1
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Gui X, Li F, Cui X, Wu R, Liu D, Ma C, Ma L, Jiang H, You C, Zhu Z. A Light-Driven In Vitro Enzymatic Biosystem for the Synthesis of α-Farnesene from Methanol. BIODESIGN RESEARCH 2024; 6:0039. [PMID: 39081856 PMCID: PMC11286291 DOI: 10.34133/bdr.0039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Terpenoids of substantial industrial interest are mainly obtained through direct extraction from plant sources. Recently, microbial cell factories or in vitro enzymatic biosystems have emerged as promising alternatives for terpenoid production. Here, we report a route for the synthesis of α-farnesene based on an in vitro enzyme cascade reaction using methanol as an inexpensive and renewable C1 substrate. Thirteen biocatalytic reactions divided into 2 modules were optimized and coupled to achieve methanol-to-α-farnesene conversion via integration with natural thylakoid membranes as a green energy engine. This in vitro enzymatic biosystem driven by light enabled the production of 1.43 and 2.40 mg liter-1 α-farnesene using methanol and the intermediate glycolaldehyde as substrates, respectively. This work could provide a promising strategy for developing light-powered in vitro biosynthetic platforms to produce more natural compounds synthesized from C1 substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Gui
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, The College of Biotechnology,
Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, TianjinInstitute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Fei Li
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, TianjinInstitute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Xinyu Cui
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, TianjinInstitute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ranran Wu
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, TianjinInstitute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Dingyu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, TianjinInstitute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Chunling Ma
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, TianjinInstitute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Lijuan Ma
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, The College of Biotechnology,
Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Huifeng Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, TianjinInstitute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chun You
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhiguang Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, TianjinInstitute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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2
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Wei X, Yang X, Hu C, Li Q, Liu Q, Wu Y, Xie L, Ning X, Li F, Cai T, Zhu Z, Zhang YHPJ, Zhang Y, Chen X, You C. ATP-free in vitro biotransformation of starch-derived maltodextrin into poly-3-hydroxybutyrate via acetyl-CoA. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3267. [PMID: 38627361 PMCID: PMC11021460 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46871-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
In vitro biotransformation (ivBT) facilitated by in vitro synthetic enzymatic biosystems (ivSEBs) has emerged as a highly promising biosynthetic platform. Several ivSEBs have been constructed to produce poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) via acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA). However, some systems are hindered by their reliance on costly ATP, limiting their practicality. This study presents the design of an ATP-free ivSEB for one-pot PHB biosynthesis via acetyl-CoA utilizing starch-derived maltodextrin as the sole substrate. Stoichiometric analysis indicates this ivSEB can self-maintain NADP+/NADPH balance and achieve a theoretical molar yield of 133.3%. Leveraging simple one-pot reactions, our ivSEBs achieved a near-theoretical molar yield of 125.5%, the highest PHB titer (208.3 mM, approximately 17.9 g/L) and the fastest PHB production rate (9.4 mM/h, approximately 0.8 g/L/h) among all the reported ivSEBs to date, and demonstrated easy scalability. This study unveils the promising potential of ivBT for the industrial-scale production of PHB and other acetyl-CoA-derived chemicals from starch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinlei Wei
- In vitro Synthetic Biology Center, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
| | - Xue Yang
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
| | - Congcong Hu
- In vitro Synthetic Biology Center, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin Industrial Microbiology Key Laboratory, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiangzi Li
- In vitro Synthetic Biology Center, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Qianqian Liu
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Wu
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
| | - Leipeng Xie
- In vitro Synthetic Biology Center, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao Ning
- In vitro Synthetic Biology Center, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Fei Li
- In vitro Synthetic Biology Center, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Cai
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiguang Zhu
- In vitro Synthetic Biology Center, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi-Heng P Job Zhang
- In vitro Synthetic Biology Center, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanfei Zhang
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuejun Chen
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China
| | - Chun You
- In vitro Synthetic Biology Center, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China.
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China.
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, People's Republic of China.
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3
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Schulz-Mirbach H, Dronsella B, He H, Erb TJ. Creating new-to-nature carbon fixation: A guide. Metab Eng 2024; 82:12-28. [PMID: 38160747 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2023.12.012] [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: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Synthetic biology aims at designing new biological functions from first principles. These new designs allow to expand the natural solution space and overcome the limitations of naturally evolved systems. One example is synthetic CO2-fixation pathways that promise to provide more efficient ways for the capture and conversion of CO2 than natural pathways, such as the Calvin Benson Bassham (CBB) cycle of photosynthesis. In this review, we provide a practical guideline for the design and realization of such new-to-nature CO2-fixation pathways. We introduce the concept of "synthetic CO2-fixation", and give a general overview over the enzymology and topology of synthetic pathways, before we derive general principles for their design from their eight naturally evolved analogs. We provide a comprehensive summary of synthetic carbon-assimilation pathways and derive a step-by-step, practical guide from the theoretical design to their practical implementation, before ending with an outlook on new developments in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Schulz-Mirbach
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Beau Dronsella
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany; Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Hai He
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Tobias J Erb
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany; Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 16, D-35043, Marburg, Germany.
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4
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Chen PR, Xia PF. Carbon recycling with synthetic CO 2 fixation pathways. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2024; 85:103023. [PMID: 38007984 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2023.103023] [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: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the node of alleviating global climate change and supporting living organisms on Earth. Currently, the warming climate and the growing population demand enhanced CO2 fixation for a sustainable future, which stimulates innovations in biotechnology to tackle these challenges. To this endeavor, synthetic biology and metabolic engineering are enabling a promising approach to engineer synthetic carbon fixation in heterotrophic organisms combining the advantages of both autotrophs and heterotrophs. Here, we review the current advances in constructing synthetic CO2 fixation pathways and discuss the underlying design principles with confronting challenges. Moreover, we highlight the application scenarios of these designs at different concentrations of CO2, and how sustainable bioproduction can be improved. We also foresee the future of engineering synthetic carbon fixation pathways for carbon recycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Ru Chen
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Peng-Fei Xia
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China.
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5
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Yang X, Zhang Y, Zhao G. Artificial carbon assimilation: From unnatural reactions and pathways to synthetic autotrophic systems. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 70:108294. [PMID: 38013126 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108294] [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: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic biology is being increasingly used to establish novel carbon assimilation pathways and artificial autotrophic strains that can be used in low-carbon biomanufacturing. Currently, artificial pathway design has made significant progress from advocacy to practice within a relatively short span of just over ten years. However, there is still huge scope for exploration of pathway diversity, operational efficiency, and host suitability. The accelerated research process will bring greater opportunities and challenges. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive summary and interpretation of representative one-carbon assimilation pathway designs and artificial autotrophic strain construction work. In addition, we propose some feasible design solutions based on existing research results and patterns to promote the development and application of artificial autotrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Yang
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China; National Center of Technology Innovation for Synthetic Biology, Tianjin 300308, China; Haihe Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Yanfei Zhang
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China; National Center of Technology Innovation for Synthetic Biology, Tianjin 300308, China.
