1
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Song Y, Prather KLJ. Strategies in engineering sustainable biochemical synthesis through microbial systems. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2024; 81:102493. [PMID: 38971129 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.102493] [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: 04/16/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
Growing environmental concerns and the urgency to address climate change have increased demand for the development of sustainable alternatives to fossil-derived fuels and chemicals. Microbial systems, possessing inherent biosynthetic capabilities, present a promising approach for achieving this goal. This review discusses the coupling of systems and synthetic biology to enable the elucidation and manipulation of microbial phenotypes for the production of chemicals that can substitute for petroleum-derived counterparts and contribute to advancing green biotechnology. The integration of artificial intelligence with metabolic engineering to facilitate precise and data-driven design of biosynthetic pathways is also discussed, along with the identification of current limitations and proposition of strategies for optimizing biosystems, thereby propelling the field of chemical biology towards sustainable chemical production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoseb Song
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kristala L J Prather
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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2
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Nowrouzi B, Torres-Montero P, Kerkhoven EJ, Martínez JL, Rios-Solis L. Rewiring Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolism for optimised Taxol® precursors production. Metab Eng Commun 2024; 18:e00229. [PMID: 38098801 PMCID: PMC10716015 DOI: 10.1016/j.mec.2023.e00229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been conveniently used to produce Taxol® anticancer drug early precursors. However, the harmful impact of oxidative stress by the first cytochrome P450-reductase enzymes (CYP725A4-POR) of Taxol® pathway has hampered sufficient progress in yeast. Here, we evolved an oxidative stress-resistant yeast strain with three-fold higher titre of their substrate, taxadiene. The performance of the evolved and parent strains were then evaluated in galactose-limited chemostats before and under the oxidative stress by an oxidising agent. The interaction of evolution and oxidative stress was comprehensively evaluated through transcriptomics and metabolite profiles integration in yeast enzyme-constrained genome scale model. Overall, the evolved strain showed improved respiration, reduced overflow metabolites production and oxidative stress re-induction tolerance. The cross-protection mechanism also potentially contributed to better heme, flavin and NADPH availability, essential for CYP725A4 and POR optimal activity in yeast. The results imply that the evolved strain is a robust cell factory for future efforts towards Taxol© production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behnaz Nowrouzi
- Institute for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, United Kingdom
- Centre for Engineering Biology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3BD, United Kingdom
- Department of Life Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, Kemivägen 10, SE-412 96, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads Building 223, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
| | - Pablo Torres-Montero
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads Building 223, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
| | - Eduard J. Kerkhoven
- Department of Life Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, Kemivägen 10, SE-412 96, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- SciLifeLab, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - José L. Martínez
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads Building 223, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
| | - Leonardo Rios-Solis
- Institute for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, United Kingdom
- Centre for Engineering Biology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3BD, United Kingdom
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Division, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, The Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
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3
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Wang R, Su Y, Yang W, Zhang H, Wang J, Gao W. Enhanced precision and efficiency in metabolic regulation: Compartmentalized metabolic engineering. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 402:130786. [PMID: 38703958 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
Metabolic engineering has witnessed remarkable advancements, enabling successful large-scale, cost-effective and efficient production of numerous compounds. However, the predominant expression of heterologous genes in the cytoplasm poses limitations, such as low substrate concentration, metabolic competition and product toxicity. To overcome these challenges, compartmentalized metabolic engineering allows the spatial separation of metabolic pathways for the efficient and precise production of target compounds. Compartmentalized metabolic engineering and its common strategies are comprehensively described in this study, where various membranous compartments and membraneless compartments have been used for compartmentalization and constructive progress has been made. Additionally, the challenges and future directions are discussed in depth. This review is dedicated to providing compartmentalized, precise and efficient methods for metabolic production, and provides valuable guidance for further development in the field of metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubing Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yaowu Su
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Wenqi Yang
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Huanyu Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Juan Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
| | - Wenyuan Gao
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
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4
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Nguyen V, Li Y, Lu T. Emergence of Orchestrated and Dynamic Metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:1442-1453. [PMID: 38657170 PMCID: PMC11103795 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00542] [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] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Microbial metabolism is a fundamental cellular process that involves many biochemical events and is distinguished by its emergent properties. While the molecular details of individual reactions have been increasingly elucidated, it is not well understood how these reactions are quantitatively orchestrated to produce collective cellular behaviors. Here we developed a coarse-grained, systems, and dynamic mathematical framework, which integrates metabolic reactions with signal transduction and gene regulation to dissect the emergent metabolic traits of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our framework mechanistically captures a set of characteristic cellular behaviors, including the Crabtree effect, diauxic shift, diauxic lag time, and differential growth under nutrient-altered environments. It also allows modular expansion for zooming in on specific pathways for detailed metabolic profiles. This study provides a systems mathematical framework for yeast metabolic behaviors, providing insights into yeast physiology and metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Nguyen
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Yifei Li
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Ting Lu
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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5
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Turanli B, Gulfidan G, Aydogan OO, Kula C, Selvaraj G, Arga KY. Genome-scale metabolic models in translational medicine: the current status and potential of machine learning in improving the effectiveness of the models. Mol Omics 2024; 20:234-247. [PMID: 38444371 DOI: 10.1039/d3mo00152k] [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: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
The genome-scale metabolic model (GEM) has emerged as one of the leading modeling approaches for systems-level metabolic studies and has been widely explored for a broad range of organisms and applications. Owing to the development of genome sequencing technologies and available biochemical data, it is possible to reconstruct GEMs for model and non-model microorganisms as well as for multicellular organisms such as humans and animal models. GEMs will evolve in parallel with the availability of biological data, new mathematical modeling techniques and the development of automated GEM reconstruction tools. The use of high-quality, context-specific GEMs, a subset of the original GEM in which inactive reactions are removed while maintaining metabolic functions in the extracted model, for model organisms along with machine learning (ML) techniques could increase their applications and effectiveness in translational research in the near future. Here, we briefly review the current state of GEMs, discuss the potential contributions of ML approaches for more efficient and frequent application of these models in translational research, and explore the extension of GEMs to integrative cellular models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beste Turanli
- Marmara University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Bioengineering, Istanbul, Turkey.
- Health Biotechnology Joint Research and Application Center of Excellence, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Gizem Gulfidan
- Marmara University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Bioengineering, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Ozge Onluturk Aydogan
- Marmara University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Bioengineering, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Ceyda Kula
- Marmara University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Bioengineering, Istanbul, Turkey.
- Health Biotechnology Joint Research and Application Center of Excellence, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Gurudeeban Selvaraj
- Concordia University, Centre for Research in Molecular Modeling & Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Quebec, Canada
- Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Department of Biomaterials, Bioinformatics Unit, Chennai, India
| | - Kazim Yalcin Arga
- Marmara University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Bioengineering, Istanbul, Turkey.
