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Laksmi FA, Dewi KS, Nuryana I, Yulianti SE, Ramadhan KP, Hadi MI, Nugraha Y. High-level expression of codon-optimized Taq DNA polymerase under the control of rhaBAD promoter. Anal Biochem 2024; 692:115581. [PMID: 38815728 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2024.115581] [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: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
A DNA polymerase from Thermus aquaticus remains the most popular among DNA polymerases. It was widely applied in various fields involving the application of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), implying the high commercial value of this enzyme. For this reason, an attempt to obtain a high yield of Taq DNA polymerase is continuously conducted. In this study, the l-rhamnose-inducible promoter rhaBAD was utilized due to its ability to produce recombinant protein under tight control in E. coli expression system. Instead of full-length Taq polymerase, an N-terminal deletion of Taq polymerase was selected. To obtain a high-level expression, we attempted to optimize the codon by reducing the rare codon and GC content, and in a second attempt, we optimized the culture conditions for protein expression. The production of Taq polymerase using the optimum culture condition improved the level of expression by up to 3-fold. This approach further proved that a high level of recombinant protein expression could be achieved by yielding a purified Taq polymerase of about 8.5 mg/L of culture. This is the first research publication on the production of Taq polymerase with N-terminal deletion in E. coli with the control of the rhaBAD promoter system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fina Amreta Laksmi
- Research Center for Applied Microbiology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jalan Raya Bogor KM 46, Cibinong, Bogor, 16911, West Java, Indonesia.
| | - Kartika Sari Dewi
- Research Center for Genetic Engineering, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jalan Raya Bogor KM 46, Cibinong, Bogor, 16911, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Isa Nuryana
- Research Center for Applied Microbiology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jalan Raya Bogor KM 46, Cibinong, Bogor, 16911, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Siti Eka Yulianti
- Research Center for Applied Microbiology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jalan Raya Bogor KM 46, Cibinong, Bogor, 16911, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Kharisma Panji Ramadhan
- Research Center for Applied Microbiology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jalan Raya Bogor KM 46, Cibinong, Bogor, 16911, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Moch Irfan Hadi
- Department of Biology, Sunan Ampel State Islamic University, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | - Yudhi Nugraha
- Research Center for Molecular Biology Eijkman, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jalan Raya Bogor KM 46, Cibinong, Bogor, 16911, West Java, Indonesia.
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2
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Danov A, Pollin I, Moon E, Ho M, Wilson BA, Papathanos PA, Kaplan T, Levy A. Identification of novel toxins associated with the extracellular contractile injection system using machine learning. Mol Syst Biol 2024:10.1038/s44320-024-00053-6. [PMID: 39069594 DOI: 10.1038/s44320-024-00053-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Secretion systems play a crucial role in microbe-microbe or host-microbe interactions. Among these systems, the extracellular contractile injection system (eCIS) is a unique bacterial and archaeal extracellular secretion system that injects protein toxins into target organisms. However, the specific proteins that eCISs inject into target cells and their functions remain largely unknown. Here, we developed a machine learning classifier to identify eCIS-associated toxins (EATs). The classifier combines genetic and biochemical features to identify EATs. We also developed a score for the eCIS N-terminal signal peptide to predict EAT loading. Using the classifier we classified 2,194 genes from 950 genomes as putative EATs. We validated four new EATs, EAT14-17, showing toxicity in bacterial and eukaryotic cells, and identified residues of their respective active sites that are critical for toxicity. Finally, we show that EAT14 inhibits mitogenic signaling in human cells. Our study provides insights into the diversity and functions of EATs and demonstrates machine learning capability of identifying novel toxins. The toxins can be employed in various applications dependently or independently of eCIS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleks Danov
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Inbal Pollin
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Eric Moon
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 601 South Goodwin Ave, Urbana, 61801, IL, USA
| | - Mengfei Ho
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 601 South Goodwin Ave, Urbana, 61801, IL, USA
| | - Brenda A Wilson
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 601 South Goodwin Ave, Urbana, 61801, IL, USA
| | - Philippos A Papathanos
- Department of Entomology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Tommy Kaplan
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Asaf Levy
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel.
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3
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Kochanowsky R, Carothers K, Roxas BAP, Anwar F, Viswanathan VK, Vedantam G. Clostridioides difficile superoxide reductase mitigates oxygen sensitivity. J Bacteriol 2024; 206:e0017524. [PMID: 38953644 PMCID: PMC11270899 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00175-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile causes a serious diarrheal disease and is a common healthcare-associated bacterial pathogen. Although it has a major impact on human health, the mechanistic details of C. difficile intestinal colonization remain undefined. C. difficile is highly sensitive to oxygen and requires anaerobic conditions for in vitro growth. However, the mammalian gut is not devoid of oxygen, and C. difficile tolerates moderate oxidative stress in vivo. The C. difficile genome encodes several antioxidant proteins, including a predicted superoxide reductase (SOR) that is upregulated upon exposure to antimicrobial peptides. The goal of this study was to establish SOR enzymatic activity and assess its role in protecting C. difficile against oxygen exposure. Insertional inactivation of sor rendered C. difficile more sensitive to superoxide, indicating that SOR contributes to antioxidant defense. Heterologous C. difficile sor expression in Escherichia coli conferred protection against superoxide-dependent growth inhibition, and the corresponding cell lysates showed superoxide scavenging activity. Finally, a C. difficile SOR mutant exhibited global proteome changes under oxygen stress when compared to the parent strain. Collectively, our data establish the enzymatic activity of C. difficile SOR, confirm its role in protection against oxidative stress, and demonstrate SOR's broader impacts on the C. difficile vegetative cell proteome.IMPORTANCEClostridioides difficile is an important pathogen strongly associated with healthcare settings and capable of causing severe diarrheal disease. While considered a strict anaerobe in vitro, C. difficile has been shown to tolerate low levels of oxygen in the mammalian host. Among other well-characterized antioxidant proteins, the C. difficile genome encodes a predicted superoxide reductase (SOR), an understudied component of antioxidant defense in pathogens. The significance of the research reported herein is the characterization of SOR's enzymatic activity, including confirmation of its role in protecting C. difficile against oxidative stress. This furthers our understanding of C. difficile pathogenesis and presents a potential new avenue for targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Kochanowsky
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Katelyn Carothers
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Bryan Angelo P. Roxas
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Farhan Anwar
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - V. K. Viswanathan
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- BIO5 Institute for Collaborative Research, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Gayatri Vedantam
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- BIO5 Institute for Collaborative Research, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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Aguilar Suárez R, Kohlstedt M, Öktem A, Neef J, Wu Y, Ikeda K, Yoshida KI, Altenbuchner J, Wittmann C, van Dijl JM. Metabolic Profile of the Genome-Reduced Bacillus subtilis Strain IIG-Bs-27-39: An Attractive Chassis for Recombinant Protein Production. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:2199-2214. [PMID: 38981062 PMCID: PMC11264325 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.4c00254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2024] [Revised: 06/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
The Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis is extensively used in the industry for the secretory production of proteins with commercial value. To further improve its performance, this microbe has been the subject of extensive genome engineering efforts, especially the removal of large genomic regions that are dispensable or even counterproductive. Here, we present the genome-reduced B. subtilis strain IIG-Bs-27-39, which was obtained through systematic deletion of mobile genetic elements, as well as genes for extracellular proteases, sporulation, flagella formation, and antibiotic production. Different from previously characterized genome-reduced B. subtilis strains, the IIG-Bs-27-39 strain was still able to grow on minimal media. We used this feature to benchmark strain IIG-Bs-27-39 against its parental strain 168 with respect to heterologous protein production and metabolic parameters during bioreactor cultivation. The IIG-Bs-27-39 strain presented superior secretion of difficult-to-produce staphylococcal antigens, as well as higher specific growth rates and biomass yields. At the metabolic level, changes in byproduct formation and internal amino acid pools were observed, whereas energetic parameters such as the ATP yield, ATP/ADP levels, and adenylate energy charge were comparable between the two strains. Intriguingly, we observed a significant increase in the total cellular NADPH level during all tested conditions and increases in the NAD+ and NADP(H) pools during protein production. This indicates that the IIG-Bs-27-39 strain has more energy available for anabolic processes and protein production, thereby providing a link between strain physiology and production performance. On this basis, we conclude that the genome-reduced strain IIG-Bs-27-39 represents an attractive chassis for future biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Aguilar Suárez
- Department
of Medical Microbiology, University Medical
Center Groningen-University of Groningen, 9700RB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Michael Kohlstedt
- Institute
for Systems Biotechnology, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Ayşegül Öktem
- Department
of Medical Microbiology, University Medical
Center Groningen-University of Groningen, 9700RB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jolanda Neef
- Department
of Medical Microbiology, University Medical
Center Groningen-University of Groningen, 9700RB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Yuzheng Wu
- Department
of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe
University, 657-8501 Kobe, Japan
| | - Kaiya Ikeda
- Department
of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe
University, 657-8501 Kobe, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Yoshida
- Department
of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe
University, 657-8501 Kobe, Japan
| | - Josef Altenbuchner
- Institute
for Industrial Genetics, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Christoph Wittmann
- Institute
for Systems Biotechnology, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Jan Maarten van Dijl
- Department
of Medical Microbiology, University Medical
Center Groningen-University of Groningen, 9700RB Groningen, The Netherlands
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Saila R, Zakaria BS, Mirsoleimani Azizi SM, Mostafa A, Dhar BR. Impact of polystyrene nanoplastics on primary sludge fermentation under acidic and alkaline conditions: Significance of antibiotic resistance genes. CHEMOSPHERE 2024:142777. [PMID: 38971444 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 06/23/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
As a part of industrial or commercial discharge, the influx of nanoplastics (NPs) to the wastewater treatment plants is inevitable. Consequently, it has become a must to understand the effects of these NPs on different unit processes. This study aimed to investigate the impact of three different concentrations of polystyrene nano plastics (PsNPs) on the fermentation of primary sludge (PrS), implemented in batch anaerobic bioreactors, at pH 5 and 10, considering the pH-dependent nature of the fermentation process. The results showed that PsNPs stimulated hydrogen gas production at a lower dose (50 μg/L), while a significant gas suppression was denoted at higher concentrations (150 μg/L, 250 μg/L). In both acidic and alkaline conditions, propionic and acetic acid predominated, respectively, followed by n-butyric acid. Under both acidic and alkaline conditions, exposure to PsNPs boosted the propagation of various antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), including tetracycline, macrolide, β-lactam and sulfonamide resistance genes, and integrons. Notably, under alkaline condition, the abundance of sul2 gene in the 250 μg PsNPs/L batch exhibited a 2.4-fold decrease compared to the control batch. The response of the microbial community to PsNPs exposure exhibited variations at different pH values. Bacteroidetes prevailed at both pH conditions, with their relative abundance increasing after PsNPs exposure, indicating a positive impact of PsNPs on PrS solubilization. Adverse impacts, however, were detected in Firmicutes, Chloroflexi and Actinobacteria. The observed variations in the survival rates of various microbes stipulate that they do not have the same tolerance levels under different pH conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romana Saila
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, T6G 1H9
| | - Basem S Zakaria
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, T6G 1H9; Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States; Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit, Emeryville, CA, United States
| | - Seyed Mohammad Mirsoleimani Azizi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, T6G 1H9; Stantec, 10220 103 Ave NW #300, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T5J 0K4
| | - Alsayed Mostafa
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, T6G 1H9
| | - Bipro Ranjan Dhar
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, T6G 1H9.