| | - Guoping Zhao
- National Center of Technology Innovation for Synthetic Biology, Tianjin 300308, China; CAS-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
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6
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Qiao Y, Ma W, Zhang S, Guo F, Liu K, Jiang Y, Wang Y, Xin F, Zhang W, Jiang M. Artificial multi-enzyme cascades and whole-cell transformation for bioconversion of C1 compounds: Advances, challenge and perspectives. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2023; 8:578-583. [PMID: 37706206 PMCID: PMC10495606 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2023.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Artificial multi-enzyme cascades bear great potential for bioconversion of C1 compounds to value-added chemicals. Over the past decade, massive efforts have been devoted to constructing multi-enzyme cascades to produce glycolic acid, rare functional sugars and even starch from C1 compounds. However, in contrast to traditional fermentation utilizing C1 compounds with the expectation of competitive economic performance in future industrialization, multi-enzyme cascades systems in the proof-of-concept phase are facing the challenges of upscaling. Here, we offered an overview of the recent advances in the construction of in vitro multi-enzyme cascades and whole-cell transformation using C1 compounds as substrate. In addition, the existing challenges and possible solutions were also discussed aiming to combine the strengths of in vitro and in vivo multi-enzyme cascades systems for upscaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangyi Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, PR China
| | - Wenyue Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, PR China
| | - Shangjie Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, PR China
| | - Feng Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, PR China
| | - Kang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, PR China
| | - Yujia Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, PR China
| | - Yanxia Wang
- College of Food Science and Light Industry, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, PR China
| | - Fengxue Xin
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, PR China
| | - Wenming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, PR China
| | - Min Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211800, PR China
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7
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Wagner N, Wen L, Frazão CJR, Walther T. Next-generation feedstocks methanol and ethylene glycol and their potential in industrial biotechnology. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 69:108276. [PMID: 37918546 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108276] [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: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Microbial fermentation processes are expected to play an important role in reducing dependence on fossil-based raw materials for the production of everyday chemicals. In order to meet the growing demand for biotechnological products in the future, alternative carbon sources that do not compete with human nutrition must be exploited. The chemical conversion of the industrially emitted greenhouse gas CO2 into microbially utilizable platform chemicals such as methanol represents a sustainable strategy for the utilization of an abundant carbon source and has attracted enormous scientific interest in recent years. A relatively new approach is the microbial synthesis of products from the C2-compound ethylene glycol, which can also be synthesized from CO2 and non-edible biomass and, in addition, can be recovered from plastic waste. Here we summarize the main chemical routes for the synthesis of methanol and ethylene glycol from sustainable resources and give an overview of recent metabolic engineering work for establishing natural and synthetic microbial assimilation pathways. The different metabolic routes for C1 and C2 alcohol-dependent bioconversions were compared in terms of their theoretical maximum yields and their oxygen requirements for a wide range of value-added products. Assessment of the process engineering challenges for methanol and ethylene glycol-based fermentations underscores the theoretical advantages of new synthetic metabolic routes and advocates greater consideration of ethylene glycol, a C2 substrate that has received comparatively little attention to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Wagner
- TU Dresden, Institute of Natural Materials Technology, Bergstraße 120, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Linxuan Wen
- TU Dresden, Institute of Natural Materials Technology, Bergstraße 120, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Cláudio J R Frazão
- TU Dresden, Institute of Natural Materials Technology, Bergstraße 120, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Thomas Walther
- TU Dresden, Institute of Natural Materials Technology, Bergstraße 120, 01062 Dresden, Germany.
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8
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François JM. Progress advances in the production of bio-sourced methionine and its hydroxyl analogues. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 69:108259. [PMID: 37734648 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108259] [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: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
The essential sulphur-containing amino acid, methionine, is becoming a mass-commodity product with an annual production that exceeded 1,500,000 tons in 2018. This amino acid is today almost exclusively produced by chemical process from fossil resources. The environmental problems caused by this industrial process, and the expected scarcity of oil resources in the coming years, have recently accelerated the development of bioprocesses for producing methionine from renewable carbon feedstock. After a brief description of the chemical process and the techno-economic context that still justify the production of methionine by petrochemical processes, this review will present the current state of the art of biobased alternatives aiming at a sustainable production of this amino acid and its hydroxyl analogues from renewable carbon feedstock. In particular, this review will focus on three bio-based processes, namely a purely fermentative process based on the metabolic engineering of the natural methionine pathway, a mixed process combining the production of the O-acetyl/O-succinyl homoserine intermediate of this pathway by fermentation followed by an enzyme-based conversion of this intermediate into L-methionine and lately, a hybrid process in which the non-natural chemical synthon, 2,4-dihydroxybutyric acid, obtained by fermentation of sugars is converted by chemo-catalysis into hydroxyl methionine analogues. The industrial potential of these three bioprocesses, as well as the major technical and economic obstacles that remain to be overcome to reach industrial maturity are discussed. This review concludes by bringing up the assets of these bioprocesses to meet the challenge of the "green transition", with the accomplishment of the objective "zero carbon" by 2050 and how they can be part of a model of Bioeconomy enhancing local resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Marie François
- Toulouse Biotechnology Institute, UMR INSA -CNRS5504 and UMR INSA-INRAE 792, 135 avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse, France; Toulouse White Biotechnology, UMS INRAE-INSA-CNRS, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse, France.
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9
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Yuan Q, Wei F, Deng X, Li A, Shi Z, Mao Z, Li F, Ma H. Reconstruction and metabolic profiling of the genome-scale metabolic network model of Pseudomonas stutzeri A1501. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2023; 8:688-696. [PMID: 37927897 PMCID: PMC10624960 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2023.10.001] [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: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas stutzeri A1501 is a non-fluorescent denitrifying bacteria that belongs to the gram-negative bacterial group. As a prominent strain in the fields of agriculture and bioengineering, there is still a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding its metabolic capabilities, specifically in terms of central metabolism and substrate utilization. Therefore, further exploration and extensive studies are required to gain a detailed insight into these aspects. This study reconstructed a genome-scale metabolic network model for P. stutzeri A1501 and conducted extensive curations, including correcting energy generation cycles, respiratory chains, and biomass composition. The final model, iQY1018, was successfully developed, covering more genes and reactions and having higher prediction accuracy compared with the previously published model iPB890. The substrate utilization ability of 71 carbon sources was investigated by BIOLOG experiment and was utilized to validate the model quality. The model prediction accuracy of substrate utilization for P. stutzeri A1501 reached 90 %. The model analysis revealed its new ability in central metabolism and predicted that the strain is a suitable chassis for the production of Acetyl CoA-derived products. This work provides an updated, high-quality model of P. stutzeri A1501for further research and will further enhance our understanding of the metabolic capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianqian Yuan
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Fan Wei
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Xiaogui Deng
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, China
- School of Biological Engineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Aonan Li
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, China
- School of Biological Engineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhenkun Shi
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Zhitao Mao
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Feiran Li
- Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Hongwu Ma
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308, China
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10
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Sarwar A, Lee EY. Methanol-based biomanufacturing of fuels and chemicals using native and synthetic methylotrophs. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2023; 8:396-415. [PMID: 37384124 PMCID: PMC10293595 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2023.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Methanol has recently gained significant attention as a potential carbon substrate for the production of fuels and chemicals, owing to its high degree of reduction, abundance, and low price. Native methylotrophic yeasts and bacteria have been investigated for the production of fuels and chemicals. Alternatively, synthetic methylotrophic strains are also being developed by reconstructing methanol utilization pathways in model microorganisms, such as Escherichia coli. Owing to the complex metabolic pathways, limited availability of genetic tools, and methanol/formaldehyde toxicity, the high-level production of target products for industrial applications are still under development to satisfy commercial feasibility. This article reviews the production of biofuels and chemicals by native and synthetic methylotrophic microorganisms. It also highlights the advantages and limitations of both types of methylotrophs and provides an overview of ways to improve their efficiency for the production of fuels and chemicals from methanol.
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11
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Garg D, Samota MK, Kontis N, Patel N, Bala S, Rosado AS. Revolutionizing biofuel generation: Unleashing the power of CRISPR-Cas mediated gene editing of extremophiles. Microbiol Res 2023; 274:127443. [PMID: 37399654 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2023.127443] [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: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Molecular biology techniques like gene editing have altered the specific genes in micro-organisms to increase their efficiency to produce biofuels. This review paper investigates the outcomes of Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) for gene editing in extremophilic micro-organisms to produce biofuel. Commercial production of biofuel from lignocellulosic waste is limited due to various constraints. A potential strategy to enhance the capability of extremophiles to produce biofuel is gene-editing via CRISPR-Cas technology. The efficiency of intracellular enzymes like cellulase, hemicellulose in extremophilic bacteria, fungi and microalgae has been increased by alteration of genes associated with enzymatic activity and thermotolerance. extremophilic microbes like Thermococcus kodakarensis, Thermotoga maritima, Thermus thermophilus, Pyrococcus furiosus and Sulfolobus sp. are explored for biofuel production. The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels involves pretreatment, hydrolysis and fermentation. The challenges like off-target effect associated with use of extremophiles for biofuel production is also addressed. The appropriate regulations are required to maximize effectiveness while minimizing off-target cleavage, as well as the total biosafety of this technique. The latest discovery of the CRISPR-Cas system should provide a new channel in the creation of microbial biorefineries through site- specific gene editing that might boost the generation of biofuels from extremophiles. Overall, this review study highlights the potential for genome editing methods to improve the potential of extremophiles to produce biofuel, opening the door to more effective and environmentally friendly biofuel production methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diksha Garg
- Department of Microbiology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
| | | | - Nicholas Kontis
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division,King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Makkah 23955, Saudi Arabia; Computational Bioscience Research Center, Biological and Environmental Science and, Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Makkah 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Niketan Patel
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division,King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Makkah 23955, Saudi Arabia; Computational Bioscience Research Center, Biological and Environmental Science and, Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Makkah 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saroj Bala
- Department of Microbiology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
| | - Alexandre Soares Rosado
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division,King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Makkah 23955, Saudi Arabia; Computational Bioscience Research Center, Biological and Environmental Science and, Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Makkah 23955, Saudi Arabia.
