1
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Fishman CB, Crawford KD, Bhattarai-Kline S, Poola D, Zhang K, González-Delgado A, Rojas-Montero M, Shipman SL. Continuous multiplexed phage genome editing using recombitrons. Nat Biotechnol 2024:10.1038/s41587-024-02370-5. [PMID: 39237706 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-024-02370-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/07/2024]
Abstract
Bacteriophage genome editing can enhance the efficacy of phages to eliminate pathogenic bacteria in patients and in the environment. However, current methods for editing phage genomes require laborious screening, counterselection or in vitro construction of modified genomes. Here, we present a scalable approach that uses modified bacterial retrons called recombitrons to generate recombineering donor DNA paired with single-stranded binding and annealing proteins for integration into phage genomes. This system can efficiently create genome modifications in multiple phages without the need for counterselection. The approach also supports larger insertions and deletions, which can be combined with simultaneous counterselection for >99% efficiency. Moreover, we show that the process is continuous, with more edits accumulating the longer the phage is cultured with the host, and multiplexable. We install up to five distinct mutations on a single lambda phage genome without counterselection in only a few hours of hands-on time and identify a residue-level epistatic interaction in the T7 gp17 tail fiber.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe B Fishman
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kate D Crawford
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Santi Bhattarai-Kline
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA, USA
- UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Darshini Poola
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India
| | - Karen Zhang
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Seth L Shipman
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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2
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Zheng Y, Zhang Y, Li X, Liu L. Proof of ssDNA degraded from dsDNA for ET recombination. Biochem Biophys Rep 2024; 39:101750. [PMID: 39035021 PMCID: PMC11257833 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2024.101750] [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: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The widely used ET recombination requires an ssDNA product degraded by Rac phage protein E588 from dsDNA for strand invasion. However, proof of the ssDNA product is still elusive. The study provided three levels of proof sequentially. The probable ssDNAs degraded by E588 from the fluorescent plus-, minus-, or double-stranded dsDNA pET28a-xylanase exhibited a half fluorescence intensity of the corresponding dsDNAs, equivalent to the E588 degradation nucleotides half that of the total nucleotides degraded from the corresponding dsDNA. The ssDNA product degraded by E588 from the fluorescent minus-stranded dsDNA was confirmed by gradient gel-electrophoresis and two nuclease degradation reactions. Degraded by E588 from the dsDNA pET28a-xylanase that had a phosphorothioated plus-stranded 5'-terminus, the plus-stranded ssDNA product was separated via gel electrophoresis and recovered via a DNAclean kit. The recovered ssDNA product was proven to have intact 5'- and 3'-ends by DNA sequencing analysis. This study provides a solid foundation for the mechanism of ssDNA invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanxia Zheng
- Life Science College, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Life Science College, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Xuegang Li
- Life Science College, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
| | - Liangwei Liu
- Life Science College, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450046, China
- The Key Laboratory of Enzyme Engineering of Agricultural Microbiology, Ministry of Agriculture, Zhengzhou, 450046, 218 Pingan Road, China
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3
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Sanford P, Woolston BM. Development of a Recombineering System for the Acetogen Eubacterium limosum with Cas9 Counterselection for Markerless Genome Engineering. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:2505-2514. [PMID: 39033464 PMCID: PMC11334238 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.4c00253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Eubacterium limosum is a Clostridial acetogen that efficiently utilizes a wide range of single-carbon substrates and contributes to metabolism of health-associated compounds in the human gut microbiota. These traits have led to interest in developing it as a platform for sustainable CO2-based biofuel production to combat carbon emissions, and for exploring the importance of the microbiota in human health. However, synthetic biology and metabolic engineering in E. limosum have been hindered by the inability to rapidly make precise genomic modifications. Here, we screened a diverse library of recombinase proteins to develop a highly efficient oligonucleotide-based recombineering system based on the viral recombinase RecT. Following optimization, the system is capable of catalyzing ssDNA recombination at an efficiency of up to 2%. Addition of a Cas9 counterselection system eliminated unrecombined cells, with up to 100% of viable cells encoding the desired mutation, enabling creation of genomic point mutations in a scarless and markerless manner. We deployed this system to create a clean knockout of the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) gene cluster, generating a strain incapable of biofilm formation. This approach is rapid and simple, not requiring laborious homology arm cloning, and can readily be retargeted to almost any genomic locus. This work overcomes a major bottleneck in E. limosum genetic engineering by enabling precise genomic modifications, and provides both a roadmap and associated recombinase plasmid library for developing similar systems in other Clostridia of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick
A. Sanford
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 223 Cullinane, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Benjamin M. Woolston
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 223 Cullinane, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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4
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Jann C, Giofré S, Bhattacharjee R, Lemke EA. Cracking the Code: Reprogramming the Genetic Script in Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes to Harness the Power of Noncanonical Amino Acids. Chem Rev 2024. [PMID: 39120726 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Over 500 natural and synthetic amino acids have been genetically encoded in the last two decades. Incorporating these noncanonical amino acids into proteins enables many powerful applications, ranging from basic research to biotechnology, materials science, and medicine. However, major challenges remain to unleash the full potential of genetic code expansion across disciplines. Here, we provide an overview of diverse genetic code expansion methodologies and systems and their final applications in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, represented by Escherichia coli and mammalian cells as the main workhorse model systems. We highlight the power of how new technologies can be first established in simple and then transferred to more complex systems. For example, whole-genome engineering provides an excellent platform in bacteria for enabling transcript-specific genetic code expansion without off-targets in the transcriptome. In contrast, the complexity of a eukaryotic cell poses challenges that require entirely new approaches, such as striving toward establishing novel base pairs or generating orthogonally translating organelles within living cells. We connect the milestones in expanding the genetic code of living cells for encoding novel chemical functionalities to the most recent scientific discoveries, from optimizing the physicochemical properties of noncanonical amino acids to the technological advancements for their in vivo incorporation. This journey offers a glimpse into the promising developments in the years to come.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosimo Jann
- Biocenter, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- IMB Postdoc Programme (IPPro), 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Sabrina Giofré
- Biocenter, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- IMB Postdoc Programme (IPPro), 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Rajanya Bhattacharjee
- Biocenter, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- IMB International PhD Programme (IPP), 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Edward A Lemke
- Biocenter, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), 55128 Mainz, Germany
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5
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Zhou Y, Lin Z, Fang J, Wang Z, Guo J, Li G, Xu Q, Jin M, Chen H, Zou J, Zhou H. The recombinant vaccine of Lactobacillus plantarum elicits immune protection against H1N1 and H9N2 influenza virus infection. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 275:133453. [PMID: 38942402 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.133453] [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: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
Influenza A virus (IAV) causes annual epidemics and occasional pandemics, resulting in significant economic losses and numerous fatalities. Current vaccines, typically administered through injection, provide limited protection due to the frequent antigenic shift and drift of IAV strains. Therefore, the development of alternative broad-spectrum vaccine strategies is imperative. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) represent promising candidates for vaccine engineering due to their low cost, high safety profile, and suitability for oral administration. In this study, we identified a strain of Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp) that is resistant to acid and bile salts and capable of colonizing the intestines of mice. Subsequently, we employed the RecE/T gene editing system to integrate headless hemagglutinins (mini-HA) into the genome of Lp, generating Lp-mini-HA-SP. Remarkably, immunization with Lp-mini-HA-SP elicited serum IgG antibody responses and conferred immune protection against H9N2 and H1N1 influenza virus challenges. Collectively, our findings offer a novel approach for the development of orally administered IAV vaccines and hold significant potential for future drug development endeavors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanbao Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China
| | - Zhipeng Lin
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China
| | - Jiaqing Fang
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China
| | - Zhihao Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China
| | - Jinli Guo
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China
| | - Guohong Li
- Wuhan Keqian Biology Co., Ltd, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China
| | - Qiaoxia Xu
- Wuhan Keqian Biology Co., Ltd, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China
| | - Meilin Jin
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China
| | - Huanchun Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China; Frontiers Science Center for Animal Breeding and Sustainable Production, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China
| | - Jiahui Zou
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
| | - Hongbo Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China; Frontiers Science Center for Animal Breeding and Sustainable Production, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
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6
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Kakkar A, Kandwal G, Nayak T, Jaiswal LK, Srivastava A, Gupta A. Engineered bacteriophages: A panacea against pathogenic and drug resistant bacteria. Heliyon 2024; 10:e34333. [PMID: 39100447 PMCID: PMC11295868 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34333] [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: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global concern; antibiotics and other regular treatment methods have failed to overcome the increasing number of infectious diseases. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that specifically target/kill bacterial hosts without affecting other human microbiome. Phage therapy provides optimism in the current global healthcare scenario with a long history of its applications in humans that has now reached various clinical trials. Phages in clinical trials have specific requirements of being exclusively lytic, free from toxic genes with an enhanced host range that adds an advantage to this requisite. This review explains in detail the various phage engineering methods and their potential applications in therapy. To make phages more efficient, engineering has been attempted using techniques like conventional homologous recombination, Bacteriophage Recombineering of Electroporated DNA (BRED), clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas, CRISPY-BRED/Bacteriophage Recombineering with Infectious Particles (BRIP), chemically accelerated viral evolution (CAVE), and phage genome rebooting. Phages are administered in cocktail form in combination with antibiotics, vaccines, and purified proteins, such as endolysins. Thus, phage therapy is proving to be a better alternative for treating life-threatening infections, with more specificity and fewer detrimental consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuja Kakkar
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP, 221005, India
| | - Garima Kandwal
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP, 221005, India
| | - Tanmayee Nayak
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP, 221005, India
| | - Lav Kumar Jaiswal
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP, 221005, India
| | - Amit Srivastava
- University of Jyväskylä, Nanoscience Centre, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Ankush Gupta
- Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP, 221005, India
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7
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Xie Z, McAuliffe O, Jin YS, Miller MJ. Genomic Modifications of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Applications in Dairy Fermentation. J Dairy Sci 2024:S0022-0302(24)00981-0. [PMID: 38969005 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2024-24989] [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: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) have a long history of safe use in milk fermentation and are generally recognized as health-promoting microorganisms when present in fermented foods. LAB are also important components of the human intestinal microbiota and are widely used as probiotics. Considering their safe and health-beneficial properties, LAB are considered appropriate vehicles that can be genetically modified for food, industrial and pharmaceutical applications. Here, this review describes (1) the potential opportunities for application of genetically modified LAB strains in dairy fermentation and (2) the various genomic modification tools for LAB strains, such as random mutagenesis, adaptive laboratory evolution, conjugation, homologous recombination, recombineering, and CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat)- Cas (CRISPR-associated protein) based genome engineering. Lastly, this review also discusses the potential future developments of these genomic modification technologies and their applications in dairy fermentations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zifan Xie
- Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | | | - Yong-Su Jin
- Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Michael J Miller
- Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
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8
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Zhao W, Guo Y. Increasing the efficiency of gene editing with CRISPR-Cas9 via concurrent expression of the Beta protein. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 270:132431. [PMID: 38759853 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132431] [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: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Escherichia coli has emerged as an important host for the production of biopharmaceuticals or other industrially relevant molecules. An efficient gene editing tool is indispensable for ensuring high production levels and optimal release of target products. However, in Escherichia coli, the CRISPR-Cas9 system has been shown to achieve gene modifications with relatively low frequency. Large-scale PCR screening is required, hindering the identification of positive clones. The beta protein, which weakly binds to single-stranded DNA but tightly associates with complementary strand annealing products, offers a promising solution to this issue. In the present study, we describe a targeted and continuous gene editing strategy for the Escherichia coli genome. This strategy involves the coexpression of the beta protein alongside the CRISPR-Cas9 system, enabling a variety of genome modifications such as gene deletion and insertion with an efficiency exceeding 80 %. The integrity of beta proteins is essential for the CRISPR-Cas9/Beta-based gene editing system. In this work, the deletion of either the N- or C-terminal domain significantly impaired system efficiency. Overall, our findings established the CRISPR-Cas9/Beta system as a suitable gene editing tool for various applications in Escherichia coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiyu Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, No. 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, China; School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, No. 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China; Institute of Logistics Science and Engineering, Shanghai Maritime University, 1550 Haigang Avenue, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Yanan Guo
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, No. 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, China; Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States of America.
