1
|
Bouvier JW, Emms DM, Kelly S. Rubisco is evolving for improved catalytic efficiency and CO 2 assimilation in plants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321050121. [PMID: 38442173 PMCID: PMC10945770 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321050121] [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: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Rubisco is the primary entry point for carbon into the biosphere. However, rubisco is widely regarded as inefficient leading many to question whether the enzyme can adapt to become a better catalyst. Through a phylogenetic investigation of the molecular and kinetic evolution of Form I rubisco we uncover the evolutionary trajectory of rubisco kinetic evolution in angiosperms. We show that rbcL is among the 1% of slowest-evolving genes and enzymes on Earth, accumulating one nucleotide substitution every 0.9 My and one amino acid mutation every 7.2 My. Despite this, rubisco catalysis has been continually evolving toward improved CO2/O2 specificity, carboxylase turnover, and carboxylation efficiency. Consistent with this kinetic adaptation, increased rubisco evolution has led to a concomitant improvement in leaf-level CO2 assimilation. Thus, rubisco has been slowly but continually evolving toward improved catalytic efficiency and CO2 assimilation in plants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacques W Bouvier
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, United Kingdom
| | - David M Emms
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, United Kingdom
| | - Steven Kelly
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hudson EP. The Calvin Benson cycle in bacteria: New insights from systems biology. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2024; 155:71-83. [PMID: 37002131 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
The Calvin Benson cycle in phototrophic and chemolithoautotrophic bacteria has ecological and biotechnological importance, which has motivated study of its regulation. I review recent advances in our understanding of how the Calvin Benson cycle is regulated in bacteria and the technologies used to elucidate regulation and modify it, and highlight differences between and photoautotrophic and chemolithoautotrophic models. Systems biology studies have shown that in oxygenic phototrophic bacteria, Calvin Benson cycle enzymes are extensively regulated at post-transcriptional and post-translational levels, with multiple enzyme activities connected to cellular redox status through thioredoxin. In chemolithoautotrophic bacteria, regulation is primarily at the transcriptional level, with effector metabolites transducing cell status, though new methods should now allow facile, proteome-wide exploration of biochemical regulation in these models. A biotechnological objective is to enhance CO2 fixation in the cycle and partition that carbon to a product of interest. Flux control of CO2 fixation is distributed over multiple enzymes, and attempts to modulate gene Calvin cycle gene expression show a robust homeostatic regulation of growth rate, though the synthesis rates of products can be significantly increased. Therefore, de-regulation of cycle enzymes through protein engineering may be necessary to increase fluxes. Non-canonical Calvin Benson cycles, if implemented with synthetic biology, could have reduced energy demand and enzyme loading, thus increasing the attractiveness of these bacteria for industrial applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elton P Hudson
- Department of Protein Science, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zhao L, Cai Z, Li Y, Zhang Y. Engineering Rubisco to enhance CO 2 utilization. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2024; 9:55-68. [PMID: 38273863 PMCID: PMC10809010 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2023.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) is a pivotal enzyme that mediates the fixation of CO2. As the most abundant protein on earth, Rubisco has a significant impact on global carbon, water, and nitrogen cycles. However, the significantly low carboxylation activity and competing oxygenase activity of Rubisco greatly impede high carbon fixation efficiency. This review first summarizes the current efforts in directly or indirectly modifying plant Rubisco, which has been challenging due to its high conservation and limitations in chloroplast transformation techniques. However, recent advancements in understanding Rubisco biogenesis with the assistance of chaperones have enabled successful heterologous expression of all Rubisco forms, including plant Rubisco, in microorganisms. This breakthrough facilitates the acquisition and evaluation of modified proteins, streamlining the measurement of their activity. Moreover, the establishment of a screening system in E. coli opens up possibilities for obtaining high-performance mutant enzymes through directed evolution. Finally, this review emphasizes the utilization of Rubisco in microorganisms, not only expanding their carbon-fixing capabilities but also holding significant potential for enhancing biotransformation processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhen Cai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Yin Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Yanping Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zhang J, Li F, Liu D, Liu Q, Song H. Engineering extracellular electron transfer pathways of electroactive microorganisms by synthetic biology for energy and chemicals production. Chem Soc Rev 2024; 53:1375-1446. [PMID: 38117181 DOI: 10.1039/d3cs00537b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
The excessive consumption of fossil fuels causes massive emission of CO2, leading to climate deterioration and environmental pollution. The development of substitutes and sustainable energy sources to replace fossil fuels has become a worldwide priority. Bio-electrochemical systems (BESs), employing redox reactions of electroactive microorganisms (EAMs) on electrodes to achieve a meritorious combination of biocatalysis and electrocatalysis, provide a green and sustainable alternative approach for bioremediation, CO2 fixation, and energy and chemicals production. EAMs, including exoelectrogens and electrotrophs, perform extracellular electron transfer (EET) (i.e., outward and inward EET), respectively, to exchange energy with the environment, whose rate determines the efficiency and performance of BESs. Therefore, we review the synthetic biology strategies developed in the last decade for engineering EAMs to enhance the EET rate in cell-electrode interfaces for facilitating the production of electricity energy and value-added chemicals, which include (1) progress in genetic manipulation and editing tools to achieve the efficient regulation of gene expression, knockout, and knockdown of EAMs; (2) synthetic biological engineering strategies to enhance the outward EET of exoelectrogens to anodes for electricity power production and anodic electro-fermentation (AEF) for chemicals production, including (i) broadening and strengthening substrate utilization, (ii) increasing the intracellular releasable reducing equivalents, (iii) optimizing c-type cytochrome (c-Cyts) expression and maturation, (iv) enhancing conductive nanowire biosynthesis and modification, (v) promoting electron shuttle biosynthesis, secretion, and immobilization, (vi) engineering global regulators to promote EET rate, (vii) facilitating biofilm formation, and (viii) constructing cell-material hybrids; (3) the mechanisms of inward EET, CO2 fixation pathway, and engineering strategies for improving the inward EET of electrotrophic cells for CO2 reduction and chemical production, including (i) programming metabolic pathways of electrotrophs, (ii) rewiring bioelectrical circuits for enhancing inward EET, and (iii) constructing microbial (photo)electrosynthesis by cell-material hybridization; (4) perspectives on future challenges and opportunities for engineering EET to develop highly efficient BESs for sustainable energy and chemical production. We expect that this review will provide a theoretical basis for the future development of BESs in energy harvesting, CO2 fixation, and chemical synthesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Junqi Zhang
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, and School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
| | - Feng Li
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, and School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
| | - Dingyuan Liu
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, and School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
| | - Qijing Liu
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, and School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
| | - Hao Song
- Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, and School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Boisset ND, Favoino G, Meloni M, Jomat L, Cassier-Chauvat C, Zaffagnini M, Lemaire SD, Crozet P. Phosphoribulokinase abundance is not limiting the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1230723. [PMID: 37719215 PMCID: PMC10501310 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1230723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Improving photosynthetic efficiency in plants and microalgae is of utmost importance to support the growing world population and to enable the bioproduction of energy and chemicals. Limitations in photosynthetic light conversion efficiency can be directly attributed to kinetic bottlenecks within the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle (CBBC) responsible for carbon fixation. A better understanding of these bottlenecks in vivo is crucial to overcome these limiting factors through bio-engineering. The present study is focused on the analysis of phosphoribulokinase (PRK) in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We have characterized a PRK knock-out mutant strain and showed that in the absence of PRK, Chlamydomonas cannot grow photoautotrophically while functional complementation with a synthetic construct allowed restoration of photoautotrophy. Nevertheless, using standard genetic elements, the expression of PRK was limited to 40% of the reference level in complemented strains and could not restore normal growth in photoautotrophic conditions suggesting that the CBBC is limited. We were subsequently able to overcome this initial limitation by improving the design of the transcriptional unit expressing PRK using diverse combinations of DNA parts including PRK endogenous promoter and introns. This enabled us to obtain strains with PRK levels comparable to the reference strain and even overexpressing strains. A collection of strains with PRK levels between 16% and 250% of WT PRK levels was generated and characterized. Immunoblot and growth assays revealed that a PRK content of ≈86% is sufficient to fully restore photoautotrophic growth. This result suggests that PRK is present in moderate excess in Chlamydomonas. Consistently, the overexpression of PRK did not increase photosynthetic growth indicating that that the endogenous level of PRK in Chlamydomonas is not limiting the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle under optimal conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas D. Boisset
- Laboratoire de Biologie Computationnelle et Quantitative, Institut de Biologie Parie-Seine, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7238, Paris, France
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire des Eucaryotes, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 8226, Paris, France
- Doctoral School of Plant Sciences, Université Paris-Saclay, Saint-Aubin, France
| | - Giusi Favoino
- Laboratoire de Biologie Computationnelle et Quantitative, Institut de Biologie Parie-Seine, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7238, Paris, France
| | - Maria Meloni
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnologies, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Lucile Jomat
- Laboratoire de Biologie Computationnelle et Quantitative, Institut de Biologie Parie-Seine, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7238, Paris, France
| | - Corinne Cassier-Chauvat
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), UMR 9198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Mirko Zaffagnini
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnologies, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Stéphane D. Lemaire
- Laboratoire de Biologie Computationnelle et Quantitative, Institut de Biologie Parie-Seine, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7238, Paris, France
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire des Eucaryotes, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 8226, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Crozet
- Laboratoire de Biologie Computationnelle et Quantitative, Institut de Biologie Parie-Seine, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7238, Paris, France
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire des Eucaryotes, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 8226, Paris, France