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6
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El-Khamisi EF, Soliman EAM, El-Sayed GM, Nour SA, Abdel-Monem MO, Hassan MG. Optimization, gene cloning, expression, and molecular docking insights for enhanced cellulase enzyme production by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain elh1. Microb Cell Fact 2024; 23:191. [PMID: 38956640 PMCID: PMC11218070 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-024-02454-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In this study, we isolated a cellulase-producing bacterium, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain elh, from rice peel. We employed two optimization methods to enhance the yield of cellulase. Firstly, we utilized a one-variable-at-a-time (OVAT) approach to evaluate the impact of individual physical and chemical parameters. Subsequently, we employed response surface methodology (RSM) to investigate the interactions among these factors. We heterologously expressed the cellulase encoding gene using a cloning vectorin E. coli DH5α. Moreover, we conducted in silico molecular docking analysis to analyze the interaction between cellulase and carboxymethyl cellulose as a substrate. RESULTS The bacterial isolate eh1 exhibited an initial cellulase activity of 0.141 ± 0.077 U/ml when cultured in a specific medium, namely Basic Liquid Media (BLM), with rice peel as a substrate. This strain was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain elh1 through 16S rRNA sequencing, assigned the accession number OR920278 in GenBank. The optimal incubation time was found to be 72 h of fermentation. Urea was identified as the most suitable nitrogen source, and dextrose as the optimal sugar, resulting in a production increase to 5.04 ± 0.120 U/ml. The peak activity of cellulase reached 14.04 ± 0.42 U/ml utilizing statistical optimization using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). This process comprised an initial screening utilizing the Plackett-Burman design and further refinement employing the BOX -Behnken Design. The gene responsible for cellulase production, egl, was effectively cloned and expressed in E. coli DH5α. The transformed cells exhibited a cellulase activity of 22.3 ± 0.24 U/ml. The egl gene sequence was deposited in GenBank with the accession number PP194445. In silico molecular docking revealed that the two hydroxyl groups of carboxymethyl cellulose bind to the residues of Glu169 inside the binding pocket of the CMCase. This interaction forms two hydrogen bonds, with an affinity score of -5.71. CONCLUSIONS Optimization of cultural conditions significantly enhances the yield of cellulase enzyme when compared to unoptimized culturing conditions. Additionally, heterologous expression of egl gene showed that the recombinant form of the cellulase is active and that a valid expression system can contribute to a better yield of the enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elham F El-Khamisi
- Microbial Genetics Department, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St., (Former El-Tahrir St.) Dokki, P.O. 12622, Giza, Egypt
| | - Effat A M Soliman
- Microbial Genetics Department, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St., (Former El-Tahrir St.) Dokki, P.O. 12622, Giza, Egypt
| | - Ghada M El-Sayed
- Microbial Genetics Department, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St., (Former El-Tahrir St.) Dokki, P.O. 12622, Giza, Egypt
| | - Shaimaa A Nour
- Chemistry of Natural and Microbial Products Department, Pharmaceutical and Drug Industries Research Institute, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St., Dokki, P.O. 12622, Giza, Egypt.
| | - Mohamed O Abdel-Monem
- Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha, 13511, Egypt
| | - Mervat G Hassan
- Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha, 13511, Egypt
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7
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Jackson-Litteken CD, Guo W, Hogland BA, Ratliff CT, McFadden L, Fullerton MS, Voth DE, Rego ROM, Blevins JS. Development and validation of systems for genetic manipulation of the Old World tick-borne relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia duttonii. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0012348. [PMID: 39038047 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2024] [Revised: 08/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Relapsing fever (RF), a vector-borne disease caused by Borrelia spp., is characterized by recurring febrile episodes due to repeated bouts of bacteremia. RF spirochetes can be geographically and phylogenetically divided into two distinct groups; Old World RF Borrelia (found in Africa, Asia, and Europe) and New World RF Borrelia (found in the Americas). While RF is a rarely reported disease in the Americas, RF is prevalent in endemic parts of Africa. Despite phylogenetic differences between Old World and New World RF Borrelia and higher incidence of disease associated with Old World RF spirochete infection, genetic manipulation has only been described in New World RF bacteria. Herein, we report the generation of genetic tools for use in the Old World RF spirochete, Borrelia duttonii. We describe methods for transformation and establish shuttle vector- and integration-based approaches for genetic complementation, creating green fluorescent protein (gfp)-expressing B. duttonii strains as a proof of principle. Allelic exchange mutagenesis was also used to inactivate a homolog of the Borrelia burgdorferi p66 gene, which encodes an important virulence factor, in B. duttonii and demonstrate that this mutant was attenuated in a murine model of RF. Finally, the B. duttonii p66 mutant was complemented using shuttle vector- and cis integration-based approaches. As expected, complemented p66 mutant strains were fully infectious, confirming that P66 is required for optimal mammalian infection. The genetic tools and techniques reported herein represent an important advancement in the study of RF Borrelia that allows for future characterization of virulence determinants and colonization factors important for the enzootic cycle of Old World RF spirochetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clay D Jackson-Litteken
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
| | - Wanfeng Guo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
| | - Brandon A Hogland
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
| | - C Tyler Ratliff
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
| | - LeAnn McFadden
- Department of Biology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
| | - Marissa S Fullerton
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
| | - Daniel E Voth
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
| | - Ryan O M Rego
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre CAS, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jon S Blevins
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
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8
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Michaud A, Garneau D, Côté JP, Lafontaine DA. Fluorescent riboswitch-controlled biosensors for the genome scale analysis of metabolic pathways. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12555. [PMID: 38821978 PMCID: PMC11143247 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61980-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Fluorescent detection in cells has been tremendously developed over the years and now benefits from a large array of reporters that can provide sensitive and specific detection in real time. However, the intracellular monitoring of metabolite levels still poses great challenges due to the often complex nature of detected metabolites. Here, we provide a systematic analysis of thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) metabolism in Escherichia coli by using a TPP-sensing riboswitch that controls the expression of the fluorescent gfp reporter. By comparing different combinations of reporter fusions and TPP-sensing riboswitches, we determine key elements that are associated with strong TPP-dependent sensing. Furthermore, by using the Keio collection as a proxy for growth conditions differing in TPP levels, we perform a high-throughput screen analysis using high-density solid agar plates. Our study reveals several genes whose deletion leads to increased or decreased TPP levels. The approach developed here could be applicable to other riboswitches and reporter genes, thus representing a framework onto which further development could lead to highly sophisticated detection platforms allowing metabolic screens and identification of orphan riboswitches.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Michaud
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, RNA Group, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - D Garneau
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, RNA Group, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - J-P Côté
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, RNA Group, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - D A Lafontaine
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, RNA Group, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada.
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9
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Virklund A, Nielsen AT, Woodley JM. Biocatalysis with In-Situ Product Removal Improves p-Coumaric Acid Production. Chembiochem 2024:e202400178. [PMID: 38742869 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202400178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Natural and pure p-coumaric acid has valuable applications, and it can be produced via bioprocessing. However, fermentation processes have so far been unable to provide sufficient production metrics, while a biocatalytic process decoupling growth and production historically showed much promise. This biocatalytic process is revisited in order to tackle product inhibition of the key enzyme tyrosine ammonia lyase. In situ product removal is proposed as a possible solution, and a polymer/salt aqueous two-phase system is identified as a suitable system for extraction of p-coumaric acid from an alkaline solution, with a partition coefficient of up to 13. However, a 10 % salt solution was found to reduce tyrosine ammonia lyase activity by 19 %, leading to the need for a more dilute system. The cloud points of two aqueous two-phase systems at 40 °C and pH 10 were found to be 3.8 % salt and 9.5 % polymer, and a 5 % potassium phosphate and 12.5 % poly(ethylene glycol-ran-propylene glycol) mW~2500 system was selected for in situ product removal. An immobilized tyrosine ammonia lyase biocatalyst in this aqueous two-phase system produced up to 33 g/L p-coumaric acid within 24 hours, a 1.9-fold improvement compared to biocatalysis without in situ product removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Virklund
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs., Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Alex Toftgaard Nielsen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs., Lyngby, Denmark
| | - John M Woodley
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs., Lyngby, Denmark
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10
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Cihlova B, Lu Y, Mikoč A, Schuller M, Ahel I. Specificity of DNA ADP-Ribosylation Reversal by NADARs. Toxins (Basel) 2024; 16:208. [PMID: 38787060 PMCID: PMC11125620 DOI: 10.3390/toxins16050208] [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: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent discoveries establish DNA and RNA as bona fide substrates for ADP-ribosylation. NADAR ("NAD- and ADP-ribose"-associated) enzymes reverse guanine ADP-ribosylation and serve as antitoxins in the DarT-NADAR operon. Although NADARs are widespread across prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and viruses, their specificity and broader physiological roles remain poorly understood. Using phylogenetic and biochemical analyses, we further explore de-ADP-ribosylation activity and antitoxin functions of NADAR domains. We demonstrate that different subfamilies of NADAR proteins from representative E. coli strains and an E. coli-infecting phage retain biochemical activity while displaying specificity in providing protection from toxic guanine ADP-ribosylation in cells. Furthermore, we identify a myxobacterial enzyme within the YbiA subfamily that functions as an antitoxin for its associated DarT-unrelated ART toxin, which we termed YarT, thus presenting a hitherto uncharacterised ART-YbiA toxin-antitoxin pair. Our studies contribute to the burgeoning field of DNA ADP-ribosylation, supporting its physiological relevance within and beyond bacterial toxin-antitoxin systems. Notably, the specificity and confinement of NADARs to non-mammals infer their potential as highly specific targets for antimicrobial drugs with minimal off-target effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bara Cihlova
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK; (B.C.); (Y.L.)
| | - Yang Lu
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK; (B.C.); (Y.L.)
| | - Andreja Mikoč
- Division of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
| | - Marion Schuller
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK; (B.C.); (Y.L.)
| | - Ivan Ahel
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK; (B.C.); (Y.L.)