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12
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Wang J, Chen Z, Deng X, Yuan Q, Ma H. Engineering Escherichia coli for Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate Production from Methanol. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:bioengineering10040415. [PMID: 37106602 PMCID: PMC10135841 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10040415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The naturally occurring one-carbon assimilation pathways for the production of acetyl-CoA and its derivatives often have low product yields because of carbon loss as CO2. We constructed a methanol assimilation pathway to produce poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB) using the MCC pathway, which included the ribulose monophosphate (RuMP) pathway for methanol assimilation and non-oxidative glycolysis (NOG) for acetyl-CoA (precursor for PHB synthesis) production. The theoretical product carbon yield of the new pathway is 100%, hence no carbon loss. We constructed this pathway in E. coli JM109 by introducing methanol dehydrogenase (Mdh), a fused Hps–phi (hexulose-6-phosphate synthase and 3-phospho-6-hexuloisomerase), phosphoketolase, and the genes for PHB synthesis. We also knocked out the frmA gene (encoding formaldehyde dehydrogenase) to prevent the dehydrogenation of formaldehyde to formate. Mdh is the primary rate-limiting enzyme in methanol uptake; thus, we compared the activities of three Mdhs in vitro and in vivo and then selected the one from Bacillus methanolicus MGA3 for further study. Experimental results indicate that, in agreement with the computational analysis results, the introduction of the NOG pathway is essential for improving PHB production (65% increase in PHB concentration, up to 6.19% of dry cell weight). We demonstrated that PHB can be produced from methanol via metabolic engineering, which provides the foundation for the future large-scale use of one-carbon compounds for biopolymer production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaying Wang
- Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Zhiqiang Chen
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Xiaogui Deng
- Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
- School of Biological Engineering, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Qianqian Yuan
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
- National Center of Technology Innovation for Synthetic Biology, Tianjin 300308, China
- Correspondence: (Q.Y.); (H.M.)
| | - Hongwu Ma
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
- National Center of Technology Innovation for Synthetic Biology, Tianjin 300308, China
- Correspondence: (Q.Y.); (H.M.)
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13
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Bierbaumer S, Nattermann M, Schulz L, Zschoche R, Erb TJ, Winkler CK, Tinzl M, Glueck SM. Enzymatic Conversion of CO 2: From Natural to Artificial Utilization. Chem Rev 2023; 123:5702-5754. [PMID: 36692850 PMCID: PMC10176493 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Enzymatic carbon dioxide fixation is one of the most important metabolic reactions as it allows the capture of inorganic carbon from the atmosphere and its conversion into organic biomass. However, due to the often unfavorable thermodynamics and the difficulties associated with the utilization of CO2, a gaseous substrate that is found in comparatively low concentrations in the atmosphere, such reactions remain challenging for biotechnological applications. Nature has tackled these problems by evolution of dedicated CO2-fixing enzymes, i.e., carboxylases, and embedding them in complex metabolic pathways. Biotechnology employs such carboxylating and decarboxylating enzymes for the carboxylation of aromatic and aliphatic substrates either by embedding them into more complex reaction cascades or by shifting the reaction equilibrium via reaction engineering. This review aims to provide an overview of natural CO2-fixing enzymes and their mechanistic similarities. We also discuss biocatalytic applications of carboxylases and decarboxylases for the synthesis of valuable products and provide a separate summary of strategies to improve the efficiency of such processes. We briefly summarize natural CO2 fixation pathways, provide a roadmap for the design and implementation of artificial carbon fixation pathways, and highlight examples of biocatalytic cascades involving carboxylases. Additionally, we suggest that biochemical utilization of reduced CO2 derivates, such as formate or methanol, represents a suitable alternative to direct use of CO2 and provide several examples. Our discussion closes with a techno-economic perspective on enzymatic CO2 fixation and its potential to reduce CO2 emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Bierbaumer
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, NAWI Graz, Heinrichstraße 28, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Maren Nattermann
- Department of Biochemistry and Synthetic Metabolism, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 10, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Luca Schulz
- Department of Biochemistry and Synthetic Metabolism, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 10, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Tobias J Erb
- Department of Biochemistry and Synthetic Metabolism, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 10, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Christoph K Winkler
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, NAWI Graz, Heinrichstraße 28, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Matthias Tinzl
- Department of Biochemistry and Synthetic Metabolism, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 10, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Silvia M Glueck
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, NAWI Graz, Heinrichstraße 28, 8010 Graz, Austria
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14
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Singh HB, Kang MK, Kwon M, Kim SW. Developing methylotrophic microbial platforms for a methanol-based bioindustry. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:1050740. [PMID: 36507257 PMCID: PMC9727194 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1050740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Methanol, a relatively cheap and renewable single-carbon feedstock, has gained considerable attention as a substrate for the bio-production of commodity chemicals. Conventionally produced from syngas, along with emerging possibilities of generation from methane and CO2, this C1 substrate can serve as a pool for sequestering greenhouse gases while supporting a sustainable bio-economy. Methylotrophic organisms, with the inherent ability to use methanol as the sole carbon and energy source, are competent candidates as platform organisms. Accordingly, methanol bioconversion pathways have been an attractive target for biotechnological and bioengineering interventions in developing microbial cell factories. This review summarizes the recent advances in methanol-based production of various bulk and value-added chemicals exploiting the native and synthetic methylotrophic organisms. Finally, the current challenges and prospects of streamlining these methylotrophic platforms are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hawaibam Birla Singh
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), ABC-RLRC, PMBBRC, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea
| | - Min-Kyoung Kang
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), ABC-RLRC, PMBBRC, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea
| | - Moonhyuk Kwon
- Division of Life Science, ABC-RLRC, PMBBRC, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea,*Correspondence: Moonhyuk Kwon, ; Seon-Won Kim,
| | - Seon-Won Kim
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), ABC-RLRC, PMBBRC, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea,*Correspondence: Moonhyuk Kwon, ; Seon-Won Kim,
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15
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Qiao W, Xu S, Liu Z, Fu X, Zhao H, Shi S. Challenges and opportunities in C1-based biomanufacturing. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 364:128095. [PMID: 36220528 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.128095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The intensifying impact of green-house gas (GHG) emission on environment and climate change has attracted increasing attention, and biorefinery represents one of the most effective routes for reducing GHG emissions from human activities. However, this requires a shift for microbial fermentation from the current use of sugars to the use of biomass, and even better to the primary fixation of single carbon (C1) compounds. Here how microorganisms can be engineered for fixation and conversion of C1 compounds into metabolites that can serve as fuels and platform chemicals are reviewed. Meanwhile, key factors for utilization of these different pathways are discussed, followed by challenges and barriers for the development of C1-based biorefinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weibo Qiao
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Shijie Xu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Zihe Liu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Xiaoying Fu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Huimin Zhao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Shuobo Shi
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China.