- Polytech-Sorbonne, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Bouvier JW, Kelly S. Response to Tcherkez and Farquhar: Rubisco adaptation is more limited by phylogenetic constraint than by catalytic trade-off. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 287:154021. [PMID: 37392528 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2023.154021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
Rubisco is the primary entry point for carbon into the biosphere. It has been widely proposed that rubisco is highly constrained by catalytic trade-offs due to correlations between the enzyme's kinetic traits across species. In previous work, we have shown that the strength of these correlations, and thus the strength of catalytic trade-offs, have been overestimated due to the presence of phylogenetic signal in the kinetic trait data (Bouvier et al., 2021). We demonstrated that only the trade-offs between the Michaelis constant for CO2 and carboxylase turnover, and between the Michaelis constants for CO2 and O2 were robust to phylogenetic effects. We further demonstrated that phylogenetic constraints have limited rubisco adaptation to a greater extent than the combined action of catalytic trade-offs. Recently, however, our claims have been contested by Tcherkez and Farquhar (2021), who have argued that the phylogenetic signal we detect in rubisco kinetic traits is an artefact of species sampling, the use of rbcL-based trees for phylogenetic inference, laboratory-to-laboratory variability in kinetic measurements, and homoplasy of the C4 trait. In the present article, we respond to these criticisms on a point-by-point basis and conclusively show that all are unfounded. As such, we stand by our original conclusions. Namely, although rubisco kinetic evolution has been limited by biochemical trade-offs, these are not absolute and have been previously overestimated due to phylogenetic biases. Instead, rubisco adaptation has in fact been more limited by phylogenetic constraint.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacques W Bouvier
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, United Kingdom
| | - Steven Kelly
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Mao Y, Catherall E, Díaz-Ramos A, Greiff GRL, Azinas S, Gunn L, McCormick AJ. The small subunit of Rubisco and its potential as an engineering target. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2023; 74:543-561. [PMID: 35849331 PMCID: PMC9833052 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Rubisco catalyses the first rate-limiting step in CO2 fixation and is responsible for the vast majority of organic carbon present in the biosphere. The function and regulation of Rubisco remain an important research topic and a longstanding engineering target to enhance the efficiency of photosynthesis for agriculture and green biotechnology. The most abundant form of Rubisco (Form I) consists of eight large and eight small subunits, and is found in all plants, algae, cyanobacteria, and most phototrophic and chemolithoautotrophic proteobacteria. Although the active sites of Rubisco are located on the large subunits, expression of the small subunit regulates the size of the Rubisco pool in plants and can influence the overall catalytic efficiency of the Rubisco complex. The small subunit is now receiving increasing attention as a potential engineering target to improve the performance of Rubisco. Here we review our current understanding of the role of the small subunit and our growing capacity to explore its potential to modulate Rubisco catalysis using engineering biology approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Aranzazú Díaz-Ramos
- SynthSys & Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, King’s Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Edingburgh EH9 3BF, UK
| | - George R L Greiff
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Stavros Azinas
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, S-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Laura Gunn
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, S-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
- Plant Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Qiao W, Xu S, Liu Z, Fu X, Zhao H, Shi S. Challenges and opportunities in C1-based biomanufacturing. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 364:128095. [PMID: 36220528 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.128095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The intensifying impact of green-house gas (GHG) emission on environment and climate change has attracted increasing attention, and biorefinery represents one of the most effective routes for reducing GHG emissions from human activities. However, this requires a shift for microbial fermentation from the current use of sugars to the use of biomass, and even better to the primary fixation of single carbon (C1) compounds. Here how microorganisms can be engineered for fixation and conversion of C1 compounds into metabolites that can serve as fuels and platform chemicals are reviewed. Meanwhile, key factors for utilization of these different pathways are discussed, followed by challenges and barriers for the development of C1-based biorefinery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Weibo Qiao
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Shijie Xu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Zihe Liu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Xiaoying Fu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Huimin Zhao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Shuobo Shi
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Srisawat P, Higuchi-Takeuchi M, Numata K. Microbial autotrophic biorefineries: Perspectives for biopolymer production. Polym J 2022. [DOI: 10.1038/s41428-022-00675-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe use of autotrophic microorganisms to fabricate biochemical products has attracted much attention in both academia and industry. Unlike heterotrophic microorganisms that require carbohydrates and amino acids for growth, autotrophic microorganisms have evolved to utilize either light (photoautotrophs) or chemical compounds (chemolithotrophs) to fix carbon dioxide (CO2) and drive metabolic processes. Several biotechnological approaches, including synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, have been proposed to harness autotrophic microorganisms as a sustainable/green production platform for commercially essential products such as biofuels, commodity chemicals, and biopolymers. Here, we review the recent advances in natural autotrophic microorganisms (photoautotrophic and chemoautotrophic), focusing on the biopolymer production. We present current state-of-the-art technologies to engineer autotrophic microbial cell factories for efficient biopolymer production.
Collapse
|
10
|
Melanker O, Goloubinoff P, Schreiber G. In vitro evolution of uracil glycosylase towards DnaKJ and GroEL binding evolves different misfolded states. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167627. [PMID: 35597550 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167627] [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: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Natural evolution is driven by random mutations that improve fitness. In vitro evolution mimics this process, however, on a short time-scale and is driven by the given bait. Here, we used directed in vitro evolution of a random mutant library of Uracil glycosylase (eUNG) displayed on yeast surface to select for binding to chaperones GroEL, DnaK+DnaJ+ATP (DnaKJ) or E.coli cell extract (CE), using binding to the eUNG inhibitor Ugi as probe for native fold. The CE selected population was further divided to Ugi binders (+U) or non-binders (-U). The aim here was to evaluate the sequence space and physical state of the evolved protein binding the different baits. We found that GroEL, DnaKJ and CE-U select and enrich for mutations causing eUNG to misfold, with the three being enriched in mutations in buried and conserved positions, with a tendency to increase positive charge. Still, each selection had its own trajectory, with GroEL and CE-U selecting mutants highly sensitive to protease cleavage while DnaKJ selected partially structured misfolded species with a tendency to refold, making them less sensitive to proteases. More general, our results show that GroEL has a higher tendency to purge promiscuous misfolded protein mutants from the system, while DnaKJ binds misfolding-prone mutant species that are, upon chaperone release, more likely to natively refold. CE-U shares some of the properties of GroEL- and DnaKJ-selected populations, while harboring also unique properties that can be explained by the presence of additional chaperones in CE, such as Trigger factor, HtpG and ClpB.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oran Melanker
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Pierre Goloubinoff
- Department of Plant Molecular Biology, Lausanne University, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Gideon Schreiber
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Schulz L, Sendker FL, Hochberg GKA. Non-adaptive complexity and biochemical function. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2022; 73:102339. [PMID: 35247750 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Intricate biochemical structures are usually thought to be useful, because natural selection preserves them from degradation by a constant hail of destructive mutations. Biochemists therefore often deliberately disrupt them to understand how complexity improves protein function or fitness. However, evolutionary theory suggests that even useless complexity that never improved fitness can become completely essential if a simple set of evolutionary conditions is fulfilled. We review evidence that stable protein complexes, protein-chaperone interactions, and complexes consisting of several paralogs all fulfill these conditions. This makes reverse genetics or destructive mutagenesis unsuitable for assigning functions to these kinds of complexity. Instead, we advocate that incorporating evolutionary approaches into biochemistry overcomes this difficulty and allows us to distinguish useless from useful biochemical complexity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luca Schulz
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 10, 35043 Marburg, Germany. https://twitter.com/schulluc
| | - Franziska L Sendker
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 10, 35043 Marburg, Germany. https://twitter.com/SendkerFL
| | - Georg K A Hochberg
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 10, 35043 Marburg, Germany; Department of Chemistry, University of Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Straße 4, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Hans-Meerwein-Straße 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Cao H, Xu D, Zhang T, Ren Q, Xiang L, Ning C, Zhang Y, Gao R. Comprehensive and functional analyses reveal the genomic diversity and potential toxicity of Microcystis. HARMFUL ALGAE 2022; 113:102186. [PMID: 35287927 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2022.102186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Microcystis is a cyanobacteria that is widely distributed across the world. It has attracted great attention because it produces the hepatotoxin microcystin (MC) that can inhibit eukaryotic protein phosphatases and pose a great risk to animal and human health. Due to the high diversity of morphospecies and genomes, it is still difficult to classify Microcystis species. In this study, we investigated the pangenome of 23 Microcystis strains to detect the genetic diversity and evolutionary dynamics. Microcystis revealed an open pangenome containing 22,009 gene families and exhibited different functional constraints. The core-genome phylogenetic analysis accurately differentiated the toxic and nontoxic strains and could be used as a taxonomic standard at the genetic level. We also investigated the functions of HGT events, of which were mostly conferred from cyanobacteria and closely related species. In order to detect the potential toxicity of Microcystis, we searched and characterized MC biosynthetic gene clusters and other secondary metabolite gene clusters. Our work provides insights into the genetic diversity, evolutionary dynamics, and potential toxicity of Microcystis, which could benefit the species classification and development of new methods for drinking water quality control and management of bloom formation in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hengchun Cao
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, Shandong, China
| | - Da Xu
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, Shandong, China
| | - Tiantian Zhang
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, Shandong, China
| | - Qiufang Ren
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, Shandong, China
| | - Li Xiang
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, Shandong, China
| | - Chunhui Ning
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, Shandong, China
| | - Yusen Zhang
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, Shandong, China.