- Health Biotechnology Joint Research and Application Center of Excellence, Istanbul, Turkey
- Marmara University, Genetic and Metabolic Diseases Research and Investigation Center, Istanbul, Turkey
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6
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Berkvens A, Salinas L, Remeijer M, Planqué R, Teusink B, Bruggeman FJ. Understanding and computational design of genetic circuits of metabolic networks. Essays Biochem 2024; 68:41-51. [PMID: 38662439 PMCID: PMC11065555 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20230045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
The expression of metabolic proteins is controlled by genetic circuits, matching metabolic demands and changing environmental conditions. Ideally, this regulation brings about a competitive level of metabolic fitness. Understanding how cells can achieve a robust (close-to-optimal) functioning of metabolism by appropriate control of gene expression aids synthetic biology by providing design criteria of synthetic circuits for biotechnological purposes. It also extends our understanding of the designs of genetic circuitry found in nature such as metabolite control of transcription factor activity, promoter architectures and transcription factor dependencies, and operon composition (in bacteria). Here, we review, explain and illustrate an approach that allows for the inference and design of genetic circuitry that steers metabolic networks to achieve a maximal flux per unit invested protein across dynamic conditions. We discuss how this approach and its understanding can be used to rationalize Escherichia coli's strategy to regulate the expression of its ribosomes and infer the design of circuitry controlling gene expression of amino-acid biosynthesis enzymes. The inferred regulation indeed resembles E. coli's circuits, suggesting that these have evolved to maximize amino-acid production fluxes per unit invested protein. We end by an outlook of the use of this approach in metabolic engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Berkvens
- Systems Biology Lab, A-LIFE, AIMMS, VU University, Amsterdam, NL
| | - Luis Salinas
- Systems Biology Lab, A-LIFE, AIMMS, VU University, Amsterdam, NL
| | - Maaike Remeijer
- Systems Biology Lab, A-LIFE, AIMMS, VU University, Amsterdam, NL
| | - Robert Planqué
- Department of Mathematics, Amsterdam Center for Dynamics and Computation, VU University, Amsterdam, NL
| | - Bas Teusink
- Systems Biology Lab, A-LIFE, AIMMS, VU University, Amsterdam, NL
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7
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Castle SD, Stock M, Gorochowski TE. Engineering is evolution: a perspective on design processes to engineer biology. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3640. [PMID: 38684714 PMCID: PMC11059173 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48000-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Careful consideration of how we approach design is crucial to all areas of biotechnology. However, choosing or developing an effective design methodology is not always easy as biology, unlike most areas of engineering, is able to adapt and evolve. Here, we put forward that design and evolution follow a similar cyclic process and therefore all design methods, including traditional design, directed evolution, and even random trial and error, exist within an evolutionary design spectrum. This contrasts with conventional views that often place these methods at odds and provides a valuable framework for unifying engineering approaches for challenging biological design problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeon D Castle
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, UK.
| | - Michiel Stock
- KERMIT, Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modelling, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Thomas E Gorochowski
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, UK.
- BrisEngBio, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol, UK.
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8
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Shen Y, Dinh HV, Cruz ER, Chen Z, Bartman CR, Xiao T, Call CM, Ryseck RP, Pratas J, Weilandt D, Baron H, Subramanian A, Fatma Z, Wu ZY, Dwaraknath S, Hendry JI, Tran VG, Yang L, Yoshikuni Y, Zhao H, Maranas CD, Wühr M, Rabinowitz JD. Mitochondrial ATP generation is more proteome efficient than glycolysis. Nat Chem Biol 2024:10.1038/s41589-024-01571-y. [PMID: 38448734 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-024-01571-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Metabolic efficiency profoundly influences organismal fitness. Nonphotosynthetic organisms, from yeast to mammals, derive usable energy primarily through glycolysis and respiration. Although respiration is more energy efficient, some cells favor glycolysis even when oxygen is available (aerobic glycolysis, Warburg effect). A leading explanation is that glycolysis is more efficient in terms of ATP production per unit mass of protein (that is, faster). Through quantitative flux analysis and proteomics, we find, however, that mitochondrial respiration is actually more proteome efficient than aerobic glycolysis. This is shown across yeast strains, T cells, cancer cells, and tissues and tumors in vivo. Instead of aerobic glycolysis being valuable for fast ATP production, it correlates with high glycolytic protein expression, which promotes hypoxic growth. Aerobic glycolytic yeasts do not excel at aerobic growth but outgrow respiratory cells during oxygen limitation. We accordingly propose that aerobic glycolysis emerges from cells maintaining a proteome conducive to both aerobic and hypoxic growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihui Shen
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Hoang V Dinh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Edward R Cruz
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Zihong Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Princeton Branch, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Caroline R Bartman
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Princeton Branch, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Tianxia Xiao
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Catherine M Call
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Rolf-Peter Ryseck
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Jimmy Pratas
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Daniel Weilandt
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Heide Baron
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Arjuna Subramanian
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Zia Fatma
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Zong-Yen Wu
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute and Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Sudharsan Dwaraknath
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute and Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - John I Hendry
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Vinh G Tran
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Lifeng Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Yasuo Yoshikuni
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute and Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Huimin Zhao
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Costas D Maranas
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Martin Wühr
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
| | - Joshua D Rabinowitz
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Princeton Branch, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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9
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Baghdassarian HM, Lewis NE. Resource allocation in mammalian systems. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 71:108305. [PMID: 38215956 PMCID: PMC11182366 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108305] [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: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Cells execute biological functions to support phenotypes such as growth, migration, and secretion. Complementarily, each function of a cell has resource costs that constrain phenotype. Resource allocation by a cell allows it to manage these costs and optimize their phenotypes. In fact, the management of resource constraints (e.g., nutrient availability, bioenergetic capacity, and macromolecular machinery production) shape activity and ultimately impact phenotype. In mammalian systems, quantification of resource allocation provides important insights into higher-order multicellular functions; it shapes intercellular interactions and relays environmental cues for tissues to coordinate individual cells to overcome resource constraints and achieve population-level behavior. Furthermore, these constraints, objectives, and phenotypes are context-dependent, with cells adapting their behavior according to their microenvironment, resulting in distinct steady-states. This review will highlight the biological insights gained from probing resource allocation in mammalian cells and tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hratch M Baghdassarian
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Nathan E Lewis
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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10
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Sjöberg G, Reķēna A, Fornstad M, Lahtvee PJ, van Maris AJA. Evaluation of enzyme-constrained genome-scale model through metabolic engineering of anaerobic co-production of 2,3-butanediol and glycerol by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Metab Eng 2024; 82:49-59. [PMID: 38309619 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2024.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Enzyme-constrained genome-scale models (ecGEMs) have potential to predict phenotypes in a variety of conditions, such as growth rates or carbon sources. This study investigated if ecGEMs can guide metabolic engineering efforts to swap anaerobic redox-neutral ATP-providing pathways in yeast from alcoholic fermentation to equimolar co-production of 2,3-butanediol and glycerol. With proven pathways and low product toxicity, the ecGEM solution space aligned well with observed phenotypes. Since this catabolic pathway provides only one-third of the ATP of alcoholic fermentation (2/3 versus 2 ATP per glucose), the ecGEM predicted a growth decrease from 0.36 h-1 in the reference to 0.175 h-1 in the engineered strain. However, this <3-fold decrease would require the specific glucose consumption rate to increase. Surprisingly, after the pathway swap the engineered strain immediately grew at 0.15 h-1 with a glucose consumption rate of 29 mmol (g CDW)-1 h-1, which was indeed higher than reference (23 mmol (g CDW)-1 h-1) and one of the highest reported for S. cerevisiae. The accompanying 2,3-butanediol- (15.8 mmol (g CDW)-1 h-1) and glycerol (19.6 mmol (g CDW)-1 h-1) production rates were close to predicted values. Proteomics confirmed that this increased consumption rate was facilitated by enzyme reallocation from especially ribosomes (from 25.5 to 18.5 %) towards glycolysis (from 28.7 to 43.5 %). Subsequently, 200 generations of sequential transfer did not improve growth of the engineered strain, showing the use of ecGEMs in predicting opportunity space for laboratory evolution. The observations in this study illustrate both the current potential, as well as future improvements, of ecGEMs as a tool for both metabolic engineering and laboratory evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustav Sjöberg