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16
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Orsi E, Claassens NJ, Nikel PI, Lindner SN. Optimizing microbial networks through metabolic bypasses. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 60:108035. [PMID: 36096403 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.108035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Metabolism has long been considered as a relatively stiff set of biochemical reactions. This somewhat outdated and dogmatic view has been challenged over the last years, as multiple studies exposed unprecedented plasticity of metabolism by exploring rational and evolutionary modifications within the metabolic network of cell factories. Of particular importance is the emergence of metabolic bypasses, which consist of enzymatic reaction(s) that support unnatural connections between metabolic nodes. Such novel topologies can be generated through the introduction of heterologous enzymes or by upregulating native enzymes (sometimes relying on promiscuous activities thereof). Altogether, the adoption of bypasses resulted in an expansion in the capacity of the host's metabolic network, which can be harnessed for bioproduction. In this review, we discuss modifications to the canonical architecture of central carbon metabolism derived from such bypasses towards six optimization purposes: stoichiometric gain, overcoming kinetic limitations, solving thermodynamic barriers, circumventing toxic intermediates, uncoupling product synthesis from biomass formation, and altering redox cofactor specificity. The metabolic costs associated with bypass-implementation are likewise discussed, including tailoring their design towards improving bioproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Orsi
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany; The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Nico J Claassens
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Steffen N Lindner
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany; Department of Biochemistry, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Virchowweg 6, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
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17
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Peiro C, Vicente CM, Jallet D, Heux S. From a Hetero- to a Methylotrophic Lifestyle: Flash Back on the Engineering Strategies to Create Synthetic Methanol-User Strains. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:907861. [PMID: 35757790 PMCID: PMC9214030 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.907861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Engineering microorganisms to grow on alternative feedstocks is crucial not just because of the indisputable biotechnological applications but also to deepen our understanding of microbial metabolism. One-carbon (C1) substrate metabolism has been the focus of extensive research for the prominent role of C1 compounds in establishing a circular bioeconomy. Methanol in particular holds great promise as it can be produced directly from greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide using renewable resources. Synthetic methylotrophy, i.e. introducing a non-native methanol utilization pathway into a model host, has therefore been the focus of long-time efforts and is perhaps the pinnacle of metabolic engineering. It entails completely changing a microorganism's lifestyle, from breaking up multi-carbon nutrients for growth to building C-C bonds from a single-carbon molecule to obtain all metabolites necessary to biomass formation as well as energy. The frontiers of synthetic methylotrophy have been pushed further than ever before and in this review, we outline the advances that paved the way for the more recent accomplishments. These include optimizing the host's metabolism, "copy and pasting" naturally existing methylotrophic pathways, "mixing and matching" enzymes to build new pathways, and even creating novel enzymatic functions to obtain strains that are able to grow solely on methanol. Finally, new approaches are contemplated to further advance the field and succeed in obtaining a strain that efficiently grows on methanol and allows C1-based production of added-value compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Peiro
- TBI, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INRAE, INSA, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Denis Jallet
- TBI, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INRAE, INSA, Toulouse, France
| | - Stephanie Heux
- TBI, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INRAE, INSA, Toulouse, France
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18
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Govindaraju A, Good NM, Zytnick AM, Martinez-Gomez NC. Employing methylotrophs for a green economy: one-carbon to fuel them all and through metabolism redesign them. Curr Opin Microbiol 2022; 67:102145. [PMID: 35525169 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2022.102145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Microbial platforms are currently being optimized to revolutionize industrial energy production while mitigating shortages of global resources and food supplies. Here, we address recent advances to develop bacterial methylotrophic platforms as promising platforms enabling the reuse of products and materials (at their highest value) while reducing waste and pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alekhya Govindaraju
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Nathan M Good
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Alexa M Zytnick
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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19
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Klein VJ, Irla M, Gil López M, Brautaset T, Fernandes Brito L. Unravelling Formaldehyde Metabolism in Bacteria: Road towards Synthetic Methylotrophy. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10020220. [PMID: 35208673 PMCID: PMC8879981 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10020220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Formaldehyde metabolism is prevalent in all organisms, where the accumulation of formaldehyde can be prevented through the activity of dissimilation pathways. Furthermore, formaldehyde assimilatory pathways play a fundamental role in many methylotrophs, which are microorganisms able to build biomass and obtain energy from single- and multicarbon compounds with no carbon–carbon bonds. Here, we describe how formaldehyde is formed in the environment, the mechanisms of its toxicity to the cells, and the cell’s strategies to circumvent it. While their importance is unquestionable for cell survival in formaldehyde rich environments, we present examples of how the modification of native formaldehyde dissimilation pathways in nonmethylotrophic bacteria can be applied to redirect carbon flux toward heterologous, synthetic formaldehyde assimilation pathways introduced into their metabolism. Attempts to engineer methylotrophy into nonmethylotrophic hosts have gained interest in the past decade, with only limited successes leading to the creation of autonomous synthetic methylotrophy. Here, we discuss how native formaldehyde assimilation pathways can additionally be employed as a premise to achieving synthetic methylotrophy. Lastly, we discuss how emerging knowledge on regulation of formaldehyde metabolism can contribute to creating synthetic regulatory circuits applied in metabolic engineering strategies.
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20
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Wang Y, Zheng P, Sun J. Developing Synthetic Methylotrophs by Metabolic Engineering-Guided Adaptive Laboratory Evolution. ADVANCES IN BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING/BIOTECHNOLOGY 2022; 180:127-148. [DOI: 10.1007/10_2021_185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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21
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Hong Y, Zeng AP. Biosynthesis Based on One-Carbon Mixotrophy. ADVANCES IN BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING/BIOTECHNOLOGY 2022; 180:351-371. [DOI: 10.1007/10_2021_198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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22
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Jo SY, Son J, Sohn YJ, Lim SH, Lee JY, Yoo JI, Park SY, Na JG, Park SJ. A shortcut to carbon-neutral bioplastic production: Recent advances in microbial production of polyhydroxyalkanoates from C1 resources. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 192:978-998. [PMID: 34656544 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.10.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Since the 20th century, plastics that are widely being used in general life and industries are causing enormous plastic waste problems since improperly discarded plastics barely degrade and decompose. Thus, the demand for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), biodegradable polymers with material properties similar to conventional petroleum-based plastics, has been increased so far. The microbial production of PHAs is an environment-friendly solution for the current plastic crisis, however, the carbon sources for the microbial PHA production is a crucial factor to be considered in terms of carbon-neutrality. One‑carbon (C1) resources, such as methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, are greenhouse gases and are abundantly found in nature and industry. C1 resources as the carbon sources for PHA production have a completely closed carbon loop with much advances; i) fast carbon circulation with direct bioconversion process and ii) simple fermentation procedure without sterilization as non-preferable nutrients. This review discusses the biosynthesis of PHAs based on C1 resource utilization by wild-type and metabolically engineered microbial host strains via biorefinery processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seo Young Jo
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Graduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Jina Son
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Graduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Yu Jung Sohn
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Graduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Seo Hyun Lim
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Graduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Yeon Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Graduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Jee In Yoo
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Graduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Se Young Park
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Graduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong-Geol Na
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Si Jae Park
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Graduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea.