| | - Rui Gao
- School of Control Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, Shandong, China.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Andrews F, Faulkner M, Toogood HS, Scrutton NS. Combinatorial use of environmental stresses and genetic engineering to increase ethanol titres in cyanobacteria. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2021; 14:240. [PMID: 34920731 PMCID: PMC8684110 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-021-02091-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Current industrial bioethanol production by yeast through fermentation generates carbon dioxide. Carbon neutral bioethanol production by cyanobacteria uses biological fixation (photosynthesis) of carbon dioxide or other waste inorganic carbon sources, whilst being sustainable and renewable. The first ethanologenic cyanobacterial process was developed over two decades ago using Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, by incorporating the recombinant pdc and adh genes from Zymomonas mobilis. Further engineering has increased bioethanol titres 24-fold, yet current levels are far below what is required for industrial application. At the heart of the problem is that the rate of carbon fixation cannot be drastically accelerated and carbon partitioning towards bioethanol production impacts on cell fitness. Key progress has been achieved by increasing the precursor pyruvate levels intracellularly, upregulating synthetic genes and knocking out pathways competing for pyruvate. Studies have shown that cyanobacteria accumulate high proportions of carbon reserves that are mobilised under specific environmental stresses or through pathway engineering to increase ethanol production. When used in conjunction with specific genetic knockouts, they supply significantly more carbon for ethanol production. This review will discuss the progress in generating ethanologenic cyanobacteria through chassis engineering, and exploring the impact of environmental stresses on increasing carbon flux towards ethanol production.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fraser Andrews
- EPSRC/BBSRC Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub, BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM Manchester Institute of Biotechnology and School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN, UK
| | - Matthew Faulkner
- EPSRC/BBSRC Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub, BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM Manchester Institute of Biotechnology and School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN, UK
| | - Helen S Toogood
- EPSRC/BBSRC Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub, BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM Manchester Institute of Biotechnology and School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN, UK
| | - Nigel S Scrutton
- EPSRC/BBSRC Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub, BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM Manchester Institute of Biotechnology and School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN, UK.
- C3 Biotechnologies Ltd, 20 Mannin Way, Lancaster Business Park, Caton Road, Lancaster, LA1 3SW, Lancashire, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Iñiguez C, Aguiló-Nicolau P, Galmés J. Improving photosynthesis through the enhancement of Rubisco carboxylation capacity. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:2007-2019. [PMID: 34623388 DOI: 10.1042/bst20201056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Rising human population, along with the reduction in arable land and the impacts of global change, sets out the need for continuously improving agricultural resource use efficiency and crop yield (CY). Bioengineering approaches for photosynthesis optimization have largely demonstrated the potential for enhancing CY. This review is focused on the improvement of Rubisco functioning, which catalyzes the rate-limiting step of CO2 fixation required for plant growth, but also catalyzes the ribulose-bisphosphate oxygenation initiating the carbon and energy wasteful photorespiration pathway. Rubisco carboxylation capacity can be enhanced by engineering the Rubisco large and/or small subunit genes to improve its catalytic traits, or by engineering the mechanisms that provide enhanced Rubisco expression, activation and/or elevated [CO2] around the active sites to favor carboxylation over oxygenation. Recent advances have been made in the expression, assembly and activation of foreign (either natural or mutant) faster and/or more CO2-specific Rubisco versions. Some components of CO2 concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) from bacteria, algae and C4 plants has been successfully expressed in tobacco and rice. Still, none of the transformed plant lines expressing foreign Rubisco versions and/or simplified CCM components were able to grow faster than wild type plants under present atmospheric [CO2] and optimum conditions. However, the results obtained up to date suggest that it might be achievable in the near future. In addition, photosynthetic and yield improvements have already been observed when manipulating Rubisco quantity and activation degree in crops. Therefore, engineering Rubisco carboxylation capacity continues being a promising target for the improvement in photosynthesis and yield.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Concepción Iñiguez
- Research Group on Plant Biology Under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears-INAGEA, Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Pere Aguiló-Nicolau
- Research Group on Plant Biology Under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears-INAGEA, Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Jeroni Galmés
- Research Group on Plant Biology Under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears-INAGEA, Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Jin H, Wang Y, Zhao P, Wang L, Zhang S, Meng D, Yang Q, Cheong LZ, Bi Y, Fu Y. Potential of Producing Flavonoids Using Cyanobacteria As a Sustainable Chassis. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2021; 69:12385-12401. [PMID: 34649432 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c04632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Numerous plant secondary metabolites have remarkable impacts on both food supplements and pharmaceuticals for human health improvement. However, higher plants can only generate small amounts of these chemicals with specific temporal and spatial arrangements, which are unable to satisfy the expanding market demands. Cyanobacteria can directly utilize CO2, light energy, and inorganic nutrients to synthesize versatile plant-specific photosynthetic intermediates and organic compounds in large-scale photobioreactors with outstanding economic merit. Thus, they have been rapidly developed as a "green" chassis for the synthesis of bioproducts. Flavonoids, chemical compounds based on aromatic amino acids, are considered to be indispensable components in a variety of nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications. In contrast to heterotrophic metabolic engineering pioneers, such as yeast and Escherichia coli, information about the biosynthesis flavonoids and their derivatives is less comprehensive than that of their photosynthetic counterparts. Here, we review both benefits and challenges to promote cyanobacterial cell factories for flavonoid biosynthesis. With increasing concerns about global environmental issues and food security, we are confident that energy self-supporting cyanobacteria will attract increasing attention for the generation of different kinds of bioproducts. We hope that the work presented here will serve as an index and encourage more scientists to join in the relevant research area.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haojie Jin
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Yan Wang
- Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, P.R. China
| | - Pengquan Zhao
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Litao Wang
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Su Zhang
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Dong Meng
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Qing Yang
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| | - Ling-Zhi Cheong
- Zhejiang-Malaysia Joint Research Laboratory for Agricultural Product Processing and Nutrition, College of Food and Pharmaceutical Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Yonghong Bi
- State Key Laboratory of Fresh Water Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China
| | - Yujie Fu
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Zhang J, Liu G, Carvajal AI, Wilson RH, Cai Z, Li Y. Discovery of a readily heterologously expressed Rubisco from the deep sea with potential for CO 2 capture. BIORESOUR BIOPROCESS 2021; 8:86. [PMID: 38650243 PMCID: PMC10992382 DOI: 10.1186/s40643-021-00439-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), the key CO2-fixing enzyme in photosynthesis, is notorious for its low carboxylation. We report a highly active and assembly-competent Form II Rubisco from the endosymbiont of a deep-sea tubeworm Riftia pachyptila (RPE Rubisco), which shows a 50.5% higher carboxylation efficiency than that of a high functioning Rubisco from Synechococcus sp. PCC7002 (7002 Rubisco). It is a simpler hexamer with three pairs of large subunit homodimers around a central threefold symmetry axis. Compared with 7002 Rubisco, it showed a 3.6-fold higher carbon capture efficiency in vivo using a designed CO2 capture model. The simple structure, high carboxylation efficiency, easy heterologous soluble expression/assembly make RPE Rubisco a ready-to-deploy enzyme for CO2 capture that does not require complex co-expression of chaperones. The chemosynthetic CO2 fixation machinery of chemolithoautotrophs, CO2-fixing endosymbionts, may be more efficient than previously realized with great potential for next-generation microbial CO2 sequestration platforms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Junli Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guoxia Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Alonso I Carvajal
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Robert H Wilson
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152, Martinsried, Germany.
