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Zhang JZ, Li YZ, Xi ZN, Gao HP, Zhang Q, Liu LC, Li FL, Ma XQ. Engineered acetogenic bacteria as microbial cell factory for diversified biochemicals. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2024; 12:1395540. [PMID: 39055341 PMCID: PMC11269201 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1395540] [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: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Acetogenic bacteria (acetogens) are a class of microorganisms with conserved Wood-Ljungdahl pathway that can utilize CO and CO2/H2 as carbon source for autotrophic growth and convert these substrates to acetate and ethanol. Acetogens have great potential for the sustainable production of biofuels and bulk biochemicals using C1 gases (CO and CO2) from industrial syngas and waste gases, which play an important role in achieving carbon neutrality. In recent years, with the development and improvement of gene editing methods, the metabolic engineering of acetogens is making rapid progress. With introduction of heterogeneous metabolic pathways, acetogens can improve the production capacity of native products or obtain the ability to synthesize non-native products. This paper reviews the recent application of metabolic engineering in acetogens. In addition, the challenges of metabolic engineering in acetogens are indicated, and strategies to address these challenges are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Zhe Zhang
- Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu-Zhen Li
- Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhi-Ning Xi
- Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Hui-Peng Gao
- Sinopec Dalian (Fushun) Research Institute of Petroleum and Petrochemicals, Dalian, China
| | - Quan Zhang
- Sinopec Dalian (Fushun) Research Institute of Petroleum and Petrochemicals, Dalian, China
| | - Li-Cheng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Fu-Li Li
- Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiao-Qing Ma
- Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, Qingdao, China
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2
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Burbano DA, Kiattisewee C, Karanjia AV, Cardiff RAL, Faulkner ID, Sugianto W, Carothers JM. CRISPR Tools for Engineering Prokaryotic Systems: Recent Advances and New Applications. Annu Rev Chem Biomol Eng 2024; 15:389-430. [PMID: 38598861 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-100522-114706] [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: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
In the past decades, the broad selection of CRISPR-Cas systems has revolutionized biotechnology by enabling multimodal genetic manipulation in diverse organisms. Rooted in a molecular engineering perspective, we recapitulate the different CRISPR components and how they can be designed for specific genetic engineering applications. We first introduce the repertoire of Cas proteins and tethered effectors used to program new biological functions through gene editing and gene regulation. We review current guide RNA (gRNA) design strategies and computational tools and how CRISPR-based genetic circuits can be constructed through regulated gRNA expression. Then, we present recent advances in CRISPR-based biosensing, bioproduction, and biotherapeutics across in vitro and in vivo prokaryotic systems. Finally, we discuss forthcoming applications in prokaryotic CRISPR technology that will transform synthetic biology principles in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Alba Burbano
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute and Center for Synthetic Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA;
| | - Cholpisit Kiattisewee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute and Center for Synthetic Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA;
| | - Ava V Karanjia
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute and Center for Synthetic Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA;
| | - Ryan A L Cardiff
- Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute and Center for Synthetic Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA;
| | - Ian D Faulkner
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute and Center for Synthetic Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA;
| | - Widianti Sugianto
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute and Center for Synthetic Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA;
| | - James M Carothers
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute and Center for Synthetic Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA;
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3
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Sword TT, Dinglasan JLN, Abbas GSK, Barker JW, Spradley ME, Greene ER, Gooden DS, Emrich SJ, Gilchrist MA, Doktycz MJ, Bailey CB. Profiling expression strategies for a type III polyketide synthase in a lysate-based, cell-free system. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12983. [PMID: 38839808 PMCID: PMC11153635 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61376-w] [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: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Some of the most metabolically diverse species of bacteria (e.g., Actinobacteria) have higher GC content in their DNA, differ substantially in codon usage, and have distinct protein folding environments compared to tractable expression hosts like Escherichia coli. Consequentially, expressing biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) from these bacteria in E. coli often results in a myriad of unpredictable issues with regard to protein expression and folding, delaying the biochemical characterization of new natural products. Current strategies to achieve soluble, active expression of these enzymes in tractable hosts can be a lengthy trial-and-error process. Cell-free expression (CFE) has emerged as a valuable expression platform as a testbed for rapid prototyping expression parameters. Here, we use a type III polyketide synthase from Streptomyces griseus, RppA, which catalyzes the formation of the red pigment flaviolin, as a reporter to investigate BGC refactoring techniques. We applied a library of constructs with different combinations of promoters and rppA coding sequences to investigate the synergies between promoter and codon usage. Subsequently, we assess the utility of cell-free systems for prototyping these refactoring tactics prior to their implementation in cells. Overall, codon harmonization improves natural product synthesis more than traditional codon optimization across cell-free and cellular environments. More importantly, the choice of coding sequences and promoters impact protein expression synergistically, which should be considered for future efforts to use CFE for high-yield protein expression. The promoter strategy when applied to RppA was not completely correlated with that observed with GFP, indicating that different promoter strategies should be applied for different proteins. In vivo experiments suggest that there is correlation, but not complete alignment between expressing in cell free and in vivo. Refactoring promoters and/or coding sequences via CFE can be a valuable strategy to rapidly screen for catalytically functional production of enzymes from BCGs, which advances CFE as a tool for natural product research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tien T Sword
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Jaime Lorenzo N Dinglasan
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
- Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Ghaeath S K Abbas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
- School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - J William Barker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Madeline E Spradley
- Department of Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Elijah R Greene
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Damian S Gooden
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Scott J Emrich
- Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Michael A Gilchrist
- Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Mitchel J Doktycz
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
- Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA.
| | - Constance B Bailey
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA.
- Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA.