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23
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Chou A, Lee SH, Zhu F, Clomburg JM, Gonzalez R. An orthogonal metabolic framework for one-carbon utilization. Nat Metab 2021; 3:1385-1399. [PMID: 34675440 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-021-00453-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic engineering often entails concurrent engineering of substrate utilization, central metabolism and product synthesis pathways, inevitably creating interdependency with native metabolism. Here we report an alternative approach using synthetic pathways for C1 bioconversion that generate multicarbon products directly from C1 units and hence are orthogonal to the host metabolic network. The engineered pathways are based on formyl-CoA elongation (FORCE) reactions catalysed by the enzyme 2-hydroxyacyl-CoA lyase. We use thermodynamic and stoichiometric analyses to evaluate FORCE pathway variants, including aldose elongation, α-reduction and aldehyde elongation. Promising variants were prototyped in vitro and in vivo using the non-methylotrophic bacterium Escherichia coli. We demonstrate the conversion of formate, formaldehyde and methanol into various products including glycolate, ethylene glycol, ethanol and glycerate. FORCE pathways also have the potential to be integrated with the host metabolism for synthetic methylotrophy by the production of native growth substrates as demonstrated in a two-strain co-culture system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Chou
- Department of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Seung Hwan Lee
- Department of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Fayin Zhu
- Department of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - James M Clomburg
- Department of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Ramon Gonzalez
- Department of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
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24
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Li J, Chen B, Gu S, Zhao Z, Liu Q, Sun T, Zhang Y, Wu T, Liu D, Sun W, Tian C. Coordination of consolidated bioprocessing technology and carbon dioxide fixation to produce malic acid directly from plant biomass in Myceliophthora thermophila. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2021; 14:186. [PMID: 34556173 PMCID: PMC8461902 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-021-02042-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) technique is a promising strategy for biorefinery construction, producing bulk chemicals directly from plant biomass without extra hydrolysis steps. Fixing and channeling CO2 into carbon metabolism for increased carbon efficiency in producing value-added compounds is another strategy for cost-effective bio-manufacturing. It has not been reported whether these two strategies can be combined in one microbial platform. RESULTS In this study, using the cellulolytic thermophilic fungus Myceliophthora thermophila, we designed and constructed a novel biorefinery system DMCC (Direct microbial conversion of biomass with CO2 fixation) through incorporating two CO2 fixation modules, PYC module and Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) pathway. Harboring the both modules, the average rate of fixing and channeling 13CO2 into malic acid in strain CP51 achieved 44.4, 90.7, and 80.7 mg/L/h, on xylose, glucose, and cellulose, respectively. The corresponding titers of malic acid were up to 42.1, 70.4, and 70.1 g/L, respectively, representing the increases of 40%, 10%, and 7%, respectively, compared to the parental strain possessing only PYC module. The DMCC system was further improved by enhancing the pentose uptake ability. Using raw plant biomass as the feedstock, yield of malic acid produced by the DMCC system was up to 0.53 g/g, with 13C content of 0.44 mol/mol malic acid, suggesting DMCC system can produce 1 t of malic acid from 1.89 t of biomass and fix 0.14 t CO2 accordingly. CONCLUSIONS This study designed and constructed a novel biorefinery system named DMCC, which can convert raw plant biomass and CO2 into organic acid efficiently, presenting a promising strategy for cost-effective production of value-added compounds in biorefinery. The DMCC system is one of great options for realization of carbon neutral economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingen Li
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308 China
| | - Bingchen Chen
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Shuying Gu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Zhen Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Qian Liu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308 China
| | - Tao Sun
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308 China
| | - Yongli Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308 China
| | - Taju Wu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308 China
| | - Defei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308 China
| | - Wenliang Sun
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308 China
| | - Chaoguang Tian
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, 300308 China
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25
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Bioconversion of Methanol by Synthetic Methylotrophy. ADVANCES IN BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING/BIOTECHNOLOGY 2021; 180:149-168. [PMID: 34545421 DOI: 10.1007/10_2021_176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
As an important building block in the chemical industry, methanol has become an attractive substrate in biorefinery owing to its abundance and low cost. With the development of synthetic biology, metabolic engineering of non-methylotrophy to construct synthetic methylotrophy has drawn increased attention. As for the metabolic construction of methanol assimilation pathway in some industrial hosts, several artificial methanol assimilation pathways have recently been designed and constructed based on the computer-aided design. Particularly, these artificial methanol assimilation pathways possess advantages of shorter reaction steps, stronger driving forces, and independence on oxygen. Accordingly, this chapter reviewed strategies of constructing synthetic methylotrophs, including introducing methanol metabolic modules derived from natural methylotrophs and designing artificial methanol assimilation pathways. Future challenges and prospects were also discussed.
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26
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Gregory GJ, Bennett RK, Papoutsakis ET. Recent advances toward the bioconversion of methane and methanol in synthetic methylotrophs. Metab Eng 2021; 71:99-116. [PMID: 34547453 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2021.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Abundant natural gas reserves, along with increased biogas production, have prompted recent interest in harnessing methane as an industrial feedstock for the production of liquid fuels and chemicals. Methane can either be used directly for fermentation or first oxidized to methanol via biological or chemical means. Methanol is advantageous due to its liquid state under normal conditions. Methylotrophy, defined as the ability of microorganisms to utilize reduced one-carbon compounds like methane and methanol as sole carbon and energy sources for growth, is widespread in bacterial communities. However, native methylotrophs lack the extensive and well-characterized synthetic biology toolbox of platform microorganisms like Escherichia coli, which results in slow and inefficient design-build-test cycles. If a heterologous production pathway can be engineered, the slow growth and uptake rates of native methylotrophs generally limit their industrial potential. Therefore, much focus has been placed on engineering synthetic methylotrophs, or non-methylotrophic platform microorganisms, like E. coli, that have been engineered with synthetic methanol utilization pathways. These platform hosts allow for rapid design-build-test cycles and are well-suited for industrial application at the current time. In this review, recent progress made toward synthetic methylotrophy (including methanotrophy) is discussed. Specifically, the importance of amino acid metabolism and alternative one-carbon assimilation pathways are detailed. A recent study that has achieved methane bioconversion to liquid chemicals in a synthetic E. coli methanotroph is also briefly discussed. We also discuss strategies for the way forward in order to realize the industrial potential of synthetic methanotrophs and methylotrophs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwendolyn J Gregory
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA; The Delaware Biotechnology Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
| | - R Kyle Bennett
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA; The Delaware Biotechnology Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
| | - Eleftherios T Papoutsakis
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA; The Delaware Biotechnology Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
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27
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Montaño López J, Duran L, Avalos JL. Physiological limitations and opportunities in microbial metabolic engineering. Nat Rev Microbiol 2021; 20:35-48. [PMID: 34341566 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-021-00600-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic engineering can have a pivotal role in increasing the environmental sustainability of the transportation and chemical manufacturing sectors. The field has already developed engineered microorganisms that are currently being used in industrial-scale processes. However, it is often challenging to achieve the titres, yields and productivities required for commercial viability. The efficiency of microbial chemical production is usually dependent on the physiological traits of the host organism, which may either impose limitations on engineered biosynthetic pathways or, conversely, boost their performance. In this Review, we discuss different aspects of microbial physiology that often create obstacles for metabolic engineering, and present solutions to overcome them. We also describe various instances in which natural or engineered physiological traits in host organisms have been harnessed to benefit engineered metabolic pathways for chemical production.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Montaño López
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Lisset Duran
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - José L Avalos
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. .,Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. .,Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. .,Princeton Environmental Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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28
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Wong M, Badri A, Gasparis C, Belfort G, Koffas M. Modular optimization in metabolic engineering. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2021; 56:587-602. [PMID: 34180323 DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2021.1937928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
There is an increasing demand for bioproducts produced by metabolically engineered microbes, such as pharmaceuticals, biofuels, biochemicals and other high value compounds. In order to meet this demand, modular optimization, the optimizing of subsections instead of the whole system, has been adopted to engineer cells to overproduce products. Research into modularity has focused on traditional approaches such as DNA, RNA, and protein-level modularity of intercellular machinery, by optimizing metabolic pathways for enhanced production. While research into these traditional approaches continues, limitations such as scale-up and time cost hold them back from wider use, while at the same time there is a shift to more novel methods, such as moving from episomal expression to chromosomal integration. Recently, nontraditional approaches such as co-culture systems and cell-free metabolic engineering (CFME) are being investigated for modular optimization. Co-culture modularity looks to optimally divide the metabolic burden between different hosts. CFME seeks to modularly optimize metabolic pathways in vitro, both speeding up the design of such systems and eliminating the issues associated with live hosts. In this review we will examine both traditional and nontraditional approaches for modular optimization, examining recent developments and discussing issues and emerging solutions for future research in metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Wong
- Howard P. Isermann Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Abinaya Badri
- Howard P. Isermann Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Christopher Gasparis
- Howard P. Isermann Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Georges Belfort
- Howard P. Isermann Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Mattheos Koffas
- Howard P. Isermann Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
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29
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Zhan C, Li X, Yang Y, Nielsen J, Bai Z, Chen Y. Strategies and challenges with the microbial conversion of methanol to high-value chemicals. Biotechnol Bioeng 2021; 118:3655-3668. [PMID: 34133022 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
As alternatives to traditional fermentation substrates, methanol (CH3 OH), carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and methane (CH4 ) represent promising one-carbon (C1) sources that are readily available at low-cost and share similar metabolic pathway. Of these C1 compounds, methanol is used as a carbon and energy source by native methylotrophs, and can be obtained from CO2 and CH4 by chemical catalysis. Therefore, constructing and rewiring methanol utilization pathways may enable the use of one-carbon sources for microbial fermentations. Recent bioengineering efforts have shown that both native and nonnative methylotrophic organisms can be engineered to convert methanol, together with other carbon sources, into biofuels and other commodity chemicals. However, many challenges remain and must be overcome before industrial-scale bioprocessing can be established using these engineered cell refineries. Here, we provide a comprehensive summary and comparison of methanol metabolic pathways from different methylotrophs, followed by a review of recent progress in engineering methanol metabolic pathways in vitro and in vivo to produce chemicals. We discuss the major challenges associated with establishing efficient methanol metabolic pathways in microbial cells, and propose improved designs for future engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunjun Zhan