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
| | - Zhen Cai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Yin Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Kumar CMS, Chugh K, Dutta A, Mahamkali V, Bose T, Mande SS, Mande SC, Lund PA. Chaperonin Abundance Enhances Bacterial Fitness. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:669996. [PMID: 34381811 PMCID: PMC8350394 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.669996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of chaperonins to buffer mutations that affect protein folding pathways suggests that their abundance should be evolutionarily advantageous. Here, we investigate the effect of chaperonin overproduction on cellular fitness in Escherichia coli. We demonstrate that chaperonin abundance confers 1) an ability to tolerate higher temperatures, 2) improved cellular fitness, and 3) enhanced folding of metabolic enzymes, which is expected to lead to enhanced energy harvesting potential.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C M Santosh Kumar
- School of Biosciences and Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Kritika Chugh
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India
| | - Anirban Dutta
- TCS Research, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Pune, India
| | - Vishnuvardhan Mahamkali
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Tungadri Bose
- TCS Research, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Pune, India
| | | | - Shekhar C Mande
- Laboratory of Structural Biology, National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune, India
| | - Peter A Lund
- School of Biosciences and Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Bouvier JW, Emms DM, Rhodes T, Bolton JS, Brasnett A, Eddershaw A, Nielsen JR, Unitt A, Whitney SM, Kelly S. Rubisco Adaptation Is More Limited by Phylogenetic Constraint Than by Catalytic Trade-off. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:2880-2896. [PMID: 33739416 PMCID: PMC8233502 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msab079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Rubisco assimilates CO2 to form the sugars that fuel life on earth. Correlations between rubisco kinetic traits across species have led to the proposition that rubisco adaptation is highly constrained by catalytic trade-offs. However, these analyses did not consider the phylogenetic context of the enzymes that were analyzed. Thus, it is possible that the correlations observed were an artefact of the presence of phylogenetic signal in rubisco kinetics and the phylogenetic relationship between the species that were sampled. Here, we conducted a phylogenetically resolved analysis of rubisco kinetics and show that there is a significant phylogenetic signal in rubisco kinetic traits. We re-evaluated the extent of catalytic trade-offs accounting for this phylogenetic signal and found that all were attenuated. Following phylogenetic correction, the largest catalytic trade-offs were observed between the Michaelis constant for CO2 and carboxylase turnover (∼21-37%), and between the Michaelis constants for CO2 and O2 (∼9-19%), respectively. All other catalytic trade-offs were substantially attenuated such that they were marginal (<9%) or non-significant. This phylogenetically resolved analysis of rubisco kinetic evolution also identified kinetic changes that occur concomitant with the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. Finally, we show that phylogenetic constraints have played a larger role than catalytic trade-offs in limiting the evolution of rubisco kinetics. Thus, although there is strong evidence for some catalytic trade-offs, rubisco adaptation has been more limited by phylogenetic constraint than by the combined action of all catalytic trade-offs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacques W Bouvier
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Doctoral Training Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - David M Emms
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy Rhodes
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Jai S Bolton
- Doctoral Training Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Amelia Brasnett
- Doctoral Training Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Alice Eddershaw
- Doctoral Training Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jochem R Nielsen
- Doctoral Training Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Anastasia Unitt
- Doctoral Training Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Spencer M Whitney
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Steven Kelly
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Yang F, Zhang J, Cai Z, Zhou J, Li Y. Exploring the oxygenase function of Form II Rubisco for production of glycolate from CO 2. AMB Express 2021; 11:65. [PMID: 33963929 PMCID: PMC8106553 DOI: 10.1186/s13568-021-01224-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The oxygenase activity of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) converts ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) into 2-phosphoglycolate, which in turn channels into photorespiration, resulting in carbon and energy loss in higher plants. We observed that glycolate can be accumulated extracellularly when two genes encoding the glycolate dehydrogenase of cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 were inactivated. This inspired us to explore the oxygenase function of Rubisco for production of glycolate, an important industrial chemical, from CO2 by engineered cyanobacteria. Since the oxygenase activity of Rubisco is generally low in CO2-rich carboxysome of cyanobacteria, we introduced Form II Rubisco, which cannot be assembled in carboxysome, into the cytoplasm of cyanobacteria. Heterologous expression of a Form II Rubisco from endosymbiont of tubeworm Riftia pachyptila (RPE Rubisco) significantly increased glycolate production. We show that the RPE Rubisco is expressed in the cytoplasm. Glycolate production increased upon addition of NaHCO3 but decreased upon supplying CO2. The titer of glycolate reached 2.8 g/L in 18 days, a 14-fold increase compared with the initial strain with glycolate dehydrogenase inactivated. This is also the highest glycolate titer biotechnologically produced from CO2 ever reported. Photosynthetic production of glycolate demonstrated the oxygenase activity of Form II Rubisco can be explored for production of chemicals from CO2.
Collapse
|
20
|
Whitney SM, Sharwood RE. Rubisco Engineering by Plastid Transformation and Protocols for Assessing Expression. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2317:195-214. [PMID: 34028770 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1472-3_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The assimilation of CO2 within chloroplasts is catalyzed by the bifunctional enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, Rubisco. Within higher plants the Rubisco large subunit gene, rbcL, is encoded in the plastid genome, while the Rubisco small subunit gene, RbcS is coded in the nucleus by a multigene family. Rubisco is considered a poor catalyst due to its slow turnover rate and its additional fixation of O2 that can result in wasteful loss of carbon through the energy requiring photorespiratory cycle. Improving the carboxylation efficiency and CO2/O2 selectivity of Rubisco within higher plants has been a long term goal which has been greatly advanced in recent times using plastid transformation techniques. Here we present experimental methodologies for efficiently engineering Rubisco in the plastids of a tobacco master line and analyzing leaf Rubisco content.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Spencer M Whitney
- Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, College of Science, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia.
| | - Robert E Sharwood
- Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, College of Science, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Cummins PL. The Coevolution of RuBisCO, Photorespiration, and Carbon Concentrating Mechanisms in Higher Plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:662425. [PMID: 34539685 PMCID: PMC8440988 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.662425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) is the carbon-fixing enzyme present in most photosynthetic organisms, converting CO2 into organic matter. Globally, photosynthetic efficiency in terrestrial plants has become increasingly challenged in recent decades due to a rapid increase in atmospheric CO2 and associated changes toward warmer and dryer environments. Well adapted for these new climatic conditions, the C4 photosynthetic pathway utilizes carbon concentrating mechanisms to increase CO2 concentrations surrounding RuBisCO, suppressing photorespiration from the oxygenase catalyzed reaction with O2. The energy efficiency of C3 photosynthesis, from which the C4 pathway evolved, is thought to rely critically on an uninterrupted supply of chloroplast CO2. Part of the homeostatic mechanism that maintains this constancy of supply involves the CO2 produced as a byproduct of photorespiration in a negative feedback loop. Analyzing the database of RuBisCO kinetic parameters, we suggest that in genera (Flaveria and Panicum) for which both C3 and C4 examples are available, the C4 pathway evolved only from C3 ancestors possessing much lower than the average carboxylase specificity relative to that of the oxygenase reaction (S C/O=S C/S O), and hence, the higher CO2 levels required for development of the photorespiratory CO2 pump (C2 photosynthesis) essential in the initial stages of C4 evolution, while in the later stage (final optimization phase in the Flaveria model) increased CO2 turnover may have occurred, which would have been supported by the higher CO2 levels. Otherwise, C4 RuBisCO kinetic traits remain little changed from the ancestral C3 species. At the opposite end of the spectrum, C3 plants (from Limonium) with higher than average S C/O, which may be associated with the ability of increased CO2, relative to O2, affinity to offset reduced photorespiration and chloroplast CO2 levels, can tolerate high stress environments. It is suggested that, instead of inherently constrained by its kinetic mechanism, RuBisCO possesses the extensive kinetic plasticity necessary for adaptation to changes in photorespiration that occur in the homeostatic regulation of CO2 supply under a broad range of abiotic environmental conditions.
Collapse
|
22
|
Chaperone Machineries of Rubisco – The Most Abundant Enzyme. Trends Biochem Sci 2020; 45:748-763. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2020.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Revised: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
|
23
|
Rubisco accumulation factor 1 (Raf1) plays essential roles in mediating Rubisco assembly and carboxysome biogenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:17418-17428. [PMID: 32636267 PMCID: PMC7382273 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2007990117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Carboxysomes are membrane-free organelles for carbon assimilation in cyanobacteria. The carboxysome consists of a proteinaceous shell that structurally resembles virus capsids and internal enzymes including ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), the primary carbon-fixing enzyme in photosynthesis. The formation of carboxysomes requires hierarchical self-assembly of thousands of protein subunits, initiated from Rubisco assembly and packaging to shell encapsulation. Here we study the role of Rubisco assembly factor 1 (Raf1) in Rubisco assembly and carboxysome formation in a model cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942 (Syn7942). Cryo-electron microscopy reveals that Raf1 facilitates Rubisco assembly by mediating RbcL dimer formation and dimer-dimer interactions. Syn7942 cells lacking Raf1 are unable to form canonical intact carboxysomes but generate a large number of intermediate assemblies comprising Rubisco, CcaA, CcmM, and CcmN without shell encapsulation and a low abundance of carboxysome-like structures with reduced dimensions and irregular shell shapes and internal organization. As a consequence, the Raf1-depleted cells exhibit reduced Rubisco content, CO2-fixing activity, and cell growth. Our results provide mechanistic insight into the chaperone-assisted Rubisco assembly and biogenesis of carboxysomes. Advanced understanding of the biogenesis and stepwise formation process of the biogeochemically important organelle may inform strategies for heterologous engineering of functional CO2-fixing modules to improve photosynthesis.