- School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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4
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Liu WQ, Ji X, Ba F, Zhang Y, Xu H, Huang S, Zheng X, Liu Y, Ling S, Jewett MC, Li J. Cell-free biosynthesis and engineering of ribosomally synthesized lanthipeptides. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4336. [PMID: 38773100 PMCID: PMC11109155 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48726-y] [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: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a major class of natural products with diverse chemical structures and potent biological activities. A vast majority of RiPP gene clusters remain unexplored in microbial genomes, which is partially due to the lack of rapid and efficient heterologous expression systems for RiPP characterization and biosynthesis. Here, we report a unified biocatalysis (UniBioCat) system based on cell-free gene expression for rapid biosynthesis and engineering of RiPPs. We demonstrate UniBioCat by reconstituting a full biosynthetic pathway for de novo biosynthesis of salivaricin B, a lanthipeptide RiPP. Next, we delete several protease/peptidase genes from the source strain to enhance the performance of UniBioCat, which then can synthesize and screen salivaricin B variants with enhanced antimicrobial activity. Finally, we show that UniBioCat is generalizable by synthesizing and evaluating the bioactivity of ten uncharacterized lanthipeptides. We expect UniBioCat to accelerate the discovery, characterization, and synthesis of RiPPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan-Qiu Liu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiangyang Ji
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fang Ba
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yufei Zhang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huiling Xu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shuhui Huang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao Zheng
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yifan Liu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Medical Materials and Devices, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, China.
| | - Shengjie Ling
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Medical Materials and Devices, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, China.
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, US.
| | - Jian Li
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Medical Materials and Devices, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai, China.
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5
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Niu C, Zhao X, Shi D, Ying Y, Wu M, Lai CY, Guo J, Hu S, Liu T. Bioreduction of chromate in a syngas-based membrane biofilm reactor. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 470:134195. [PMID: 38581872 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134195] [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: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
This study leveraged synthesis gas (syngas), a renewable resource attainable through the gasification of biowaste, to achieve efficient chromate removal from water. To enhance syngas transfer efficiency, a membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) was employed. Long-term reactor operation showed a stable and high-level chromate removal efficiency > 95%, yielding harmless Cr(III) precipitates, as visualised by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Corresponding to the short hydraulic retention time of 0.25 days, a high chromate removal rate of 80 µmol/L/d was attained. In addition to chromate reduction, in situ production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) by gas fermentation was observed. Three sets of in situ batch tests and two groups of ex situ batch tests jointly unravelled the mechanisms, showing that biological chromate reduction was primarily driven by VFAs produced from in situ syngas fermentation, whereas hydrogen originally present in the syngas played a minor role. 16 S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing has confirmed the enrichment of syngas-fermenting bacteria (such as Sporomusa), who performed in situ gas fermentation leading to the synthesis of VFAs, and organics-utilising bacteria (such as Aquitalea), who utilised VFAs to drive chromate reduction. These findings, combined with batch assays, elucidate the pathways orchestrating synergistic interactions between fermentative microbial cohorts and chromate-reducing microorganisms. The findings facilitate the development of cost-effective strategies for groundwater and drinking water remediation and present an alternative application scenario for syngas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenkai Niu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Xinyu Zhao
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Danting Shi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 999077, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China
| | - Yifeng Ying
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Mengxiong Wu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Chun-Yu Lai
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Tao Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 999077, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.
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6
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Jensen RO, Schulz F, Roux S, Klingeman DM, Mitchell WP, Udwary D, Moraïs S, Reynoso V, Winkler J, Nagaraju S, De Tissera S, Shapiro N, Ivanova N, Reddy TBK, Mizrahi I, Utturkar SM, Bayer EA, Woyke T, Mouncey NJ, Jewett MC, Simpson SD, Köpke M, Jones DT, Brown SD. Phylogenomics and genetic analysis of solvent-producing Clostridium species. Sci Data 2024; 11:432. [PMID: 38693191 PMCID: PMC11063209 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03210-6] [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: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The genus Clostridium is a large and diverse group within the Bacillota (formerly Firmicutes), whose members can encode useful complex traits such as solvent production, gas-fermentation, and lignocellulose breakdown. We describe 270 genome sequences of solventogenic clostridia from a comprehensive industrial strain collection assembled by Professor David Jones that includes 194 C. beijerinckii, 57 C. saccharobutylicum, 4 C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum, 5 C. butyricum, 7 C. acetobutylicum, and 3 C. tetanomorphum genomes. We report methods, analyses and characterization for phylogeny, key attributes, core biosynthetic genes, secondary metabolites, plasmids, prophage/CRISPR diversity, cellulosomes and quorum sensing for the 6 species. The expanded genomic data described here will facilitate engineering of solvent-producing clostridia as well as non-model microorganisms with innately desirable traits. Sequences could be applied in conventional platform biocatalysts such as yeast or Escherichia coli for enhanced chemical production. Recently, gene sequences from this collection were used to engineer Clostridium autoethanogenum, a gas-fermenting autotrophic acetogen, for continuous acetone or isopropanol production, as well as butanol, butanoic acid, hexanol and hexanoic acid production.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Frederik Schulz
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Simon Roux
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Daniel Udwary
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Sarah Moraïs
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel
| | | | | | | | | | - Nicole Shapiro
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Natalia Ivanova
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - T B K Reddy
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Itzhak Mizrahi
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel
| | - Sagar M Utturkar
- Institute for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Edward A Bayer
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Tanja Woyke
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- University of California Merced, Life and Environmental Sciences, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Nigel J Mouncey
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | | | - David T Jones
- Department of Microbiology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
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7