- National Engineering Laboratory for Cereal Fermentation Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,The Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Xiaowei Li
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Yankun Yang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Cereal Fermentation Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,The Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Jens Nielsen
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.,BioInnovation Institute, Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Zhonghu Bai
- National Engineering Laboratory for Cereal Fermentation Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.,The Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Yun Chen
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
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30
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Ivanov I, Castellanos SL, Balasbas S, Otrin L, Marušič N, Vidaković-Koch T, Sundmacher K. Bottom-Up Synthesis of Artificial Cells: Recent Highlights and Future Challenges. Annu Rev Chem Biomol Eng 2021; 12:287-308. [PMID: 34097845 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-092220-085918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The bottom-up approach in synthetic biology aims to create molecular ensembles that reproduce the organization and functions of living organisms and strives to integrate them in a modular and hierarchical fashion toward the basic unit of life-the cell-and beyond. This young field stands on the shoulders of fundamental research in molecular biology and biochemistry, next to synthetic chemistry, and, augmented by an engineering framework, has seen tremendous progress in recent years thanks to multiple technological and scientific advancements. In this timely review of the research over the past decade, we focus on three essential features of living cells: the ability to self-reproduce via recursive cycles of growth and division, the harnessing of energy to drive cellular processes, and the assembly of metabolic pathways. In addition, we cover the increasing efforts to establish multicellular systems via different communication strategies and critically evaluate the potential applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Ivanov
- Process Systems Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany; , , , ,
| | - Sebastián López Castellanos
- Process Systems Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany; , , , ,
| | - Severo Balasbas
- Process Systems Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany; , , , ,
| | - Lado Otrin
- Electrochemical Energy Conversion, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany; ,
| | - Nika Marušič
- Process Systems Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany; , , , ,
| | - Tanja Vidaković-Koch
- Electrochemical Energy Conversion, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany; ,
| | - Kai Sundmacher
- Process Systems Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany; , , , , .,Department of Process Systems Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany
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31
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Mao Y, Yuan Q, Yang X, Liu P, Cheng Y, Luo J, Liu H, Yao Y, Sun H, Cai T, Ma H. Non-natural Aldol Reactions Enable the Design and Construction of Novel One-Carbon Assimilation Pathways in vitro. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:677596. [PMID: 34149668 PMCID: PMC8208507 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.677596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Methylotrophs utilizes cheap, abundant one-carbon compounds, offering a promising green, sustainable and economical alternative to current sugar-based biomanufacturing. However, natural one-carbon assimilation pathways come with many disadvantages, such as complicated reaction steps, the need for additional energy and/or reducing power, or loss of CO2, resulting in unsatisfactory biomanufacturing performance. Here, we predicted eight simple, novel and carbon-conserving formaldehyde (FALD) assimilation pathways based on the extended metabolic network with non-natural aldol reactions using the comb-flux balance analysis (FBA) algorithm. Three of these pathways were found to be independent of energy/reducing equivalents, and thus chosen for further experimental verification. Then, two novel aldol reactions, condensing D-erythrose 4-phosphate and glycolaldehyde (GALD) into 2R,3R-stereo allose 6-phosphate by DeoC or 2S,3R-stereo altrose 6-phosphate by TalBF178Y/Fsa, were identified for the first time. Finally, a novel FALD assimilation pathway proceeding via allose 6-phosphate, named as the glycolaldehyde-allose 6-phosphate assimilation (GAPA) pathway, was constructed in vitro with a high carbon yield of 94%. This work provides an elegant paradigm for systematic design of one-carbon assimilation pathways based on artificial aldolase (ALS) reactions, which could also be feasibly adapted for the mining of other metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yufeng Mao
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Qianqian Yuan
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Xue Yang
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Pi Liu
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Ying Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiahao Luo
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Huanhuan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Yonghong Yao
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Hongbing Sun
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Tao Cai
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Hongwu Ma
- Biodesign Center, Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
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32
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Yang Q, Guo X, Liu Y, Jiang H. Biocatalytic C-C Bond Formation for One Carbon Resource Utilization. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22041890. [PMID: 33672882 PMCID: PMC7918591 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22041890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The carbon-carbon bond formation has always been one of the most important reactions in C1 resource utilization. Compared to traditional organic synthesis methods, biocatalytic C-C bond formation offers a green and potent alternative for C1 transformation. In recent years, with the development of synthetic biology, more and more carboxylases and C-C ligases have been mined and designed for the C1 transformation in vitro and C1 assimilation in vivo. This article presents an overview of C-C bond formation in biocatalytic C1 resource utilization is first provided. Sets of newly mined and designed carboxylases and ligases capable of catalyzing C-C bond formation for the transformation of CO2, formaldehyde, CO, and formate are then reviewed, and their catalytic mechanisms are discussed. Finally, the current advances and the future perspectives for the development of catalysts for C1 resource utilization are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaoyu Yang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China; (Q.Y.); (X.G.)
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin 300308, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaoxian Guo
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China; (Q.Y.); (X.G.)
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Yuwan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China; (Q.Y.); (X.G.)
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin 300308, China
- Correspondence: (Y.L.); (H.J.)
| | - Huifeng Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China; (Q.Y.); (X.G.)
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin 300308, China
- Correspondence: (Y.L.); (H.J.)
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33
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Yuan XJ, Chen WJ, Ma ZX, Yuan QQ, Zhang M, He L, Mo XH, Zhang C, Zhang CT, Wang MY, Xing XH, Yang S. Rewiring the native methanol assimilation metabolism by incorporating the heterologous ribulose monophosphate cycle into Methylorubrum extorquens. Metab Eng 2021; 64:95-110. [PMID: 33493644 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2021.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Methanol is assimilated through the serine cycle to generate acetyl-CoA without carbon loss. However, a highly active serine cycle requires high consumption of reducing equivalents and ATP, thereby leading to the impaired efficiency of methanol conversion to reduced chemicals. In the present study, a genome-scale flux balance analysis (FBA) predicted that the introduction of the heterologous ribulose monophosphate (RuMP) cycle, a more energy-efficient pathway for methanol assimilation, could theoretically increase growth rate by 31.3% for the model alphaproteobacterial methylotroph Methylorubrum extorquens AM1. Based on this analysis, we constructed a novel synergistic assimilation pathway in vivo by incorporating the RuMP cycle into M. extroquens metabolism with the intrinsic serine cycle. We demonstrated that the operation of the synergistic pathway could increase cell growth rate by 16.5% and methanol consumption rate by 13.1%. This strategy rewired the central methylotrophic metabolism through adjusting core gene transcription, leading to a pool size increase of C2 to C5 central intermediates by 1.2- to 3.6-fold and an NADPH cofactor improvement by 1.3-fold. The titer of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), a model product in the newly engineered chassis of M. extorquens AM1, was increased to 91.2 mg/L in shake-flask culture, representing a 3.1-fold increase compared with the control strain with only the serine cycle. The final titer of 3-HP was significantly improved to 0.857 g/L in the fed-batch bioreactor, which was more competitive compared with the other 3-HP producers using methane and CO2 as C1 sources. Collectively, our current study demonstrated that engineering the synergistic methanol assimilation pathway was a promising strategy to increase the carbon assimilation and the yields of reduced chemicals in diverse host strains for C1 microbial cell factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Jie Yuan
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, And Qingdao International Center on Microbes Utilizing Biogas, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China; Department of Molecular Biology, Qingdao Vland Biotech Inc., Qingdao, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Wen-Jing Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, And Qingdao International Center on Microbes Utilizing Biogas, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Zeng-Xin Ma
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, And Qingdao International Center on Microbes Utilizing Biogas, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Qian-Qian Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, And Qingdao International Center on Microbes Utilizing Biogas, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Lian He
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Xu-Hua Mo
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, And Qingdao International Center on Microbes Utilizing Biogas, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Chong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Chang-Tai Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, And Qingdao International Center on Microbes Utilizing Biogas, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng-Ying Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, And Qingdao International Center on Microbes Utilizing Biogas, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin-Hui Xing
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People's Republic of China; Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, And Institute of Biomedical Health Technology and Engineering, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Song Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Applied Mycology, And Qingdao International Center on Microbes Utilizing Biogas, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
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34
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Chuang DSW, Liao JC. Role of cyanobacterial phosphoketolase in energy regulation and glucose secretion under dark anaerobic and osmotic stress conditions. Metab Eng 2020; 65:255-262. [PMID: 33326847 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Primary metabolism in cyanobacteria is built on the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle, oxidative pentose phosphate (OPP) pathway, Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Phosphoketolase (Xpk), commonly found in cyanobacteria, is an enzyme that is linked to all these pathways. However, little is known about its physiological role. Here, we show that most of the cyanobacterial Xpk surveyed are inhibited by ATP, and both copies of Xpk in nitrogen-fixing Cyanothece ATCC51142 are further activated by ADP, suggesting their role in energy regulation. Moreover, Xpk in Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942 and Cyanothece ATCC51142 show that their expressions are dusk-peaked, suggesting their roles in dark conditions. Finally, we find that Xpk in S. elongatus PCC7942 is responsible for survival using ATP produced from the glycogen-to-acetate pathway under dark, anaerobic condition. Interestingly, under this condition, xpk deletion causes glucose secretion in response to osmotic shock such as NaHCO3, KHCO3 and NaCl as part of incomplete glycogen degradation. These findings unveiled the role of this widespread enzyme and open the possibility for enhanced glucose secretion from cyanobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derrick Shih-Wei Chuang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - James C Liao
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taiwan.