Collapse
|
24
|
Singh AK, Balchin D, Imamoglu R, Hayer-Hartl M, Hartl FU. Efficient Catalysis of Protein Folding by GroEL/ES of the Obligate Chaperonin Substrate MetF. J Mol Biol 2020; 432:2304-2318. [PMID: 32135190 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2020.02.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The cylindrical chaperonin GroEL and its cofactor GroES mediate ATP-dependent protein folding in Escherichia coli by transiently encapsulating non-native substrate in a nano-cage formed by the GroEL ring cavity and the lid-shaped GroES. Mechanistic studies of GroEL/ES with heterologous protein substrates suggested that the chaperonin is inefficient, typically requiring multiple ATP-dependent encapsulation cycles with only a few percent of protein folded per cycle. Here we analyzed the spontaneous and chaperonin-assisted folding of the essential enzyme 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MetF) of E. coli, an obligate GroEL/ES substrate. We found that MetF, a homotetramer of 33-kDa subunits with (β/α)8 TIM-barrel fold, populates a kinetically trapped folding intermediate(s) (MetF-I) upon dilution from denaturant that fails to convert to the native state, even in the absence of aggregation. GroEL/ES recognizes MetF-I and catalyzes rapid folding, with ~50% of protein folded in a single round of encapsulation. Analysis by hydrogen/deuterium exchange at peptide resolution showed that the MetF subunit folds to completion in the GroEL/ES nano-cage and binds its cofactor flavin adenine dinucleotide. Rapid folding required the net negative charge character of the wall of the chaperonin cavity. These findings reveal a remarkable capacity of GroEL/ES to catalyze folding of an endogenous substrate protein that would have coevolved with the chaperonin system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amit K Singh
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82159 Martinsried, Germany
| | - David Balchin
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82159 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Rahmi Imamoglu
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82159 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Manajit Hayer-Hartl
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82159 Martinsried, Germany.
| | - F Ulrich Hartl
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82159 Martinsried, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Yao X, Tan YH, Yang JB, Wang Y, Corlett RT, Manen JF. Exceptionally high rates of positive selection on the rbcL gene in the genus Ilex (Aquifoliaceae). BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:192. [PMID: 31638910 PMCID: PMC6805373 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1521-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The genus Ilex (Aquifoliaceae) has a near-cosmopolitan distribution in mesic habitats from tropical to temperate lowlands and in alpine forests. It has a high rate of hybridization and plastid capture, and comprises four geographically structured plastid groups. A previous study showed that the plastid rbcL gene, coding for the large subunit of Rubisco, has a particularly high rate of non-synonymous substitutions in Ilex, when compared with other plant lineages. This suggests a strong positive selection on rbcL, involved in yet unknown adaptations. We therefore investigated positive selection on rbcL in 240 Ilex sequences from across the global range. Results The rbcL gene shows a much higher rate of positive selection in Ilex than in any other plant lineage studied so far (> 3000 species) by tests in both PAML and SLR. Most positively selected residues are on the surface of the folded large subunit, suggesting interaction with other subunits and associated chaperones, and coevolution between positively selected residues is prevalent, indicating compensatory mutations to recover molecular stability. Coevolution between positively selected sites to restore global stability is common. Conclusions This study has confirmed the predicted high incidence of positively selected residues in rbcL in Ilex, and shown that this is higher than in any other plant lineage studied so far. The causes and consequences of this high incidence are unclear, but it is probably associated with the similarly high incidence of hybridization and introgression in Ilex, even between distantly related lineages, resulting in large cytonuclear discordance in the phylogenies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Yao
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China. .,Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 666303, China.
| | - Yun-Hong Tan
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China.,Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 666303, China.,Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yezin, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar
| | - Jun-Bo Yang
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Yan Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China
| | - Richard T Corlett
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China. .,Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 666303, China.
| | - Jean-François Manen
- Laboratoire de Systématique Végétale et Biodiversité, University of Geneva (retired), Chemin de l'Impératrice 1, CH-1292, Chambésy, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Zhou Y, Whitney S. Directed Evolution of an Improved Rubisco; In Vitro Analyses to Decipher Fact from Fiction. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20205019. [PMID: 31658746 PMCID: PMC6834295 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20205019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Inaccuracies in biochemically characterizing the amount and CO2-fixing properties of the photosynthetic enzyme Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase/oxygenase continue to hamper an accurate evaluation of Rubisco mutants selected by directed evolution. Here, we outline an analytical pipeline for accurately quantifying Rubisco content and kinetics that averts the misinterpretation of directed evolution outcomes. Our study utilizes a new T7-promoter regulated Rubisco Dependent Escherichia coli (RDE3) screen to successfully select for the first Rhodobacter sphaeroides Rubisco (RsRubisco) mutant with improved CO2-fixing properties. The RsRubisco contains four amino acid substitutions in the large subunit (RbcL) and an improved carboxylation rate (kcatC, up 27%), carboxylation efficiency (kcatC/Km for CO2, increased 17%), unchanged CO2/O2 specificity and a 40% lower holoenzyme biogenesis capacity. Biochemical analysis of RsRubisco chimers coding one to three of the altered amino acids showed Lys-83-Gln and Arg-252-Leu substitutions (plant RbcL numbering) together, but not independently, impaired holoenzyme (L8S8) assembly. An N-terminal Val-11-Ile substitution did not affect RsRubisco catalysis or assembly, while a Tyr-345-Phe mutation alone conferred the improved kinetics without an effect on RsRubisco production. This study confirms the feasibility of improving Rubisco by directed evolution using an analytical pipeline that can identify false positives and reliably discriminate carboxylation enhancing amino acids changes from those influencing Rubisco biogenesis (solubility).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhou
- Australian Research Council Center of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, ACT 0200, Australia.
| | - Spencer Whitney
- Australian Research Council Center of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Acton, ACT 0200, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Selection of Cyanobacterial ( Synechococcus sp. Strain PCC 6301) RubisCO Variants with Improved Functional Properties That Confer Enhanced CO 2-Dependent Growth of Rhodobacter capsulatus, a Photosynthetic Bacterium. mBio 2019; 10:mBio.01537-19. [PMID: 31337726 PMCID: PMC6650557 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01537-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
RubisCO catalysis has a significant impact on mitigating greenhouse gas accumulation and CO2 conversion to food, fuel, and other organic compounds required to sustain life. Because RubisCO-dependent CO2 fixation is severely compromised by oxygen inhibition and other physiological constraints, improving RubisCO’s kinetic properties to enhance growth in the presence of atmospheric O2 levels has been a longstanding goal. In this study, RubisCO variants with superior structure-functional properties were selected which resulted in enhanced growth of an autotrophic host organism (R. capsulatus), indicating that RubisCO function was indeed growth limiting. It is evident from these results that genetically engineered RubisCO with kinetically enhanced properties can positively impact growth rates in primary producers. Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) is a ubiquitous enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of atmospheric CO2 into organic carbon in primary producers. All naturally occurring RubisCOs have low catalytic turnover rates and are inhibited by oxygen. Evolutionary adaptations of the enzyme and its host organisms to changing atmospheric oxygen concentrations provide an impetus to artificially evolve RubisCO variants under unnatural selective conditions. A RubisCO deletion strain of the nonsulfur purple photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus was previously used as a heterologous host for directed evolution and suppressor selection studies that led to the identification of a conserved hydrophobic region near the active site where amino acid substitutions selectively impacted the enzyme’s sensitivity to O2. In this study, structural alignments, mutagenesis, suppressor selection, and growth complementation with R. capsulatus under anoxic or oxygenic conditions were used to analyze the importance of semiconserved residues in this region of Synechococcus RubisCO. RubisCO mutant substitutions were identified that provided superior CO2-dependent growth capabilities relative to the wild-type enzyme. Kinetic analyses of the mutant enzymes indicated that enhanced growth performance was traceable to differential interactions of the enzymes with CO2 and O2. Effective residue substitutions also appeared to be localized to two other conserved hydrophobic regions of the holoenzyme. Structural comparisons and similarities indicated that regions identified in this study may be targeted for improvement in RubisCOs from other sources, including crop plants.