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11
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Zhang H, Chen B, Wang Z, Peng K, Liu Y, Wang Z. Resensitizing tigecycline- and colistin-resistant Escherichia coli using an engineered conjugative CRISPR/Cas9 system. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0388423. [PMID: 38385691 PMCID: PMC10986596 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03884-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Tigecycline and colistin were referred to as the "last resort" antibiotics in defending against carbapenem-resistant, Gram-negative bacterial infections, and are currently widely used in clinical treatment. However, the emergence and prevalence of plasmid-mediated tet(X4) and mcr-1 genes pose a serious threat to the therapeutic application of tigecycline and colistin, respectively. In this research, a tigecycline- and colistin-resistant bacteria resensitization system was developed based on efficient and specific DNA damage caused by Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-Associated Protein 9 (Cas9) nucleases. A conjugation method was used to deliver the resensitization system, which harbors two single-guide RNAs targeting tet(X4) and mcr-1 genes and constitutively expressed Cas9. The conjugation efficiency was nearly 100% after conjugation condition optimization in vitro, and the resensitivity efficiency for clinical isolates was over 90%. In addition, when performing resensitization in vivo, the resistance marker was replaced with a glutamate-based, chromosomal, plasmid-balanced lethal system to prevent the introduction of additional resistance genes in clinical settings, making this strategy a therapeutic approach to combat the in vivo spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among bacterial pathogens. As a proof of concept, this resensitive system can significantly decrease the counts of tigecycline- and colistin-resistant bacteria to 1% in vivo. Our study demonstrates the efficacy and adaptability of CRISPR-Cas systems as powerful and programmable antimicrobials in resensitizing tet(X4)- and mcr-1-mediated, tigecycline- and colistin-resistant strains, and opens up new pathways for the development of CRISPR-based tools for selective bacterial pathogen elimination and precise microbiome composition change. IMPORTANCE The emergence of plasmid-encoded tet(X4) and mcr-1 isolated from human and animal sources has affected the treatment of tigecycline and colistin, and has posed a significant threat to public health. Tigecycline and colistin are considered as the "last line of defense" for the treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacterial infections, so there is an urgent need to find a method that can resensitize tet(X4)-mediated tigecycline-resistant and mcr-1-mediated colistin-resistant bacteria. In this study, we developed a glutamate-based, chromosomal, plasmid-balanced lethal conjugative CRISPR/Cas9 system, which can simultaneously resensitize tet(X4)-mediated tigecycline-resistant and mcr-1-mediated colistin-resistant Escherichia coli. The counts of tigecycline- and colistin-resistant bacteria decreased to 1% in vivo after the resensitization system was administered. This study opens up new pathways for the development of CRISPR-based tools for selective bacterial pathogen elimination and precise microbiome composition change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haijie Zhang
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Bo Chen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Zeyu Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Kai Peng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Yuan Liu
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
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12
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Zabolotskii AI, Riabkova NS. A new look at the fluorescent protein-based approach for identifying optimal coding sequence for recombinant protein expression in E. coli. Biotechnol J 2024; 19:e2300343. [PMID: 38622786 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202300343] [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: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Due to the degeneracy of the genetic code, most amino acids are encoded by several codons. The choice among synonymous codons at the N-terminus of genes has a profound effect on protein expression in Escherichia coli. This is often explained by the different contributions of synonymous codons to mRNA secondary structure formation. Strong secondary structures at the 5'-end of mRNA interfere with ribosome binding and affect the process of translation initiation. In silico optimization of the gene 5'-end can significantly increase the level of protein expression; however, this method is not always effective due to the uncertainty of the exact mechanism by which synonymous substitutions affect expression; thus, it may produce nonoptimal variants as well as miss some of the best producers. In this paper, an alternative approach is proposed based on screening a partially randomized library of expression constructs comprising hundreds of selected synonymous variants. The effect of such substitutions was evaluated using the gene of interest fused to the reporter gene of the fluorescent protein with subsequent screening for the most promising candidates according to the reporter's signal intensity. The power of the approach is demonstrated by a significant increase in the prokaryotic expression of three proteins: canine cystatin C, human BCL2-associated athanogene 3 and human cardiac troponin I. This simple approach was suggested which may provide an efficient, easy, and inexpensive optimization method for poorly expressed proteins in bacteria.
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13
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Wood WN, Rubio MA, Leiva LE, Phillips GJ, Ibba M. Methionyl-tRNA synthetase synthetic and proofreading activities are determinants of antibiotic persistence. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1384552. [PMID: 38601944 PMCID: PMC11004401 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1384552] [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: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial antibiotic persistence is a phenomenon where bacteria are exposed to an antibiotic and the majority of the population dies while a small subset enters a low metabolic, persistent, state and are able to survive. Once the antibiotic is removed the persistent population can resuscitate and continue growing. Several different molecular mechanisms and pathways have been implicated in this phenomenon. A common mechanism that may underly bacterial antibiotic persistence is perturbations in protein synthesis. To investigate this mechanism, we characterized four distinct metG mutants for their ability to increase antibiotic persistence. Two metG mutants encode changes near the catalytic site of MetRS and the other two mutants changes near the anticodon binding domain. Mutations in metG are of particular interest because MetRS is responsible for aminoacylation both initiator tRNAMet and elongator tRNAMet indicating that these mutants could impact translation initiation and/or translation elongation. We observed that all the metG mutants increased the level of antibiotic persistence as did reduced transcription levels of wild type metG. Although, the MetRS variants did not have an impact on MetRS activity itself, they did reduce translation rates. It was also observed that the MetRS variants affected the proofreading mechanism for homocysteine and that these mutants' growth is hypersensitive to homocysteine. Taken together with previous findings, our data indicate that both reductions in cellular Met-tRNAMet synthetic capacity and reduced proofreading of homocysteine by MetRS variants are positive determinants for bacterial antibiotic persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Whitney N. Wood
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, United States
| | - Miguel Angel Rubio
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Lorenzo Eugenio Leiva
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, United States
| | - Gregory J. Phillips
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Michael Ibba
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, United States
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14
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Peng H, Darlington APS, South EJ, Chen HH, Jiang W, Ledesma-Amaro R. A molecular toolkit of cross-feeding strains for engineering synthetic yeast communities. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:848-863. [PMID: 38326570 PMCID: PMC10914607 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01596-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Engineered microbial consortia often have enhanced system performance and robustness compared with single-strain biomanufacturing production platforms. However, few tools are available for generating co-cultures of the model and key industrial host Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here we engineer auxotrophic and overexpression yeast strains that can be used to create co-cultures through exchange of essential metabolites. Using these strains as modules, we engineered two- and three-member consortia using different cross-feeding architectures. Through a combination of ensemble modelling and experimentation, we explored how cellular (for example, metabolite production strength) and environmental (for example, initial population ratio, population density and extracellular supplementation) factors govern population dynamics in these systems. We tested the use of the toolkit in a division of labour biomanufacturing case study and show that it enables enhanced and tuneable antioxidant resveratrol production. We expect this toolkit to become a useful resource for a variety of applications in synthetic ecology and biomanufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huadong Peng
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Alexander P S Darlington
- Warwick Integrative Synthetic Biology Centre, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Eric J South
- Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hao-Hong Chen
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK
- School of Food Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Jiang
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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15
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Nugraha Y, Laksmi FA, Nuryana I, Helbert, Khasna FN. Production of reverse transcriptase from Moloney murine Leukemia virus in Escherichia coli expression system. Prep Biochem Biotechnol 2024:1-9. [PMID: 38411149 DOI: 10.1080/10826068.2024.2317311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Reverse transcriptase (RT) is one of the most important enzymes used in molecular biology applications, enabling the conversion of RNA into complementary DNA (cDNA) that is used in reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The high demand of RT enzymes in biotechnological applications making the production optimization of RT is crucial for meeting the growing demand in industrial settings. Conventionally, the expression of recombinant RT is T7-induced promoter using IPTG in Escherichia coli expression systems, which is not cost-efficient. Here, we successfully made an alternative procedure for RT expression from Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MLV) using autoinduction method in chemically defined medium. The optimization of carbon source composition (glucose, lactose, and glycerol) was analyzed using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). M-MLV RT was purified for further investigation on its activity. A total of 32.8 mg/L purified M-MLV RT was successfully obtained when glucose, glycerol, and lactose were present at concentration of 0.06%, 0.9%, and 0.5% respectively, making a 3.9-fold improvement in protein yield. In addition, the protein was produced in its active form by displaying 7462.50 U/mg of specific activity. This study provides the first step of small-scale procedures of M-MLV RT production that make it a cost-effective and industrially applicable strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudhi Nugraha
- Research Center for Molecular Biology Eijkman, National Research and Innovation Agency, Cibinong, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Fina Amreta Laksmi
- Research Center for Applied Microbiology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Cibinong, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Isa Nuryana
- Research Center for Applied Microbiology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Cibinong, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Helbert
- Research Center for Ecology and Ethnobiology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Cibinong, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Firyal Nida Khasna
- Research Center for Applied Microbiology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Cibinong, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
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16
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Stupar M, Tan L, Kerr ED, De Voss CJ, Forde BM, Schulz BL, West NP. TcrXY is an acid-sensing two-component transcriptional regulator of Mycobacterium tuberculosis required for persistent infection. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1615. [PMID: 38388565 PMCID: PMC10883919 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45343-7] [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: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) to persist in the host complicates and prolongs tuberculosis (TB) patient chemotherapy. Here we demonstrate that a neglected two-component system (TCS) of Mtb, TcrXY, is an autoregulated acid-sensing TCS that controls a functionally diverse 70-gene regulon required for bacterial persistence. Characterisation of two representatives of this regulon, Rv3706c and Rv3705A, implicate these genes as key determinants for the survival of Mtb in vivo by serving as important effectors to mitigate redox stress at acidic pH. We show that genetic silencing of the response regulator tcrX using CRISPR interference attenuates the persistence of Mtb during chronic mouse infection and improves treatment with the two front-line anti-TB drugs, rifampicin and isoniazid. We propose that targeting TcrXY signal transduction blocks the ability of Mtb to sense and respond to acid stress, resulting in a disordered program of persistence to render the organism vulnerable to existing TB chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miljan Stupar
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Lendl Tan
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Edward D Kerr
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Christopher J De Voss
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Brian M Forde
- Faculty of Medicine, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Benjamin L Schulz
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Nicholas P West
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
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17
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Maddamsetti R, Yao Y, Wang T, Gao J, Huang VT, Hamrick GS, Son HI, You L. Duplicated antibiotic resistance genes reveal ongoing selection and horizontal gene transfer in bacteria. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1449. [PMID: 38365845 PMCID: PMC10873360 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45638-9] [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: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and gene duplication are often considered as separate mechanisms driving the evolution of new functions. However, the mobile genetic elements (MGEs) implicated in HGT can copy themselves, so positive selection on MGEs could drive gene duplications. Here, we use a combination of modeling and experimental evolution to examine this hypothesis and use long-read genome sequences of tens of thousands of bacterial isolates to examine its generality in nature. Modeling and experiments show that antibiotic selection can drive the evolution of duplicated antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) through MGE transposition. A key implication is that duplicated ARGs should be enriched in environments associated with antibiotic use. To test this, we examined the distribution of duplicated ARGs in 18,938 complete bacterial genomes with ecological metadata. Duplicated ARGs are highly enriched in bacteria isolated from humans and livestock. Duplicated ARGs are further enriched in an independent set of 321 antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates. Our findings indicate that duplicated genes often encode functions undergoing positive selection and horizontal gene transfer in microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohan Maddamsetti