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Wan S, Lai M, Gao X, Zhou M, Yang S, Li Q, Li F, Xia L, Tan Y. Recent progress in engineering Clostridium autoethanogenum to synthesize the biochemicals and biocommodities. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2024; 9:19-25. [PMID: 38205027 PMCID: PMC10776380 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2023.12.001] [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: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Excessive mining and utilization fossil fuels has led to drastic environmental consequences, which will contribute to global warming and cause further climate change with severe consequences for the human population. The magnitude of these challenges requires several approaches to develop sustainable alternatives for chemicals and fuels production. In this context, biological processes, mainly microbial fermentation, have gained particular interest. For example, autotrophic gas-fermenting acetogenic bacteria are capable of converting CO, CO2 and H2 into biomass and multiple metabolites through Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, which can be exploited for large-scale fermentation processes to sustainably produce bulk biochemicals and biofuels (e.g. acetate and ethanol) from syngas. Clostridium autoethanogenum is one representative of these chemoautotrophic bacteria and considered as the model for the gas fermentation. Recently, the development of synthetic biology toolbox for this strain has enabled us to study and genetically improve their metabolic capability in gas fermentation. In this review, we will summarize the recent progress involved in the understanding of physiological mechanism and strain engineering for C. autoethanogenum, and provide our perspectives on the future development about the basic biology and engineering biology of this strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sai Wan
- Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, Shandong, China
| | - Mingchi Lai
- Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, Shandong, China
- School of Life Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, Shandong, China
| | - Xinyu Gao
- Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, Shandong, China
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, Shandong, China
| | - Mingxin Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- Shenzhen Powered Carbon Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Song Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, Shandong, China
| | - Qiang Li
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, Shandong, China
| | - Fuli Li
- Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, Shandong, China
| | - Lin Xia
- Shenzhen Powered Carbon Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Yang Tan
- Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, Shandong, China
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8
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Lee SH, Hu Y, Chou A, Chen J, Gonzalez R. Metabolic flux optimization of iterative pathways through orthogonal gene expression control: Application to the β-oxidation reversal. Metab Eng 2024; 82:262-273. [PMID: 38387675 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2024.02.007] [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: 08/27/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Balancing relative expression of pathway genes to minimize flux bottlenecks and metabolic burden is one of the key challenges in metabolic engineering. This is especially relevant for iterative pathways, such as reverse β-oxidation (rBOX) pathway, which require control of flux partition at multiple nodes to achieve efficient synthesis of target products. Here, we develop a plasmid-based inducible system for orthogonal control of gene expression (referred to as the TriO system) and demonstrate its utility in the rBOX pathway. Leveraging effortless construction of TriO vectors in a plug-and-play manner, we simultaneously explored the solution space for enzyme choice and relative expression levels. Remarkably, varying individual expression levels led to substantial change in product specificity ranging from no production to optimal performance of about 90% of the theoretical yield of the desired products. We obtained titers of 6.3 g/L butyrate, 2.2 g/L butanol and 4.0 g/L hexanoate from glycerol in E. coli, which exceed the best titers previously reported using equivalent enzyme combinations. Since a similar system behavior was observed with alternative termination routes and higher-order iterations, we envision our approach to be broadly applicable to other iterative pathways besides the rBOX. Considering that high throughput, automated strain construction using combinatorial promoter and RBS libraries remain out of reach for many researchers, especially in academia, tools like the TriO system could democratize the testing and evaluation of pathway designs by reducing cost, time and infrastructure requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung Hwan Lee
- Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Yang Hu
- Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Alexander Chou
- Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Jing Chen
- Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Ramon Gonzalez
- Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
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9
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Su Y, Mangus AM, Cordell WT, Pfleger BF. Overcoming barriers to medium-chain fatty alcohol production. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2024; 85:103063. [PMID: 38219523 PMCID: PMC10922944 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2023.103063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Medium-chain fatty alcohols (mcFaOHs) are aliphatic primary alcohols containing six to twelve carbons that are widely used in materials, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Microbial biosynthesis has been touted as a route to less-abundant chain-length molecules and as a sustainable alternative to current petrochemical processes. Several metabolic engineering strategies for producing mcFaOHs have been demonstrated in the literature, yet processes continue to suffer from poor selectivity and mcFaOH toxicity, leading to reduced titers, rates, and yields of the desired compounds. This opinion examines the current state of microbial mcFaOH biosynthesis, summarizing engineering efforts to tailor selectivity and improve product tolerance by implementing engineering strategies that circumvent or overcome mcFaOH toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Su
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Anna M Mangus
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - William T Cordell
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Brian F Pfleger
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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10
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Flaiz M, Poehlein A, Wilhelm W, Mook A, Daniel R, Dürre P, Bengelsdorf FR. Refining and illuminating acetogenic Eubacterium strains for reclassification and metabolic engineering. Microb Cell Fact 2024; 23:24. [PMID: 38233843 PMCID: PMC10795377 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-024-02301-8] [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: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The genus Eubacterium is quite diverse and includes several acetogenic strains capable of fermenting C1-substrates into valuable products. Especially, Eubacterium limosum and closely related strains attract attention not only for their capability to ferment C1 gases and liquids, but also due to their ability to produce butyrate. Apart from its well-elucidated metabolism, E. limosum is also genetically accessible, which makes it an interesting candidate to be an industrial biocatalyst. RESULTS In this study, we examined genomic, phylogenetic, and physiologic features of E. limosum and the closest related species E. callanderi as well as E. maltosivorans. We sequenced the genomes of the six Eubacterium strains 'FD' (DSM 3662T), 'Marburg' (DSM 3468), '2A' (DSM 2593), '11A' (DSM 2594), 'G14' (DSM 107592), and '32' (DSM 20517) and subsequently compared these with previously available genomes of the E. limosum type strain (DSM 20543T) as well as the strains 'B2', 'KIST612', 'YI' (DSM 105863T), and 'SA11'. This comparison revealed a close relationship between all eleven Eubacterium strains, forming three distinct clades: E. limosum, E. callanderi, and E. maltosivorans. Moreover, we identified the gene clusters responsible for methanol utilization as well as genes mediating chain elongation in all analyzed strains. Subsequent growth experiments revealed that strains of all three clades can convert methanol and produce acetate, butyrate, and hexanoate via reverse β-oxidation. Additionally, we used a harmonized electroporation protocol and successfully transformed eight of these Eubacterium strains to enable recombinant plasmid-based expression of the gene encoding the fluorescence-activating and absorption shifting tag (FAST). Engineered Eubacterium strains were verified regarding their FAST-mediated fluorescence at a single-cell level using a flow cytometry approach. Eventually, strains 'FD' (DSM 3662T), '2A' (DSM 2593), '11A' (DSM 2594), and '32' (DSM 20517) were genetically engineered for the first time. CONCLUSION Strains of E. limosum, E. callanderi, and E. maltosivorans are outstanding candidates as biocatalysts for anaerobic C1-substrate conversion into valuable biocommodities. A large variety of strains is genetically accessible using a harmonized electroporation protocol, and FAST can serve as a reliable fluorescent reporter protein to characterize genetically engineered cells. In total eleven strains have been assigned to distinct clades, providing a clear and updated classification. Thus, the description of respective Eubacterium species has been emended, improved, aligned, and is requested to be implemented in respective databases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Flaiz