Collapse
|
28
|
Conlan B, Birch R, Kelso C, Holland S, De Souza AP, Long SP, Beck JL, Whitney SM. BSD2 is a Rubisco-specific assembly chaperone, forms intermediary hetero-oligomeric complexes, and is nonlimiting to growth in tobacco. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2019; 42:1287-1301. [PMID: 30375663 DOI: 10.1111/pce.13473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Revised: 09/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The folding and assembly of Rubisco large and small subunits into L8 S8 holoenzyme in chloroplasts involves many auxiliary factors, including the chaperone BSD2. Here we identify apparent intermediary Rubisco-BSD2 assembly complexes in the model C3 plant tobacco. We show BSD2 and Rubisco content decrease in tandem with leaf age with approximately half of the BSD2 in young leaves (~70 nmol BSD2 protomer.m2 ) stably integrated in putative intermediary Rubisco complexes that account for <0.2% of the L8 S8 pool. RNAi-silencing BSD2 production in transplastomic tobacco producing bacterial L2 Rubisco had no effect on leaf photosynthesis, cell ultrastructure, or plant growth. Genetic crossing the same RNAi-bsd2 alleles into wild-type tobacco however impaired L8 S8 Rubisco production and plant growth, indicating the only critical function of BSD2 is in Rubisco biogenesis. Agrobacterium mediated transient expression of tobacco, Arabidopsis, or maize BSD2 reinstated Rubisco biogenesis in BSD2-silenced tobacco. Overexpressing BSD2 in tobacco chloroplasts however did not alter Rubisco content, activation status, leaf photosynthesis rate, or plant growth in the field or in the glasshouse at 20°C or 35°C. Our findings indicate BSD2 functions exclusively in Rubisco biogenesis, can efficiently facilitate heterologous plant Rubisco assembly, and is produced in amounts nonlimiting to tobacco growth.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brendon Conlan
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Rosemary Birch
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Celine Kelso
- School of Chemistry, Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sophie Holland
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Amanda P De Souza
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Stephen P Long
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Jennifer L Beck
- School of Chemistry, Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Spencer M Whitney
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Hu G, Li Y, Ye C, Liu L, Chen X. Engineering Microorganisms for Enhanced CO 2 Sequestration. Trends Biotechnol 2018; 37:532-547. [PMID: 30447878 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2018.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Revised: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Microbial CO2 sequestration not only provides a green and sustainable approach for ameliorating global warming but also simultaneously produces biofuels and chemicals. However, the efficiency of microbial CO2 fixation is still very low. In addition, concomitant microbial CO2 emission decreases the carbon yield of desired chemicals. To address these issues, strategies including engineering CO2-fixing pathways and energy-harvesting systems have been developed to improve the efficiency of CO2 fixation in autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms. Furthermore, metabolic pathways and energy metabolism can be rewired to reduce microbial CO2 emissions and increase the carbon yield of value-added products. This review highlights the potential of biotechnology to promote microbial CO2 sequestration and provides guidance for the broader use of microorganisms as attractive carbon sinks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guipeng Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; http://www.fmme.cn/
| | - Yin Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Chao Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; http://www.fmme.cn/
| | - Liming Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; National Engineering Laboratory for Cereal Fermentation Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; http://www.fmme.cn/
| | - Xiulai Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; http://www.fmme.cn/.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
|
31
|
Chen X, Cao Y, Li F, Tian Y, Song H. Enzyme-Assisted Microbial Electrosynthesis of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) via CO2 Bioreduction by Engineered Ralstonia eutropha. ACS Catal 2018. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.8b00226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Chen
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yingxiu Cao
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Feng Li
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yao Tian
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hao Song
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People’s Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Abstract
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), a ∼530 kDa complex of 8 large (RbcL) and 8 small subunits (RbcS), mediates the fixation of atmospheric CO2 into usable sugars during photosynthesis. Despite its fundamental role, Rubisco is a remarkably inefficient enzyme and thus is produced by plants in huge amounts. It has long been a key target for bioengineering with the goal to increase crop yields. However, such efforts have been hampered by the complex requirement of Rubisco biogenesis for molecular chaperones. Recent studies have identified an array of auxiliary factors needed for the folding and assembly of the Rubisco subunits. The folding of plant RbcL subunits is mediated by the cylindrical chloroplast chaperonin, Cpn60, and its cofactor Cpn20. Folded RbcL requires a number of additional Rubisco specific assembly chaperones, including RbcX, Rubisco accumulation factors 1 (Raf1) and 2 (Raf2), and the Bundle sheath defective-2 (BSD2), to mediate the assembly of the RbcL8 intermediate complex. Incorporation of the RbcS and displacement of the assembly factors generates the active holoenzyme. An Escherichia coli strain expressing the chloroplast chaperonin and auxiliary factors now allows the expression of functional plant Rubisco, paving the way for Rubisco engineering by large scale mutagenesis. Here, we review our current understanding on how these chaperones cooperate to produce one of the most important enzymes in nature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert H Wilson
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry , Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry , Am Klopferspitz 18 , 82152 Martinsried , Germany
| | - Manajit Hayer-Hartl
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry , Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry , Am Klopferspitz 18 , 82152 Martinsried , Germany
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Gomez-Fernandez BJ, Garcia-Ruiz E, Martin-Diaz J, Gomez de Santos P, Santos-Moriano P, Plou FJ, Ballesteros A, Garcia M, Rodriguez M, Risso VA, Sanchez-Ruiz JM, Whitney SM, Alcalde M. Directed -in vitro- evolution of Precambrian and extant Rubiscos. Sci Rep 2018; 8:5532. [PMID: 29615759 PMCID: PMC5883036 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-23869-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Rubisco is an ancient, catalytically conserved yet slow enzyme, which plays a central role in the biosphere's carbon cycle. The design of Rubiscos to increase agricultural productivity has hitherto relied on the use of in vivo selection systems, precluding the exploration of biochemical traits that are not wired to cell survival. We present a directed -in vitro- evolution platform that extracts the enzyme from its biological context to provide a new avenue for Rubisco engineering. Precambrian and extant form II Rubiscos were subjected to an ensemble of directed evolution strategies aimed at improving thermostability. The most recent ancestor of proteobacteria -dating back 2.4 billion years- was uniquely tolerant to mutagenic loading. Adaptive evolution, focused evolution and genetic drift revealed a panel of thermostable mutants, some deviating from the characteristic trade-offs in CO2-fixing speed and specificity. Our findings provide a novel approach for identifying Rubisco variants with improved catalytic evolution potential.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Eva Garcia-Ruiz
- Department of Biocatalysis, Institute of Catalysis, CSIC, Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Martin-Diaz
- Department of Biocatalysis, Institute of Catalysis, CSIC, Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Paloma Santos-Moriano
- Department of Biocatalysis, Institute of Catalysis, CSIC, Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco J Plou
- Department of Biocatalysis, Institute of Catalysis, CSIC, Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Ballesteros
- Department of Biocatalysis, Institute of Catalysis, CSIC, Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Monica Garcia
- División de Tecnología Química y Nuevas Energías, Centro del Tecnología Química, Repsol S.A, 28935, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Marisa Rodriguez
- División de Tecnología Química y Nuevas Energías, Centro del Tecnología Química, Repsol S.A, 28935, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Valeria A Risso
- Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Química Física, Universidad de Granada, 18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Jose M Sanchez-Ruiz
- Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Química Física, Universidad de Granada, 18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Spencer M Whitney
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, 2601, Australia
| | - Miguel Alcalde
- Department of Biocatalysis, Institute of Catalysis, CSIC, Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Vitlin Gruber A, Feiz L. Rubisco Assembly in the Chloroplast. Front Mol Biosci 2018; 5:24. [PMID: 29594130 PMCID: PMC5859369 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2018.00024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the Calvin-Benson cycle, which transforms atmospheric carbon into a biologically useful carbon source. The slow catalytic rate of Rubisco and low substrate specificity necessitate the production of high levels of this enzyme. In order to engineer a more efficient plant Rubisco, we need to better understand its folding and assembly process. Form I Rubisco, found in green algae and vascular plants, is a hexadecamer composed of 8 large subunits (RbcL), encoded by the chloroplast genome and 8 small, nuclear-encoded subunits (RbcS). Unlike its cyanobacterial homolog, which can be reconstituted in vitro or in E. coli, assisted by bacterial chaperonins (GroEL-GroES) and the RbcX chaperone, biogenesis of functional chloroplast Rubisco requires Cpn60-Cpn20, the chloroplast homologs of GroEL-GroES, and additional auxiliary factors, including Rubisco accumulation factor 1 (Raf1), Rubisco accumulation factor 2 (Raf2) and Bundle sheath defective 2 (Bsd2). The discovery and characterization of these factors paved the way for Arabidopsis Rubisco assembly in E. coli. In the present review, we discuss the uniqueness of hetero-oligomeric chaperonin complex for RbcL folding, as well as the sequential or concurrent actions of the post-chaperonin chaperones in holoenzyme assembly. The exact stages at which each assembly factor functions are yet to be determined. Expression of Arabidopsis Rubisco in E. coli provided some insight regarding the potential roles for Raf1 and RbcX in facilitating RbcL oligomerization, for Bsd2 in stabilizing the oligomeric core prior to holoenzyme assembly, and for Raf2 in interacting with both RbcL and RbcS. In the long term, functional characterization of each known factor along with the potential discovery and characterization of additional factors will set the stage for designing more efficient plants, with a greater biomass, for use in biofuels and sustenance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Vitlin Gruber
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Leila Feiz
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Emerging platforms for co-utilization of one-carbon substrates by photosynthetic organisms. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2018; 53:201-208. [PMID: 29510332 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2018.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Revised: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
One-carbon substrates have generated increasing attention as long-term sustainable feedstocks for biobased production of fuels and chemicals. However, their physicochemical properties present significant biological and operational challenges for commercial bioprocesses including kinetically slower substrate activation, high energetic cost of assimilation, low mass transfer, substrate toxicity, and low productivity titers. Several different routes including optimization of native pathways, synthetic pathways, and hybrid methods are being explored to overcome these challenges. Integration of emerging biological solutions with process improvements is enabling faster bioprocess development for cost-effective conversion of one-carbon substrates into fuels and chemicals.