- Center for Quantitative Biodesign, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Yi Yao
- Center for Quantitative Biodesign, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Teng Wang
- Center for Quantitative Biodesign, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Junheng Gao
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Vincent T Huang
- Center for Quantitative Biodesign, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Grayson S Hamrick
- Center for Quantitative Biodesign, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Hye-In Son
- Center for Quantitative Biodesign, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Lingchong You
- Center for Quantitative Biodesign, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Center for Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
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18
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Iqbal A, Bocian J, Przyborowski M, Orczyk W, Nadolska-Orczyk A. Are TaNAC Transcription Factors Involved in Promoting Wheat Yield by cis-Regulation of TaCKX Gene Family? Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2027. [PMID: 38396706 PMCID: PMC10889182 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
NAC transcription factors (TFs) are one of the largest TF families in plants, and TaNACs have been known to participate in the regulation of the transcription of many yield-regulating genes in bread wheat. The TaCKX gene family members (GFMs) have already been shown to regulate yield-related traits, including grain mass and number, leaf senescence, and root growth. The genes encode cytokinin (CK) degrading enzymes (CKXs) and are specifically expressed in different parts of developing wheat plants. The aim of the study was to identify and characterize TaNACs involved in the cis-regulation of TaCKX GFMs. After analysis of the initial transcription factor data in 1.5 Kb cis-regulatory sequences of a total of 35 homologues of TaCKX GFMs, we selected five of them, namely TaCKX1-3A, TaCKX22.1-3B, TaCKX5-3D, TaCKX9-1B, and TaCKX10, and identified five TaNAC genes: TaNACJ-1, TaNAC13a, TaNAC94, TaNACBr-1, and TaNAC6D, which are potentially involved in the cis-regulation of selected TaCKX genes, respectively. Protein feature analysis revealed that all of the selected TaNACs have a conserved NAC domain and showed a stable tertiary structure model. The expression profile of the selected TaNACs was studied in 5 day-old seedling roots, 5-6 cm inflorescences, 0, 4, 7, and 14 days-after-pollination (DAP) spikes, and the accompanying flag leaves. The expression pattern showed that all of the selected TaNACs were preferentially expressed in seedling roots, 7 and 14 DAP spikes, and flag leaves compared to 5-6 cm inflorescence and 0 and 4 DAP spikes and flag leaves in Kontesa and Ostka spring wheat cultivars (cvs.). In conclusion, the results of this study highlight the potential role of the selected TaNACs in the regulation of grain productivity, leaf senescence, root growth, and response to various stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adnan Iqbal
- Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute—National Research Institute, Radzikow, 05-870 Blonie, Poland
| | | | | | | | - Anna Nadolska-Orczyk
- Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute—National Research Institute, Radzikow, 05-870 Blonie, Poland
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19
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Specht DA, Sheppard TJ, Kennedy F, Li S, Gadikota G, Barstow B. Efficient natural plasmid transformation of Vibrio natriegens enables zero-capital molecular biology. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgad444. [PMID: 38352175 PMCID: PMC10863642 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
The fast-growing microbe Vibrio natriegens is capable of natural transformation where it draws DNA in from media via an active process under physiological conditions. Using an engineered strain with a genomic copy of the master competence regulator tfoX from Vibrio cholerae in combination with a new minimal competence media (MCM) that uses acetate as an energy source, we demonstrate naturally competent cells which are created, transformed, and recovered entirely in the same media, without exchange or addition of fresh media. Cells are naturally competent to plasmids, recombination with linear DNA, and cotransformation of both to select for scarless and markerless genomic edits. The entire process is simple and inexpensive, requiring no capital equipment for an entirely room temperature process (zero capital protocol, 104 cfu/μg), or just an incubator (high-efficiency protocol, 105-6 cfu/μg). These cells retain their naturally competent state when frozen and are transformable immediately upon thawing like a typical chemical or electrochemical competent cell. Since the optimized transformation protocol requires only 50 min of hands-on time, and V. natriegens grows quickly even on plates, a transformation started at 9 AM yields abundant culturable single colonies by 5 PM. Further, because all stages of transformation occur in the same media, and the process can be arbitrarily scaled in volume, this natural competence strain and media could be ideal for automated directed evolution applications. As a result, naturally competent V. natriegens could compete with Escherichia coli as an excellent chassis for low-cost and highly scalable synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Specht
- Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Timothy J Sheppard
- Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Finn Kennedy
- Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Sijin Li
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Greeshma Gadikota
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Buz Barstow
- Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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20
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Bahammam H, Bahammam LA, Baghdadi AM, Saddiq A, Algamal Y. Antimicrobial Activity of Nanozirconium Oxide. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:2945-2952. [PMID: 38250396 PMCID: PMC10795156 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c08580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
The goal behind this work is to prepare, characterize, and study the antimicrobial behavior of zirconia (ZrO2) nanoparticles (NPs). Various techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), were used for studying the mineralogical structure and crystal size. The microstructure and chemical composition of the prepared particles were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope attached with an energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) unit. The antagonistic ability against several Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, including Salmonella paratyphi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Alcaligenes aquatilis, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus, was assessed using the well diffusion method. The results of XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses revealed that the prepared material exhibited the phase of zirconium nanoparticles with particle sizes ranging between 40 and 75 nm. The antimicrobial test results demonstrated that the inhibitory effect increased with the increase of concentration. The inhibitory effect was more pronounced against Gram-positive bacteria, as indicated by the larger size of the inhibitory zone. At a 9% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) concentration, the inhibitory zone had a diameter of 3.50 mm for S. aureus compared to a diameter of 3.40 mm for S. pneumoniae. The use of zirconium oxide nanoparticles reduced the diameter of the inhibitory zone when tested against S. aureus at a 3% DMSO concentration (0.50 mm diameter) and against S. pneumoniae (0.40 mm diameter). Zirconia nanoparticles were also evaluated for their antifungal activity against several species, including Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, and Penicillium sp. The size of the inhibitory zone indicated the susceptibility of microorganisms to nanozirconium oxide, resulting in a stronger inhibition of Penicillium sp. at a 100% DMSO concentration (4.50 mm diameter) compared to A. niger and A. flavus (3.00 mm diameter). The results for Penicillium sp. at a 3% DMSO concentration showed a diameter of the inhibitory zone of 0.90 mm, while for A. niger and A. flavus, the diameter was 0.80 mm. Thus, our findings demonstrate that the zirconium oxide nanoparticles possess the capability to reduce the inhibition zone effectively for both bacterial and fungal activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hammam
Ahmed Bahammam
- Department
of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80209, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Laila Ahmed Bahammam
- Department
of Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, King
Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80209, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Afra Mohammed Baghdadi
- Department
of Biology, College of Science, University
of Jeddah, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amna Saddiq
- Department
of Biology, College of Science and Arts-Khulais, University of Jeddah, P.O. Box 34, Jeddah 21959, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yousif Algamal
- Chemistry
Department, College of Science and Arts-Khulais, University of Jeddah, P.O. Box 34, Jeddah 21959, Saudi Arabia
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21
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Abbas MA, Iqbal A, Ahmed M, Rasool G, Awan MF, Khan MKA, Rao AQ, Shahid AA, Husnain T. Transformation of Rhodococcus Pigment Production Hydroxylase (PPH) gene into Camelina sativa: an alternative marker for the detection of transgenic plants. BRAZ J BIOL 2024; 84:e254973. [DOI: 10.1590/1519-6984.254973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract Production of transgenic plants with desired agronomic and horticultural traits has gained great importance to fulfill demands of the growing population. Genetic transformation is also a fundamental step to study basics of plant sciences. Different transformation protocols have been developed and used which are reliable and efficient. These protocols used antibiotic or herbicide resistance genes incorporated along with gene of interest to identify transformed plants from non-transformed ones. These marker genes may pose a threat to human and environment. Use of visual markers enables direct and easier observation of transformed plants with more precision. In current study a gene cassette with ‘pigment production hydroxylase (PPH) gene under fiber specific promoter (GhSCFP) and downstream Nos-terminator was designed. After checking the structural and functional efficiency of codon optimized gene using bioinformatics tools, the cassette was sent for chemical synthesis from commercial source. The pigment gene cassette (PPH_CEMB), cloned in pCAMBIA-1301, was transformed into Agrobacterium through electroporation. Agrobacterium-mediated floral dip method was used to transform Camelina sativa inflorescence. After seed setting a total of 600 seed were observed for change in color and out of these, 19 seeds developed a reddish-brown coloration, while the remaining 581 seeds remained yellow. The transformation efficiency calculated on basis of color change was 1.0%. PCR analysis of leaves obtained after sowing reddish seeds confirmed the transformation of pigment production gene, while no PCR amplification was observed in leaves of plants from wild type seeds. From the results it is evident that Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of C. sativa inflorescence is very efficient and environment friendly technique not only for detection of transformed plants but also to study basic cellular processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. A. Abbas
- University of the Punjab Lahore, Pakistan; Govt. College of Science, Pakistan
| | - A. Iqbal
- University of the Punjab Lahore, Pakistan; National Research Institute, Poland
| | - M. Ahmed
- University of the Punjab Lahore, Pakistan; Govt. Boys College Sokasan, Pakistan
| | | | - M. F. Awan
- University of the Punjab Lahore, Pakistan; University of Management and Technology, Pakistan
| | | | - A. Q. Rao
- University of the Punjab Lahore, Pakistan
| | | | - T. Husnain
- University of the Punjab Lahore, Pakistan
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22
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Vogeleer P, Millard P, Arbulú ASO, Pflüger-Grau K, Kremling A, Létisse F. Metabolic impact of heterologous protein production in Pseudomonas putida: Insights into carbon and energy flux control. Metab Eng 2024; 81:26-37. [PMID: 37918614 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2023.10.005] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
For engineered microorganisms, the production of heterologous proteins that are often useless to host cells represents a burden on resources, which have to be shared with normal cellular processes. Within a certain metabolic leeway, this competitive process has no impact on growth. However, once this leeway, or free capacity, is fully utilized, the extra load becomes a metabolic burden that inhibits cellular processes and triggers a broad cellular response, reducing cell growth and often hindering the production of heterologous proteins. In this study, we sought to characterize the metabolic rearrangements occurring in the central metabolism of Pseudomonas putida at different levels of metabolic load. To this end, we constructed a P. putida KT2440 strain that expressed two genes encoding fluorescent proteins, one in the genome under constitutive expression to monitor the free capacity, and the other on an inducible plasmid to probe heterologous protein production. We found that metabolic fluxes are considerably reshuffled, especially at the level of periplasmic pathways, as soon as the metabolic load exceeds the free capacity. Heterologous protein production leads to the decoupling of anabolism and catabolism, resulting in large excess energy production relative to the requirements of protein biosynthesis. Finally, heterologous protein production was found to exert a stronger control on carbon fluxes than on energy fluxes, indicating that the flexible nature of P. putida's central metabolic network is solicited to sustain energy production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Vogeleer
- Toulouse Biotechnology Institute, Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Pierre Millard
- Toulouse Biotechnology Institute, Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, Toulouse, France; MetaToul-MetaboHUB, National Infrastructure of Metabolomics and Fluxomics, Toulouse, France
| | - Ana-Sofia Ortega Arbulú
- Technical University Munich, TUM School of Engineering and Design, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Systems Biotechnology, Germany
| | - Katharina Pflüger-Grau
- Technical University Munich, TUM School of Engineering and Design, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Systems Biotechnology, Germany
| | - Andreas Kremling
- Technical University Munich, TUM School of Engineering and Design, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Systems Biotechnology, Germany
| | - Fabien Létisse
- Toulouse Biotechnology Institute, Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, Toulouse, France.