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alīna Reķēna
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Matilda Fornstad
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Petri-Jaan Lahtvee
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Antonius J A van Maris
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
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11
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Luzia L, Battjes J, Zwering E, Jansen D, Melkonian C, Teusink B. A fast method to distinguish between fermentative and respiratory metabolisms in single yeast cells. iScience 2024; 27:108767. [PMID: 38235328 PMCID: PMC10793178 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Saccharomyces cerevisiae adjusts its metabolism based on nutrient availability, typically transitioning from glucose fermentation to ethanol respiration as glucose becomes limiting. However, our understanding of the regulation of metabolism is largely based on population averages, whereas nutrient transitions may cause heterogeneous responses. Here we introduce iCRAFT, a method that couples the ATP Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based biosensor yAT1.03 with Antimycin A to differentiate fermentative and respiratory metabolisms in individual yeast cells. Upon Antimycin A addition, respiratory cells experienced a sharp decrease of the normalized FRET ratio, while respiro-fermentative cells showed no response. Next, we tracked changes in metabolism during the diauxic shift of a glucose pre-grown culture. Following glucose exhaustion, the entire cell population experienced a progressive rise in cytosolic ATP produced via respiration, suggesting a gradual increase in respiratory capacity. Overall, iCRAFT is a robust tool to distinguish fermentation from respiration, offering a new single-cell opportunity to study yeast metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Luzia
- Systems Biology Lab, A-LIFE, Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), VU Amsterdam, 1081HZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Julius Battjes
- Systems Biology Lab, A-LIFE, Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), VU Amsterdam, 1081HZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Emile Zwering
- Systems Biology Lab, A-LIFE, Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), VU Amsterdam, 1081HZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Derek Jansen
- Systems Biology Lab, A-LIFE, Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), VU Amsterdam, 1081HZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Chrats Melkonian
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Bioinformatics Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6700AP Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Bas Teusink
- Systems Biology Lab, A-LIFE, Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), VU Amsterdam, 1081HZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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12
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Tummler K, Klipp E. Data integration strategies for whole-cell modeling. FEMS Yeast Res 2024; 24:foae011. [PMID: 38544322 PMCID: PMC11042497 DOI: 10.1093/femsyr/foae011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Data makes the world go round-and high quality data is a prerequisite for precise models, especially for whole-cell models (WCM). Data for WCM must be reusable, contain information about the exact experimental background, and should-in its entirety-cover all relevant processes in the cell. Here, we review basic requirements to data for WCM and strategies how to combine them. As a species-specific resource, we introduce the Yeast Cell Model Data Base (YCMDB) to illustrate requirements and solutions. We discuss recent standards for data as well as for computational models including the modeling process as data to be reported. We outline strategies for constructions of WCM despite their inherent complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Tummler
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute of Biology, Theoretical Biophysics,, Invalidenstr. 42, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Edda Klipp
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute of Biology, Theoretical Biophysics,, Invalidenstr. 42, 10115 Berlin, Germany
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13
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Chew YH, Marucci L. Mechanistic Model-Driven Biodesign in Mammalian Synthetic Biology. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2774:71-84. [PMID: 38441759 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3718-0_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Mathematical modeling plays a vital role in mammalian synthetic biology by providing a framework to design and optimize design circuits and engineered bioprocesses, predict their behavior, and guide experimental design. Here, we review recent models used in the literature, considering mathematical frameworks at the molecular, cellular, and system levels. We report key challenges in the field and discuss opportunities for genome-scale models, machine learning, and cybergenetics to expand the capabilities of model-driven mammalian cell biodesign.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Hoon Chew
- School of Mathematics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Lucia Marucci
- Department of Engineering Mathematics, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
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14
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Kaizu K, Takahashi K. Technologies for whole-cell modeling: Genome-wide reconstruction of a cell in silico. Dev Growth Differ 2023; 65:554-564. [PMID: 37856476 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
With advances in high-throughput, large-scale in vivo measurement and genome modification techniques at the single-nucleotide level, there is an increasing demand for the development of new technologies for the flexible design and control of cellular systems. Computer-aided design is a powerful tool to design new cells. Whole-cell modeling aims to integrate various cellular subsystems, determine their interactions and cooperative mechanisms, and predict comprehensive cellular behaviors by computational simulations on a genome-wide scale. It has been applied to prokaryotes, yeasts, and higher eukaryotic cells, and utilized in a wide range of applications, including production of valuable substances, drug discovery, and controlled differentiation. Whole-cell modeling, consisting of several thousand elements with diverse scales and properties, requires innovative model construction, simulation, and analysis techniques. Furthermore, whole-cell modeling has been extended to multiple scales, including high-resolution modeling at the single-nucleotide and single-amino acid levels and multicellular modeling of tissues and organs. This review presents an overview of the current state of whole-cell modeling, discusses the novel computational and experimental technologies driving it, and introduces further developments toward multihierarchical modeling on a whole-genome scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazunari Kaizu
- RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Osaka, Japan
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15
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Li Z, Selim A, Kuehn S. Statistical prediction of microbial metabolic traits from genomes. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011705. [PMID: 38113208 PMCID: PMC10729968 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The metabolic activity of microbial communities is central to their role in biogeochemical cycles, human health, and biotechnology. Despite the abundance of sequencing data characterizing these consortia, it remains a serious challenge to predict microbial metabolic traits from sequencing data alone. Here we culture 96 bacterial isolates individually and assay their ability to grow on 10 distinct compounds as a sole carbon source. Using these data as well as two existing datasets, we show that statistical approaches can accurately predict bacterial carbon utilization traits from genomes. First, we show that classifiers trained on gene content can accurately predict bacterial carbon utilization phenotypes by encoding phylogenetic information. These models substantially outperform predictions made by constraint-based metabolic models automatically constructed from genomes. This result solidifies our current knowledge about the strong connection between phylogeny and metabolic traits. However, phylogeny-based predictions fail to predict traits for taxa that are phylogenetically distant from any strains in the training set. To overcome this we train improved models on gene presence/absence to predict carbon utilization traits from gene content. We show that models that predict carbon utilization traits from gene presence/absence can generalize to taxa that are phylogenetically distant from the training set either by exploiting biochemical information for feature selection or by having sufficiently large datasets. In the latter case, we provide evidence that a statistical approach can identify putatively mechanistic genes involved in metabolic traits. Our study demonstrates the potential power for predicting microbial phenotypes from genotypes using statistical approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeqian Li
- Center for the Physics of Evolving Systems, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Physics, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Ahmed Selim
- Graduate Program in Biophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Seppe Kuehn
- Center for the Physics of Evolving Systems, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
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16
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Bruggeman FJ, Teusink B, Steuer R. Trade-offs between the instantaneous growth rate and long-term fitness: Consequences for microbial physiology and predictive computational models. Bioessays 2023; 45:e2300015. [PMID: 37559168 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202300015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