Collapse
|
36
|
Liu D, Ramya RCS, Mueller-Cajar O. Surveying the expanding prokaryotic Rubisco multiverse. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2018; 364:3983162. [PMID: 28854711 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnx156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The universal, but catalytically modest, CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco is currently experiencing intense interest by researchers aiming to enhance crop photosynthesis. These efforts are mostly focused on the highly conserved hexadecameric enzyme found in land plants. In comparison, prokaryotic organisms harbor a far greater diversity in Rubisco forms. Recent work towards improving our appreciation of microbial Rubisco properties and harnessing their potential is surveyed. New structural models are providing informative glimpses into catalytic subtleties and diverse oligomeric states. Ongoing characterization is informing us about the conservation of constraints, such as sugar phosphate inhibition and the associated dependence on Rubisco activase helper proteins. Prokaryotic Rubiscos operate under a far wider range of metabolic contexts than the photosynthetic function of higher plant enzymes. Relaxed selection pressures may have resulted in the exploration of a larger volume of sequence space than permitted in organisms performing oxygenic photosynthesis. To tap into the potential of microbial Rubiscos, in vivo selection systems are being used to discover functional metagenomic Rubiscos. Various directed evolution systems to optimize their function have been developed. It is anticipated that this approach will provide access to biotechnologically valuable enzymes that cannot be encountered in the higher plant Rubisco space.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Di Liu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | | | - Oliver Mueller-Cajar
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Wilson RH, Martin-Avila E, Conlan C, Whitney SM. An improved Escherichia coli screen for Rubisco identifies a protein-protein interface that can enhance CO 2-fixation kinetics. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:18-27. [PMID: 28986448 PMCID: PMC5766918 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.810861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
An overarching goal of photosynthesis research is to identify how components of the process can be improved to benefit crop productivity, global food security, and renewable energy storage. Improving carbon fixation has mostly focused on enhancing the CO2 fixing enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco). This grand challenge has mostly proved ineffective because of catalytic mechanism constraints and required chaperone complementarity that hinder Rubisco biogenesis in alternative hosts. Here we refashion Escherichia coli metabolism by expressing a phosphoribulokinase-neomycin phosphotransferase fusion protein to produce a high-fidelity, high-throughput Rubisco-directed evolution (RDE2) screen that negates false-positive selection. Successive evolution rounds using the plant-like Te-Rubisco from the cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP1 identified two large subunit and six small subunit mutations that improved carboxylation rate, efficiency, and specificity. Structural analysis revealed the amino acids clustered in an unexplored subunit interface of the holoenzyme. To study its effect on plant growth, the Te-Rubisco was transformed into tobacco by chloroplast transformation. As previously seen for Synechocccus PCC6301 Rubisco, the specialized folding and assembly requirements of Te-Rubisco hinder its heterologous expression in leaf chloroplasts. Our findings suggest that the ongoing efforts to improve crop photosynthesis by integrating components of a cyanobacteria CO2-concentrating mechanism will necessitate co-introduction of the ancillary molecular components required for Rubisco biogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert H Wilson
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Elena Martin-Avila
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Carly Conlan
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Spencer M Whitney
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Zhou J, Meng H, Zhang W, Li Y. Production of Industrial Chemicals from CO 2 by Engineering Cyanobacteria. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2018; 1080:97-116. [PMID: 30091093 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-0854-3_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
As photosynthetic prokaryotes, cyanobacteria can directly convert CO2 to organic compounds and grow rapidly using sunlight as the sole source of energy. The direct biosynthesis of chemicals from CO2 and sunlight in cyanobacteria is therefore theoretically more attractive than using glucose as carbon source in heterotrophic bacteria. To date, more than 20 different target chemicals have been synthesized from CO2 in cyanobacteria. However, the yield and productivity of the constructed strains is about 100-fold lower than what can be obtained using heterotrophic bacteria, and only a few products reached the gram level. The main bottleneck in optimizing cyanobacterial cell factories is the relative complexity of the metabolism of photoautotrophic bacteria. In heterotrophic bacteria, energy metabolism is integrated with the carbon metabolism, so that glucose can provide both energy and carbon for the synthesis of target chemicals. By contrast, the energy and carbon metabolism of cyanobacteria are separated. First, solar energy is converted into chemical energy and reducing power via the light reactions of photosynthesis. Subsequently, CO2 is reduced to organic compounds using this chemical energy and reducing power. Finally, the reduced CO2 provides the carbon source and chemical energy for the synthesis of target chemicals and cell growth. Consequently, the unique nature of the cyanobacterial energy and carbon metabolism determines the specific metabolic engineering strategies required for these organisms. In this chapter, we will describe the specific characteristics of cyanobacteria regarding their metabolism of carbon and energy, summarize and analyze the specific strategies for the production of chemicals in cyanobacteria, and propose metabolic engineering strategies which may be most suitable for cyanobacteria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hengkai Meng
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Yin Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Antonovsky N, Gleizer S, Milo R. Engineering carbon fixation in E. coli : from heterologous RuBisCO expression to the Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2017; 47:83-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2017.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
40
|
Ogbaga CC, Stepien P, Athar HUR, Ashraf M. Engineering Rubisco activase from thermophilic cyanobacteria into high-temperature sensitive plants. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2017; 38:559-572. [DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2017.1378998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chukwuma C. Ogbaga
- Department of Biological Sciences, Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Piotr Stepien
- Department of Plant Nutrition, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Habib-Ur-Rehman Athar
- Institute of Pure and Applied Biology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan
| | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Satagopan S, Sun Y, Parquette JR, Tabita FR. Synthetic CO 2-fixation enzyme cascades immobilized on self-assembled nanostructures that enhance CO 2/O 2 selectivity of RubisCO. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2017; 10:175. [PMID: 28694846 PMCID: PMC5501267 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-017-0861-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND With increasing concerns over global warming and depletion of fossil-fuel reserves, it is attractive to develop innovative strategies to assimilate CO2, a greenhouse gas, into usable organic carbon. Cell-free systems can be designed to operate as catalytic platforms with enzymes that offer exceptional selectivity and efficiency, without the need to support ancillary reactions of metabolic pathways operating in intact cells. Such systems are yet to be exploited for applications involving CO2 utilization and subsequent conversion to valuable products, including biofuels. The Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle and the enzyme ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) play a pivotal role in global CO2 fixation. RESULTS We hereby demonstrate the co-assembly of two RubisCO-associated multienzyme cascades with self-assembled synthetic amphiphilic peptide nanostructures. The immobilized enzyme cascades sequentially convert either ribose-5-phosphate (R-5-P) or glucose, a simpler substrate, to ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP), the acceptor for incoming CO2 in the carboxylation reaction catalyzed by RubisCO. Protection from proteolytic degradation was observed in nanostructures associated with the small dimeric form of RubisCO and ancillary enzymes. Furthermore, nanostructures associated with a larger variant of RubisCO resulted in a significant enhancement of the enzyme's selectivity towards CO2, without adversely affecting the catalytic activity. CONCLUSIONS The ability to assemble a cascade of enzymes for CO2 capture using self-assembling nanostructure scaffolds with functional enhancements show promise for potentially engineering entire pathways (with RubisCO or other CO2-fixing enzymes) to redirect carbon from industrial effluents into useful bioproducts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sriram Satagopan
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, 484 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1292 USA
| | - Yuan Sun
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, 100 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1185 USA
| | - Jon R. Parquette
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, 100 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1185 USA
| | - F. Robert Tabita
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, 484 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1292 USA
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Mueller-Cajar O. The Diverse AAA+ Machines that Repair Inhibited Rubisco Active Sites. Front Mol Biosci 2017; 4:31. [PMID: 28580359 PMCID: PMC5437159 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2017.00031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Gaseous carbon dioxide enters the biosphere almost exclusively via the active site of the enzyme ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco). This highly conserved catalyst has an almost universal propensity to non-productively interact with its substrate ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate, leading to the formation of dead-end inhibited complexes. In diverse autotrophic organisms this tendency has been counteracted by the recruitment of dedicated AAA+ (ATPases associated with various cellular activities) proteins that all use the energy of ATP hydrolysis to remodel inhibited Rubisco active sites leading to release of the inhibitor. Three evolutionarily distinct classes of these Rubisco activases (Rcas) have been discovered so far. Green and red-type Rca are mostly found in photosynthetic eukaryotes of the green and red plastid lineage respectively, whereas CbbQO is associated with chemoautotrophic bacteria. Ongoing mechanistic studies are elucidating how the various motors are utilizing both similar and contrasting strategies to ultimately perform their common function of cracking the inhibited Rubisco active site. The best studied mechanism utilized by red-type Rca appears to involve transient threading of the Rubisco large subunit C-terminal peptide, reminiscent of the action performed by Clp proteases. As well as providing a fascinating example of convergent molecular evolution, Rca proteins can be considered promising crop-improvement targets. Approaches aiming to replace Rubisco in plants with improved enzymes will need to ensure the presence of a compatible Rca protein. The thermolability of the Rca protein found in crop plants provides an opportunity to fortify photosynthesis against high temperature stress. Photosynthesis also appears to be limited by Rca when light conditions are fluctuating. Synthetic biology strategies aiming to enhance the autotrophic CO2 fixation machinery will need to take into consideration the requirement for Rubisco activases as well as their properties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Mueller-Cajar