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23
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Ivanovski I, Zylstra GJ. Genetic and Functional Characterization of a Salicylate 1-monooxygenase Located on an Integrative and Conjugative Element (ICE) in Pseudomonas stutzeri AJR13. J Microbiol 2023; 61:1025-1032. [PMID: 38100000 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-023-00093-x] [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: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Pseudomonas stutzeri strain AJR13 was isolated for growth on the related compounds biphenyl (BPH) and diphenylmethane (DPM). The BPH and DPM degradative pathway genes are present on an integrative and conjugative element (ICE) in the chromosome. Examination of the genome sequence of AJR13 revealed a gene encoding a salicylate 1-monooxygenase (salA) associated with the ICE even though AJR13 did not grow on salicylate. Transfer of the ICE to the well-studied Pseudomonas putida KT2440 resulted in a KT2440 strain that could grow on salicylate. Knockout mutagenesis of the salA gene on the ICE in KT2440 eliminated the ability to grow on salicylate. Complementation of the knockout with the cloned salA gene restored growth on salicylate. Transfer of the cloned salA gene under control of the lac promoter to KT2440 resulted in a strain that could grow on salicylate. Heterologous expression of the salA gene in E. coli BL21 DE3 resulted in the production of catechol from salicylate, confirming that it is indeed a salicylate 1-monooxygenase. Interestingly, transfer of the cloned salA gene under control of the lac promoter to AJR13 resulted in a strain that could now grow on salicylate, suggesting that gene expression for the downstream catechol pathway is intact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Ivanovski
- Department of Biology, St. Joseph's University, Patchogue, NY, 11772, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.
| | - Gerben J Zylstra
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
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24
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Piya D, Nolan N, Moore ML, Ramirez Hernandez LA, Cress BF, Young R, Arkin AP, Mutalik VK. Systematic and scalable genome-wide essentiality mapping to identify nonessential genes in phages. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002416. [PMID: 38048319 PMCID: PMC10695390 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Phages are one of the key ecological drivers of microbial community dynamics, function, and evolution. Despite their importance in bacterial ecology and evolutionary processes, phage genes are poorly characterized, hampering their usage in a variety of biotechnological applications. Methods to characterize such genes, even those critical to the phage life cycle, are labor intensive and are generally phage specific. Here, we develop a systematic gene essentiality mapping method scalable to new phage-host combinations that facilitate the identification of nonessential genes. As a proof of concept, we use an arrayed genome-wide CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) assay to map gene essentiality landscape in the canonical coliphages λ and P1. Results from a single panel of CRISPRi probes largely recapitulate the essential gene roster determined from decades of genetic analysis for lambda and provide new insights into essential and nonessential loci in P1. We present evidence of how CRISPRi polarity can lead to false positive gene essentiality assignments and recommend caution towards interpreting CRISPRi data on gene essentiality when applied to less studied phages. Finally, we show that we can engineer phages by inserting DNA barcodes into newly identified inessential regions, which will empower processes of identification, quantification, and tracking of phages in diverse applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denish Piya
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Nicholas Nolan
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Madeline L. Moore
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Luis A. Ramirez Hernandez
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Brady F. Cress
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Ry Young
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for Phage Technology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Adam P. Arkin
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Vivek K. Mutalik
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
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25
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Nuryana I, Laksmi FA, Dewi KS, Akbar FR, Nurhayati, Harmoko R. Codon optimization of a gene encoding DNA polymerase from Pyrococcus furiosus and its expression in Escherichia coli. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 2023; 21:129. [PMID: 37987973 PMCID: PMC10663413 DOI: 10.1186/s43141-023-00605-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND DNA polymerase is an essential component in PCR assay for DNA synthesis. Improving DNA polymerase with characteristics indispensable for a powerful assay is crucial because it can be used in wide-range applications. Derived from Pyrococcus furiosus, Pfu DNA polymerase (Pfu pol) is one of the excellent polymerases due to its high fidelity. Therefore, we aimed to develop Pfu pol from a synthetic gene with codon optimization to increase its protein yield in Escherichia coli. RESULTS Recombinant Pfu pol was successfully expressed and purified with a two-step purification process using nickel affinity chromatography, followed by anion exchange chromatography. Subsequently, the purified Pfu pol was confirmed by Western blot analysis, resulting in a molecular weight of approximately 90 kDa. In the final purification process, we successfully obtained a large amount of purified enzyme (26.8 mg/L). Furthermore, the purified Pfu pol showed its functionality and efficiency when tested for DNA amplification using the standard PCR. CONCLUSIONS Overall, a high-level expression of recombinant Pfu pol was achieved by employing our approach in the present study. In the future, our findings will be useful for studies on synthesizing recombinant DNA polymerase in E. coli expression system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isa Nuryana
- Research Center for Applied Microbiology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jalan Raya Bogor Km 46, Cibinong, Bogor, 16911, Indonesia
| | - Fina Amreta Laksmi
- Research Center for Applied Microbiology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jalan Raya Bogor Km 46, Cibinong, Bogor, 16911, Indonesia.
| | - Kartika Sari Dewi
- Research Center for Genetic Engineering, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jalan Raya Bogor Km 46, Cibinong, Bogor, 16911, Indonesia
| | - Faiz Raihan Akbar
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, Universitas Diponegoro, Jalan Prof Soedarto, SH, Kampus UNDIP Tembalang, Semarang, 50275, Indonesia
| | - Nurhayati
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, Universitas Diponegoro, Jalan Prof Soedarto, SH, Kampus UNDIP Tembalang, Semarang, 50275, Indonesia
| | - Rikno Harmoko
- Research Center for Genetic Engineering, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jalan Raya Bogor Km 46, Cibinong, Bogor, 16911, Indonesia
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26
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Shaw WM, Khalil AS, Ellis T. A Multiplex MoClo Toolkit for Extensive and Flexible Engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:3393-3405. [PMID: 37930278 PMCID: PMC10661031 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00423] [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: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic biology toolkits are one of the core foundations on which the field has been built, facilitating and accelerating efforts to reprogram cells and organisms for diverse biotechnological applications. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an important model and industrial organism, has benefited from a wide range of toolkits. In particular, the MoClo Yeast Toolkit (YTK) enables the fast and straightforward construction of multigene plasmids from a library of highly characterized parts for programming new cellular behavior in a more predictable manner. While YTK has cultivated a strong parts ecosystem and excels in plasmid construction, it is limited in the extent and flexibility with which it can create new strains of yeast. Here, we describe a new and improved toolkit, the Multiplex Yeast Toolkit (MYT), that extends the capabilities of YTK and addresses strain engineering limitations. MYT provides a set of new integration vectors and selectable markers usable across common laboratory strains, as well as additional assembly cassettes to increase the number of transcriptional units in multigene constructs, CRISPR-Cas9 tools for highly efficient multiplexed vector integration, and three orthogonal and inducible promoter systems for conditional programming of gene expression. With these tools, we provide yeast synthetic biologists with a powerful platform to take their engineering ambitions to exciting new levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- William M. Shaw
- Biological
Design Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Imperial
College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial
College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Ahmad S. Khalil
- Biological
Design Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Wyss
Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Tom Ellis
- Department
of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Imperial
College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial
College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
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27
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Virklund A, Jendresen CB, Nielsen AT, Woodley JM. Characterization of tyrosine ammonia lyases from Flavobacterium johnsonian and Herpetosiphon aurantiacus. Biotechnol J 2023; 18:e2300111. [PMID: 37486789 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202300111] [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: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
p-Coumaric acid (pCA) can be produced via bioprocessing and is a promising chemical precursor to making organic thin film transistors. However, the required tyrosine ammonia lyase (TAL) enzyme generally has a low specific activity and suffers from competitive product inhibition. Here we characterized the purified TAL variants from Flavobacterium johnsoniae and Herpetosiphon aurantiacus in terms of their susceptibility to product inhibition and their activity and stability across pH and temperature via initial rate experiments. FjTAL was found to be more active than previously described and to have a relatively weak affinity for pCA, but modeling revealed that product inhibition would still be problematic at industrially relevant product concentrations, due to the low solubility of the substrate tyrosine. The activity of both variants increased with temperature when tested up to 45°C, but HaTAL1 was more stable at elevated temperature. FjTAL is a promising biocatalyst for pCA production, but enzyme or bioprocess engineering are required to stabilize FjTAL and reduce product inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Virklund
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Alex Toftgaard Nielsen
- Cysbio, Hørsholm, Denmark
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
| | - John M Woodley
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
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28
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Parker M, Rubien J, McCormick D, Li GW. Molecular Time Capsules Enable Transcriptomic Recording in Living Cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.12.562053. [PMID: 37905077 PMCID: PMC10614764 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.12.562053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Live-cell transcriptomic recording can help reveal hidden cellular states that precede phenotypic transformation. Here we demonstrate the use of protein-based encapsulation for preserving samples of cytoplasmic RNAs inside living cells. These molecular time capsules (MTCs) can be induced to create time-stamped transcriptome snapshots, preserve RNAs after cellular transitions, and enable retrospective investigations of gene expression programs that drive distinct developmental trajectories. MTCs also open the possibility to uncover transcriptomes in difficult-to-reach conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirae Parker
- Program of Computational and Systems Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge USA
| | - Jack Rubien
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge USA
| | - Dylan McCormick
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge USA
- Current address: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research; Cambridge, USA
| | - Gene-Wei Li
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge USA
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29
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Ramalingam G, Jayaraman S, Khan JM, Ahmed MZ, Ahmad A, Manickan E, Rajagopal P. Exploring recombinant secretory proteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis to develop a serological platform for tuberculosis diagnosis. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 249:126769. [PMID: 37678677 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
The lack of a sensitive diagnostic tool for tuberculosis (TB) is the main reason for increasing cause of death in many developing countries. The routine diagnostic tests are either time-consuming or equivocal in terms of results. Hence, there is a need for quicker and accurate diagnostic tests. Certain studies have documented the usage of proteins secreted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in developing a sensitive tool for diagnosing TB. The study aimed to employ PPE41, MPT53, LPQH, CFP10, ESAT6 and TB18.5 proteins and analyze their usage as early diagnostic markers. The proteins were cloned, expressed, purified and applied in ELISA platforms in separate as well as combined systems to assess their early diagnostic features. The results of our study revealed that a cocktail of all six antigen combinations was identified in the maximum number of TB cases. Thus, proteins such as PPE41, MPT53, LPQH, CFP10, ESAT6, and TB18.5 incorporated detection tools could be optimized for an improvised early detection of MTB infections. Moreover, the results suggested that 95.7 % of the MTB-positive serum samples reacted with all the selected antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while the control serum samples did not react with those antigens. The hexavalent antigen system yielded a novel ELISA platform for better diagnosing MTB infections. Our study yielded a novel technology to diagnose TB, which warrants testing in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gopinath Ramalingam
- Department of Microbiology, Dr. ALM PG Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Taramani Campus, Chennai 600113, India
| | - Selvaraj Jayaraman
- Centre of Molecular Medicine and Diagnostics (COMManD), Department of Biochemistry, Saveetha Dental College & Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical & Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai 600077, India
| | - Javed Masood Khan
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, 2460, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammad Z Ahmed
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Anis Ahmad
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Elanchezhiyan Manickan
- Department of Microbiology, Dr. ALM PG Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Taramani Campus, Chennai 600113, India
| | - Ponnulakshmi Rajagopal
- Department of Central Research Laboratory, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College and Hospitals, Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research, Deemed to be University, Chennai 600 095, India.