Microbial systems biology has made enormous advances in relating microbial physiology to the underlying biochemistry and molecular biology. By meticulously studying model microorganisms, in particular Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, increasingly comprehensive computational models predict metabolic fluxes, protein expression, and growth. The modeling rationale is that cells are constrained by a limited pool of resources that they allocate optimally to maximize fitness. As a consequence, the expression of particular proteins is at the expense of others, causing trade-offs between cellular objectives such as instantaneous growth, stress tolerance, and capacity to adapt to new environments. While current computational models are remarkably predictive for E. coli and S. cerevisiae when grown in laboratory environments, this may not hold for other growth conditions and other microorganisms. In this contribution, we therefore discuss the relationship between the instantaneous growth rate, limited resources, and long-term fitness. We discuss uses and limitations of current computational models, in particular for rapidly changing and adverse environments, and propose to classify microbial growth strategies based on Grimes's CSR framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank J Bruggeman
- Systems Biology Lab/AIMMS, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Bas Teusink
- Systems Biology Lab/AIMMS, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ralf Steuer
- Institute for Theoretical Biology (ITB), Institute for Biology, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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17
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Doyle B, Madden LA, Pamme N, Jones HS. Immobilised-enzyme microreactors for the identification and synthesis of conjugated drug metabolites. RSC Adv 2023; 13:27696-27704. [PMID: 37727313 PMCID: PMC10506384 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra03742h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of naturally circulating drug metabolites has been a focus of interest, since these metabolites may have different therapeutic and toxicological effects compared to the parent drug. The synthesis of metabolites outside of the human body is vital in order to conduct studies into the pharmacological activities of drugs and bioactive compounds. Current synthesis methods require significant purification and separation efforts or do not provide sufficient quantities for use in pharmacology experiments. Thus, there is a need for simple methods yielding high conversions whilst bypassing the requirement for a separation. Here we have developed and optimised flow chemistry methods in glass microfluidic reactors utilising surface-immobilised enzymes for sulfonation (SULT1a1) and glucuronidation (UGT1a1). Conversion occurs in flow, the precursor and co-factor are pumped through the device, react with the immobilised enzymes and the product is then simply collected at the outlet with no separation from a complex biological matrix required. Conversion only occurred when both the correct co-factor and enzyme were present within the microfluidic system. Yields of 0.97 ± 0.26 μg were obtained from the conversion of resorufin into resorufin sulfate over 2 h with the SULT1a1 enzyme and 0.47 μg of resorufin glucuronide over 4 h for UGT1a1. This was demonstrated to be significantly more than static test tube reactions at 0.22 μg (SULT1a1) and 0.19 μg (UGT1a1) over 4 h. With scaling out and parallelising, useable quantities of hundreds of micrograms for use in pharmacology studies can be synthesised simply.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley Doyle
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Hull HU6 7RX UK
| | | | - Nicole Pamme
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Hull HU6 7RX UK
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University 106 91 Stockholm Sweden
| | - Huw S Jones
- Institute of Cancer Therapeutics, University of Bradford BD7 1DP UK
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18
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Kleijn IT, Marguerat S, Shahrezaei V. A coarse-grained resource allocation model of carbon and nitrogen metabolism in unicellular microbes. J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20230206. [PMID: 37751876 PMCID: PMC10522411 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2023.0206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Coarse-grained resource allocation models (C-GRAMs) are simple mathematical models of cell physiology, where large components of the macromolecular composition are abstracted into single entities. The dynamics and steady-state behaviour of such models provides insights on optimal allocation of cellular resources and have explained experimentally observed cellular growth laws, but current models do not account for the uptake of compound sources of carbon and nitrogen. Here, we formulate a C-GRAM with nitrogen and carbon pathways converging on biomass production, with parametrizations accounting for respirofermentative and purely respiratory growth. The model describes the effects of the uptake of sugars, ammonium and/or compound nutrients such as amino acids on the translational resource allocation towards proteome sectors that maximized the growth rate. It robustly recovers cellular growth laws including the Monod law and the ribosomal growth law. Furthermore, we show how the growth-maximizing balance between carbon uptake, recycling, and excretion depends on the nutrient environment. Lastly, we find a robust linear correlation between the ribosome fraction and the abundance of amino acid equivalents in the optimal cell, which supports the view that simple regulation of translational gene expression can enable cells to achieve an approximately optimal growth state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Istvan T. Kleijn
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Division of Breast Cancer Research, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer Research, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Samuel Marguerat
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
| | - Vahid Shahrezaei
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
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19
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Jalili M, Scharm M, Wolkenhauer O, Salehzadeh-Yazdi A. Metabolic function-based normalization improves transcriptome data-driven reduction of genome-scale metabolic models. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2023; 9:15. [PMID: 37210409 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-023-00281-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) are extensively used to simulate cell metabolism and predict cell phenotypes. GEMs can also be tailored to generate context-specific GEMs, using omics data integration approaches. To date, many integration approaches have been developed, however, each with specific pros and cons; and none of these algorithms systematically outperforms the others. The key to successful implementation of such integration algorithms lies in the optimal selection of parameters, and thresholding is a crucial component in this process. To improve the predictive accuracy of context-specific models, we introduce a new integration framework that improves the ranking of related genes and homogenizes the expression values of those gene sets using single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA). In this study, we coupled ssGSEA with GIMME and validated the advantages of the proposed framework to predict the ethanol formation of yeast grown in the glucose-limited chemostats, and to simulate metabolic behaviors of yeast growth in four different carbon sources. This framework enhances the predictive accuracy of GIMME which we demonstrate for predicting the yeast physiology in nutrient-limited cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahdi Jalili
- Hematology, Oncology and SCT Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Olaf Wolkenhauer
- Department of Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
- Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Wallenberg Research Centre, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University Munich, Freising, Germany
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20
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Ridder MD, van den Brandeler W, Altiner M, Daran-Lapujade P, Pabst M. Proteome dynamics during transition from exponential to stationary phase under aerobic and anaerobic conditions in yeast. Mol Cell Proteomics 2023; 22:100552. [PMID: 37076048 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2023.100552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a widely used eukaryotic model organism and a promising cell factory for industry. However, despite decades of research, the regulation of its metabolism is not yet fully understood, and its complexity represents a major challenge for engineering and optimising biosynthetic routes. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of resource and proteomic allocation data in enhancing models for metabolic processes. However, comprehensive and accurate proteome dynamics data that can be used for such approaches are still very limited. Therefore, we performed a quantitative proteome dynamics study to comprehensively cover the transition from exponential to stationary phase for both aerobically and anaerobically grown yeast cells. The combination of highly controlled reactor experiments, biological replicates and standardised sample preparation procedures ensured reproducibility and accuracy. Additionally, we selected the CEN.PK lineage for our experiments because of its relevance for both fundamental and applied research. Together with the prototrophic, standard haploid strain CEN.PK113-7D, we also investigated an engineered strain with genetic minimisation of the glycolytic pathway, resulting in the quantitative assessment of 54 proteomes. The anaerobic cultures showed remarkably less proteome-level changes compared to the aerobic cultures, during transition from the exponential to the stationary phase as a consequence of the lack of the diauxic shift in the absence of oxygen. These results support the notion that anaerobically growing cells lack resources to adequately adapt to starvation. This proteome dynamics study constitutes an important step towards better understanding of the impact of glucose exhaustion and oxygen on the complex proteome allocation process in yeast. Finally, the established proteome dynamics data provide a valuable resource for the development of resource allocation models as well as for metabolic engineering efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime den Ridder
- Delft University of Technology, Department of Biotechnology, van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Wiebeke van den Brandeler
- Delft University of Technology, Department of Biotechnology, van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Meryem Altiner
- Delft University of Technology, Department of Biotechnology, van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Pascale Daran-Lapujade
- Delft University of Technology, Department of Biotechnology, van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands.
| | - Martin Pabst
- Delft University of Technology, Department of Biotechnology, van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands.