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35
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Liang B, Zhao Y, Yang J. Recent Advances in Developing Artificial Autotrophic Microorganism for Reinforcing CO 2 Fixation. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:592631. [PMID: 33240247 PMCID: PMC7680860 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.592631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
With the goal of achieving carbon sequestration, emission reduction and cleaner production, biological methods have been employed to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into fuels and chemicals. However, natural autotrophic organisms are not suitable cell factories due to their poor carbon fixation efficiency and poor growth rate. Heterotrophic microorganisms are promising candidates, since they have been proven to be efficient biofuel and chemical production chassis. This review first briefly summarizes six naturally occurring CO2 fixation pathways, and then focuses on recent advances in artificially designing efficient CO2 fixation pathways. Moreover, this review discusses the transformation of heterotrophic microorganisms into hemiautotrophic microorganisms and delves further into fully autotrophic microorganisms (artificial autotrophy) by use of synthetic biological tools and strategies. Rapid developments in artificial autotrophy have laid a solid foundation for the development of efficient carbon fixation cell factories. Finally, this review highlights future directions toward large-scale applications. Artificial autotrophic microbial cell factories need further improvements in terms of CO2 fixation pathways, reducing power supply, compartmentalization and host selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Liang
- Energy-rich Compounds Production by Photosynthetic Carbon Fixation Research Center, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Key Lab of Applied Mycology, College of Life Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yukun Zhao
- Pony Testing International Group, Qingdao, China
| | - Jianming Yang
- Energy-rich Compounds Production by Photosynthetic Carbon Fixation Research Center, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Key Lab of Applied Mycology, College of Life Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
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36
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Affiliation(s)
- Cláudio J. R. Frazão
- TU Dresden Institute of Natural Materials Technology Bergstraße 120 01062 Dresden Germany
| | - Thomas Walther
- TU Dresden Institute of Natural Materials Technology Bergstraße 120 01062 Dresden Germany
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37
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Chen FYH, Jung HW, Tsuei CY, Liao JC. Converting Escherichia coli to a Synthetic Methylotroph Growing Solely on Methanol. Cell 2020; 182:933-946.e14. [PMID: 32780992 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Methanol, being electron rich and derivable from methane or CO2, is a potentially renewable one-carbon (C1) feedstock for microorganisms. Although the ribulose monophosphate (RuMP) cycle used by methylotrophs to assimilate methanol differs from the typical sugar metabolism by only three enzymes, turning a non-methylotrophic organism to a synthetic methylotroph that grows to a high cell density has been challenging. Here we reprogrammed E. coli using metabolic robustness criteria followed by laboratory evolution to establish a strain that can efficiently utilize methanol as the sole carbon source. This synthetic methylotroph alleviated a so far uncharacterized hurdle, DNA-protein crosslinking (DPC), by insertion sequence (IS)-mediated copy number variations (CNVs) and balanced the metabolic flux by mutations. Being capable of growing at a rate comparable with natural methylotrophs in a wide range of methanol concentrations, this synthetic methylotrophic strain illustrates genome editing and evolution for microbial tropism changes and expands the scope of biological C1 conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederic Y-H Chen
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Hsin-Wei Jung
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chao-Yin Tsuei
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - James C Liao
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
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38
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Tuyishime P, Sinumvayo JP. Novel outlook in engineering synthetic methylotrophs and formatotrophs: a course for advancing C1-based chemicals production. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 36:118. [DOI: 10.1007/s11274-020-02899-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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39
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Recent progress in metabolic engineering of microbial formate assimilation. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 104:6905-6917. [PMID: 32566995 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-020-10725-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Formate can be efficiently produced via electrochemical or photochemical catalytic conversion of CO2, and it can be directly used as an organic carbon source by microorganisms. In theory, formate can be used as the sole carbon source for the microbial production of high-value-added chemicals. Consequently, the construction of efficient formate-assimilation pathways in microorganisms is essential for the utilization of cheap, renewable one-carbon compounds. This paper summarizes new methods of formate synthesis, as well as the natural formate utilization pathways of microorganisms with their advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, it reviews recent progress in the design of utilization pathways for formate in microbial cells through metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. Besides, we also use the pathway-prediction algorithm comb-FBA to rationally design completely new one-carbon compounds utilization pathways. The pathway with the highest efficiency, named GAA, was corroborated by the in vitro experiments showing a carbon molar yield up to 88%. Finally, it discusses the main problems and challenges presently existing in the pathway design and strain improvement for microbial utilization of formate. KEY POINTS: • Natural and artificial design pathways of formate-assimilation was summarized. • Recent progresses in different hosts and approaches of using one-carbon compounds was reviewed. • Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology methods to improve formate utilization were discussed.
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40
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Wang Y, Fan L, Tuyishime P, Liu J, Zhang K, Gao N, Zhang Z, Ni X, Feng J, Yuan Q, Ma H, Zheng P, Sun J, Ma Y. Adaptive laboratory evolution enhances methanol tolerance and conversion in engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum. Commun Biol 2020; 3:217. [PMID: 32382107 PMCID: PMC7205612 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-0954-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic methylotrophy has recently been intensively studied to achieve methanol-based biomanufacturing of fuels and chemicals. However, attempts to engineer platform microorganisms to utilize methanol mainly focus on enzyme and pathway engineering. Herein, we enhanced methanol bioconversion of synthetic methylotrophs by improving cellular tolerance to methanol. A previously engineered methanol-dependent Corynebacterium glutamicum is subjected to adaptive laboratory evolution with elevated methanol content. Unexpectedly, the evolved strain not only tolerates higher concentrations of methanol but also shows improved growth and methanol utilization. Transcriptome analysis suggests increased methanol concentrations rebalance methylotrophic metabolism by down-regulating glycolysis and up-regulating amino acid biosynthesis, oxidative phosphorylation, ribosome biosynthesis, and parts of TCA cycle. Mutations in the O-acetyl-l-homoserine sulfhydrylase Cgl0653 catalyzing formation of l-methionine analog from methanol and methanol-induced membrane-bound transporter Cgl0833 are proven crucial for methanol tolerance. This study demonstrates the importance of tolerance engineering in developing superior synthetic methylotrophs. Wang et al. improve the methanol tolerance for the synthetic methylotroph, Corynebacterium glutamicum. They generate 3 new strains by directed evolution and use biochemical, transcriptomic, and genetic approaches to characterize the pathways underlying the enhanced methanol metabolism. Their findings are important for biomanufacturing purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Liwen Fan
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China.,School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Philibert Tuyishime
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Jiao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Kun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ning Gao
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhihui Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaomeng Ni
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Jinhui Feng
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Qianqian Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Hongwu Ma
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Ping Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China. .,School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China. .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Jibin Sun
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China. .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Yanhe Ma
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
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41
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Chen AY, Lan EI. Chemical Production from Methanol Using Natural and Synthetic Methylotrophs. Biotechnol J 2020; 15:e1900356. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.201900356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Arvin Y. Chen
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and BioengineeringNational Chiao Tung University Hsinchu 30010 Taiwan
| | - Ethan I. Lan
- Department of Biological Science and TechnologyNational Chiao Tung University Hsinchu 30010 Taiwan
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42
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He H, Höper R, Dodenhöft M, Marlière P, Bar-Even A. An optimized methanol assimilation pathway relying on promiscuous formaldehyde-condensing aldolases in E. coli. Metab Eng 2020; 60:1-13. [PMID: 32169542 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Engineering biotechnological microorganisms to use methanol as a feedstock for bioproduction is a major goal for the synthetic metabolism community. Here, we aim to redesign the natural serine cycle for implementation in E. coli. We propose the homoserine cycle, relying on two promiscuous formaldehyde aldolase reactions, as a superior pathway design. The homoserine cycle is expected to outperform the serine cycle and its variants with respect to biomass yield, thermodynamic favorability, and integration with host endogenous metabolism. Even as compared to the RuMP cycle, the most efficient naturally occurring methanol assimilation route, the homoserine cycle is expected to support higher yields of a wide array of products. We test the in vivo feasibility of the homoserine cycle by constructing several E. coli gene deletion strains whose growth is coupled to the activity of different pathway segments. Using this approach, we demonstrate that all required promiscuous enzymes are active enough to enable growth of the auxotrophic strains. Our findings thus identify a novel metabolic solution that opens the way to an optimized methylotrophic platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai He
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Rune Höper
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Moritz Dodenhöft
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Philippe Marlière
- TESSSI, The European Syndicate of Synthetic Scientists and Industrialists, 81 rue Réaumur, 75002, Paris, France.