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30
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Ranzau BL, Rallapalli KL, Evanoff M, Paesani F, Komor AC. The Wild-Type tRNA Adenosine Deaminase Enzyme TadA Is Capable of Sequence-Specific DNA Base Editing. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202200788. [PMID: 36947856 PMCID: PMC10514239 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
Base editors are genome editing tools that enable site-specific base conversions through the chemical modification of nucleobases in DNA. Adenine base editors (ABEs) convert A ⋅ T to G ⋅ C base pairs in DNA by using an adenosine deaminase enzyme to modify target adenosines to inosine intermediates. Due to the lack of a naturally occurring adenosine deaminase that can modify DNA, ABEs were evolved from a tRNA-deaminating enzyme, TadA. Previous experiments with an ABE comprising a wild-type (wt) TadA showed no detectable activity on DNA, and directed evolution was therefore required to enable this enzyme to accept DNA as a substrate. Here we show that wtTadA can perform base editing in DNA in both bacterial and mammalian cells, with a strict sequence motif requirement of TAC. We leveraged this discovery to optimize a reporter assay to detect base editing levels as low as 0.01 %. Finally, we used this assay along with molecular dynamics simulations of full ABE:DNA complexes to better understand how the sequence recognition of mutant TadA variants change as they accumulate mutations to better edit DNA substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brodie L. Ranzau
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Kartik L. Rallapalli
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Mallory Evanoff
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Francesco Paesani
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
- Materials Science and Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
- San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Alexis C. Komor
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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31
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Miranda JA, Fenner K, McKinzie PB, Dobrovolsky VN, Revollo JR. Unbiased whole genome detection of ultrarare off-target mutations in genome-edited cell populations by HiFi sequencing. ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS 2023; 64:374-381. [PMID: 37488781 DOI: 10.1002/em.22566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
DNA base editors (BEs) composed of a nuclease-deficient Cas9 fused to a DNA-modifying enzyme can achieve on-target mutagenesis without creating double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs). As a result, BEs generate far less DNA damage than traditional nuclease-proficient Cas9 systems, which do rely on the creation of DSBs to achieve on-target mutagenesis. The inability of BEs to create DSBs makes the detection of their undesired off-target effects very difficult. PacBio HiFi sequencing can efficiently detect ultrarare mutations resulting from chemical mutagenesis in whole genomes with a sensitivity ~1 × 10-8 mutations per base pair. In this proof-of-principle study, we evaluated whether this technique could also detect the on- and off-target mutations generated by a cytosine-to-thymine (C>T) BE targeting the LacZ gene in Escherichia coli (E. coli). HiFi sequencing detected on-target mutant allele fractions ranging from ~7% to ~63%, depending on the single-guide RNA (sgRNA) used, while no on-target mutations were detected in controls lacking the BE. The presence of the BE resulted in a ~3-fold increase in mutation frequencies compared to controls lacking the BE, irrespective of the sgRNA used. These increases were mostly composed of C:G>T:A substitutions distributed throughout the genome. Our results demonstrate that HiFi sequencing can efficiently identify on- and off-target mutations in cell populations that have undergone genome editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime A Miranda
- Division of Genetic and Molecular Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, Arkansas, USA
| | - Kristina Fenner
- Division of Genetic and Molecular Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, Arkansas, USA
| | - Page B McKinzie
- Division of Genetic and Molecular Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, Arkansas, USA
| | - Vasily N Dobrovolsky
- Division of Genetic and Molecular Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, Arkansas, USA
| | - Javier R Revollo
- Division of Genetic and Molecular Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, Arkansas, USA
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32
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Brückner S, Müller F, Schadowski L, Kalle T, Weber S, Marino EC, Kutscher B, Möller AM, Adler S, Begerow D, Steinchen W, Bange G, Narberhaus F. (p)ppGpp and moonlighting RNases influence the first step of lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis in Escherichia coli. MICROLIFE 2023; 4:uqad031. [PMID: 37426605 PMCID: PMC10326835 DOI: 10.1093/femsml/uqad031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
The outer membrane (OM) protects Gram-negative bacteria from harsh environmental conditions and provides intrinsic resistance to many antimicrobial compounds. The asymmetric OM is characterized by phospholipids in the inner leaflet and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in the outer leaflet. Previous reports suggested an involvement of the signaling nucleotide ppGpp in cell envelope homeostasis in Escherichia coli. Here, we investigated the effect of ppGpp on OM biosynthesis. We found that ppGpp inhibits the activity of LpxA, the first enzyme of LPS biosynthesis, in a fluorometric in vitro assay. Moreover, overproduction of LpxA resulted in elongated cells and shedding of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) with altered LPS content. These effects were markedly stronger in a ppGpp-deficient background. We further show that RnhB, an RNase H isoenzyme, binds ppGpp, interacts with LpxA, and modulates its activity. Overall, our study uncovered new regulatory players in the early steps of LPS biosynthesis, an essential process with many implications in the physiology and susceptibility to antibiotics of Gram-negative commensals and pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Brückner
- Microbial Biology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, Bochum, Germany
| | - Fabian Müller
- Microbial Biology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, Bochum, Germany
| | - Laura Schadowski
- Microbial Biology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, Bochum, Germany
| | - Tyll Kalle
- Microbial Biology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sophia Weber
- Microbial Biology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, Bochum, Germany
| | - Emily C Marino
- Microbial Biology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, Bochum, Germany
| | - Blanka Kutscher
- Microbial Biology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, Bochum, Germany
| | - Anna-Maria Möller
- Microbial Biology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sabine Adler
- Evolution of Plants and Fungi, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, Bochum, Germany
| | - Dominik Begerow
- Evolution of Plants and Fungi, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, Bochum, Germany
- Organismische Botanik und Mykologie, Institut für Planzenwissenschaften und Mikrobiologie, Fachbereich Biologie, Universität Hamburg,Ohnhorststrasse 18, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Wieland Steinchen
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO) and Department of Chemistry, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 14, Marburg, Germany
| | - Gert Bange
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO) and Department of Chemistry, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 14, Marburg, Germany
| | - Franz Narberhaus
- Corresponding author. Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Microbial Biology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, NDEF 06/784, 44780 Bochum, Germany. Tel: +492343223100; Fax: +492343214620; E-mail:
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Peng H, Chen R, Shaw WM, Hapeta P, Jiang W, Bell DJ, Ellis T, Ledesma-Amaro R. Modular Metabolic Engineering and Synthetic Coculture Strategies for the Production of Aromatic Compounds in Yeast. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:1739-1749. [PMID: 37218844 PMCID: PMC10278174 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Microbial-derived aromatics provide a sustainable and renewable alternative to petroleum-derived chemicals. In this study, we used the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce aromatic molecules by exploiting the concept of modularity in synthetic biology. Three different modular approaches were investigated for the production of the valuable fragrance raspberry ketone (RK), found in raspberry fruits and mostly produced from petrochemicals. The first strategy used was modular cloning, which enabled the generation of combinatorial libraries of promoters to optimize the expression level of the genes involved in the synthesis pathway of RK. The second strategy was modular pathway engineering and involved the creation of four modules, one for product formation: RK synthesis module (Mod. RK); and three for precursor synthesis: aromatic amino acid synthesis module (Mod. Aro), p-coumaric acid synthesis module (Mod. p-CA), and malonyl-CoA synthesis module (Mod. M-CoA). The production of RK by combinations of the expression of these modules was studied, and the best engineered strain produced 63.5 mg/L RK from glucose, which is the highest production described in yeast, and 2.1 mg RK/g glucose, which is the highest yield reported in any organism without p-coumaric acid supplementation. The third strategy was the use of modular cocultures to explore the effects of division of labor on RK production. Two two-member communities and one three-member community were created, and their production capacity was highly dependent on the structure of the synthetic community, the inoculation ratio, and the culture media. In certain conditions, the cocultures outperformed their monoculture controls for RK production, although this was not the norm. Interestingly, the cocultures showed up to 7.5-fold increase and 308.4 mg/L of 4-hydroxy benzalacetone, the direct precursor of RK, which can be used for the semi-synthesis of RK. This study illustrates the utility of modularity in synthetic biology tools and their applications to the synthesis of products of industrial interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huadong Peng
- Department
of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Centre
for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College
London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Ruiqi Chen
- Department
of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Centre
for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College
London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- College
of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - William M. Shaw
- Department
of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Centre
for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College
London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Piotr Hapeta
- Department
of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Centre
for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College
London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Wei Jiang
- Department
of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Centre
for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College
London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - David J. Bell
- SynbiCITE
Innovation and Knowledge Centre, Imperial
College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Tom Ellis
- Department
of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Centre
for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College
London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro
- Department
of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
- Centre
for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College
London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
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Fricke R, Swenson CV, Roe LT, Hamlish NX, Shah B, Zhang Z, Ficaretta E, Ad O, Smaga S, Gee CL, Chatterjee A, Schepartz A. Expanding the substrate scope of pyrrolysyl-transfer RNA synthetase enzymes to include non-α-amino acids in vitro and in vivo. Nat Chem 2023:10.1038/s41557-023-01224-y. [PMID: 37264106 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-023-01224-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The absence of orthogonal aminoacyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetases that accept non-L-α-amino acids is a primary bottleneck hindering the in vivo translation of sequence-defined hetero-oligomers and biomaterials. Here we report that pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS) and certain PylRS variants accept α-hydroxy, α-thio and N-formyl-L-α-amino acids, as well as α-carboxy acid monomers that are precursors to polyketide natural products. These monomers are accommodated and accepted by the translation apparatus in vitro; those with reactive nucleophiles are incorporated into proteins in vivo. High-resolution structural analysis of the complex formed between one PylRS enzyme and a m-substituted 2-benzylmalonic acid derivative revealed an active site that discriminates prochiral carboxylates and accommodates the large size and distinct electrostatics of an α-carboxy substituent. This work emphasizes the potential of PylRS-derived enzymes for acylating tRNA with monomers whose α-substituent diverges substantially from the α-amine of proteinogenic amino acids. These enzymes or derivatives thereof could synergize with natural or evolved ribosomes and/or translation factors to generate diverse sequence-defined non-protein heteropolymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riley Fricke
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Cameron V Swenson
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Leah Tang Roe
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Noah Xue Hamlish
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Bhavana Shah
- Process Development, Amgen, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | | | - Elise Ficaretta
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Omer Ad
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sarah Smaga
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Christine L Gee
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Abhishek Chatterjee
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Alanna Schepartz
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Center for Genetically Encoded Materials, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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35
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Shokri S, Shujaei K, Gibbs AJ, Hajizadeh M. Evolution and biogeography of apple stem grooving virus. Virol J 2023; 20:105. [PMID: 37237285 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-023-02075-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Apple stem grooving virus (ASGV) has a wide host range, notably including apples, pears, prunes and citrus. It is found worldwide. METHOD In this study, two near complete genomes, and seven coat protein (CP) sequences of Iranian isolates from apple were determined. Sequences added from GenBank provided alignments of 120 genomic sequences (54 of which were recombinant), and 276 coat protein genes (none of them recombinant). RESULT The non-recombinant genomes gave a well supported phylogeny with isolates from diverse hosts in China forming the base of the phylogeny, and a monophyletic clade of at least seven clusters of isolates from around the world with no host or provenace groupings among them, and all but one including isolates from China. The six regions of the ASGV genome (five in one frame, one - 2 overlapping) gave significantly correlated phylogenies, but individually had less statistical support. The largest cluster of isolates contained those from Iran and had isolates with worldwide provenances, and came from a wide range of mono- and dicotyledonous hosts. Population genetic comparisons of the six regions of the ASGV genome showed that four were under strong negative selection, but two of unknown function were under positive selection. CONCLUSION ASGV most likely originated and spread in East Asia in one or more of various plant species, but not in Eurasia; the ASGV population of China had the greatest overall nucleotide diversity and largest number of segregating sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohreh Shokri
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
| | - Kamal Shujaei
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
| | - Adrian J Gibbs
- Emeritus Faculty, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Mohammad Hajizadeh
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran.