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21
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Wendering P, Nikoloski Z. Toward mechanistic modeling and rational engineering of plant respiration. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 191:2150-2166. [PMID: 36721968 PMCID: PMC10069892 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Plant respiration not only provides energy to support all cellular processes, including biomass production, but also plays a major role in the global carbon cycle. Therefore, modulation of plant respiration can be used to both increase the plant yield and mitigate the effects of global climate change. Mechanistic modeling of plant respiration at sufficient biochemical detail can provide key insights for rational engineering of this process. Yet, despite its importance, plant respiration has attracted considerably less modeling effort in comparison to photosynthesis. In this update review, we highlight the advances made in modeling of plant respiration, emphasizing the gradual but important change from phenomenological to models based on first principles. We also provide a detailed account of the existing resources that can contribute to resolving the challenges in modeling plant respiration. These resources point at tangible improvements in the representation of cellular processes that contribute to CO2 evolution and consideration of kinetic properties of underlying enzymes to facilitate mechanistic modeling. The update review emphasizes the need to couple biochemical models of respiration with models of acclimation and adaptation of respiration for their effective usage in guiding breeding efforts and improving terrestrial biosphere models tailored to future climate scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Wendering
- Systems Biology and Mathematical Modeling, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
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22
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Lao-Martil D, Schmitz JPJ, Teusink B, van Riel NAW. Elucidating yeast glycolytic dynamics at steady state growth and glucose pulses through kinetic metabolic modeling. Metab Eng 2023; 77:128-142. [PMID: 36963461 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2023.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2023]
Abstract
Microbial cell factories face changing environments during industrial fermentations. Kinetic metabolic models enable the simulation of the dynamic metabolic response to these perturbations, but their development is challenging due to model complexity and experimental data requirements. An example of this is the well-established microbial cell factory Saccharomyces cerevisiae, for which no consensus kinetic model of central metabolism has been developed and implemented in industry. Here, we aim to bring the academic and industrial communities closer to this consensus model. We developed a physiology informed kinetic model of yeast glycolysis connected to central carbon metabolism by including the effect of anabolic reactions precursors, mitochondria and the trehalose cycle. To parametrize such a large model, a parameter estimation pipeline was developed, consisting of a divide and conquer approach, supplemented with regularization and global optimization. Additionally, we show how this first mechanistic description of a growing yeast cell captures experimental dynamics at different growth rates and under a strong glucose perturbation, is robust to parametric uncertainty and explains the contribution of the different pathways in the network. Such a comprehensive model could not have been developed without using steady state and glucose perturbation data sets. The resulting metabolic reconstruction and parameter estimation pipeline can be applied in the future to study other industrially-relevant scenarios. We show this by generating a hybrid CFD-metabolic model to explore intracellular glycolytic dynamics for the first time. The model suggests that all intracellular metabolites oscillate within a physiological range, except carbon storage metabolism, which is sensitive to the extracellular environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Lao-Martil
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant, 5612AE, the Netherlands
| | - Joep P J Schmitz
- DSM Biotechnology Center, Delft, Zuid-Holland, 2613AX, the Netherlands
| | - Bas Teusink
- Systems Biology Lab, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, 1081HZ, the Netherlands
| | - Natal A W van Riel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant, 5612AE, the Netherlands; Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, 1105AZ, the Netherlands.
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23
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Grigaitis P, van den Bogaard SL, Teusink B. Elevated energy costs of biomass production in mitochondrial respiration-deficient Saccharomyces cerevisia. FEMS Yeast Res 2023; 23:7000830. [PMID: 36694952 PMCID: PMC9949590 DOI: 10.1093/femsyr/foad008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial growth requires energy for maintaining the existing cells and producing components for the new ones. Microbes therefore invest a considerable amount of their resources into proteins needed for energy harvesting. Growth in different environments is associated with different energy demands for growth of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, although the cross-condition differences remain poorly characterized. Furthermore, a direct comparison of the energy costs for the biosynthesis of the new biomass across conditions is not feasible experimentally; computational models, on the contrary, allow comparing the optimal metabolic strategies and quantify the respective costs of energy and nutrients. Thus in this study, we used a resource allocation model of S. cerevisiae to compare the optimal metabolic strategies between different conditions. We found that S. cerevisiae with respiratory-impaired mitochondria required additional energetic investments for growth, while growth on amino acid-rich media was not affected. Amino acid supplementation in anaerobic conditions also was predicted to rescue the growth reduction in mitochondrial respiratory shuttle-deficient mutants of S. cerevisiae. Collectively, these results point to elevated costs of resolving the redox imbalance caused by de novo biosynthesis of amino acids in mitochondria. To sum up, our study provides an example of how resource allocation modeling can be used to address and suggest explanations to open questions in microbial physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pranas Grigaitis
- Corresponding author. Systems Biology Lab, A-Life/AIMMS, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands; E-mail:
| | - Samira L van den Bogaard
- Systems Biology Lab, A-Life/AIMMS, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Bas Teusink
- Systems Biology Lab, A-Life/AIMMS, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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24
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Rusilowicz M, Newman DW, Creamer DR, Johnson J, Adair K, Harman VM, Grant CM, Beynon RJ, Hubbard SJ. AlacatDesigner─Computational Design of Peptide Concatamers for Protein Quantitation. J Proteome Res 2023; 22:594-604. [PMID: 36688735 PMCID: PMC9903321 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.2c00608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Protein quantitation via mass spectrometry relies on peptide proxies for the parent protein from which abundances are estimated. Owing to the variability in signal from individual peptides, accurate absolute quantitation usually relies on the addition of an external standard. Typically, this involves stable isotope-labeled peptides, delivered singly or as a concatenated recombinant protein. Consequently, the selection of the most appropriate surrogate peptides and the attendant design in recombinant proteins termed QconCATs are challenges for proteome science. QconCATs can now be built in a "a-la-carte" assembly method using synthetic biology: ALACATs. To assist their design, we present "AlacatDesigner", a tool that supports the peptide selection for recombinant protein standards based on the user's target protein. The user-customizable tool considers existing databases, occurrence in the literature, potential post-translational modifications, predicted miscleavage, predicted divergence of the peptide and protein quantifications, and ionization potential within the mass spectrometer. We show that peptide selections are enriched for good proteotypic and quantotypic candidates compared to empirical data. The software is freely available to use either via a web interface AlacatDesigner, downloaded as a Desktop application or imported as a Python package for the command line interface or in scripts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Rusilowicz
- Division
of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences,
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health
Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - David W. Newman
- Division
of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences,
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health
Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Declan R. Creamer
- Division
of Molecular and Cellular Function, School of Biological Sciences,
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health
Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - James Johnson
- GeneMill,
Institute of Systems Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United
Kingdom
| | - Kareena Adair
- Centre
for Proteome Research, Institute of Systems and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United
Kingdom
| | - Victoria M. Harman
- Centre
for Proteome Research, Institute of Systems and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United
Kingdom
| | - Chris M. Grant
- Division
of Molecular and Cellular Function, School of Biological Sciences,
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health
Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Robert J. Beynon
- Centre
for Proteome Research, Institute of Systems and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United
Kingdom
| | - Simon J. Hubbard
- Division
of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences,
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health
Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom,
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25
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Using Kinetic Modelling to Infer Adaptations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Carbohydrate Storage Metabolism to Dynamic Substrate Conditions. Metabolites 2023; 13:metabo13010088. [PMID: 36677014 PMCID: PMC9862193 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13010088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial metabolism is strongly dependent on the environmental conditions. While these can be well controlled under laboratory conditions, large-scale bioreactors are characterized by inhomogeneities and consequently dynamic conditions for the organisms. How Saccharomyces cerevisiae response to frequent perturbations in industrial bioreactors is still not understood mechanistically. To study the adjustments to prolonged dynamic conditions, we used published repeated substrate perturbation regime experimental data, extended it with proteomic measurements and used both for modelling approaches. Multiple types of data were combined; including quantitative metabolome, 13C enrichment and flux quantification data. Kinetic metabolic modelling was applied to study the relevant intracellular metabolic response dynamics. An existing model of yeast central carbon metabolism was extended, and different subsets of enzymatic kinetic constants were estimated. A novel parameter estimation pipeline based on combinatorial enzyme selection supplemented by regularization was developed to identify and predict the minimum enzyme and parameter adjustments from steady-state to dynamic substrate conditions. This approach predicted proteomic changes in hexose transport and phosphorylation reactions, which were additionally confirmed by proteome measurements. Nevertheless, the modelling also hints at a yet unknown kinetic or regulation phenomenon. Some intracellular fluxes could not be reproduced by mechanistic rate laws, including hexose transport and intracellular trehalase activity during substrate perturbation cycles.
