds of microbial species. Regarding fungal organisms, the genomic data have revealed the presence of an unexpected number of putative NRP-related gene clusters. This highlights fungi as a goldmine for the discovery of putative novel bioactive compounds. Recent development of NRP dedicated bioinformatics tools have increased the capacity to identify these gene clusters and to deduce NRPs structures, speeding-up the screening process for novel metabolites discovery. Unfortunately, the newly identified compound is frequently not or poorly produced by native producers due to a lack of expression of the related genes cluster. A frequently employed strategy to increase production rates consists in transferring the related biosynthetic pathway in heterologous hosts. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview about the topic of NRPs discovery, from gene cluster identification by genome mining to the heterologous production in fungal hosts. The main computational tools and methods for genome mining are herein presented with an emphasis on the particularities of the fungal systems. The different steps of the reconstitution of NRP biosynthetic pathway in heterologous fungal cell factories will be discussed, as well as the key factors to consider for maximizing productivity. Several examples will be developed to illustrate the potential of heterologous production to both discover uncharacterized novel compounds predicted in silico by genome mining, and to enhance the productivity of interesting bio-active natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Vassaux
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Microbial Processes and Interactions, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Avenue de la Faculté d'Agronomie, B5030 Gembloux, Belgium; Univ. Lille, INRA, ISA, Univ. Artois, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, EA 7394-ICV-Institut Charles Viollette, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Loïc Meunier
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Microbial Processes and Interactions, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Avenue de la Faculté d'Agronomie, B5030 Gembloux, Belgium; InBioS-PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liege, Boulevard du Rectorat 27, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Micheline Vandenbol
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Microbiologie et Génomique, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Avenue de la Faculté d'Agronomie, B5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Denis Baurain
- InBioS-PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liege, Boulevard du Rectorat 27, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Patrick Fickers
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Microbial Processes and Interactions, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Avenue de la Faculté d'Agronomie, B5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Philippe Jacques
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Microbial Processes and Interactions, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Avenue de la Faculté d'Agronomie, B5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Valérie Leclère
- Univ. Lille, INRA, ISA, Univ. Artois, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, EA 7394-ICV-Institut Charles Viollette, F-59000 Lille, France.
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Thuronyi BW, Koblan LW, Levy JM, Yeh WH, Zheng C, Newby GA, Wilson C, Bhaumik M, Shubina-Oleinik O, Holt JR, Liu DR. Continuous evolution of base editors with expanded target compatibility and improved activity. Nat Biotechnol 2019; 37:1070-1079. [PMID: 31332326 PMCID: PMC6728210 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-019-0193-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 195] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Base editors use DNA-modifying enzymes targeted with a catalytically impaired CRISPR protein to precisely install point mutations. Here, we develop phage-assisted continuous evolution of base editors (BE-PACE) to improve their editing efficiency and target sequence compatibility. We used BE-PACE to evolve cytosine base editors (CBEs) that overcome target sequence context constraints of canonical CBEs. One evolved CBE, evoAPOBEC1-BE4max, is up to 26-fold more efficient at editing cytosine in the GC context, a disfavored context for wild-type APOBEC1 deaminase, while maintaining efficient editing in all other sequence contexts tested. Another evolved deaminase, evoFERNY, is 29% smaller than APOBEC1 and edits efficiently in all tested sequence contexts. We also evolved a CBE based on CDA1 deaminase with much higher editing efficiency at difficult target sites. Finally, we used data from evolved CBEs to illuminate the relationship between deaminase activity, base editing efficiency, editing window width and byproduct formation. These findings establish a system for rapid evolution of base editors and inform their use and improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- B W Thuronyi
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Williams College, Williamstown, MA, USA
| | - Luke W Koblan
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jonathan M Levy
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Wei-Hsi Yeh
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christine Zheng
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Gregory A Newby
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Christopher Wilson
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mantu Bhaumik
- Department of Neurology, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Olga Shubina-Oleinik
- Departments of Otolaryngology and Neurology, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Holt
- Departments of Otolaryngology and Neurology, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David R Liu