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9
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Zakharova K, Liu M, Greenwald JR, Caldwell BC, Qi Z, Wysocki VH, Bell CE. Structural Basis for the Interaction of Redβ Single-Strand Annealing Protein with Escherichia coli Single-Stranded DNA-Binding Protein. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168590. [PMID: 38663547 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2024.168590] [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: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Redβ is a protein from bacteriophage λ that binds to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) to promote the annealing of complementary strands. Together with λ-exonuclease (λ-exo), Redβ is part of a two-component DNA recombination system involved in multiple aspects of genome maintenance. The proteins have been exploited in powerful methods for bacterial genome engineering in which Redβ can anneal an electroporated oligonucleotide to a complementary target site at the lagging strand of a replication fork. Successful annealing in vivo requires the interaction of Redβ with E. coli single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB), which coats the ssDNA at the lagging strand to coordinate access of numerous replication proteins. Previous mutational analysis revealed that the interaction between Redβ and SSB involves the C-terminal domain (CTD) of Redβ and the C-terminal tail of SSB (SSB-Ct), the site for binding of numerous host proteins. Here, we have determined the x-ray crystal structure of Redβ CTD in complex with a peptide corresponding to the last nine residues of SSB (MDFDDDIPF). Formation of the complex is predominantly mediated by hydrophobic interactions between two phenylalanine side chains of SSB (Phe-171 and Phe-177) and an apolar groove on the CTD, combined with electrostatic interactions between the C-terminal carboxylate of SSB and Lys-214 of the CTD. Mutation of any of these residues to alanine significantly disrupts the interaction of full-length Redβ and SSB proteins. Structural knowledge of this interaction will help to expand the utility of Redβ-mediated recombination to a wider range of bacterial hosts for applications in synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Zakharova
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Mengqi Liu
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jacelyn R Greenwald
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Brian C Caldwell
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Zihao Qi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Vicki H Wysocki
- Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Charles E Bell
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
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10
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Saunders SH, Ahmed AM. ORBIT for E. coli: kilobase-scale oligonucleotide recombineering at high throughput and high efficiency. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:e43. [PMID: 38587185 PMCID: PMC11077079 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Microbiology and synthetic biology depend on reverse genetic approaches to manipulate bacterial genomes; however, existing methods require molecular biology to generate genomic homology, suffer from low efficiency, and are not easily scaled to high throughput. To overcome these limitations, we developed a system for creating kilobase-scale genomic modifications that uses DNA oligonucleotides to direct the integration of a non-replicating plasmid. This method, Oligonucleotide Recombineering followed by Bxb-1 Integrase Targeting (ORBIT) was pioneered in Mycobacteria, and here we adapt and expand it for Escherichia coli. Our redesigned plasmid toolkit for oligonucleotide recombineering achieved significantly higher efficiency than λ Red double-stranded DNA recombineering and enabled precise, stable knockouts (≤134 kb) and integrations (≤11 kb) of various sizes. Additionally, we constructed multi-mutants in a single transformation, using orthogonal attachment sites. At high throughput, we used pools of targeting oligonucleotides to knock out nearly all known transcription factor and small RNA genes, yielding accurate, genome-wide, single mutant libraries. By counting genomic barcodes, we also show ORBIT libraries can scale to thousands of unique members (>30k). This work demonstrates that ORBIT for E. coli is a flexible reverse genetic system that facilitates rapid construction of complex strains and readily scales to create sophisticated mutant libraries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott H Saunders
- Green Center for Systems Biology - Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75320, USA
| | - Ayesha M Ahmed
- Green Center for Systems Biology - Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75320, USA
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11
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Hinz A, Amado A, Kassen R, Bank C, Wong A. Unpredictability of the Fitness Effects of Antimicrobial Resistance Mutations Across Environments in Escherichia coli. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae086. [PMID: 38709811 PMCID: PMC11110942 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The evolution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria is a major public health concern, and antibiotic restriction is often implemented to reduce the spread of resistance. These measures rely on the existence of deleterious fitness effects (i.e. costs) imposed by AMR mutations during growth in the absence of antibiotics. According to this assumption, resistant strains will be outcompeted by susceptible strains that do not pay the cost during the period of restriction. The fitness effects of AMR mutations are generally studied in laboratory reference strains grown in standard growth environments; however, the genetic and environmental context can influence the magnitude and direction of a mutation's fitness effects. In this study, we measure how three sources of variation impact the fitness effects of Escherichia coli AMR mutations: the type of resistance mutation, the genetic background of the host, and the growth environment. We demonstrate that while AMR mutations are generally costly in antibiotic-free environments, their fitness effects vary widely and depend on complex interactions between the mutation, genetic background, and environment. We test the ability of the Rough Mount Fuji fitness landscape model to reproduce the empirical data in simulation. We identify model parameters that reasonably capture the variation in fitness effects due to genetic variation. However, the model fails to accommodate the observed variation when considering multiple growth environments. Overall, this study reveals a wealth of variation in the fitness effects of resistance mutations owing to genetic background and environmental conditions, which will ultimately impact their persistence in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Hinz
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - André Amado
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Division of Theoretical Ecology and Evolution, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Evolutionary Dynamics Group, Gulbenkian Science Institute, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Rees Kassen
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Claudia Bank
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Division of Theoretical Ecology and Evolution, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Evolutionary Dynamics Group, Gulbenkian Science Institute, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Alex Wong
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
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12
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Cook GD, Stasulli NM. Employing synthetic biology to expand antibiotic discovery. SLAS Technol 2024; 29:100120. [PMID: 38340893 DOI: 10.1016/j.slast.2024.100120] [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: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacterial pathogens are a continually growing threat as our methods for combating these infections continue to be overcome by the evolution of resistance mechanisms. Recent therapeutic methods have not staved off the concern of AMR infections, so continued research focuses on new ways of identifying small molecules to treat AMR pathogens. While chemical modification of existing antibiotics is possible, there has been rapid development of resistance by pathogens that were initially susceptible to these compounds. Synthetic biology is becoming a key strategy in trying to predict and induce novel, natural antibiotics. Advances in cloning and mutagenesis techniques applied through a synthetic biology lens can help characterize the native regulation of antibiotic biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) to identify potential modifications leading to more potent antibiotic activity. Additionally, many cryptic antibiotic BGCs are derived from non-ribosomal peptide synthase (NRPS) and polyketide synthase (PKS) biosynthetic pathways; complex, clustered genetic sequences that give rise to amino acid-derived natural products. Synthetic biology can be applied to modify and metabolically engineer these enzyme-based systems to promote rapid and sustainable production of natural products and their variants. This review will focus on recent advances related to synthetic biology as applied to genetic pathway characterization and identification of antibiotics from naturally occurring BGCs. Specifically, we will summarize recent efforts to characterize BGCs via general genomic mutagenesis, endogenous gene expression, and heterologous gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greta D Cook
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of New Haven, 300 Boston Post Rd, Dodds Hall 316, West Haven 06516 USA
| | - Nikolas M Stasulli
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of New Haven, 300 Boston Post Rd, Dodds Hall 316, West Haven 06516 USA.