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26
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Gopalakrishnan S, Joshi CJ, Valderrama-Gómez MÁ, Icten E, Rolandi P, Johnson W, Kontoravdi C, Lewis NE. Guidelines for extracting biologically relevant context-specific metabolic models using gene expression data. Metab Eng 2023; 75:181-191. [PMID: 36566974 PMCID: PMC10258867 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Genome-scale metabolic models comprehensively describe an organism's metabolism and can be tailored using omics data to model condition-specific physiology. The quality of context-specific models is impacted by (i) choice of algorithm and parameters and (ii) alternate context-specific models that equally explain the -omics data. Here we quantify the influence of alternate optima on microbial and mammalian model extraction using GIMME, iMAT, MBA, and mCADRE. We find that metabolic tasks defining an organism's phenotype must be explicitly and quantitatively protected. The scope of alternate models is strongly influenced by algorithm choice and the topological properties of the parent genome-scale model with fatty acid metabolism and intracellular metabolite transport contributing much to alternate solutions in all models. mCADRE extracted the most reproducible context-specific models and models generated using MBA had the most alternate solutions. There were fewer qualitatively different solutions generated by GIMME in E. coli, but these increased substantially in the mammalian models. Screening ensembles using a receiver operating characteristic plot identified the best-performing models. A comprehensive evaluation of models extracted using combinations of extraction methods and expression thresholds revealed that GIMME generated the best-performing models in E. coli, whereas mCADRE is better suited for complex mammalian models. These findings suggest guidelines for benchmarking -omics integration algorithms and motivate the development of a systematic workflow to enumerate alternate models and extract biologically relevant context-specific models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chintan J Joshi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, United States
| | | | - Elcin Icten
- Digital Integration and Predictive Technologies, Amgen Inc, United States
| | - Pablo Rolandi
- Digital Integration and Predictive Technologies, Amgen Inc, United States
| | - William Johnson
- Digital Integration and Predictive Technologies, Amgen Inc, United States
| | - Cleo Kontoravdi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Nathan E Lewis
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, United States; Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, United States.
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27
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Grigaitis P, Teusink B. An excess of glycolytic enzymes under glucose-limited conditions may enable Saccharomyces cerevisiae to adapt to nutrient availability. FEBS Lett 2022; 596:3203-3210. [PMID: 36008883 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14484] [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: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms, including the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, express glycolytic proteins to a maximal capacity that (largely) exceeds the actual flux through the enzymes, especially at low growth rates. An open question is if this apparent expression level is really an overcapacity, or maintains the (optimal) enzyme capacity needed to carry flux at (very) low substrate availability. Here, we use computational modelling to suggest that yeast maintains a genuine excess of glycolytic enzymes at low specific growth rates. During fast fermentative growth at high glucose levels, the observed expression of the glycolytic enzymes matched the predicted optimal levels. We suggest that the excess glycolytic capacity at low glucose levels is a preparatory strategy in the adaptation to sugar fluctuations in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pranas Grigaitis
- Systems Biology Lab, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Bas Teusink
- Systems Biology Lab, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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28
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The choice of the objective function in flux balance analysis is crucial for predicting replicative lifespans in yeast. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276112. [PMID: 36227951 PMCID: PMC9560524 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Flux balance analysis (FBA) is a powerful tool to study genome-scale models of the cellular metabolism, based on finding the optimal flux distributions over the network. While the objective function is crucial for the outcome, its choice, even though motivated by evolutionary arguments, has not been directly connected to related measures. Here, we used an available multi-scale mathematical model of yeast replicative ageing, integrating cellular metabolism, nutrient sensing and damage accumulation, to systematically test the effect of commonly used objective functions on features of replicative ageing in budding yeast, such as the number of cell divisions and the corresponding time between divisions. The simulations confirmed that assuming maximal growth is essential for reaching realistic lifespans. The usage of the parsimonious solution or the additional maximisation of a growth-independent energy cost can improve lifespan predictions, explained by either increased respiratory activity using resources otherwise allocated to cellular growth or by enhancing antioxidative activity, specifically in early life. Our work provides a new perspective on choosing the objective function in FBA by connecting it to replicative ageing.
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29
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Naschberger A, Mosebach L, Tobiasson V, Kuhlgert S, Scholz M, Perez-Boerema A, Ho TTH, Vidal-Meireles A, Takahashi Y, Hippler M, Amunts A. Algal photosystem I dimer and high-resolution model of PSI-plastocyanin complex. NATURE PLANTS 2022; 8:1191-1201. [PMID: 36229605 PMCID: PMC9579051 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-022-01253-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Photosystem I (PSI) enables photo-electron transfer and regulates photosynthesis in the bioenergetic membranes of cyanobacteria and chloroplasts. Being a multi-subunit complex, its macromolecular organization affects the dynamics of photosynthetic membranes. Here we reveal a chloroplast PSI from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that is organized as a homodimer, comprising 40 protein subunits with 118 transmembrane helices that provide scaffold for 568 pigments. Cryogenic electron microscopy identified that the absence of PsaH and Lhca2 gives rise to a head-to-head relative orientation of the PSI-light-harvesting complex I monomers in a way that is essentially different from the oligomer formation in cyanobacteria. The light-harvesting protein Lhca9 is the key element for mediating this dimerization. The interface between the monomers is lacking PsaH and thus partially overlaps with the surface area that would bind one of the light-harvesting complex II complexes in state transitions. We also define the most accurate available PSI-light-harvesting complex I model at 2.3 Å resolution, including a flexibly bound electron donor plastocyanin, and assign correct identities and orientations to all the pigments, as well as 621 water molecules that affect energy transfer pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Naschberger
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Solna, Sweden
| | - Laura Mosebach
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Victor Tobiasson
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Solna, Sweden
| | - Sebastian Kuhlgert
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Martin Scholz
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Annemarie Perez-Boerema
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Solna, Sweden
| | - Thi Thu Hoai Ho
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Faculty of Fisheries, University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam
| | - André Vidal-Meireles
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Yuichiro Takahashi
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency-CREST, Saitama, Japan
| | - Michael Hippler
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
- Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University, Kurashiki, Japan.
| | - Alexey Amunts
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Solna, Sweden.