| | - Arren Bar-Even
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
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43
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Engineering unnatural methylotrophic cell factories for methanol-based biomanufacturing: Challenges and opportunities. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 39:107467. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2019.107467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 11/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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44
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François JM, Lachaux C, Morin N. Synthetic Biology Applied to Carbon Conservative and Carbon Dioxide Recycling Pathways. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 7:446. [PMID: 31998710 PMCID: PMC6966089 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2019.00446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The global warming conjugated with our reliance to petrol derived processes and products have raised strong concern about the future of our planet, asking urgently to find sustainable substitute solutions to decrease this reliance and annihilate this climate change mainly due to excess of CO2 emission. In this regard, the exploitation of microorganisms as microbial cell factories able to convert non-edible but renewable carbon sources into biofuels and commodity chemicals appears as an attractive solution. However, there is still a long way to go to make this solution economically viable and to introduce the use of microorganisms as one of the motor of the forthcoming bio-based economy. In this review, we address a scientific issue that must be challenged in order to improve the value of microbial organisms as cell factories. This issue is related to the capability of microbial systems to optimize carbon conservation during their metabolic processes. This initiative, which can be addressed nowadays using the advances in Synthetic Biology, should lead to an increase in products yield per carbon assimilated which is a key performance indice in biotechnological processes, as well as to indirectly contribute to a reduction of CO2 emission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Marie François
- Toulouse Biotechnology Institute (TBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INRA, INSA, Toulouse, France.,Toulouse White Biotechnology Center (TWB), Ramonville-Saint-Agne, France
| | - Cléa Lachaux
- Toulouse White Biotechnology Center (TWB), Ramonville-Saint-Agne, France
| | - Nicolas Morin
- Toulouse Biotechnology Institute (TBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INRA, INSA, Toulouse, France.,Toulouse White Biotechnology Center (TWB), Ramonville-Saint-Agne, France
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45
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Wang Y, Fan L, Tuyishime P, Zheng P, Sun J. Synthetic Methylotrophy: A Practical Solution for Methanol-Based Biomanufacturing. Trends Biotechnol 2020; 38:650-666. [PMID: 31932066 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2019.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The increasing availability and affordability of natural gas has renewed interest in using methanol for bioproduction of useful chemicals. Engineering synthetic methylotrophy based on natural or artificial methanol assimilation pathways and genetically tractable platform microorganisms for methanol-based biomanufacturing is drawing particular attention. Recently, intensive efforts have been devoted to demonstrating the feasibility and improving the efficiency of synthetic methylotrophy. Various fuel, bulk, and fine chemicals have been synthesized using methanol as a feedstock. However, fully synthetic methylotrophs utilizing methanol as the sole carbon source and commercially viable bioproduction from methanol remain to be developed. Here, we review ongoing efforts to identify limiting factors, optimize synthetic methylotrophs, and implement methanol-based biomanufacturing. Future challenges and prospects are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Liwen Fan
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China; School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Philibert Tuyishime
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Ping Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China; School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
| | - Jibin Sun
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China.
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46
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Yang X, Yuan Q, Luo H, Li F, Mao Y, Zhao X, Du J, Li P, Ju X, Zheng Y, Chen Y, Liu Y, Jiang H, Yao Y, Ma H, Ma Y. Systematic design and in vitro validation of novel one-carbon assimilation pathways. Metab Eng 2019; 56:142-153. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2019.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 08/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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47
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Renewable methanol and formate as microbial feedstocks. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2019; 62:168-180. [PMID: 31733545 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Methanol and formate are attractive microbial feedstocks as they can be sustainably produced from CO2 and renewable energy, are completely miscible, and are easy to store and transport. Here, we provide a biochemical perspective on microbial growth and bioproduction using these compounds. We show that anaerobic growth of acetogens on methanol and formate is more efficient than on H2/CO2 or CO. We analyze the aerobic C1 assimilation pathways and suggest that new-to-nature routes could outperform their natural counterparts. We further discuss practical bioprocessing aspects related to growth on methanol and formate, including feedstock toxicity. While challenges in realizing sustainable production from methanol and formate still exist, the utilization of these feedstocks paves the way towards a truly circular carbon economy.
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48
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Cheng K, Svec F, Lv Y, Tan T. Hierarchical Micro- and Mesoporous Zn-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks Templated by Hydrogels: Their Use for Enzyme Immobilization and Catalysis of Knoevenagel Reaction. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2019; 15:e1902927. [PMID: 31513349 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201902927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Encapsulation of enzymes in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is often obstructed by the small size of the orifices typical of most reported MOFs, which prevent the passage of larger-size enzymes. Here, the preparation of hierarchical micro- and mesoporous Zn-based MOFs via the templated emulsification method using hydrogels as a template is presented. Zinc-based hydrogels featuring a 3D interconnecting network are first produced via the formation of hydrogen bonds between melamine and salicylic acid in which zinc ions are well distributed. Further coordination with organic linkers followed by the removal of the hydrogel template produces hierarchical Zn-based MOFs containing both micropores and mesopores. These new MOFs are used for the encapsulation of glucose oxidase and horseradish peroxidase to prove the concept. The immobilized enzymes exhibit a remarkably enhanced increased operational stability and enzymatic activity with a kcat /km value of 85.68 mm s-1 . This value is 7.7-fold higher compared to that found for the free enzymes in solution, and 2.7-fold higher than enzymes adsorbed on conventional microporous MOFs. The much higher catalytic activity of the mesoporous conjugate for Knoevenagel reactions is demonstrated, since the large pores enable easier access to the active sites, and compared with that observed for catalysis using microporous MOFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaipeng Cheng
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Frantisek Svec
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Yongqin Lv
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Tianwei Tan
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
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49
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Antoniewicz MR. Synthetic methylotrophy: Strategies to assimilate methanol for growth and chemicals production. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2019; 59:165-174. [PMID: 31437746 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Methanol is an attractive and broadly available substrate for large-scale bioproduction of fuels and chemicals. It contains more energy and electrons per carbon than carbohydrates and can be cheaply produced from natural gas. Synthetic methylotrophy refers to the development of non-native methylotrophs such as Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum to utilize methanol as a carbon source. Here, we discuss recent advances in engineering these industrial hosts to assimilate methanol for growth and chemicals production through the introduction of the ribulose monophosphate (RuMP) cycle. In addition, we present novel strategies based on flux coupling and adaptive laboratory evolution to engineer new strains that can grow exclusively on methanol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maciek R Antoniewicz
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Metabolic Engineering and Systems Biology Laboratory, University of Delaware, Newark DE 19716, USA.
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50
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A critical comparison of cellular and cell-free bioproduction systems. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2019; 60:221-229. [PMID: 31207555 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Conversion of biological feedstocks into value-added chemicals is mostly performed via microbial fermentation. An emerging alternative approach is the use of cell-free systems, consisting of purified enzymes and cofactors. Unfortunately, the in vivo and in vitro research communities rarely interact, which leads to oversimplifications and exaggerations that do not permit fair comparison of the two strategies and impede synergistic interactions. Here, we provide a comprehensive account for the advantages and drawbacks associated with each strategy, and further discuss recent research efforts that aim to breach the limits of cellular and cell-free production. We also explore emerging hybrid solutions that integrate the benefits of both worlds and could expand the boundaries of biosynthesis.
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