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13
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Orleneva AP, Teslya PN, Serebrianyi VA. In vivo assembly of genetic constructs in filamentous fungus Talaromyces cellulolyticus. J Microbiol Methods 2024; 219:106893. [PMID: 38320738 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2024.106893] [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: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
In the filamentous fungus Talaromyces cellulolyticus, similar to other filamentous fungi, non-homologous recombination predominates over homologous recombination. For instance, to achieve an acceptable integration frequency of a genetic construct into a target site on the intact chromosome, the flanking sequences directing this integration should be approximately 2.5 kb in length. However, despite the requirement of long flanks for integration into the intact chromosome, we found that homologous recombination between linear DNA fragments in T. cellulolyticus effectively occurs when these fragments overlap by just 50 bp. This allows for the assembly of full-sized genetic constructs in vivo from relatively small blocks, eliminating the need for in vitro assembly, similar to the approach previously developed for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To validate this possibility, we replaced the native promoter of the target gene by transforming the recipient strain with five DNA fragments: two flanks for recombination with the target locus, two parts of the marker gene, and a donor promoter. This discovery significantly expedites the genetic engineering of T. cellulolyticus and potentially other fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra P Orleneva
- Ajinomoto-Genetika Research Institute, 1st Dorozhny proezd, 1-1, Moscow 117545, Russia
| | - Petr N Teslya
- Ajinomoto-Genetika Research Institute, 1st Dorozhny proezd, 1-1, Moscow 117545, Russia
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14
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Li Y, Chen X, Zhang W, Fang K, Tian J, Li F, Han M, Huang J, Sun T, Bai F, Cheng M, Xu Y. The metabolic slowdown caused by the deletion of pspA accelerates protein aggregation during stationary phase facilitating antibiotic persistence. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2024; 68:e0093723. [PMID: 38169282 PMCID: PMC10848772 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00937-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Entering a dormant state is a prevailing mechanism used by bacterial cells to transiently evade antibiotic attacks and become persisters. The dynamic progression of bacterial dormancy depths driven by protein aggregation has been found to be critical for antibiotic persistence in recent years. However, our current understanding of the endogenous genes that affects dormancy depth remains limited. Here, we discovered a novel role of phage shock protein A (pspA) gene in modulating bacterial dormancy depth. Deletion of pspA of Escherichia coli resulted in increased bacterial dormancy depths and prolonged lag times for resuscitation during the stationary phase. ∆pspA exhibited a higher persister ratio compared to the wild type when challenged with various antibiotics. Microscopic images revealed that ∆pspA showed accelerated formation of protein aggresomes, which were collections of endogenous protein aggregates. Time-lapse imaging established the positive correlation between protein aggregation and antibiotic persistence of ∆pspA at the single-cell level. To investigate the molecular mechanism underlying accelerated protein aggregation, we performed transcriptome profiling and found the increased abundance of chaperons and a general metabolic slowdown in the absence of pspA. Consistent with the transcriptomic results, the ∆pspA strain showed a decreased cellular ATP level, which could be rescued by glucose supplementation. Then, we verified that replenishment of cellular ATP levels by adding glucose could inhibit protein aggregation and reduce persister formation in ∆pspA. This study highlights the novel role of pspA in maintaining proteostasis, regulating dormancy depth, and affecting antibiotic persistence during stationary phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingxing Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Biomedical Engineering Facility of National Infrastructures for Translational Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao Chen
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Centre (BIOPIC), School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Weili Zhang
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Kefan Fang
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Centre (BIOPIC), School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jingjing Tian
- Biomedical Engineering Facility of National Infrastructures for Translational Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Fangyuan Li
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Mingfei Han
- National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Proteome Research Center, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing, China
| | - Jingjing Huang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Affiliated Huai'an No. 1 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Huai'an, China
| | - Tianshu Sun
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Fan Bai
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Centre (BIOPIC), School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Mei Cheng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital & Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research & the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yingchun Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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15
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Kalb MJ, Grenfell AW, Jain A, Fenske-Newbart J, Gralnick JA. Comparison of phage-derived recombinases for genetic manipulation of Pseudomonas species. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0317623. [PMID: 37882574 PMCID: PMC10714826 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03176-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE The Pseudomonas genus contains many members currently being investigated for applications in biodegradation, biopesticides, biocontrol, and synthetic biology. Though several strains have been identified with beneficial properties, chromosomal manipulations to further improve these strains for commercial applications have been limited due to the lack of efficient genetic tools that have been tested across this genus. Here, we test the recombineering efficiencies of five phage-derived recombinases across three biotechnologically relevant Pseudomonas strains: P. putida KT2440, P. protegens Pf-5, and P. protegens CHA0. These results demonstrate a method to generate targeted mutations quickly and efficiently across these strains, ideally introducing a method that can be implemented across the Pseudomonas genus and a strategy that may be applied to develop analogous systems in other nonmodel bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison J. Kalb
- BioTechnology Institute and Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Andrew W. Grenfell
- BioTechnology Institute and Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Abhiney Jain
- BioTechnology Institute and Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jane Fenske-Newbart
- BioTechnology Institute and Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jeffrey A. Gralnick
- BioTechnology Institute and Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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16
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Asin-Garcia E, Garcia-Morales L, Bartholet T, Liang Z, Isaacs F, Martins dos Santos VP. Metagenomics harvested genus-specific single-stranded DNA-annealing proteins improve and expand recombineering in Pseudomonas species. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:12522-12536. [PMID: 37941137 PMCID: PMC10711431 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1024] [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: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The widespread Pseudomonas genus comprises a collection of related species with remarkable abilities to degrade plastics and polluted wastes and to produce a broad set of valuable compounds, ranging from bulk chemicals to pharmaceuticals. Pseudomonas possess characteristics of tolerance and stress resistance making them valuable hosts for industrial and environmental biotechnology. However, efficient and high-throughput genetic engineering tools have limited metabolic engineering efforts and applications. To improve their genome editing capabilities, we first employed a computational biology workflow to generate a genus-specific library of potential single-stranded DNA-annealing proteins (SSAPs). Assessment of the library was performed in different Pseudomonas using a high-throughput pooled recombinase screen followed by Oxford Nanopore NGS analysis. Among different active variants with variable levels of allelic replacement frequency (ARF), efficient SSAPs were found and characterized for mediating recombineering in the four tested species. New variants yielded higher ARFs than existing ones in Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and expanded the field of recombineering in Pseudomonas taiwanensisand Pseudomonas fluorescens. These findings will enhance the mutagenesis capabilities of these members of the Pseudomonas genus, increasing the possibilities for biotransformation and enhancing their potential for synthetic biology applications. .
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique Asin-Garcia
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen 6708 WE, The Netherlands
- Bioprocess Engineering Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen 6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - Luis Garcia-Morales
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen 6708 WE, The Netherlands
| | - Tessa Bartholet
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen 6708 WE, The Netherlands
| | - Zhuobin Liang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - Farren J Isaacs
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Vitor A P Martins dos Santos
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen 6708 WE, The Netherlands
- Bioprocess Engineering Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen 6700 AA, The Netherlands
- LifeGlimmer GmbH, Berlin 12163, Germany
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17
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Pankratz D, Gomez NO, Nielsen A, Mustafayeva A, Gür M, Arce-Rodriguez F, Nikel PI, Häussler S, Arce-Rodriguez A. An expanded CRISPR-Cas9-assisted recombineering toolkit for engineering genetically intractable Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates. Nat Protoc 2023; 18:3253-3288. [PMID: 37798358 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-023-00882-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Much of our current understanding of microbiology is based on the application of genetic engineering procedures. Since their inception (more than 30 years ago), methods based largely on allelic exchange and two-step selection processes have become a cornerstone of contemporary bacterial genetics. While these tools are established for adapted laboratory strains, they have limited applicability in clinical or environmental isolates displaying a large and unknown genetic repertoire that are recalcitrant to genetic modifications. Hence, new tools allowing genetic engineering of intractable bacteria must be developed to gain a comprehensive understanding of them in the context of their biological niche. Herein, we present a method for precise, efficient and rapid engineering of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This procedure relies on recombination of short single-stranded DNA facilitated by targeted double-strand DNA breaks mediated by a synthetic Cas9 coupled with the efficient Ssr recombinase. Possible applications include introducing single-nucleotide polymorphisms, short or long deletions, and short DNA insertions using synthetic single-stranded DNA templates, drastically reducing the need of PCR and cloning steps. Our toolkit is encoded on two plasmids, harboring an array of different antibiotic resistance cassettes; hence, this approach can be successfully applied to isolates displaying natural antibiotic resistances. Overall, this toolkit substantially reduces the time required to introduce a range of genetic manipulations to a minimum of five experimental days, and enables a variety of research and biotechnological applications in both laboratory strains and difficult-to-manipulate P. aeruginosa isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debbie Pankratz
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
| | - Nicolas Oswaldo Gomez
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Agnes Nielsen
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Ayten Mustafayeva
- Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Melisa Gür
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Fabián Arce-Rodriguez
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Pablo Ivan Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Susanne Häussler
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany.
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Cluster of Excellence RESIST (EXC 2155), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Alejandro Arce-Rodriguez
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
- Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.