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30
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A Computational Toolbox to Investigate the Metabolic Potential and Resource Allocation in Fission Yeast. mSystems 2022; 7:e0042322. [PMID: 35950759 PMCID: PMC9426579 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00423-22] [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] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, is a popular eukaryal model organism for cell division and cell cycle studies. With this extensive knowledge of its cell and molecular biology, S. pombe also holds promise for use in metabolism research and industrial applications. However, unlike the baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a major workhorse in these areas, cell physiology and metabolism of S. pombe remain less explored. One way to advance understanding of organism-specific metabolism is construction of computational models and their use for hypothesis testing. To this end, we leverage existing knowledge of S. cerevisiae to generate a manually curated high-quality reconstruction of S. pombe's metabolic network, including a proteome-constrained version of the model. Using these models, we gain insights into the energy demands for growth, as well as ribosome kinetics in S. pombe. Furthermore, we predict proteome composition and identify growth-limiting constraints that determine optimal metabolic strategies under different glucose availability regimes and reproduce experimentally determined metabolic profiles. Notably, we find similarities in metabolic and proteome predictions of S. pombe with S. cerevisiae, which indicate that similar cellular resource constraints operate to dictate metabolic organization. With these cases, we show, on the one hand, how these models provide an efficient means to transfer metabolic knowledge from a well-studied to a lesser-studied organism, and on the other, how they can successfully be used to explore the metabolic behavior and the role of resource allocation in driving different strategies in fission yeast. IMPORTANCE Our understanding of microbial metabolism relies mostly on the knowledge we have obtained from a limited number of model organisms, and the diversity of metabolism beyond the handful of model species thus remains largely unexplored in mechanistic terms. Computational modeling of metabolic networks offers an attractive platform to bridge the knowledge gap and gain new insights into physiology of lesser-studied organisms. Here we showcase an example of successful knowledge transfer from the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to a popular model organism in molecular and cell biology, fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, using computational models.
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31
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Schnitzer B, Österberg L, Skopa I, Cvijovic M. Multi-scale model suggests the trade-off between protein and ATP demand as a driver of metabolic changes during yeast replicative ageing. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010261. [PMID: 35797415 PMCID: PMC9295998 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of protein damage is one of the major drivers of replicative ageing, describing a cell’s reduced ability to reproduce over time even under optimal conditions. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species are precursors of protein damage and therefore tightly linked to ageing. At the same time, they are an inevitable by-product of the cell’s metabolism. Cells are able to sense high levels of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and can subsequently adapt their metabolism through gene regulation to slow down damage accumulation. However, the older or damaged a cell is the less flexibility it has to allocate enzymes across the metabolic network, forcing further adaptions in the metabolism. To investigate changes in the metabolism during replicative ageing, we developed an multi-scale mathematical model using budding yeast as a model organism. The model consists of three interconnected modules: a Boolean model of the signalling network, an enzyme-constrained flux balance model of the central carbon metabolism and a dynamic model of growth and protein damage accumulation with discrete cell divisions. The model can explain known features of replicative ageing, like average lifespan and increase in generation time during successive division, in yeast wildtype cells by a decreasing pool of functional enzymes and an increasing energy demand for maintenance. We further used the model to identify three consecutive metabolic phases, that a cell can undergo during its life, and their influence on the replicative potential, and proposed an intervention span for lifespan control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Schnitzer
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Linnea Österberg
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Iro Skopa
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Marija Cvijovic
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- * E-mail:
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32
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Li F, Yuan L, Lu H, Li G, Chen Y, Engqvist MKM, Kerkhoven EJ, Nielsen J. Deep learning-based kcat prediction enables improved enzyme-constrained model reconstruction. Nat Catal 2022. [DOI: 10.1038/s41929-022-00798-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
AbstractEnzyme turnover numbers (kcat) are key to understanding cellular metabolism, proteome allocation and physiological diversity, but experimentally measured kcat data are sparse and noisy. Here we provide a deep learning approach (DLKcat) for high-throughput kcat prediction for metabolic enzymes from any organism merely from substrate structures and protein sequences. DLKcat can capture kcat changes for mutated enzymes and identify amino acid residues with a strong impact on kcat values. We applied this approach to predict genome-scale kcat values for more than 300 yeast species. Additionally, we designed a Bayesian pipeline to parameterize enzyme-constrained genome-scale metabolic models from predicted kcat values. The resulting models outperformed the corresponding original enzyme-constrained genome-scale metabolic models from previous pipelines in predicting phenotypes and proteomes, and enabled us to explain phenotypic differences. DLKcat and the enzyme-constrained genome-scale metabolic model construction pipeline are valuable tools to uncover global trends of enzyme kinetics and physiological diversity, and to further elucidate cellular metabolism on a large scale.
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33
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Kerkhoven EJ. Advances in constraint-based models: methods for improved predictive power based on resource allocation constraints. Curr Opin Microbiol 2022; 68:102168. [PMID: 35691074 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2022.102168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The concept of metabolic models with resource allocation constraints has been around for over a decade and has clear advantages even when implementation is relatively rudimentary. Nonetheless, the number of organisms for which such a model is reconstructed is low. Various approaches exist, from coarse-grained consideration of enzyme usage to fine-grained description of protein translation. These approaches are reviewed here, with a particular focus on user-friendly solutions that can introduce resource allocation constraints to metabolic models of any organism. The availability of kcat data is a major hurdle, where recent advances might help to fill in the numerous gaps that exist for this data, especially for nonmodel organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduard J Kerkhoven
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Kemivägen 10, SE412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden; Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Chalmers University of Technology, Kemivägen 10, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden.
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34
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Improving recombinant protein production by yeast through genome-scale modeling using proteome constraints. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2969. [PMID: 35624178 PMCID: PMC9142503 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30689-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic cells are used as cell factories to produce and secrete multitudes of recombinant pharmaceutical proteins, including several of the current top-selling drugs. Due to the essential role and complexity of the secretory pathway, improvement for recombinant protein production through metabolic engineering has traditionally been relatively ad-hoc; and a more systematic approach is required to generate novel design principles. Here, we present the proteome-constrained genome-scale protein secretory model of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (pcSecYeast), which enables us to simulate and explain phenotypes caused by limited secretory capacity. We further apply the pcSecYeast model to predict overexpression targets for the production of several recombinant proteins. We experimentally validate many of the predicted targets for α-amylase production to demonstrate pcSecYeast application as a computational tool in guiding yeast engineering and improving recombinant protein production. Due to the complexity of the protein secretory pathway, strategy suitable for the production of a certain recombination protein cannot be generalized. Here, the authors construct a proteome-constrained genome-scale protein secretory model for yeast and show its application in the production of different misfolded or recombinant proteins.