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García-Ferreras R, Osuna-Pérez J, Ramírez-Santiago G, Méndez-Pérez A, Acosta-Moreno AM, Del Campo L, Gómez-Sánchez MJ, Iborra M, Herrero-Fernández B, González-Granado JM, Sánchez-Madrid F, Carrasco YR, Boya P, Martínez-Martín N, Veiga E. Bacteria-instructed B cells cross-prime naïve CD8 + T cells triggering effective cytotoxic responses. EMBO Rep 2023:e56131. [PMID: 37184882 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202256131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In addition to triggering humoral responses, conventional B cells have been described in vitro to cross-present exogenous antigens activating naïve CD8+ T cells. Nevertheless, the way B cells capture these exogenous antigens and the physiological roles of B cell-mediated cross-presentation remain poorly explored. Here, we show that B cells capture bacteria by trans-phagocytosis from previously infected dendritic cells (DC) when they are in close contact. Bacterial encounter "instructs" the B cells to acquire antigen cross-presentation abilities, in a process that involves autophagy. Bacteria-instructed B cells, henceforth referred to as BacB cells, rapidly degrade phagocytosed bacteria, process bacterial antigens and cross-prime naïve CD8+ T cells which differentiate into specific cytotoxic cells that efficiently control bacterial infections. Moreover, a proof-of-concept experiment shows that BacB cells that have captured bacteria expressing tumor antigens could be useful as novel cellular immunotherapies against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel García-Ferreras
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús Osuna-Pérez
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Guillermo Ramírez-Santiago
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Almudena Méndez-Pérez
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrés M Acosta-Moreno
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Lara Del Campo
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - María J Gómez-Sánchez
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 12 de Octubre Health Research Institute (imas12), Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Iborra
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Beatriz Herrero-Fernández
- LamImSys Lab, Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - José M González-Granado
- LamImSys Lab, Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Madrid, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Sánchez-Madrid
- LamImSys Lab, Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Madrid, Spain
- Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
- Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, Instituto Investigación Sanitaria Princesa (IIS-IP), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Yolanda R Carrasco
- Department of Immunology & Oncology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Boya
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | | | - Esteban Veiga
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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Hadj Hassine I, Gharbi J, Amara I, Alyami A, Subei R, Almalki M, Hober D, M'hadheb MB. Cloning and Molecular Characterization of the Recombinant CVB4E2 Immunogenic Viral Protein (rVP1), as a Potential Subunit Protein for Vaccine and Immunodiagnostic Reagent Candidate. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1192. [PMID: 37317166 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11051192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of the present study was, first, to clone the VP1 gene of the human coxsackievirus B4 strain E2 (CVB4E2) in the prokaryotic pUC19 plasmid expression vector then to compare it with the structural capsid proteins of the same strain using bioinformatic tools. PCR colony amplification followed through a restriction digestion analysis and sequencing process which affirmed the success of the cloning process. SDS-PAGE and Western Blotting were used to characterize the purified recombinant viral protein expressed in bacteria cells. The BLASTN tool revealed that the nucleotide sequence of the recombinant VP1 (rVP1) expressed by pUC19 highly matched the target nucleotide sequence of the diabetogenic CVB4E2 strain. Secondary structure and three-dimension structure prediction suggested that rVP1, such as wild-type VP1, is chiefly composed of random coils and a high percentage of exposed amino acids. Linear B-cell epitope prediction showed that several antigenic epitopes are likely present in rVP1 and CVB4E2 VP1 capsid protein. Additionally, phosphorylation site prediction revealed that both proteins may affect the signal transduction of host cells and can be involved in virus virulence. The present work highlights the usefulness of cloning and bioinformatics characterizations for gene investigation. Furthermore, the collected data are helpful for future experimental research related to the development of immunodiagnostic reagents and subunit vaccines based on the expression of immunogenic viral capsid proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ikbel Hadj Hassine
- Virology and Antiviral Strategies Research Unit, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Monastir, BP74, Monastir 5000, Tunisia
| | - Jawhar Gharbi
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 380, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
| | - Imene Amara
- Virology and Antiviral Strategies Research Unit, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Monastir, BP74, Monastir 5000, Tunisia
| | - Ameera Alyami
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 380, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
| | - Reem Subei
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 380, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Almalki
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 380, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
| | - Didier Hober
- Laboratoire de Virologie ULR3610, Université de Lille et CHU de Lille, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Manel Ben M'hadheb
- Virology and Antiviral Strategies Research Unit, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Monastir, BP74, Monastir 5000, Tunisia
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Vasquez CA, Evanoff M, Ranzau BL, Gu S, Deters E, Komor AC. Curing "GFP-itis" in Bacteria with Base Editors: Development of a Genome Editing Science Program Implemented with High School Biology Students. CRISPR J 2023. [PMID: 37083425 DOI: 10.1089/crispr.2023.0002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The flexibility and precision of CRISPR-Cas9 and related technologies have made these genome editing tools increasingly popular in agriculture, medicine, and basic science research for the past decade. Genome editing will continue to be relevant and utilized across diverse scientific fields in the future. Given this, students should be introduced to genome editing technologies and encouraged to consider their ethical implications early on in precollege biology curricula. Furthermore, instruction on this topic presents an opportunity to create partnerships between researchers and educators at the K-12 levels that can strengthen student engagement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. To this end, we present a 3-day student-centered learning program to introduce high school students to genome editing technologies through a hands-on base editing experiment in Escherichia coli, accompanied by a relevant background lecture and facilitated ethics discussion. This unique partnership aims to educate students and provides a framework for research institutions to implement genome editing outreach programs at local high schools. We have included all requisite materials, including lecture slides, worksheets, experimental protocols, and suggestions on active learning strategies for others to reproduce our program with their local communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A Vasquez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Mallory Evanoff
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Brodie L Ranzau
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Sifeng Gu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Emma Deters
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Alexis C Komor
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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O'Connell RW, Rai K, Piepergerdes TC, Samra KD, Wilson JA, Lin S, Zhang TH, Ramos EM, Sun A, Kille B, Curry KD, Rocks JW, Treangen TJ, Mehta P, Bashor CJ. Ultra-high throughput mapping of genetic design space. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.16.532704. [PMID: 36993481 PMCID: PMC10055055 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.16.532704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Massively parallel genetic screens have been used to map sequence-to-function relationships for a variety of genetic elements. However, because these approaches only interrogate short sequences, it remains challenging to perform high throughput (HT) assays on constructs containing combinations of sequence elements arranged across multi-kb length scales. Overcoming this barrier could accelerate synthetic biology; by screening diverse gene circuit designs, "composition-to-function" mappings could be created that reveal genetic part composability rules and enable rapid identification of behavior-optimized variants. Here, we introduce CLASSIC, a generalizable genetic screening platform that combines long- and short-read next-generation sequencing (NGS) modalities to quantitatively assess pooled libraries of DNA constructs of arbitrary length. We show that CLASSIC can measure expression profiles of >10 5 drug-inducible gene circuit designs (ranging from 6-9 kb) in a single experiment in human cells. Using statistical inference and machine learning (ML) approaches, we demonstrate that data obtained with CLASSIC enables predictive modeling of an entire circuit design landscape, offering critical insight into underlying design principles. Our work shows that by expanding the throughput and understanding gained with each design-build-test-learn (DBTL) cycle, CLASSIC dramatically augments the pace and scale of synthetic biology and establishes an experimental basis for data-driven design of complex genetic systems.