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
| | - Anja Poehlein
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology & Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Wiebke Wilhelm
- Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Alexander Mook
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Prokaryotes, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology & Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Peter Dürre
- Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Frank R Bengelsdorf
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Prokaryotes, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
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11
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Ducrot L, López IL, Orrego AH, López-Gallego F. Coenzyme A Thioester Intermediates as Platform Molecules in Cell-Free Chemical Biomanufacturing. Chembiochem 2024; 25:e202300673. [PMID: 37994376 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300673] [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: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
The in vitro synthesis of Coenzyme A (CoA)-thioester intermediates opens new avenues to transform simple molecules into more complex and multifunctional ones by assembling cell-free biosynthetic cascades. In this review, we have systematically cataloged known CoA-dependent enzyme reactions that have been successfully implemented in vitro. To faciliate their identification, we provide their UniProt ID when available. Based on this catalog, we have organized enzymes into three modules: activation, modification, and removal. i) The activation module includes enzymes capable of fusing CoA with organic molecules. ii) The modification module includes enzymes capable of catalyzing chemical modifications in the structure of acyl-CoA intermediates. And iii) the removal module includes enzymes able to remove the CoA and release an organic molecule different from the one activated in the upstream. Based on these reactions, we constructed a reaction network that summarizes the most relevant CoA-dependent biosynthetic pathways reported until today. From the information available in the articles, we have plotted the total turnover number of CoA as a function of the product titer, observing a positive correlation between both parameters. Therefore, the success of a CoA-dependent in vitro pathway depends on its ability to regenerate CoA, but also to regenerate other cofactors such as NAD(P)H and ATP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurine Ducrot
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Paseo de Miramón 194, Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
| | - Idania L López
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Paseo de Miramón 194, Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
| | - Alejandro H Orrego
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Paseo de Miramón 194, Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
| | - Fernando López-Gallego
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Paseo de Miramón 194, Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48009, Bilbao, Spain
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12
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Lu H, Ouyang J, Liu WQ, Wu C, Li J. Enzyme-Polymer-Conjugate-Based Pickering Emulsions for Cell-Free Expression and Cascade Biotransformation. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202312906. [PMID: 37966024 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202312906] [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: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we addressed the limitations of conventional enzyme-polymer-conjugate-based Pickering emulsions for interfacial biocatalysis, which traditionally suffer from nonspecific and uncontrollable conjugation positions that can impede catalytic performance. By introducing a non-canonical amino acid (ncAA) at a specific site on target enzymes, we enabled precise polymer-enzyme conjugation. These engineered conjugates then acted as biocatalytically active emulsifiers to stabilize Pickering emulsions, while encapsulating a cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) system in the aqueous phase for targeted enzyme expression. The resulting cascade reaction system leveraged enzymes expressed in the aqueous phase and on the emulsion interface for optimized chemical biosynthesis. The use of the cell-free system eliminated the need for intact whole cells or purified enzymes, representing a significant advancement in biocatalysis. Remarkably, the integration of Pickering emulsion, precise enzyme-polymer conjugation, and CFPS resulted in a fivefold enhancement in catalytic performance as compared to traditional single-phase reactions. Therefore, our approach harnesses the combined strengths of advanced biochemical engineering techniques, offering an efficient and practical solution for the synthesis of value-added chemicals in various biocatalysis and biotransformation applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haofan Lu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Jingping Ouyang
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense, Denmark
| | - Wan-Qiu Liu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Changzhu Wu
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense, Denmark
- Danish Institute for Advanced Study (DIAS), University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense, Denmark
| | - Jian Li
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
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13
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Sword TT, Dinglasan JLN, Abbas GS, William Barker J, Spradley ME, Greene ER, Gooden DS, Emrich SJ, Gilchrist MA, Doktycz MJ, Bailey CB. Profiling Expression Strategies for a Type III Polyketide Synthase in a Lysate-Based, Cell-free System. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.30.569483. [PMID: 38077034 PMCID: PMC10705458 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.30.569483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Some of the most metabolically diverse species of bacteria (e.g., Actinobacteria) have higher GC content in their DNA, differ substantially in codon usage, and have distinct protein folding environments compared to tractable expression hosts like Escherichia coli. Consequentially, expressing biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) from these bacteria in E. coli frequently results in a myriad of unpredictable issues with protein expression and folding, delaying the biochemical characterization of new natural products. Current strategies to achieve soluble, active expression of these enzymes in tractable hosts, such as BGC refactoring, can be a lengthy trial-and-error process. Cell-free expression (CFE) has emerged as 1) a valuable expression platform for enzymes that are challenging to synthesize in vivo, and as 2) a testbed for rapid prototyping that can improve cellular expression. Here, we use a type III polyketide synthase from Streptomyces griseus, RppA, which catalyzes the formation of the red pigment flaviolin, as a reporter to investigate BGC refactoring techniques. We synergistically tune promoter and codon usage to improve flaviolin production from cell-free expressed RppA. We then assess the utility of cell-free systems for prototyping these refactoring tactics prior to their implementation in cells. Overall, codon harmonization improves natural product synthesis more than traditional codon optimization across cell-free and cellular environments. Refactoring promoters and/or coding sequences via CFE can be a valuable strategy to rapidly screen for catalytically functional production of enzymes from BCGs. By showing the coordinators between CFE versus in vivo expression, this work advances CFE as a tool for natural product research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tien T. Sword
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
| | - Jaime Lorenzo N. Dinglasan
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, TN USA)
- Graduate School of Genome Science & Technology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
| | - Ghaeath S.K. Abbas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
- University of Sydney, School of Chemistry (Sydney, NSW, Australia)
| | - J. William Barker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
| | - Madeline E. Spradley
- Department of Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
| | - Elijah R. Greene
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
| | - Damian S. Gooden
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
| | - Scott J. Emrich
- Graduate School of Genome Science & Technology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
| | - Michael A. Gilchrist
- Graduate School of Genome Science & Technology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
| | - Mitchel J. Doktycz
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, TN USA)
- Graduate School of Genome Science & Technology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