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18
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Rudolph A, Nyerges A, Chiappino-Pepe A, Landon M, Baas-Thomas M, Church G. Strategies to identify and edit improvements in synthetic genome segments episomally. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:10094-10106. [PMID: 37615546 PMCID: PMC10570025 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome engineering projects often utilize bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) to carry multi-kilobase DNA segments at low copy number. However, all stages of whole-genome engineering have the potential to impose mutations on the synthetic genome that can reduce or eliminate the fitness of the final strain. Here, we describe improvements to a multiplex automated genome engineering (MAGE) protocol to improve recombineering frequency and multiplexability. This protocol was applied to recoding an Escherichia coli strain to replace seven codons with synonymous alternatives genome wide. Ten 44 402-47 179 bp de novo synthesized DNA segments contained in a BAC from the recoded strain were unable to complement deletion of the corresponding 33-61 wild-type genes using a single antibiotic resistance marker. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to identify 1-7 non-recoding mutations in essential genes per segment, and MAGE in turn proved a useful strategy to repair these mutations on the recoded segment contained in the BAC when both the recoded and wild-type copies of the mutated genes had to exist by necessity during the repair process. Finally, two web-based tools were used to predict the impact of a subset of non-recoding missense mutations on strain fitness using protein structure and function calls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Rudolph
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Akos Nyerges
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Anush Chiappino-Pepe
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Matthieu Landon
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | | | - George Church
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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19
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Yang KB, Cameranesi M, Gowder M, Martinez C, Shamovsky Y, Epshtein V, Hao Z, Nguyen T, Nirenstein E, Shamovsky I, Rasouly A, Nudler E. High-resolution landscape of an antibiotic binding site. Nature 2023; 622:180-187. [PMID: 37648864 PMCID: PMC10550828 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06495-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic binding sites are located in important domains of essential enzymes and have been extensively studied in the context of resistance mutations; however, their study is limited by positive selection. Using multiplex genome engineering1 to overcome this constraint, we generate and characterize a collection of 760 single-residue mutants encompassing the entire rifampicin binding site of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase (RNAP). By genetically mapping drug-enzyme interactions, we identify an alpha helix where mutations considerably enhance or disrupt rifampicin binding. We find mutations in this region that prolong antibiotic binding, converting rifampicin from a bacteriostatic to bactericidal drug by inducing lethal DNA breaks. The latter are replication dependent, indicating that rifampicin kills by causing detrimental transcription-replication conflicts at promoters. We also identify additional binding site mutations that greatly increase the speed of RNAP.Fast RNAP depletes the cell of nucleotides, alters cell sensitivity to different antibiotics and provides a cold growth advantage. Finally, by mapping natural rpoB sequence diversity, we discover that functional rifampicin binding site mutations that alter RNAP properties or confer drug resistance occur frequently in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin B Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Maria Cameranesi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Manjunath Gowder
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Criseyda Martinez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yosef Shamovsky
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Vitaliy Epshtein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Zhitai Hao
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Thao Nguyen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Eric Nirenstein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ilya Shamovsky
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Aviram Rasouly
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Evgeny Nudler
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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20
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Abstract
The method described here allows editing of the bacterial genome without leaving any secondary changes (scars) behind. This method uses a tripartite selectable and counterselectable cassette comprising an antibiotic-resistance gene (cat or kan) and the tetR repressor gene linked to a Ptet promoter-ccdB toxin gene fusion. In the absence of induction, the tetR gene product represses the Ptet promoter, preventing ccdB expression. The cassette is first inserted at the target site by selecting for chloramphenicol or kanamycin resistance. It is subsequently replaced by the sequence of interest by selecting for growth in the presence of anhydrotetracycline (AHTc), which inactivates the TetR repressor thereby causing CcdB-induced lethality. Unlike other CcdB-based counterselection schemes, which require specifically designed λ-Red delivery plasmids, the system described here uses the popular plasmid pKD46 as the source of λ-Red functions. This protocol allows a wide variety of modifications, including the intragenic insertion of fluorescent or epitope tags, gene replacements, deletions, and single base-pair substitutions, to be made. In addition, the procedure can be used to place the inducible Ptet promoter at a chosen position in the bacterial chromosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nara Figueroa-Bossi
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule (I2BC), 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Roberto Balbontín
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41080 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Lionello Bossi
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule (I2BC), 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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21
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Abstract
The ability to manipulate the bacterial genome is an obligatory premise for the study of gene function and regulation in bacterial cells. The λ red recombineering technique allows modification of chromosomal sequences with base-pair precision without the need of intermediate molecular cloning steps. Initially conceived to construct insertion mutants, the technique lends itself to a wide variety of applications including the creation of point mutants, seamless deletions, reporter, and epitope tag fusions and chromosomal rearrangements. Here, we introduce some of the most common implementations of the method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nara Figueroa-Bossi
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule (I2BC), 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Roberto Balbontín
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41080 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Lionello Bossi
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule (I2BC), 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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22
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Yoshikawa T, Misu M, Kurosu T, Takamatsu Y, Sugimoto S, Shimojima M, Ebihara H, Saijo M. Markerless bacterial artificial chromosome manipulation method by red proteins of phage λ mediated homologous recombination utilizing fluorescent proteins for both positive and counter selection. Heliyon 2023; 9:e18983. [PMID: 37600421 PMCID: PMC10432722 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Manipulating viral genomes is an essential technique in reverse genetics and recombinant vaccine development. A strategy for manipulating large viral genomes involves introducing their entire genome into bacterial artificial chromosomes and employing Escherichia coli genetic tools. For sequence manipulation on bacterial artificial chromosomes (bacterial artificial chromosomes recombineering), a well-established method that relies on the Escherichia coli strain GS1783, and the template plasmid, pEPKan-S, is often used. This method, known as markerless DNA manipulation, allows for the generation of a recombinant bacterial artificial chromosome that does not retain the selection markers used during recombination. Although this method is highly innovative, there remains room for improvement as the plasmid is currently only available for positive selection. Additionally, differentiating true recombinants from false negatives often proves time-consuming. Consequently, an improved method for bacterial artificial chromosomes recombineering, which utilizes fluorescent proteins, has been developed. This method's core comprises three plasmids containing the I-SceI recognition site, antibiotic resistance genes (ampicillin, kanamycin, and zeocin), and fluorescent genes (YPet, mOrange, and mScarlet). The success or failure of Red recombination can be confirmed via fluorescent signals. To validate this method, the Lassa virus genes were introduced into the bacterial artificial chromosomes, containing the entire genome of the vaccinia virus strain LC16m8. Consequently, the expression of fluorescent protein genes contributed to positive selection, such as blue-white screening and counter-selection during the first and second Red recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoki Yoshikawa
- Department of Virology 1, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Gakuen 4-7-1, Musashimurayama-shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan
| | - Masayasu Misu
- Department of Virology 1, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Gakuen 4-7-1, Musashimurayama-shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kurosu
- Department of Virology 1, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Gakuen 4-7-1, Musashimurayama-shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan
| | - Yuki Takamatsu
- Department of Virology 1, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Gakuen 4-7-1, Musashimurayama-shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan
| | - Satoko Sugimoto
- Department of Virology 1, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Gakuen 4-7-1, Musashimurayama-shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan
| | - Masayuki Shimojima
- Department of Virology 1, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Gakuen 4-7-1, Musashimurayama-shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan
| | - Hideki Ebihara
- Department of Virology 1, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Gakuen 4-7-1, Musashimurayama-shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan
| | - Masayuki Saijo
- Department of Virology 1, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Gakuen 4-7-1, Musashimurayama-shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan
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23
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Zhang G, Wang J, Li Y, Shang G. CRISPR/Cas9-assisted ssDNA recombineering for site-directed mutagenesis and saturation mutagenesis of plasmid-encoded genes. Biotechnol Lett 2023; 45:629-637. [PMID: 36930400 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-023-03363-1] [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: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
Site-directed and saturation mutagenesis are critical DNA methodologies for studying protein structure and function. For plasmid-based gene mutation, PCR and overlap-extension PCR involve tedious cloning steps. When the plasmid size is large, PCR yield may be too low for cloning; and for saturation mutagenesis of a single codon, one experiment may not enough to generate all twenty coding variants. Oligo-mediated recombineering sidesteps the complicated cloning process by homologous recombination between a mutagenic oligo and its target site. However, the low recombineering efficiency and inability to select for the recombinant makes it necessary to screen a large number of clones. Herein, we describe two plasmid-based mutagenic strategies: CRISPR/Cas9-assisted ssDNA recombineering for site-directed mutagenesis (CRM) and saturation mutagenesis (CRSM). CRM and CRSM involve co-electroporation of target plasmid, sgRNA expression plasmid and mutagenic oligonucleotide into Escherichia coli cells with induced expression of λ-Red recombinase and Cas9, followed by plasmid extraction and characterization. We established CRM and CRSM via ampicillin resistance gene repair and mutagenesis of N-acetyl‑D‑neuraminic acid aldolase. The mutational efficiency was between 80 and 100% and all twenty amino acid coding variants were obtained at a target site via a single CRSM strategy. CRM and CRSM have the potential to be general plasmid-based gene mutagenesis tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoyi Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, No.1 Wenyuan Rd., Xixia District, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Junyu Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, No.1 Wenyuan Rd., Xixia District, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiwen Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, No.1 Wenyuan Rd., Xixia District, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangdong Shang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, No.1 Wenyuan Rd., Xixia District, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China.