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological UniversitySingapore, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Bracher A, Whitney SM, Hartl FU, Hayer-Hartl M. Biogenesis and Metabolic Maintenance of Rubisco. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2017; 68:29-60. [PMID: 28125284 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-043015-111633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) mediates the fixation of atmospheric CO2 in photosynthesis by catalyzing the carboxylation of the 5-carbon sugar ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP). Rubisco is a remarkably inefficient enzyme, fixing only 2-10 CO2 molecules per second. Efforts to increase crop yields by bioengineering Rubisco remain unsuccessful, owing in part to the complex cellular machinery required for Rubisco biogenesis and metabolic maintenance. The large subunit of Rubisco requires the chaperonin system for folding, and recent studies have shown that assembly of hexadecameric Rubisco is mediated by specific assembly chaperones. Moreover, Rubisco function can be inhibited by a range of sugar-phosphate ligands, including RuBP. Metabolic repair depends on remodeling of Rubisco by the ATP-dependent Rubisco activase and hydrolysis of inhibitory sugar phosphates by specific phosphatases. Here, we review our present understanding of the structure and function of these auxiliary factors and their utilization in efforts to engineer more catalytically efficient Rubisco enzymes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Bracher
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany ; , ,
| | - Spencer M Whitney
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia;
| | - F Ulrich Hartl
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany ; , ,
| | - Manajit Hayer-Hartl
- Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany ; , ,
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Wachter RM. A peptide adhesive molded by magnesium glues Rubisco's subunits together. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:6851-6852. [PMID: 28432177 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.h116.767145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Rubisco enzymes play central roles in carbon fixation, with potential importance in biotechnology, but have eluded a full description of their multistep assembly and function. A new article describes the fascinating discovery that some archaeal Rubiscos contain a built-in assembly domain inserted into an otherwise canonical Rubisco fold, providing a tremendous expansion of our understanding of the diversity of naturally occurring Rubiscos.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rebekka M Wachter
- From the School of Molecular Sciences and Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Jiao L, Zhang Y, Lu J. Overexpression of a stress-responsive U-box protein gene VaPUB affects the accumulation of resistance related proteins in Vitis vinifera 'Thompson Seedless'. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2017; 112:53-63. [PMID: 28039816 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2016.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2016] [Revised: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Many U-box proteins have been identified and characterized as important factors against environmental stresses such as chilling, heat, salinity and pathogen attack in plant. Our previous research reported the cloning of a novel U-box protein gene VaPUB from Vitis amurensis 'Zuoshanyi' grape and suggested a function of it in related to cold stress in the model plant Arabidopsis system. In this study, the role of VaPUB in response to biotic and abiotic stress was further analyzed in the homologous grapevine system by studying the transcript regulation and the protein accumulation in VaPUB transgenic vines. The expression analysis assay shown that VaPUB was significantly up-regulated 6 h after cold treatment and as early as 2 h post inoculation with Plasmopara viticola, a pathogen causing downy mildew disease in grapevine. Over-expressing VaPUB in V. Vinifera 'Thompson Seedless' affected the microstructure of leaves. The proteome assay shown that the accumulation of pathogenesis-related protein PR10 and many proteins involved in carbon and energy metabolism, oxidation reaction and protein metabolism were significantly altered in transgenic vines. In comparison with wild type plants, the expression level of PR10 family genes was significantly decreased in VaPUB transgenic vines under P. viticola treatment or cold stress. Results from this study showed that the U-box protein gene PUB quickly responded to both biotic stress and abiotic stress and significantly influenced the accumulation of resistance related proteins in grapevine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Li Jiao
- The Viticulture and Enology Program, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China; Center for Viticulture and Enology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai JiaoTong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Yali Zhang
- The Viticulture and Enology Program, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jiang Lu
- The Viticulture and Enology Program, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China; Center for Viticulture and Enology, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai JiaoTong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Laos AJ, Dean JC, Toa ZSD, Wilk KE, Scholes GD, Curmi PMG, Thordarson P. Cooperative Subunit Refolding of a Light‐Harvesting Protein through a Self‐Chaperone Mechanism. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201607921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alistair J. Laos
- School of Chemistry the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology The University of New South Wales Sydney 2052 NSW Australia
- School of Physics The University of New South Wales Sydney 2052 NSW Australia
| | - Jacob C. Dean
- Department of Chemistry Princeton University Princeton NJ 08544 USA
| | - Zi S. D. Toa
- Department of Chemistry Princeton University Princeton NJ 08544 USA
| | - Krystyna E. Wilk
- School of Physics The University of New South Wales Sydney 2052 NSW Australia
| | | | - Paul M. G. Curmi
- School of Physics The University of New South Wales Sydney 2052 NSW Australia
| | - Pall Thordarson
- School of Chemistry the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology The University of New South Wales Sydney 2052 NSW Australia
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Gunn LH, Valegård K, Andersson I. A unique structural domain in Methanococcoides burtonii ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) acts as a small subunit mimic. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:6838-6850. [PMID: 28154188 PMCID: PMC5399129 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.767145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2016] [Revised: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The catalytic inefficiencies of the CO2-fixing enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) often limit plant productivity. Strategies to engineer more efficient plant Rubiscos have been hampered by evolutionary constraints, prompting interest in Rubisco isoforms from non-photosynthetic organisms. The methanogenic archaeon Methanococcoides burtonii contains a Rubisco isoform that functions to scavenge the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) by-product of purine/pyrimidine metabolism. The crystal structure of M. burtonii Rubisco (MbR) presented here at 2.6 Å resolution is composed of catalytic large subunits (LSu) assembled into pentamers of dimers, (L2)5, and differs from Rubiscos from higher plants where LSus are glued together by small subunits (SSu) into hexadecameric L8S8 enzymes. MbR contains a unique 29-amino acid insertion near the C terminus, which folds as a separate domain in the structure. This domain, which is visualized for the first time in this study, is located in a similar position to SSus in L8S8 enzymes between LSus of adjacent L2 dimers, where negatively charged residues coordinate around a Mg2+ ion in a fashion that suggests this domain may be important for the assembly process. The Rubisco assembly domain is thus an inbuilt SSu mimic that concentrates L2 dimers. MbR assembly is ligand-stimulated, and we show that only 6-carbon molecules with a particular stereochemistry at the C3 carbon can induce oligomerization. Based on MbR structure, subunit arrangement, sequence, phylogenetic distribution, and function, MbR and a subset of Rubiscos from the Methanosarcinales order are proposed to belong to a new Rubisco subgroup, named form IIIB.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura H Gunn
- From the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, S-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Karin Valegård
- From the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, S-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Inger Andersson
- From the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, S-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Laos AJ, Dean JC, Toa ZSD, Wilk KE, Scholes GD, Curmi PMG, Thordarson P. Cooperative Subunit Refolding of a Light‐Harvesting Protein through a Self‐Chaperone Mechanism. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2017; 56:8384-8388. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201607921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Revised: 01/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alistair J. Laos
- School of Chemistry the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology The University of New South Wales Sydney 2052 NSW Australia
- School of Physics The University of New South Wales Sydney 2052 NSW Australia
| | - Jacob C. Dean
- Department of Chemistry Princeton University Princeton NJ 08544 USA
| | - Zi S. D. Toa
- Department of Chemistry Princeton University Princeton NJ 08544 USA
| | - Krystyna E. Wilk
- School of Physics The University of New South Wales Sydney 2052 NSW Australia
| | | | - Paul M. G. Curmi
- School of Physics The University of New South Wales Sydney 2052 NSW Australia
| | - Pall Thordarson
- School of Chemistry the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology The University of New South Wales Sydney 2052 NSW Australia
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Niinemets Ü, Berry JA, von Caemmerer S, Ort DR, Parry MAJ, Poorter H. Photosynthesis: ancient, essential, complex, diverse … and in need of improvement in a changing world. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 213:43-47. [PMID: 27891642 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ülo Niinemets
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 1, Tartu, 51014, Estonia
- Estonian Academy of Sciences, Kohtu 6, Tallinn, 10130, Estonia
| | - Joseph A Berry
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 260 Panama St, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Susanne von Caemmerer
- Plant Science Division, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia
| | - Donald R Ort
- USDA Agricultural Research Service & Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Martin A J Parry
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Hendrik Poorter
- Plant Sciences (IBG-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, 52425, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Claassens NJ. A warm welcome for alternative CO 2 fixation pathways in microbial biotechnology. Microb Biotechnol 2017; 10:31-34. [PMID: 27873465 PMCID: PMC5270723 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.12456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nico J. Claassens
- Laboratory of MicrobiologyWageningen UniversityStippeneng 46708 WEWageningenThe Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|