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35
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Bi X, Liu Y, Li J, Du G, Lv X, Liu L. Construction of Multiscale Genome-Scale Metabolic Models: Frameworks and Challenges. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12050721. [PMID: 35625648 PMCID: PMC9139095 DOI: 10.3390/biom12050721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) are effective tools for metabolic engineering and have been widely used to guide cell metabolic regulation. However, the single gene–protein-reaction data type in GEMs limits the understanding of biological complexity. As a result, multiscale models that add constraints or integrate omics data based on GEMs have been developed to more accurately predict phenotype from genotype. This review summarized the recent advances in the development of multiscale GEMs, including multiconstraint, multiomic, and whole-cell models, and outlined machine learning applications in GEM construction. This review focused on the frameworks, toolkits, and algorithms for constructing multiscale GEMs. The challenges and perspectives of multiscale GEM development are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Bi
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; (X.B.); (Y.L.); (J.L.); (G.D.); (X.L.)
- Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Yanfeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; (X.B.); (Y.L.); (J.L.); (G.D.); (X.L.)
- Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Jianghua Li
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; (X.B.); (Y.L.); (J.L.); (G.D.); (X.L.)
- Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Guocheng Du
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; (X.B.); (Y.L.); (J.L.); (G.D.); (X.L.)
- Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Xueqin Lv
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; (X.B.); (Y.L.); (J.L.); (G.D.); (X.L.)
- Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Long Liu
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; (X.B.); (Y.L.); (J.L.); (G.D.); (X.L.)
- Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-0510-8591-8312; Fax: +86-0510-8591-8309
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36
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Verhagen KJA, Eerden SA, Sikkema BJ, Wahl SA. Predicting Metabolic Adaptation Under Dynamic Substrate Conditions Using a Resource-Dependent Kinetic Model: A Case Study Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:863470. [PMID: 35651815 PMCID: PMC9149170 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.863470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposed to changes in their environment, microorganisms will adapt their phenotype, including metabolism, to ensure survival. To understand the adaptation principles, resource allocation-based approaches were successfully applied to predict an optimal proteome allocation under (quasi) steady-state conditions. Nevertheless, for a general, dynamic environment, enzyme kinetics will have to be taken into account which was not included in the linear resource allocation models. To this end, a resource-dependent kinetic model was developed and applied to the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae by combining published kinetic models and calibrating the model parameters to published proteomics and fluxomics datasets. Using this approach, we were able to predict specific proteomes at different dilution rates under chemostat conditions. Interestingly, the approach suggests that the occurrence of aerobic fermentation (Crabtree effect) in S. cerevisiae is not caused by space limitation in the total proteome but rather an effect of constraints on the mitochondria. When exposing the approach to repetitive, dynamic substrate conditions, the proteome space was allocated differently. Less space was predicted to be available for non-essential enzymes (reserve space). This could indicate that the perceived “overcapacity” present in experimentally measured proteomes may very likely serve a purpose in increasing the robustness of a cell to dynamic conditions, especially an increase of proteome space for the growth reaction as well as of the trehalose cycle that was shown to be essential in providing robustness upon stronger substrate perturbations. The model predictions of proteome adaptation to dynamic conditions were additionally evaluated against respective experimentally measured proteomes, which highlighted the model’s ability to accurately predict major proteome adaptation trends. This proof of principle for the approach can be extended to production organisms and applied for both understanding metabolic adaptation and improving industrial process design.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. J. A. Verhagen
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - S. A. Eerden
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - B. J. Sikkema
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - S. A. Wahl
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
- Lehrstuhl für Bioverfahrenstechnik, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- *Correspondence: S. A. Wahl,
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37
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Losa J, Leupold S, Alonso-Martinez D, Vainikka P, Thallmair S, Tych KM, Marrink SJ, Heinemann M. Perspective: a stirring role for metabolism in cells. Mol Syst Biol 2022; 18:e10822. [PMID: 35362256 PMCID: PMC8972047 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202110822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Based on recent findings indicating that metabolism might be governed by a limit on the rate at which cells can dissipate Gibbs energy, in this Perspective, we propose a new mechanism of how metabolic activity could globally regulate biomolecular processes in a cell. Specifically, we postulate that Gibbs energy released in metabolic reactions is used to perform work, allowing enzymes to self‐propel or to break free from supramolecular structures. This catalysis‐induced enzyme movement will result in increased intracellular motion, which in turn can compromise biomolecular functions. Once the increased intracellular motion has a detrimental effect on regulatory mechanisms, this will establish a feedback mechanism on metabolic activity, and result in the observed thermodynamic limit. While this proposed explanation for the identified upper rate limit on cellular Gibbs energy dissipation rate awaits experimental validation, it offers an intriguing perspective of how metabolic activity can globally affect biomolecular functions and will hopefully spark new research.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Losa
- Molecular Systems Biology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Simeon Leupold
- Molecular Systems Biology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Diego Alonso-Martinez
- Molecular Systems Biology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Petteri Vainikka
- Molecular Dynamics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sebastian Thallmair
- Molecular Dynamics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Katarzyna M Tych
- Chemical Biology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Siewert J Marrink
- Molecular Dynamics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Matthias Heinemann
- Molecular Systems Biology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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38
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Elsemman IE, Rodriguez Prado A, Grigaitis P, Garcia Albornoz M, Harman V, Holman SW, van Heerden J, Bruggeman FJ, Bisschops MMM, Sonnenschein N, Hubbard S, Beynon R, Daran-Lapujade P, Nielsen J, Teusink B. Whole-cell modeling in yeast predicts compartment-specific proteome constraints that drive metabolic strategies. Nat Commun 2022; 13:801. [PMID: 35145105 PMCID: PMC8831649 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28467-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
When conditions change, unicellular organisms rewire their metabolism to sustain cell maintenance and cellular growth. Such rewiring may be understood as resource re-allocation under cellular constraints. Eukaryal cells contain metabolically active organelles such as mitochondria, competing for cytosolic space and resources, and the nature of the relevant cellular constraints remain to be determined for such cells. Here, we present a comprehensive metabolic model of the yeast cell, based on its full metabolic reaction network extended with protein synthesis and degradation reactions. The model predicts metabolic fluxes and corresponding protein expression by constraining compartment-specific protein pools and maximising growth rate. Comparing model predictions with quantitative experimental data suggests that under glucose limitation, a mitochondrial constraint limits growth at the onset of ethanol formation—known as the Crabtree effect. Under sugar excess, however, a constraint on total cytosolic volume dictates overflow metabolism. Our comprehensive model thus identifies condition-dependent and compartment-specific constraints that can explain metabolic strategies and protein expression profiles from growth rate optimisation, providing a framework to understand metabolic adaptation in eukaryal cells. Metabolically active organelles compete for cytosolic space and resources during metabolism rewiring. Here, the authors develop a computational model of yeast metabolism and resource allocation to predict condition- and compartment-specific proteome constraints that govern metabolic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim E Elsemman
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, DK2800, Lyngby, Denmark.,Department of Information Systems, Faculty of Computers and Information, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
| | - Angelica Rodriguez Prado
- Systems Biology Lab, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Industrial Microbiology, Technical University Delft, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Pranas Grigaitis
- Systems Biology Lab, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Victoria Harman
- Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Stephen W Holman
- Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Johan van Heerden
- Systems Biology Lab, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Frank J Bruggeman
- Systems Biology Lab, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mark M M Bisschops
- Department of Industrial Microbiology, Technical University Delft, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Nikolaus Sonnenschein
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, DK2800, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Simon Hubbard
- Division of Evolution & Genomic Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Rob Beynon
- Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Pascale Daran-Lapujade
- Department of Industrial Microbiology, Technical University Delft, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Jens Nielsen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, DK2800, Lyngby, Denmark. .,Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE41296, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Bas Teusink
- Systems Biology Lab, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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