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24
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Abioye J, Lawson-Williams M, Lecanda A, Calhoon B, McQue AL, Colloms SD, Stark WM, Olorunniji FJ. High fidelity one-pot DNA assembly using orthogonal serine integrases. Biotechnol J 2023; 18:e2200411. [PMID: 36504358 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202200411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Large serine integrases (LSIs, derived from temperate phages) have been adapted for use in a multipart DNA assembly process in vitro, called serine integrase recombinational assembly (SIRA). The versatility, efficiency, and fidelity of SIRA is limited by lack of a sufficient number of LSIs whose activities have been characterized in vitro. METHODS AND MAJOR RESULTS In this report, we compared the activities in vitro of 10 orthogonal LSIs to explore their suitability for multiplex SIRA reactions. We found that Bxb1, ϕR4, and TG1 integrases were the most active among the set we studied, but several others were also usable. As proof of principle, we demonstrated high-efficiency one-pot assembly of six DNA fragments (made by PCR) into a 7.5 kb plasmid that expresses the enzymes of the β-carotenoid pathway in Escherichia coli, using six different LSIs. We further showed that a combined approach using a few highly active LSIs, each acting on multiple pairs of att sites with distinct central dinucleotides, can be used to scale up "poly-part" gene assembly and editing. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS We conclude that use of multiple orthogonal integrases may be the most predictable, efficient, and programmable approach for SIRA and other in vitro applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jumai Abioye
- School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Makeba Lawson-Williams
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Alicia Lecanda
- School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Brecken Calhoon
- School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Arlene L McQue
- School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Sean D Colloms
- School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - W Marshall Stark
- School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Femi J Olorunniji
- School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
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25
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Thomason LC, Costantino N, Li X, Court DL. Recombineering: Genetic Engineering in Escherichia coli Using Homologous Recombination. Curr Protoc 2023; 3:e656. [PMID: 36779782 PMCID: PMC10037674 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.656] [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] [Indexed: 02/14/2023]
Abstract
The bacterial chromosome and bacterial plasmids can be engineered in vivo by homologous recombination using either PCR products or synthetic double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) or single-stranded DNA as substrates. Multiple linear dsDNA molecules can be assembled into an intact plasmid. The technology of recombineering is possible because bacteriophage-encoded recombination proteins efficiently recombine sequences with homologies as short as 35 to 50 bases. Recombineering allows DNA sequences to be inserted or deleted without regard to the location of restriction sites and can also be used in combination with CRISPR/Cas targeting systems. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA. Basic Protocol: Making electrocompetent cells and transforming with linear DNA Support Protocol 1: Selection/counter-selections for genome engineering Support Protocol 2: Creating and screening for oligo recombinants by PCR Support Protocol 3: Other methods of screening for unselected recombinants Support Protocol 4: Curing recombineering plasmids containing a temperature-sensitive replication function Support Protocol 5: Removal of the prophage by recombineering Alternate Protocol 1: Using CRISPR/Cas9 as a counter-selection following recombineering Alternate Protocol 2: Assembly of linear dsDNA fragments into functional plasmids Alternate Protocol 3: Retrieval of alleles onto a plasmid by gap repair Alternate Protocol 4: Modifying multicopy plasmids with recombineering Support Protocol 6: Screening for unselected plasmid recombinants Alternate Protocol 5: Recombineering with an intact λ prophage Alternate Protocol 6: Targeting an infecting λ phage with the defective prophage strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn C. Thomason
- Molecular Control and Genetics Section, RNA Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Nina Costantino
- formerly with Molecular Control and Genetics Section, RNA Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Xintian Li
- Armata Pharmaceuticals, 4503 Glencoe Avenue, Marina del Rey, CA 90292
| | - Donald L. Court
- Emeritus, Molecular Control and Genetics Section, RNA Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
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26
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Yeom J, Park JS, Jung SW, Lee S, Kwon H, Yoo SM. High-throughput genetic engineering tools for regulating gene expression in a microbial cell factory. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2023; 43:82-99. [PMID: 34957867 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2021.2007351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
With the rapid advances in biotechnological tools and strategies, microbial cell factory-constructing strategies have been established for the production of value-added compounds. However, optimizing the tradeoff between the biomass, yield, and titer remains a challenge in microbial production. Gene regulation is necessary to optimize and control metabolic fluxes in microorganisms for high-production performance. Various high-throughput genetic engineering tools have been developed for achieving rational gene regulation and genetic perturbation, diversifying the cellular phenotype and enhancing bioproduction performance. In this paper, we review the current high-throughput genetic engineering tools for gene regulation. In particular, technological approaches used in a diverse range of genetic tools for constructing microbial cell factories are introduced, and representative applications of these tools are presented. Finally, the prospects for high-throughput genetic engineering tools for gene regulation are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinho Yeom
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Seong Park
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Woon Jung
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sumin Lee
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyukjin Kwon
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Min Yoo
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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27
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Khozov AA, Bubnov DM, Plisov ED, Vybornaya TV, Yuzbashev TV, Agrimi G, Messina E, Stepanova AA, Kudina MD, Alekseeva NV, Netrusov AI, Sineoky SP. A study on L-threonine and L-serine uptake in Escherichia coli K-12. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1151716. [PMID: 37025642 PMCID: PMC10070963 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1151716] [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: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In the current study, we report the identification and characterization of the yifK gene product as a novel amino acid carrier in E. coli K-12 cells. Both phenotypic and biochemical analyses showed that YifK acts as a permease specific to L-threonine and, to a lesser extent, L-serine. An assay of the effect of uncouplers and composition of the reaction medium on the transport activity indicates that YifK utilizes a proton motive force to energize substrate uptake. To identify the remaining threonine carriers, we screened a genomic library prepared from the yifK-mutant strain and found that brnQ acts as a multicopy suppressor of the threonine transport defect caused by yifK disruption. Our results indicate that BrnQ is directly involved in threonine uptake as a low-affinity but high-flux transporter, which forms the main entry point when the threonine concentration in the external environment reaches a toxic level. By abolishing YifK and BrnQ activity, we unmasked and quantified the threonine transport activity of the LIV-I branched chain amino acid transport system and demonstrated that LIV-I contributes significantly to total threonine uptake. However, this contribution is likely smaller than that of YifK. We also observed the serine transport activity of LIV-I, which was much lower compared with that of the dedicated SdaC carrier, indicating that LIV-I plays a minor role in the serine uptake. Overall, these findings allow us to propose a comprehensive model of the threonine/serine uptake subsystem in E. coli cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey A. Khozov
- Kurchatov Complex of Genetic Research, NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitrii M. Bubnov
- Kurchatov Complex of Genetic Research, NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, Moscow, Russia
- *Correspondence: Dmitrii M. Bubnov,
| | - Eugeny D. Plisov
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Tatiana V. Vybornaya
- Kurchatov Complex of Genetic Research, NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, Moscow, Russia
| | - Tigran V. Yuzbashev
- Plant Sciences and the Bioeconomy, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, United Kingdom
| | - Gennaro Agrimi
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Eugenia Messina
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Agnessa A. Stepanova
- Kurchatov Complex of Genetic Research, NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, Moscow, Russia
- Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Maxim D. Kudina
- Kurchatov Complex of Genetic Research, NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, Moscow, Russia
| | - Natalia V. Alekseeva
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander I. Netrusov
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey P. Sineoky
- Kurchatov Complex of Genetic Research, NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, Moscow, Russia
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28
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Yuan H, Zhou Y, Lin Y, Tu R, Guo Y, Zhang Y, Wang Q. Microfluidic screening and genomic mutation identification for enhancing cellulase production in Pichia pastoris. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS 2022; 15:50. [PMID: 35568955 PMCID: PMC9107654 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-022-02150-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Pichia pastoris is a widely used host organism for heterologous production of industrial proteins, such as cellulases. Although great progress has been achieved in improving protein expression in P. pastoris, the potential of the P. pastoris expression system has not been fully explored due to unknown genomic impact factors. Recently, whole-cell directed evolution, employing iterative rounds of genome-wide diversity generation and high-throughput screening (HTS), has been considered to be a promising strategy in strain improvement at the genome level.
Results
In this study, whole-cell directed evolution of P. pastoris, employing atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis and droplet-based microfluidic HTS, was developed to improve heterogenous cellulase production. The droplet-based microfluidic platform based on a cellulase-catalyzed reaction of releasing fluorescence was established to be suitable for methanol-grown P. pastoris. The validation experiment showed a positive sorting efficiency of 94.4% at a sorting rate of 300 droplets per second. After five rounds of iterative ARTP mutagenesis and microfluidic screening, the best mutant strain was obtained and exhibited the cellulase activity of 11,110 ± 523 U/mL, an approximately twofold increase compared to the starting strain. Whole-genome resequencing analysis further uncovered three accumulated genomic alterations in coding region. The effects of point mutations and mutant genes on cellulase production were verified using reconstruction of point mutations and gene deletions. Intriguingly, the point mutation Rsc1G22V was observed in all the top-performing producers selected from each round, and gene deletion analysis confirmed that Rsc1, a component of the RSC chromatin remodeling complex, might play an important role in cellulase production.
Conclusions
We established a droplet-based microfluidic HTS system, thereby facilitating whole-cell directed evolution of P. pastoris for enhancing cellulase production, and meanwhile identified genomic alterations by whole-genome resequencing and genetic validation. Our approaches and findings would provide guides to accelerate whole-cell directed evolution of host strains and enzymes of high industrial interest.
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29
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Piñero-Lambea C, Garcia-Ramallo E, Miravet-Verde S, Burgos R, Scarpa M, Serrano L, Lluch-Senar M. SURE editing: combining oligo-recombineering and programmable insertion/deletion of selection markers to efficiently edit the Mycoplasma pneumoniae genome. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:e127. [PMID: 36215032 PMCID: PMC9825166 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of advanced genetic tools is boosting microbial engineering which can potentially tackle wide-ranging challenges currently faced by our society. Here we present SURE editing, a multi-recombinase engineering rationale combining oligonucleotide recombineering with the selective capacity of antibiotic resistance via transient insertion of selector plasmids. We test this method in Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a bacterium with a very inefficient native recombination machinery. Using SURE editing, we can seamlessly generate, in a single step, a wide variety of genome modifications at high efficiencies, including the largest possible deletion of this genome (30 Kb) and the targeted complementation of essential genes in the deletion of a region of interest. Additional steps can be taken to remove the selector plasmid from the edited area, to obtain markerless or even scarless edits. Of note, SURE editing is compatible with different site-specific recombinases for mediating transient plasmid integration. This battery of selector plasmids can be used to select different edits, regardless of the target sequence, which significantly reduces the cloning load associated to genome engineering projects. Given the proven functionality in several microorganisms of the machinery behind the SURE editing logic, this method is likely to represent a valuable advance for the synthetic biology field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Samuel Miravet-Verde
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Raul Burgos
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | | | - Luis Serrano
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona 08002, Spain,ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona 08010, Spain
| | - Maria Lluch-Senar
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Maria Lluch-Senar. Tel: +34 661963680;
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30
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Newing TP, Brewster JL, Fitschen LJ, Bouwer JC, Johnston NP, Yu H, Tolun G. Redβ 177 annealase structure reveals details of oligomerization and λ Red-mediated homologous DNA recombination. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5649. [PMID: 36163171 PMCID: PMC9512822 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33090-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The Redβ protein of the bacteriophage λ red recombination system is a model annealase which catalyzes single-strand annealing homologous DNA recombination. Here we present the structure of a helical oligomeric annealing intermediate of Redβ, consisting of N-terminal residues 1-177 bound to two complementary 27mer oligonucleotides, determined via cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to a final resolution of 3.3 Å. The structure reveals a continuous binding groove which positions and stabilizes complementary DNA strands in a planar orientation to facilitate base pairing via a network of hydrogen bonding. Definition of the inter-subunit interface provides a structural basis for the propensity of Redβ to oligomerize into functionally significant long helical filaments, a trait shared by most annealases. Our cryo-EM structure and molecular dynamics simulations suggest that residues 133-138 form a flexible loop which modulates access to the binding groove. More than half a century after its discovery, this combination of structural and computational observations has allowed us to propose molecular mechanisms for the actions of the model annealase Redβ, a defining member of the Redβ/RecT protein family. Redβ annealase catalyses single-strand annealing homologous DNA recombination. Here, the authors present a cryo-EM structure of a Redβ annealing intermediate bound to two complementary 27mer oligonucleotides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy P Newing
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, and Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Jodi L Brewster
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, and Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,ARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Lucy J Fitschen
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, and Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,ARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - James C Bouwer
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, and Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,ARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Nikolas P Johnston
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, and Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Haibo Yu
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, and Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Gökhan Tolun
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, and Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia. .,Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia. .,ARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
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31
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Past, Present, and Future of Genome Modification in Escherichia coli. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10091835. [PMID: 36144436 PMCID: PMC9504249 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10091835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli K-12 is one of the most well-studied species of bacteria. This species, however, is much more difficult to modify by homologous recombination (HR) than other model microorganisms. Research on HR in E. coli has led to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of HR, resulting in technical improvements and rapid progress in genome research, and allowing whole-genome mutagenesis and large-scale genome modifications. Developments using λ Red (exo, bet, and gam) and CRISPR-Cas have made E. coli as amenable to genome modification as other model microorganisms, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Bacillus subtilis. This review describes the history of recombination research in E. coli, as well as improvements in techniques for genome modification by HR. This review also describes the results of large-scale genome modification of E. coli using these technologies, including DNA synthesis and assembly. In addition, this article reviews recent advances in genome modification, considers future directions, and describes problems associated with the creation of cells by design.