| | - Constance B. Bailey
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
- Graduate School of Genome Science & Technology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville (Knoxville, TN USA)
- University of Sydney, School of Chemistry (Sydney, NSW, Australia)
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14
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Stephenson A, Lastra L, Nguyen B, Chen YJ, Nivala J, Ceze L, Strauss K. Physical Laboratory Automation in Synthetic Biology. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:3156-3169. [PMID: 37935025 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00345] [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: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic Biology has overcome many of the early challenges facing the field and is entering a systems era characterized by adoption of Design-Build-Test-Learn (DBTL) approaches. The need for automation and standardization to enable reproducible, scalable, and translatable research has become increasingly accepted in recent years, and many of the hardware and software tools needed to address these challenges are now in place or under development. However, the lack of connectivity between DBTL modules and barriers to access and adoption remain significant challenges to realizing the full potential of lab automation. In this review, we characterize and classify the state of automation in synthetic biology with a focus on the physical automation of experimental workflows. Though fully autonomous scientific discovery is likely a long way off, impressive progress has been made toward automating critical elements of experimentation by combining intelligent hardware and software tools. It is worth questioning whether total automation that removes humans entirely from the loop should be the ultimate goal, and considerations for appropriate automation versus total automation are discussed in this light while emphasizing areas where further development is needed in both contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Stephenson
- Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington 98052, United States
| | - Lauren Lastra
- Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington 98052, United States
| | - Bichlien Nguyen
- Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington 98052, United States
| | - Yuan-Jyue Chen
- Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington 98052, United States
| | - Jeff Nivala
- Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Luis Ceze
- Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Karin Strauss
- Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington 98052, United States
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15
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Yi X, Rasor BJ, Boadi N, Louie K, Northen TR, Karim AS, Jewett MC, Alper HS. Establishing a versatile toolkit of flux enhanced strains and cell extracts for pathway prototyping. Metab Eng 2023; 80:241-253. [PMID: 37890611 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2023.10.008] [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: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Building and optimizing biosynthetic pathways in engineered cells holds promise to address societal needs in energy, materials, and medicine, but it is often time-consuming. Cell-free synthetic biology has emerged as a powerful tool to accelerate design-build-test-learn cycles for pathway engineering with increased tolerance to toxic compounds. However, most cell-free pathway prototyping to date has been performed in extracts from wildtype cells which often do not have sufficient flux towards the pathways of interest, which can be enhanced by engineering. Here, to address this gap, we create a set of engineered Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains rewired via CRISPR-dCas9 to achieve high-flux toward key metabolic precursors; namely, acetyl-CoA, shikimate, triose-phosphate, oxaloacetate, α-ketoglutarate, and glucose-6-phosphate. Cell-free extracts generated from these strains are used for targeted enzyme screening in vitro. As model systems, we assess in vivo and in vitro production of triacetic acid lactone from acetyl-CoA and muconic acid from the shikimate pathway. The need for these platforms is exemplified by the fact that muconic acid cannot be detected in wildtype extracts provided with the same biosynthetic enzymes. We also perform metabolomic comparison to understand biochemical differences between the cellular and cell-free muconic acid synthesis systems (E. coli and S. cerevisiae cells and cell extracts with and without metabolic rewiring). While any given pathway has different interfaces with metabolism, we anticipate that this set of pre-optimized, flux enhanced cell extracts will enable prototyping efforts for new biosynthetic pathways and the discovery of biochemical functions of enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiunan Yi
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA; McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Blake J Rasor
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA; Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA; Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Nathalie Boadi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA; Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA; Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Katherine Louie
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Trent R Northen
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Ashty S Karim
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA; Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA; Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA; Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA; Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Hal S Alper
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA; McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
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16
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Smith EN, van Aalst M, Tosens T, Niinemets Ü, Stich B, Morosinotto T, Alboresi A, Erb TJ, Gómez-Coronado PA, Tolleter D, Finazzi G, Curien G, Heinemann M, Ebenhöh O, Hibberd JM, Schlüter U, Sun T, Weber APM. Improving photosynthetic efficiency toward food security: Strategies, advances, and perspectives. MOLECULAR PLANT 2023; 16:1547-1563. [PMID: 37660255 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2023.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthesis in crops and natural vegetation allows light energy to be converted into chemical energy and thus forms the foundation for almost all terrestrial trophic networks on Earth. The efficiency of photosynthetic energy conversion plays a crucial role in determining the portion of incident solar radiation that can be used to generate plant biomass throughout a growth season. Consequently, alongside the factors such as resource availability, crop management, crop selection, maintenance costs, and intrinsic yield potential, photosynthetic energy use efficiency significantly influences crop yield. Photosynthetic efficiency is relevant to sustainability and food security because it affects water use efficiency, nutrient use efficiency, and land use efficiency. This review focuses specifically on the potential for improvements in photosynthetic efficiency to drive a sustainable increase in crop yields. We discuss bypassing photorespiration, enhancing light use efficiency, harnessing natural variation in photosynthetic parameters for breeding purposes, and adopting new-to-nature approaches that show promise for achieving unprecedented gains in photosynthetic efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward N Smith
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Molecular Systems Biology - Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Marvin van Aalst
- Institute of Quantitative and Theoretical Biology, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Science (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Tiina Tosens
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 51006 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Ülo Niinemets
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 51006 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Benjamin Stich
- Institute of Quantitative Genetics and Genomics of Plants, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Science (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | | | | | - Tobias J Erb
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry & Synthetic Metabolism, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Paul A Gómez-Coronado
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry & Synthetic Metabolism, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Dimitri Tolleter
- Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble, IRIG-LPCV, Grenoble Alpes University, CNRS, CEA, INRAE, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Giovanni Finazzi
- Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble, IRIG-LPCV, Grenoble Alpes University, CNRS, CEA, INRAE, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Gilles Curien
- Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble, IRIG-LPCV, Grenoble Alpes University, CNRS, CEA, INRAE, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Matthias Heinemann
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Molecular Systems Biology - Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Oliver Ebenhöh
- Institute of Quantitative and Theoretical Biology, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Science (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Julian M Hibberd
- Molecular Physiology, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Urte Schlüter
- Institute for Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Science (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Tianshu Sun
- Molecular Physiology, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Andreas P M Weber
- Institute for Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Science (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
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17
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Chen J, Gonzalez R. Engineering Escherichia coli for selective 1-decanol production using the reverse β-oxidation (rBOX) pathway. Metab Eng 2023; 79:173-181. [PMID: 37482328 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2023.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
1-Decanol has great value in the pharmaceutical and fragrance industries and plays an important role in the chemical industry. In this study, we engineered Escherichia coli to selectively synthesize 1-decanol by using enzymes of the core reverse β-oxidation (rBOX) pathway and termination module with overlapping chain-length specificity. Through screening for acyl-CoA reductase termination enzymes and proper regulation of rBOX pathway expression, a 1-decanol titer of 1.4 g/L was achieved. Further improvements were realized by engineering pyruvate dissimilation to ensure the generation of NADH through pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and reducing byproduct synthesis via a tailored YigI thioesterase knockout, increasing 1-decanol titer to 1.9 g/L. The engineered strain produced about 4.4 g/L 1-decanol with a yield of 0.21 g/g in 36 h in a bi-phasic fermentation that used a dodecane overlay to increase 1-decanol transport and reduce its toxicity. Adjustment of pathway expression (varying inducer concentration) and cell growth (oxygen availability) enabled 1-decanol production at 6.1 g/L (0.26 g/g yield) and 10.05 g/L (0.2 g/g yield) using rich medium in shake flasks and bioreactor, respectively. Remarkably, the use of minimal medium resulted in 1-decanol production with 100% specificity at 2.8 g/L (0.14 g/g yield) and a per cell mass yield higher than rich medium. These 1-decanol titers, yields and purity are at least 10-fold higher than others reported to date and the engineered strain shows great potential for industrial production. Taken together, our findings suggest that using rBOX pathway and termination enzymes of proper chain-length specificity in combination with optimal chassis engineering should be an effective approach for the selective production of alcohols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Chen
- Department of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Ramon Gonzalez
- Department of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
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18
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Seki K, Galindo JL, Karim AS, Jewett MC. A Cell-Free Gene Expression Platform for Discovering and Characterizing Stop Codon Suppressing tRNAs. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:1324-1334. [PMID: 37257197 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00051] [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] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) can be incorporated into peptides and proteins to create new properties and functions. Site-specific ncAA incorporation is typically enabled by orthogonal translation systems comprising a stop codon suppressing tRNA (typically UAG), an aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, and an ncAA of interest. Unfortunately, methods to discover and characterize suppressor tRNAs are limited because of laborious and time-consuming workflows in living cells. In this work, we develop anEscherichia coli crude extract-based cell-free gene expression system to rapidly express and characterize functional suppressor tRNAs. Our approach co-expresses orthogonal tRNAs using endogenous machinery alongside a stop-codon containing superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) reporter, which can be used as a simple read-out for suppression. As a model, we evaluate the UAG and UAA suppressing activity of several orthogonal tRNAs. Then, we demonstrate that co-transcription of two mutually orthogonal tRNAs can direct the incorporation of two unique ncAAs within a single modified sfGFP. Finally, we show that the cell-free workflow can be used to discover putative UAG-suppressor tRNAs found in metagenomic data, which are nonspecifically recognized by endogenous aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. We anticipate that our cell-free system will accelerate the development of orthogonal translation systems for synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosuke Seki
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Joey L Galindo
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Ashty S Karim
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
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Walters KA, Mohan G, Myers KS, Ingle AT, Donohue TJ, Noguera DR. A metagenome-level analysis of a microbial community fermenting ultra-filtered milk permeate. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1173656. [PMID: 37324413 PMCID: PMC10263058 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1173656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Fermentative microbial communities have the potential to serve as biocatalysts for the conversion of low-value dairy coproducts into renewable chemicals, contributing to a more sustainable global economy. To develop predictive tools for the design and operation of industrially relevant strategies that utilize fermentative microbial communities, there is a need to determine the genomic features of community members that are characteristic to the accumulation of different products. To address this knowledge gap, we performed a 282-day bioreactor experiment with a microbial community that was fed ultra-filtered milk permeate, a low-value coproduct from the dairy industry. The bioreactor was inoculated with a microbial community from an acid-phase digester. A metagenomic analysis was used to assess microbial community dynamics, construct metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), and evaluate the potential for lactose utilization and fermentation product synthesis of community members represented by the assembled MAGs. This analysis led us to propose that, in this reactor, members of the Actinobacteriota phylum are important in the degradation of lactose, via the Leloir pathway and the bifid shunt, and the production of acetic, lactic, and succinic acids. In addition, members of the Firmicutes phylum contribute to the chain-elongation-mediated production of butyric, hexanoic, and octanoic acids, with different microbes using either lactose, ethanol, or lactic acid as the growth substrate. We conclude that genes encoding carbohydrate utilization pathways, and genes encoding lactic acid transport into the cell, electron confurcating lactate dehydrogenase, and its associated electron transfer flavoproteins, are genomic features whose presence in Firmicutes needs to be established to infer the growth substrate used for chain elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin A. Walters
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Wisconsin Energy Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Geethaanjali Mohan
- Wisconsin Energy Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Kevin S. Myers
- Wisconsin Energy Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Abel T. Ingle
- Wisconsin Energy Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Timothy J. Donohue
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Wisconsin Energy Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Daniel R. Noguera
- Wisconsin Energy Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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20
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Courtney DK, Su Y, Jacobson T, Khana D, Ailiani A, Amador-Noguez D, Pfleger BF. Relative Activities of the β-ketoacyl-CoA and Acyl-CoA Reductases Influence Product Profile and Flux in a Reversed β-Oxidation Pathway. ACS Catal 2023; 13:5914-5925. [PMID: 38094510 PMCID: PMC10718561 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.3c00379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