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Volke DC, Turlin J, Mol V, Nikel PI. Physical decoupling of XylS/Pm regulatory elements and conditional proteolysis enable precise control of gene expression in Pseudomonas putida. Microb Biotechnol 2019; 13:222-232. [PMID: 30864281 PMCID: PMC6922516 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Most of the gene expression systems available for Gram‐negative bacteria are afflicted by relatively high levels of basal (i.e. leaky) expression of the target gene(s). This occurrence affects the system dynamics, ultimately reducing the output and productivity of engineered pathways and synthetic circuits. In order to circumvent this problem, we have designed a novel expression system based on the well‐known XylS/Pm transcriptional regulator/promoter pair from the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida mt‐2, in which the key functional elements are physically decoupled. By integrating the xylS gene into the chromosome of the platform strain KT2440, while placing the Pm promoter into a set of standard plasmid vectors, the inducibility of the system (i.e. the output difference between the induced and uninduced state) improved up to 170‐fold. We further combined this modular system with an extra layer of post‐translational control by means of conditional proteolysis. In this setup, the target gene is tagged with a synthetic motif dictating protein degradation. When the system features were characterized using the monomeric superfolder GFP as a model protein, the basal levels of fluorescence were brought down to zero (i.e. below the limit of detection). In all, these novel expression systems constitute an alternative tool to altogether suppress leaky gene expression, and they can be easily adapted to other vector formats and plugged‐in into different Gram‐negative bacterial species at the user's will.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Volke
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Justine Turlin
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Viviënne Mol
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Lyngby, Denmark
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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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49
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He Y, Wang B, Chen W, Cox RJ, He J, Chen F. Recent advances in reconstructing microbial secondary metabolites biosynthesis in Aspergillus spp. Biotechnol Adv 2018; 36:739-783. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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50
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Hwang HJ, Lee SY, Lee PC. Engineering and application of synthetic nar promoter for fine-tuning the expression of metabolic pathway genes in Escherichia coli. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2018; 11:103. [PMID: 29636821 PMCID: PMC5889552 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-018-1104-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Promoters regulate the expression of metabolic pathway genes to control the flux of metabolism. Therefore, fine-tuning of metabolic pathway gene expression requires an applicable promoter system. In this study, a dissolved oxygen-dependent nar promoter was engineered for fine-tuning the expression levels of biosynthetic pathway enzymes in Escherichia coli. To demonstrate the feasibility of using the synthetic nar promoters in production of biochemicals in E. coli, the d-lactate pathway consisting of one enzyme and the 2,3-butanediol (BDO) pathway consisting of three enzymes were investigated. RESULTS The spacer sequence of 15 bp between the - 35 and - 10 elements of the upstream region of the wild-type nar promoter was randomized, fused to the GFP gene, transduced into E. coli, and screened by flow cytometry. The sorted synthetic nar promoters were divided into three groups according to fluorescence intensity levels: strong, intermediate, and weak. The selected three representative nar promoters of strong, intermediate, and weak intensities were used to control the expression level of the d-lactate and 2,3-BDO biosynthetic pathway enzymes in E. coli. When the ldhD gene encoding d-lactate dehydrogenase was expressed under the control of the strong synthetic nar promoter in fed-batch cultures of E. coli, the d-lactate titers were 105.6 g/L, 34% higher than those using the wild-type promoter (79.0 g/L). When the three 2,3-BDO pathway genes (ilvBN, aldB, and bdh1) were expressed under the control of combinational synthetic nar promoters (strong-weak-strong) in fed-batch cultures of E. coli, the titers of 2,3-BDO were 88.0 g/L, 72% higher than those using the wild-type promoter (51.1 g/L). CONCLUSIONS The synthetic nar promoters, which were engineered to have strong, intermediate, and weak intensities, were successfully applied to metabolic engineering of d-lactate and 2,3-BDO pathways in E. coli. By controlling expression levels of d-lactate and 2,3-BDO pathway enzymes using the synthetic nar promoters, the production of d-lactate and 2,3-BDO was increased over that using the wild-type promoter by 34 and 72%, respectively. Thus, this synthetic promoter module system will support the improved production of biochemicals and biofuels through fine-tuning of gene expression levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hee Jin Hwang
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Woncheon-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 16944 South Korea
| | - Sang Yup Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141 South Korea
| | - Pyung Cheon Lee
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Woncheon-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 16944 South Korea
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