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32
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Velázquez E, Al-Ramahi Y, de Lorenzo V. CRISPR/Cas9-enhanced Targetron Insertion for Delivery of Heterologous Sequences into the Genome of Gram-Negative Bacteria. Curr Protoc 2022; 2:e532. [PMID: 36066245 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Targetron technology, a gene-editing approach based on the use of mobile group II introns, is particularly useful for bacterial strains deficient in homologous recombination. Specifically, the Ll.LtrB intron from Lactococcus lactis can be used in a wide range of species and can be easily retargeted, that is, modified for integration into any locus of interest. Targetron technology is thus a powerful tool for generating genomic insertions in a broad range of genetic backgrounds, mainly when no other techniques can be efficiently employed. Notably, the approach can be coupled to CRISPR/Cas9 counterselection of wildtype DNA sequences to decrease the population of unmodified cells and ultimately improve Ll.LtrB insertion efficiency. Here, we describe a step-by-step protocol for delivering exogenous sequences into the genome of Gram-negative bacteria by means of targetron technology and CRISPR/Cas9 counterselection using Pseudomonas putida as a model. We describe the retargeting of the Ll.LtrB intron to the locus selected for insertion, the design of specific spacers for eliminating unmutated cells through CRISPR/Cas9 counterselection, and the cloning of exogenous sequences into Ll.LtrB. We also provide a protocol for delivering a specific cargo to the locus of choice once all necessary components of the system are ready. Lastly, we describe a general protocol for curing the engineered strain of all plasmids. CRISPR/Cas9-enhanced Ll.LtrB insertion can be an efficient alternative for overcoming low recombination-based editing efficiency and can be used in numerous bacterial species. © 2022 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Retargeting the Ll.LtrB intron to the target locus Support Protocol 1: Preparation of competent E. coli Basic Protocol 2: Design and cloning of CRISPR spacers to counterselect Ll.LtrB insertions Support Protocol 2: Interference assay to check efficiency of selected spacers Basic Protocol 3: Cloning cargos into Ll.LtrB Basic Protocol 4: Ll.LtrB/CRISPR/Cas9-mediated insertion Basic Protocol 5: Curing the engineered strain of plasmids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Velázquez
- Systems Biology Department, National Center for Biotechnology-Spanish National Research Council (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Yamal Al-Ramahi
- Systems Biology Department, National Center for Biotechnology-Spanish National Research Council (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Víctor de Lorenzo
- Systems Biology Department, National Center for Biotechnology-Spanish National Research Council (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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33
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Bubnov DM, Yuzbashev TV, Khozov AA, Melkina OE, Vybornaya TV, Stan GB, Sineoky SP. Robust counterselection and advanced λRed recombineering enable markerless chromosomal integration of large heterologous constructs. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:8947-8960. [PMID: 35920321 PMCID: PMC9410887 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite advances in bacterial genome engineering, delivery of large synthetic constructs remains challenging in practice. In this study, we propose a straightforward and robust approach for the markerless integration of DNA fragments encoding whole metabolic pathways into the genome. This approach relies on the replacement of a counterselection marker with cargo DNA cassettes via λRed recombineering. We employed a counterselection strategy involving a genetic circuit based on the CI repressor of λ phage. Our design ensures elimination of most spontaneous mutants, and thus provides a counterselection stringency close to the maximum possible. We improved the efficiency of integrating long PCR-generated cassettes by exploiting the Ocr antirestriction function of T7 phage, which completely prevents degradation of unmethylated DNA by restriction endonucleases in wild-type bacteria. The employment of highly restrictive counterselection and ocr-assisted λRed recombineering allowed markerless integration of operon-sized cassettes into arbitrary genomic loci of four enterobacterial species with an efficiency of 50–100%. In the case of Escherichia coli, our strategy ensures simple combination of markerless mutations in a single strain via P1 transduction. Overall, the proposed approach can serve as a general tool for synthetic biology and metabolic engineering in a range of bacterial hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitrii M Bubnov
- Bioresource Center Russian National Collection of Industrial Microorganisms (BRC VKPM), State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms of National Research Center 'Kurchatov Institute' (NRC 'Kurchatov Institute' - GosNIIgenetika), 1-st Dorozhny pr., 1, Moscow 117545, Russia.,Kurchatov Complex of Genetic Research, NRC 'Kurchatov Institute', Kurchatov Square, 1, Moscow 123098, Russia
| | - Tigran V Yuzbashev
- Department of Bioengineering and Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Andrey A Khozov
- Bioresource Center Russian National Collection of Industrial Microorganisms (BRC VKPM), State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms of National Research Center 'Kurchatov Institute' (NRC 'Kurchatov Institute' - GosNIIgenetika), 1-st Dorozhny pr., 1, Moscow 117545, Russia.,Kurchatov Complex of Genetic Research, NRC 'Kurchatov Institute', Kurchatov Square, 1, Moscow 123098, Russia.,Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Lenin's Hills 1-12, Moscow 119234, Russia
| | - Olga E Melkina
- Kurchatov Complex of Genetic Research, NRC 'Kurchatov Institute', Kurchatov Square, 1, Moscow 123098, Russia.,Laboratory of Bacterial Genetics, NRC 'Kurchatov Institute' - GosNIIgenetika, 1-st Dorozhny pr., 1, Moscow 117545, Russia
| | - Tatiana V Vybornaya
- Bioresource Center Russian National Collection of Industrial Microorganisms (BRC VKPM), State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms of National Research Center 'Kurchatov Institute' (NRC 'Kurchatov Institute' - GosNIIgenetika), 1-st Dorozhny pr., 1, Moscow 117545, Russia.,Kurchatov Genomic Center, NRC 'Kurchatov Institute' - GosNIIgenetika, 1-st Dorozhny pr., 1, Moscow 117545, Russia
| | - Guy-Bart Stan
- Department of Bioengineering and Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Sergey P Sineoky
- Bioresource Center Russian National Collection of Industrial Microorganisms (BRC VKPM), State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms of National Research Center 'Kurchatov Institute' (NRC 'Kurchatov Institute' - GosNIIgenetika), 1-st Dorozhny pr., 1, Moscow 117545, Russia.,Kurchatov Complex of Genetic Research, NRC 'Kurchatov Institute', Kurchatov Square, 1, Moscow 123098, Russia
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34
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Genome engineering of the Corynebacterium glutamicum chromosome by the Extended Dual-In/Out strategy. METHODS IN MICROBIOLOGY 2022; 200:106555. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2022.106555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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35
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Zeng Y, Hong Y, Azi F, Liu Y, Chen Y, Guo C, Lin D, Wu Z, Chen W, Xu P. Advanced genome-editing technologies enable rapid and large-scale generation of genetic variants for strain engineering and synthetic biology. Curr Opin Microbiol 2022; 69:102175. [PMID: 35809388 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2022.102175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Targeted genome editing not only improves our understanding of fundamental rules in life sciences but also affords us versatile toolkits to improve industrially relevant phenotypes in various host cells. In this review, we summarize the recent endeavor to develop efficient genome-editing tools, and emphasize the utility of these tools to generate massive scale of genetic variants. We categorize these tools into traditional recombination-based tools, and more advanced CRISPR as well as RNA-based genome-editing tools. This diverse panel of sophisticated tools has been applied to accelerate strain engineering, upgrade biomanufacturing, and customize biosensing. In parallel with high-throughput phenotyping and AI-based optimization algorithms, we envision that genome-editing technologies will become a driving force to automate and streamline biological engineering, and empower us to address critical challenges in health, environment, energy, and sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zeng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China
| | - Yuxiang Hong
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China
| | - Fidelis Azi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China
| | - Yugeng Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China
| | - Yousheng Chen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China
| | - Chuchu Guo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China
| | - Dewei Lin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China
| | - Zizhao Wu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China
| | - Wenhao Chen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China
| | - Peng Xu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Materials and Technologies for Energy Conversion, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China; The Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
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Gupta A, Zaman L, Strobel HM, Gallie J, Burmeister AR, Kerr B, Tamar ES, Kishony R, Meyer JR. Host-parasite coevolution promotes innovation through deformations in fitness landscapes. eLife 2022; 11:e76162. [PMID: 35793223 PMCID: PMC9259030 DOI: 10.7554/elife.76162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
During the struggle for survival, populations occasionally evolve new functions that give them access to untapped ecological opportunities. Theory suggests that coevolution between species can promote the evolution of such innovations by deforming fitness landscapes in ways that open new adaptive pathways. We directly tested this idea by using high-throughput gene editing-phenotyping technology (MAGE-Seq) to measure the fitness landscape of a virus, bacteriophage λ, as it coevolved with its host, the bacterium Escherichia coli. An analysis of the empirical fitness landscape revealed mutation-by-mutation-by-host-genotype interactions that demonstrate coevolution modified the contours of λ's landscape. Computer simulations of λ's evolution on a static versus shifting fitness landscape showed that the changes in contours increased λ's chances of evolving the ability to use a new host receptor. By coupling sequencing and pairwise competition experiments, we demonstrated that the first mutation λ evolved en route to the innovation would only evolve in the presence of the ancestral host, whereas later steps in λ's evolution required the shift to a resistant host. When time-shift replays of the coevolution experiment were run where host evolution was artificially accelerated, λ did not innovate to use the new receptor. This study provides direct evidence for the role of coevolution in driving evolutionary novelty and provides a quantitative framework for predicting evolution in coevolving ecological communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Animesh Gupta
- Department of Physics, University of California San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
| | - Luis Zaman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Hannah M Strobel
- Department of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, University of California San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
| | - Jenna Gallie
- Department of Evolutionary Theory, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
| | - Alita R Burmeister
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - Benjamin Kerr
- Department of Biology, University of WashingtonSeattleUnited States
| | - Einat S Tamar
- Department of Biology, Technion – Israel Institute of TechnologyHaifaIsrael
| | - Roy Kishony
- Department of Biology, Technion – Israel Institute of TechnologyHaifaIsrael
| | - Justin R Meyer
- Department of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, University of California San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
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Shekhar C, Maeda T. A simple approach for random genomic insertion-deletions using ambiguous sequences in Escherichia coli. J Basic Microbiol 2022; 62:948-962. [PMID: 35739617 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.202100636] [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: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Escherichia coli K-12, being one of the best understood and thoroughly analyzed organisms, is the preferred platform for genetic and biochemical research. Among all genetic engineering approaches applied on E. coli, the homologous recombination approach is versatile and precise, which allows engineering genes or large segments of the chromosome directly by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products or synthetic oligonucleotides. The previously explained approaches for random insertion and deletions were reported as technically not easy and laborious. This study, first, finds the minimum length of homology extension that is efficient and accurate for homologous recombination, as 30 nt. Second, proposes an approach utilizing PCR products flanking ambiguous NNN-sequence (30-nt) extensions, which facilitate the homologous recombination to recombine them at multiple regions on the genome and generate insertion-deletion mutations. Further analysis found that these mutations were varying in number, that is, multiple genomic regions were deleted. Moreover, evaluation of the phenotype of all the multiple random insertion-deletion mutants demonstrated no significant changes in the normal metabolism of bacteria. This study not only presents the efficiency of ambiguous sequences in making random deletion mutations, but also demonstrates their further applicability in genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandra Shekhar
- Department of Biological Functions Engineering, Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Toshinari Maeda
- Department of Biological Functions Engineering, Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu, Japan
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Teufel M, Klein CA, Mager M, Sobetzko P. A multifunctional system for genome editing and large-scale interspecies gene transfer. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3430. [PMID: 35701417 PMCID: PMC9198041 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30843-1] [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: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR SWAPnDROP extends the limits of genome editing to large-scale in-vivo DNA transfer between bacterial species. Its modular platform approach facilitates species specific adaptation to confer genome editing in various species. In this study, we show the implementation of the CRISPR SWAPnDROP concept for the model organism Escherichia coli, the fast growing Vibrio natriegens and the plant pathogen Dickeya dadantii. We demonstrate the excision, transfer and integration of large chromosomal regions between E. coli, V. natriegens and D. dadantii without size-limiting intermediate DNA extraction. CRISPR SWAPnDROP also provides common genome editing approaches comprising scarless, marker-free, iterative and parallel insertions and deletions. The modular character facilitates DNA library applications, and recycling of standardized parts. Its multi-color scarless co-selection system significantly improves editing efficiency and provides visual quality controls throughout the assembly and editing process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Teufel
- Philipps Universität Marburg, Synthetic Microbiology Center Marburg (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, 35043, Germany
| | - Carlo A Klein
- Philipps Universität Marburg, Synthetic Microbiology Center Marburg (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, 35043, Germany
| | - Maurice Mager
- Philipps Universität Marburg, Synthetic Microbiology Center Marburg (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, 35043, Germany
| | - Patrick Sobetzko
- Philipps Universität Marburg, Synthetic Microbiology Center Marburg (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, 35043, Germany.