The β-Oxidation pathway, normally involved in the catabolism of fatty acids, can be functionally made to act as a fermentative, iterative, elongation pathway when driven by the activity of a trans-enoyl-CoA reductase. The terminal acyl-CoA reduction to alcohol can occur on substrates with varied chain lengths, leading to a broad distribution of fermentation products in vivo. Tight control of the average chain length and product profile is desirable as chain length greatly influences molecular properties and commercial value. Lacking a termination enzyme with a narrow chain length preference, we sought alternative factors that could influence the product profile and pathway flux in the iterative pathway. In this study, we reconstituted the reversed β-oxidation (R-βox) pathway in vitro with a purified tri-functional complex (FadBA) responsible for the thiolase, enoyl-CoA hydratase and hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase activities, a trans-enoyl-CoA reductase (TER), and an acyl-CoA reductase (ACR). Using this system, we determined the rate limiting step of the elongation cycle and demonstrated that by controlling the ratio of these three enzymes and the ratio of NADH and NADPH, we can influence the average chain length of the alcohol product profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan K. Courtney
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Yun Su
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Tyler Jacobson
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Daven Khana
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Aditya Ailiani
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | | | - Brian F. Pfleger
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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21
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Tan Z, Li J, Hou J, Gonzalez R. Designing artificial pathways for improving chemical production. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 64:108119. [PMID: 36764336 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Metabolic engineering exploits manipulation of catalytic and regulatory elements to improve a specific function of the host cell, often the synthesis of interesting chemicals. Although naturally occurring pathways are significant resources for metabolic engineering, these pathways are frequently inefficient and suffer from a series of inherent drawbacks. Designing artificial pathways in a rational manner provides a promising alternative for chemicals production. However, the entry barrier of designing artificial pathway is relatively high, which requires researchers a comprehensive and deep understanding of physical, chemical and biological principles. On the other hand, the designed artificial pathways frequently suffer from low efficiencies, which impair their further applications in host cells. Here, we illustrate the concept and basic workflow of retrobiosynthesis in designing artificial pathways, as well as the most currently used methods including the knowledge- and computer-based approaches. Then, we discuss how to obtain desired enzymes for novel biochemistries, and how to trim the initially designed artificial pathways for further improving their functionalities. Finally, we summarize the current applications of artificial pathways from feedstocks utilization to various products synthesis, as well as our future perspectives on designing artificial pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaigao Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; Department of Bioengineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Jian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; Department of Bioengineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Ramon Gonzalez
- Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
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22
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Garces Daza F, Haitz F, Born A, Boles E. An optimized reverse β-oxidation pathway to produce selected medium-chain fatty acids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS 2023; 16:71. [PMID: 37101299 PMCID: PMC10134560 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-023-02317-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medium-chain fatty acids are molecules with applications in different industries and with growing demand. However, the current methods for their extraction are not environmentally sustainable. The reverse β-oxidation pathway is an energy-efficient pathway that produces medium-chain fatty acids in microorganisms, and its use in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a broadly used industrial microorganism, is desired. However, the application of this pathway in this organism has so far either led to low titers or to the predominant production of short-chain fatty acids. RESULTS We genetically engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce the medium-chain fatty acids hexanoic and octanoic acid using novel variants of the reverse β-oxidation pathway. We first knocked out glycerolphosphate dehydrogenase GPD2 in an alcohol dehydrogenases knock-out strain (△adh1-5) to increase the NADH availability for the pathway, which significantly increased the production of butyric acid (78 mg/L) and hexanoic acid (2 mg/L) when the pathway was expressed from a plasmid with BktB as thiolase. Then, we tested different enzymes for the subsequent pathway reactions: the 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase PaaH1 increased hexanoic acid production to 33 mg/L, and the expression of enoyl-CoA hydratases Crt2 or Ech was critical to producing octanoic acid, reaching titers of 40 mg/L in both cases. In all cases, Ter from Treponema denticola was the preferred trans-enoyl-CoA reductase. The titers of hexanoic acid and octanoic acid were further increased to almost 75 mg/L and 60 mg/L, respectively, when the pathway expression cassette was integrated into the genome and the fermentation was performed in a highly buffered YPD medium. We also co-expressed a butyryl-CoA pathway variant to increase the butyryl-CoA pool and support the chain extension. However, this mainly increased the titers of butyric acid and only slightly increased that of hexanoic acid. Finally, we also tested the deletion of two potential medium-chain acyl-CoA depleting reactions catalyzed by the thioesterase Tes1 and the medium-chain fatty acyl CoA synthase Faa2. However, their deletion did not affect the production titers. CONCLUSIONS By engineering the NADH metabolism and testing different reverse β-oxidation pathway variants, we extended the product spectrum and obtained the highest titers of octanoic acid and hexanoic acid reported in S. cerevisiae. Product toxicity and enzyme specificity must be addressed for the industrial application of the pathway in this organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Garces Daza
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute of Molecular Bioscience, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Am Main, Max-von-Laue-Str.9, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Fabian Haitz
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute of Molecular Bioscience, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Am Main, Max-von-Laue-Str.9, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Alice Born
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute of Molecular Bioscience, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Am Main, Max-von-Laue-Str.9, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Eckhard Boles
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute of Molecular Bioscience, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Am Main, Max-von-Laue-Str.9, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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23
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Recent progress in the synthesis of advanced biofuel and bioproducts. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2023; 80:102913. [PMID: 36854202 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2023.102913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
Abstract
Energy is one of the most complex fields of study and an issue that influences nearly every aspect of modern life. Over the past century, combustion of fossil fuels, particularly in the transportation sector, has been the dominant form of energy release. Refining of petroleum and natural gas into liquid transportation fuels is also the centerpiece of the modern chemical industry used to produce materials, solvents, and other consumer goods. In the face of global climate change, the world is searching for alternative, sustainable means of producing energy carriers and chemical building blocks. The use of biofuels in engines predates modern refinery optimization and today represents a small but significant fraction of liquid transportation fuels burnt each year. Similarly, white biotechnology has been used to produce many natural products through fermentation. The evolution of recombinant DNA technology into modern synthetic biology has expanded the scope of biofuels and bioproducts that can be made by biocatalysts. This opinion examines the current trends in this research space, highlighting the substantial growth in computational tools and the growing influence of renewable electricity in the design of metabolic engineering strategies. In short, advanced biofuel and bioproduct synthesis remains a vibrant and critically important field of study whose focus is shifting away from the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass toward a broader consideration of how to reduce carbon dioxide to fuels and chemical products.
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24
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Rasor BJ, Chirania P, Rybnicky GA, Giannone RJ, Engle NL, Tschaplinski TJ, Karim AS, Hettich RL, Jewett MC. Mechanistic Insights into Cell-Free Gene Expression through an Integrated -Omics Analysis of Extract Processing Methods. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:405-418. [PMID: 36700560 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Cell-free systems derived from crude cell extracts have developed into tools for gene expression, with applications in prototyping, biosensing, and protein production. Key to the development of these systems is optimization of cell extract preparation methods. However, the applied nature of these optimizations often limits investigation into the complex nature of the extracts themselves, which contain thousands of proteins and reaction networks with hundreds of metabolites. Here, we sought to uncover the black box of proteins and metabolites in Escherichia coli cell-free reactions based on different extract preparation methods. We assess changes in transcription and translation activity from σ70 promoters in extracts prepared with acetate or glutamate buffer and the common post-lysis processing steps of a runoff incubation and dialysis. We then utilize proteomic and metabolomic analyses to uncover potential mechanisms behind these changes in gene expression, highlighting the impact of cold shock-like proteins and the role of buffer composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake J Rasor
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Payal Chirania
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States.,Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Grant A Rybnicky
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Graduate Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Richard J Giannone
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Nancy L Engle
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Timothy J Tschaplinski
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Ashty S Karim
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Robert L Hettich
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States.,Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
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25
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Teshima M, Willers VP, Sieber V. Cell-free enzyme cascades - application and transition from development to industrial implementation. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2023; 79:102868. [PMID: 36563481 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2022.102868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In the vision to realize a circular economy aiming for net carbon neutrality or even negativity, cell-free bioconversion of sustainable and renewable resources emerged as a promising strategy. The potential of in vitro systems is enormous, delivering technological, ecological, and ethical added values. Innovative concepts arose in cell-free enzymatic conversions to reduce process waste production and preserve fossil resources, as well as to redirect and assimilate released industrial pollutions back into the production cycle again. However, the great challenge in the near future will be the jump from a concept to an industrial application. The transition process in industrial implementation also requires economic aspects such as productivity, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Here, we briefly review the latest proof-of-concept cascades using carbon dioxide and other C1 or lignocellulose-derived chemicals as blueprints to efficiently recycle greenhouse gases, as well as cutting-edge technologies to maturate these concepts to industrial pilot plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariko Teshima
- Technical University of Munich, Campus Straubing, 94315 Straubing, Germany
| | | | - Volker Sieber
- Technical University of Munich, Campus Straubing, 94315 Straubing, Germany; SynBioFoundry@TUM, Technical University of Munich, 94315 Straubing, Germany; School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia 4072, Australia.
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26
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Scown CD. Prospects for carbon-negative biomanufacturing. Trends Biotechnol 2022; 40:1415-1424. [PMID: 36192249 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Biomanufacturing has the potential to reduce demand for petrochemicals and mitigate climate change. Recent studies have also suggested that some of these products can be net carbon negative, effectively removing CO2 from the atmosphere and locking it up in products. This review explores the magnitude of carbon removal achievable through biomanufacturing and discusses the likely fate of carbon in a range of target molecules. Solvents, cleaning agents, or food and pharmaceutical additives will likely re-release their carbon as CO2 at the end of their functional lives, while carbon incorporated into non-compostable polymers can result in long-term sequestration. Future research can maximize its impact by focusing on reducing emissions, achieving performance advantages, and enabling a more circular carbon economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinne D Scown
- Energy Technologies Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Biosciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Life-Cycle, Economics and Agronomy Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA; Energy and Biosciences Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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27
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Dykstra JC, van Oort J, Yazdi AT, Vossen E, Patinios C, van der Oost J, Sousa DZ, Kengen SWM. Metabolic engineering of Clostridium autoethanogenum for ethyl acetate production from CO. Microb Cell Fact 2022; 21:243. [DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-01964-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Ethyl acetate is a bulk chemical traditionally produced via energy intensive chemical esterification. Microbial production of this compound offers promise as a more sustainable alternative process. So far, efforts have focused on using sugar-based feedstocks for microbial ester production, but extension to one-carbon substrates, such as CO and CO2/H2, is desirable. Acetogens present a promising microbial platform for the production of ethyl esters from these one-carbon substrates.
Results
We engineered the acetogen C. autoethanogenum to produce ethyl acetate from CO by heterologous expression of an alcohol acetyltransferase (AAT), which catalyzes the formation of ethyl acetate from acetyl-CoA and ethanol. Two AATs, Eat1 from Kluyveromyces marxianus and Atf1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, were expressed in C. autoethanogenum. Strains expressing Atf1 produced up to 0.2 mM ethyl acetate. Ethyl acetate production was barely detectable (< 0.01 mM) for strains expressing Eat1. Supplementation of ethanol was investigated as potential boost for ethyl acetate production but resulted only in a 1.5-fold increase (0.3 mM ethyl acetate). Besides ethyl acetate, C. autoethanogenum expressing Atf1 could produce 4.5 mM of butyl acetate when 20 mM butanol was supplemented to the growth medium.
Conclusions
This work offers for the first time a proof-of-principle that autotrophic short chain ester production from C1-carbon feedstocks is possible and offers leads on how this approach can be optimized in the future.
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28
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Bikard D. How has microbiology changed 200 years after Pasteur's birth? C R Biol 2022; 345:21-33. [PMID: 36852594 DOI: 10.5802/crbiol.85] [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: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The last two centuries have seen major scientific and technological advances that have turned the field of microbiology upside down. If Louis Pasteur came out of his vault to celebrate his two hundredth birthday with us, would he recognize the field of study of which he was one of the founders? Are the objectives of the discipline still the same? What is the influence of new technologies on our scientific approach? What are the new horizons and future challenges?
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