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Homologs of the Escherichia coli F Element Protein TraR, Including Phage Lambda Orf73, Directly Reprogram Host Transcription. mBio 2022; 13:e0095222. [PMID: 35583320 PMCID: PMC9239242 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00952-22] [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: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial cells and their associated plasmids and bacteriophages encode numerous small proteins of unknown function. One example, the 73-amino-acid protein TraR, is encoded by the transfer operon of the conjugative F plasmid of Escherichia coli. TraR is a distant homolog of DksA, a protein found in almost all proteobacterial species that is required for ppGpp to regulate transcription during the stringent response. TraR and DksA increase or decrease transcription initiation depending on the kinetic features of the promoter by binding directly to RNA polymerase without binding to DNA. Unlike DksA, whose full activity requires ppGpp as a cofactor, TraR is fully active by itself and unaffected by ppGpp. TraR belongs to a family of divergent proteins encoded by proteobacterial bacteriophages and other mobile elements. Here, we experimentally addressed whether other members of the TraR family function like the F element-encoded TraR. Purified TraR and all 5 homologs that were examined bound to RNA polymerase, functioned at lower concentrations than DksA, and complemented a dksA-null strain for growth on minimal medium. One of the homologs, λ Orf73, encoded by bacteriophage lambda, was examined in greater detail. λ Orf73 slowed host growth and increased phage burst size. Mutational analysis suggested that λ Orf73 and TraR have a similar mechanism for inhibiting rRNA and r-protein promoters. We suggest that TraR and its homologs regulate host transcription to divert cellular resources to phage propagation or conjugation without induction of ppGpp and a stringent response.
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Ellington AJ, Reisch CR. Efficient and Iterative Retron-Mediated in vivo Recombineering in E. coli. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2022; 7:ysac007. [PMID: 35673614 PMCID: PMC9165427 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysac007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Recombineering is an important tool in gene editing, enabling fast, precise and highly specific in vivo modification of microbial genomes. Oligonucleotide-mediated recombineering via the in vivo production of single-stranded DNA can overcome the limitations of traditional recombineering methods that rely on the exogenous delivery of editing templates. By modifying a previously reported plasmid-based system for fully in vivo single-stranded DNA recombineering, we demonstrate iterative editing of independent loci by utilizing a temperature-sensitive origin of replication for easy curing of the editing plasmid from recombinant cells. Optimization of the promoters driving the expression of the system’s functional components, combined with targeted counterselection against unedited cells with Cas9 nuclease, enabled editing efficiencies of 90–100%. The addition of a dominant-negative mutL allele to the system allowed single-nucleotide edits that were otherwise unachievable due to mismatch repair. Finally, we tested alternative recombinases and found that efficiency significantly increased for some targets. Requiring only a single cloning step for retargeting, our system provides an easy-to-use method for rapid, efficient construction of desired mutants.
Graphical Abstract
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Ellington
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7011, USA
| | - Christopher R Reisch
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7011, USA
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Chen W, Chen R, He L, Wu X. Development and optimization of Lysis gene E as a counter-selection marker with high stringency. Biotechnol J 2022; 17:e2100423. [PMID: 35373931 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202100423] [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: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Seamless modification of bacterial chromosomes is widely performed in both theoretical and practical research. For this purpose, excellent counter-selection marker genes with high stringency are needed. MAIN METHODS AND MAJOR RESULTS The lysis gene E was first constructed under the control of the PL promoter and the cI857 repressor. At 42°C, it could effectively kill Escherichia coli and seamless modification in this bacterium using E as a counter-selection marker was successfully conducted. It also works in another gram-negative strain, Serratia marcescens, under the control of the Arac/PBAD regulatory system. By combining lysis gene E and kil, the counter-selection frequencies of the PL -kil-sd-E cassette in E. coli reached 4.9 × 10-8 and 3.2 × 10-8 at two test loci, which are very close to frequencies observed with the best counter-selection systems reported, the inducible toxin systems. Under the control of the Arac/PBAD , the counter-selection frequency of PBAD -kil-sd-E in S. marcescens reached the level of 10-7 at four test loci. By expressing the araC gene from plasmid pKDsg-ack, 5- to 17-fold improvements in counter-selection stringency were observed at these loci. A surprisingly low counter-selection frequency of 4.9 × 10-9 was obtained at the marR-1 locus, which reflects the highest stringency for a counter-selection cassette reported thus far. Similarly, at the araB locus of E. coli, the counter-selection frequency of PBAD -kil-sd-E was 3 × 10-9 after introducing plasmid pKDsg-ack. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS We have developed and optimized a new universal counter-selection marker based on lysis gene E. The best counter-selection stringency of this new marker exceeds the inducible toxin system several fold. Our work can also provide inspiration for improving counter-selection stringency based on existing markers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Chen
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, School of Biosciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Bioactive Substances, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Ruyi Chen
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, School of Biosciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Ling He
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Bioactive Substances, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Xiaotong Wu
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, School of Biosciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
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Ellington AJ, Reisch CR. Generating Single Nucleotide Point Mutations in E. coli with the No-SCAR System. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2479:119-133. [PMID: 35583736 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2233-9_9] [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: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Genetic manipulation of microbial genomes is highly relevant for studying biological systems and the development of biotechnologies. In E. coli, λ-Red recombineering is one of the most widely used gene-editing methods, enabling site-specific insertions, deletions, and point mutations of any genomic locus. The no-SCAR system combines λ-Red recombineering with CRISPR/Cas9 for programmable selection of recombinant cells. Recombineering results in the transient production of heteroduplex DNA, as only one strand of DNA is initially altered, leaving the mismatched bases susceptible to repair by the host methyl-directed mismatch repair (MMR) system and reduces the efficiency of generating single nucleotide point mutations. Here we describe a method, where expression of cas9 and the MMR-inhibiting mutLE32K variant are independently controlled by anhydrotetracycline- and cumate-inducible promoters from the pCas9CyMutL plasmid. Thus, MMR is selectively inhibited until recombinant cells have undergone replication and the desired mutation is permanently incorporated. By transiently inhibiting MMR, the accumulation of off-target mutations typically associated with MMR-deficient cell types is minimized. Methods for designing the editing template and sgRNA, cloning of the sgRNA, induction of λ-Red and MutLE32K, the transformation of editing oligo, and induction of Cas9 for mutant selection are detailed within.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Ellington
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Christopher R Reisch
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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Aparicio T, de Lorenzo V, Martínez-García E. High-Efficiency Multi-site Genomic Editing (HEMSE) Made Easy. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2479:37-52. [PMID: 35583731 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2233-9_4] [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: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The ability to engineer bacterial genomes in an efficient way is crucial for many bio-related technologies. Single-stranded (ss) DNA recombineering technology allows to introduce mutations within bacterial genomes in a very simple and straightforward way. This technology was initially developed for E. coli but was later extended to other organisms of interest, including the environmentally and metabolically versatile Pseudomonas putida. The technology is based on three pillars: (1) adoption of a phage recombinase that works effectively in the target strain, (2) ease of introduction of short ssDNA oligonucleotide that carries the mutation into the bacterial cells at stake and (3) momentary suppression of the endogenous mismatch repair (MMR) through transient expression of a dominant negative mutL allele. In this way, the recombinase protects the ssDNA and stimulates recombination, while MutLE36KPP temporarily inhibits the endogenous MMR system, thereby allowing the introduction of virtually any possible type of genomic edits. In this chapter, a protocol is detailed for easily performing recombineering experiments aimed at entering single and multiple changes in the chromosome of P. putida. This was made by implementing the workflow named High-Efficiency Multi-site genomic Editing (HEMSE), which delivers simultaneous mutations with a simple and effective protocol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomás Aparicio
- Systems Biology Department, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Víctor de Lorenzo
- Systems Biology Department, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
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Flores-Valdez MA, Aceves-Sánchez MDJ. Construction of Novel Live Genetically Modified BCG Vaccine Candidates Using Recombineering Tools. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2410:367-385. [PMID: 34914058 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1884-4_19] [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: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
One of the strategies for the construction of live vaccine candidates is through the generation of genetically defined isogenic strains, containing single or multiple mutations in target-specific genes generated by allelic exchange. This approach allows to produce rational attenuation of or, alternatively, sequence-specific modifications to produce variants of antigenic molecules or change their expression levels. Genetic tools amenable for their use in mycobacterial strains have allowed the identification and validation of potential targets for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of tuberculosis. However, the genetic manipulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other slow-growing strains such as Mycobacterium bovis BCG has been delayed by various factors related to their physiology and cell wall characteristics. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the high frequency of illegitimate recombination and the availability of few antibiotic selection markers limit the feasibility of genetic manipulation of mycobacterial strains. This chapter describes a protocol for the generation of defined mutants using recombination tools in an inducible recombination system driven by mycobacterial Che9c phage RecET proteins, originally developed in Dr. Graham Hatfull's group, combined with linearized recombination substrates containing flanking sequences of a locus of interest and an antibiotic resistance gene. These recombination substrates contain sites for removal of antibiotics selection markers. This system allows to make marked and unmarked mutations by homologous recombination in a single step as a result of a double crossover between the homologous regions on the genome and the allelic exchange substrate. In addition, this genetic tool used for engineering mycobacterial genomes performs with lower rates of illegitimate recombination and take on average less time to create knock-out (KO) mutant compared with other techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Alberto Flores-Valdez
- Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y diseño del Estado de Jalisco, A.C. Biotecnología Médica y Farmacéutica. Av. Normalistas 800, Col. Colinas de la Normal, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
| | - Michel de Jesús Aceves-Sánchez
- Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y diseño del Estado de Jalisco, A.C. Biotecnología Médica y Farmacéutica. Av. Normalistas 800, Col. Colinas de la Normal, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
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45
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Penewit K, Salipante SJ. Recombineering in Staphylococcus aureus. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2479:135-157. [PMID: 35583737 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2233-9_10] [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: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Recombineering has proven to be an extraordinarily powerful and versatile approach for the modification of bacterial genomes, but has historically not been possible in the important opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. After evaluating the activity of various recombinases in S. aureus, we developed methods for recombineering in that organism using synthetic, single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides. This approach can be coupled to CRISPR/Cas9-mediated lethal counterselection in order to improve the efficiency with which recombinant S. aureus are recovered, which is especially useful in instances where mutants lack a selectable phenotype. These methods provide a rapid, scalable, precise, and inexpensive means to engineer point mutations, variable-length deletions, and short insertions into the S. aureus genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsi Penewit
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Stephen J Salipante
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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Kuiper BP, Prins RC, Billerbeck S. Oligo Pools as an Affordable Source of Synthetic DNA for Cost-Effective Library Construction in Protein- and Metabolic Pathway Engineering. Chembiochem 2021; 23:e202100507. [PMID: 34817110 PMCID: PMC9300125 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100507] [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: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The construction of custom libraries is critical for rational protein engineering and directed evolution. Array‐synthesized oligo pools of thousands of user‐defined sequences (up to ∼350 bases in length) have emerged as a low‐cost commercially available source of DNA. These pools cost ≤10 % (depending on error rate and length) of other commercial sources of custom DNA, and this significant cost difference can determine whether an enzyme engineering project can be realized on a given research budget. However, while being cheap, oligo pools do suffer from a low concentration of individual oligos and relatively high error rates. Several powerful techniques that specifically make use of oligo pools have been developed and proven valuable or even essential for next‐generation protein and pathway engineering strategies, such as sequence‐function mapping, enzyme minimization, or de‐novo design. Here we consolidate the knowledge on these techniques and their applications to facilitate the use of oligo pools within the protein engineering community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bastiaan P Kuiper
- Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rianne C Prins
- Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sonja Billerbeck
- Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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Bird LJ, Kundu BB, Tschirhart T, Corts AD, Su L, Gralnick JA, Ajo-Franklin CM, Glaven SM. Engineering Wired Life: Synthetic Biology for Electroactive Bacteria. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:2808-2823. [PMID: 34637280 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Electroactive bacteria produce or consume electrical current by moving electrons to and from extracellular acceptors and donors. This specialized process, known as extracellular electron transfer, relies on pathways composed of redox active proteins and biomolecules and has enabled technologies ranging from harvesting energy on the sea floor, to chemical sensing, to carbon capture. Harnessing and controlling extracellular electron transfer pathways using bioengineering and synthetic biology promises to heighten the limits of established technologies and open doors to new possibilities. In this review, we provide an overview of recent advancements in genetic tools for manipulating native electroactive bacteria to control extracellular electron transfer. After reviewing electron transfer pathways in natively electroactive organisms, we examine lessons learned from the introduction of extracellular electron transfer pathways into Escherichia coli. We conclude by presenting challenges to future efforts and give examples of opportunities to bioengineer microbes for electrochemical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina J. Bird
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
| | - Biki B. Kundu
- PhD Program in Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Tanya Tschirhart
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
| | - Anna D. Corts
- Joyn Bio, Boston, Massachusetts 02210, United States
| | - Lin Su
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing 210018, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Jeffrey A. Gralnick
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
| | | | - Sarah M. Glaven
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
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48
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Wang X, Zheng W, Zhou H, Tu Q, Tang YJ, Stewart AF, Zhang Y, Bian X. Improved dsDNA recombineering enables versatile multiplex genome engineering of kilobase-scale sequences in diverse bacteria. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 50:e15. [PMID: 34792175 PMCID: PMC8860599 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab1076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Recombineering assisted multiplex genome editing generally uses single-stranded oligonucleotides for site directed mutational changes. It has proven highly efficient for functional screens and to optimize microbial cell factories. However, this approach is limited to relatively small mutational changes. Here, we addressed the challenges involved in the use of double-stranded DNA substrates for multiplex genome engineering. Recombineering is mediated by phage single-strand annealing proteins annealing ssDNAs into the replication fork. We apply this insight to facilitate the generation of ssDNA from the dsDNA substrate and to alter the speed of replication by elevating the available deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) levels. Intracellular dNTP concentration was elevated by ribonucleotide reductase overexpression or dNTP addition to establish double-stranded DNA Recombineering-assisted Multiplex Genome Engineering (dReaMGE), which enables rapid and flexible insertional and deletional mutagenesis at multiple sites on kilobase scales in diverse bacteria without the generation of double-strand breaks or disturbance of the mismatch repair system. dReaMGE can achieve combinatorial genome engineering works, for example, alterations to multiple biosynthetic pathways, multiple promoter or gene insertions, variations of transcriptional regulator combinations, within a few days. dReaMGE adds to the repertoire of bacterial genome engineering to facilitate discovery, functional genomics, strain optimization and directed evolution of microbial cell factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Wang
- Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-Infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China
| | - Wentao Zheng
- Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-Infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China
| | - Haibo Zhou
- Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-Infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China
| | - Qiang Tu
- Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-Infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China
| | - Ya-Jie Tang
- Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-Infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China
| | - A Francis Stewart
- Genomics, Biotechnology Center, Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Tatzberg 47-51, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Youming Zhang
- Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-Infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China
| | - Xiaoying Bian
- Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-Infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China
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49
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Asin-Garcia E, Martin-Pascual M, Garcia-Morales L, van Kranenburg R, Martins dos Santos VAP. ReScribe: An Unrestrained Tool Combining Multiplex Recombineering and Minimal-PAM ScCas9 for Genome Recoding Pseudomonas putida. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:2672-2688. [PMID: 34547891 PMCID: PMC8524654 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Genome recoding enables incorporating new functions into the DNA of microorganisms. By reassigning codons to noncanonical amino acids, the generation of new-to-nature proteins offers countless opportunities for bioproduction and biocontainment in industrial chassis. A key bottleneck in genome recoding efforts, however, is the low efficiency of recombineering, which hinders large-scale applications at acceptable speed and cost. To relieve this bottleneck, we developed ReScribe, a highly optimized recombineering tool enhanced by CRISPR-Cas9-mediated counterselection built upon the minimal PAM 5'-NNG-3' of the Streptococcus canis Cas9 (ScCas9). As a proof of concept, we used ReScribe to generate a minimally recoded strain of the industrial chassis Pseudomonas putida by replacing TAG stop codons (functioning as PAMs) of essential metabolic genes with the synonymous TAA. We showed that ReScribe enables nearly 100% engineering efficiency of multiple loci in P. putida, opening promising avenues for genome editing and applications thereof in this bacterium and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique Asin-Garcia
- Laboratory
of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen
University & Research, Wageningen 6708 WE, The Netherlands
| | - Maria Martin-Pascual
- Laboratory
of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen
University & Research, Wageningen 6708 WE, The Netherlands
| | - Luis Garcia-Morales
- Laboratory
of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen
University & Research, Wageningen 6708 WE, The Netherlands
| | - Richard van Kranenburg
- Corbion, Gorinchem 4206 AC, The Netherlands
- Laboratory
of Microbiology, Wageningen University &
Research, Wageningen 6708 WE, The Netherlands
| | - Vitor A. P. Martins dos Santos
- Laboratory
of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen
University & Research, Wageningen 6708 WE, The Netherlands
- LifeGlimmer
GmbH, Berlin 12163, Germany
- Bioprocess
Engineering Group, Wageningen University
& Research, Wageningen 6700 AA, The Netherlands
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50
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Dorau R, Liu J, Solem C, Jensen PR. Metabolic Engineering of Lactic Acid Bacteria. Metab Eng 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/9783527823468.ch15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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