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40
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Bulka NR, Barbosa-Tessmann IP. Characterization of an Amylolytic Enzyme from Massilia timonae of the GH13_19 Subfamily with Mixed Maltogenic and CGTase Activity. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2023; 195:2028-2056. [PMID: 36401066 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-022-04226-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This work reports the characterization of an amylolytic enzyme from the bacteria Massilia timonae CTI-57. A gene encoding this protein was expressed from the pTrcHis2B plasmid in Escherichia coli BL21 Star™ (DE3). The purified protein had 64 kDa, and its modeled structure showed a monomer with the conserved α-amylases structure composed of the domain A with the characteristic (β/α)8-barrel, the small domain B, and the domain C with an antiparallel beta-sheet. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the expressed protein belongs to the GH13_19 subfamily of glycoside hydrolases. The ions Ca2+, Mn2+, Na+, Mg2+, Mo6+, and K+ did activate the purified enzyme, while EDTA and the ions Fe2+, Hg2+, Zn2+, and Cu2+ were strong inhibitors. SDS was also a strong inhibitor. The enzyme's optimal pH and temperature were 7.0 and 45 °C, respectively, and its Tm was 62.2 °C. The KM of the purified enzyme for starch was 13 mg/mL, and the Vmax was 0.24 μmol of reducing sugars released per min. The characterized enzyme presented higher specificity for maltodextrin and starch and produced maltose as the main starch hydrolysis product. This is the first characterized maltose-forming amylolytic enzyme from the GH13_19 subfamily. The purified enzyme produced β-cyclodextrin from starch and maltodextrin and could be considered a cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase). This is the first report of a GH13_19 subfamily enzyme with CGTase activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalia Rodrigues Bulka
- Department of Biochemistry, State University of Maringá, Av. Colombo, 5790, Maringá, PR, 87020-900, Brazil
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RND Pump-Mediated Efflux of Amotosalen, a Compound Used in Pathogen Inactivation Technology to Enhance Safety of Blood Transfusion Products, May Compromise Its Gram-Negative Anti-Bacterial Activity. mSphere 2023; 8:e0067322. [PMID: 36853056 PMCID: PMC10117049 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00673-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathogen inactivation is a strategy to improve the safety of transfusion products. The only pathogen reduction technology for blood products currently approved in the US utilizes a psoralen compound, called amotosalen, in combination with UVA light to inactivate bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. Psoralens have structural similarity to bacterial multidrug efflux pump substrates. As these efflux pumps are often overexpressed in multidrug-resistant pathogens, we tested whether contemporary drug-resistant pathogens might show resistance to amotosalen and other psoralens based on multidrug efflux mechanisms through genetic, biophysical, and molecular modeling analysis. The main efflux systems in Enterobacterales, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are tripartite resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND) systems, which span the inner and outer membranes of Gram-negative pathogens, and expel antibiotics from the bacterial cytoplasm into the extracellular space. We provide evidence that amotosalen is an efflux substrate for the E. coli AcrAB, Acinetobacter baumannii AdeABC, and P. aeruginosa MexXY RND efflux pumps. Furthermore, we show that the MICs for contemporary Gram-negative bacterial isolates for these species and others in vitro approached and exceeded the concentration of amotosalen used in the approved platelet and plasma inactivation procedures. These findings suggest that otherwise safe and effective inactivation methods should be further studied to identify possible gaps in their ability to inactivate contemporary, multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens. IMPORTANCE Pathogen inactivation is a strategy to enhance the safety of transfused blood products. We identify the compound, amotosalen, widely used for pathogen inactivation, as a bacterial multidrug efflux substrate. Specifically, experiments suggest that amotosalen is pumped out of bacteria by major efflux pumps in E. coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Such efflux pumps are often overexpressed in multidrug-resistant pathogens. Importantly, the MICs for contemporary multidrug-resistant Enterobacterales, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia spp., and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia isolates approached or exceeded the amotosalen concentration used in approved platelet and plasma inactivation procedures, potentially as a result of efflux pump activity. Although there are important differences in methodology between our experiments and blood product pathogen inactivation, these findings suggest that otherwise safe and effective inactivation methods should be further studied to identify possible gaps in their ability to inactivate contemporary, multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens.
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Wagner N, Bade F, Straube E, Rabe K, Frazão CJR, Walther T. In vivo implementation of a synthetic metabolic pathway for the carbon-conserving conversion of glycolaldehyde to acetyl-CoA. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1125544. [PMID: 36845174 PMCID: PMC9947464 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1125544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Ethylene glycol (EG) derived from plastic waste or CO2 can serve as a substrate for microbial production of value-added chemicals. Assimilation of EG proceeds though the characteristic intermediate glycolaldehyde (GA). However, natural metabolic pathways for GA assimilation have low carbon efficiency when producing the metabolic precursor acetyl-CoA. In alternative, the reaction sequence catalyzed by EG dehydrogenase, d-arabinose 5-phosphate aldolase, d-arabinose 5-phosphate isomerase, d-ribulose 5-phosphate 3-epimerase (Rpe), d-xylulose 5-phosphate phosphoketolase, and phosphate acetyltransferase may enable the conversion of EG into acetyl-CoA without carbon loss. We investigated the metabolic requirements for in vivo function of this pathway in Escherichia coli by (over)expressing constituting enzymes in different combinations. Using 13C-tracer experiments, we first examined the conversion of EG to acetate via the synthetic reaction sequence and showed that, in addition to heterologous phosphoketolase, overexpression of all native enzymes except Rpe was required for the pathway to function. Since acetyl-CoA could not be reliably quantified by our LC/MS-method, the distribution of isotopologues in mevalonate, a stable metabolite that is exclusively derived from this intermediate, was used to probe the contribution of the synthetic pathway to biosynthesis of acetyl-CoA. We detected strong incorporation of 13C carbon derived from labeled GA in all intermediates of the synthetic pathway. In presence of unlabeled co-substrate glycerol, 12.4% of the mevalonate (and therefore acetyl-CoA) was derived from GA. The contribution of the synthetic pathway to acetyl-CoA production was further increased to 16.1% by the additional expression of the native phosphate acyltransferase enzyme. Finally, we demonstrated that conversion of EG to mevalonate was feasible albeit at currently extremely small yields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Wagner
- TU Dresden, Institute of Natural Materials Technology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Frederik Bade
- TU Dresden, Institute of Natural Materials Technology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Elly Straube
- TU Dresden, Institute of Natural Materials Technology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Kenny Rabe
- TU Dresden, Institute of Natural Materials Technology, Dresden, Germany
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Vasquez CA, Evanoff M, Ranzau BL, Gu S, Deters E, Komor AC. Curing "GFP-itis" in Bacteria with Base Editors: Development of a Genome Editing Science Program Implemented with High School Biology Students. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.06.527367. [PMID: 36798336 PMCID: PMC9934571 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.06.527367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
The flexibility and precision of CRISPR-Cas9 and related technologies have made these genome editing tools increasingly popular in agriculture, medicine, and basic science research over the past decade. Genome editing will continue to be relevant and utilized across diverse scientific fields in the future. Given this, students should be introduced to genome editing technologies and encouraged to consider their ethical implications early on in pre-college biology curricula. Furthermore, instruction on this topic presents an opportunity to create partnerships between researchers and educators at the K-12 levels that can strengthen student engagement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). To this end, we present a three-day student-centered learning program to introduce high school students to genome editing technologies through a hands-on base editing experiment in E. coli , accompanied by a relevant background lecture and facilitated ethics discussion. This unique partnership aims to educate students and provides a framework for research institutions to implement genome editing outreach programs at local high schools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A. Vasquez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA,These authors contributed equally
| | - Mallory Evanoff
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA,These authors contributed equally
| | - Brodie L. Ranzau
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sifeng Gu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Emma Deters
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Alexis C. Komor
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA,Correspondence:
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Richard CSM, Dey H, Øyen F, Maqsood M, Blencke HM. Outer Membrane Integrity-Dependent Fluorescence of the Japanese Eel UnaG Protein in Live Escherichia coli Cells. BIOSENSORS 2023; 13:232. [PMID: 36831998 PMCID: PMC9953992 DOI: 10.3390/bios13020232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Reporter genes are important tools in many biological disciplines. The discovery of novel reporter genes is relatively rare. However, known reporter genes are constantly applied to novel applications. This study reports the performance of the bilirubin-dependent fluorescent protein UnaG from the Japanese eel Anguilla japonicas in live Escherichia coli cells in response to the disruption of outer membrane (OM) integrity at low bilirubin (BR) concentrations. Using the E. coli wild-type strain MC4100, its isogenic OM-deficient mutant strain NR698, and different OM-active compounds, we show that BR uptake and UnaG fluorescence depend on a leaky OM at concentrations of 10 µM BR and below, while fluorescence is mostly OM integrity-independent at concentrations above 50 µM BR. We suggest that these properties of the UnaG-BR couple might be applied as a biosensor as an alternative to the OM integrity assays currently in use.
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Tarigan S, Dharmayanti NLPI, Sugiartanti D, Putri R, Andriani, Nuradji H, Robinson M, Wiendayanthi N, Djufri F. Characterization of two linear epitopes SARS CoV-2 spike protein formulated in tandem repeat. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0280627. [PMID: 36662754 PMCID: PMC9857970 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The vital roles of diagnostic tools and vaccines are prominent in controlling COVID-19. Spike protein of the SARS CoV-2, specifically the epitopes in that protein, are the critical components of the vaccines and immunological diagnostic tools. Two epitopes in the spike protein, the S14P5 and S21P2, identified previously are of great interest because they are linear and elicit neutralizing antibodies. The present study formulated each epitope in the tandem-repeat structure to increase their immunogenicity and facilitate their production. The tandem repeats (TR) were expressed efficiently in E. coli, yielding 58 mg and 46 mg per liter culture for TR-S14P5 and TR-S212, respectively. ELISA using either one of the repeating epitopes can be used as a serological test to identify individuals infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The area under curves (AUC), based on testing 157 serum samples from COVID-19 patients and 26 from COVID-19-free individuals, were 0.806 and 0.889 for TR-S14P5 and TR-S21P2-based ELISAs, respectively. For 100% diagnostic specificity, the sensitivity was only 70%. The low sensitivity supposedly resulted from some samples being from early infection prior to antibody conversion. Both recombinant epitopes were highly immunogenic in rabbits, and the immune sera recognized inactivated SARS CoV-2 virus in dot-blot assays. These antibodies should be useful as a reagent for detecting SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Furthermore, the TR-S14P5 and TR-S21P2, being conserved and denaturation-resistant, are envisaged to be ideal for intra-nasal vaccines, which are required to complement current COVID-19 to overcome rapidly mutated SARS CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simson Tarigan
- Research Organization for Health, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - N. L. P. Indi Dharmayanti
- Research Organization for Health, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia
| | | | - Ryandini Putri
- Research Organization for Health, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Andriani
- Research Organization for Health, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Harimurti Nuradji
- Research Organization for Health, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Marthino Robinson
- Bogor Municipality Public Hospital (RSUD Kota Bogor), Bogor, Indonesia
| | | | - Fadjry Djufri
- Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development, Jakarta, Indonesia
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Moreira-Ramos S, Arias L, Flores R, Katz A, Levicán G, Orellana O. Synonymous mutations in the phosphoglycerate kinase 1 gene induce an altered response to protein misfolding in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Front Microbiol 2023; 13:1074741. [PMID: 36713198 PMCID: PMC9875302 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1074741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Proteostasis refers to the processes that regulate the biogenesis, folding, trafficking, and degradation of proteins. Any alteration in these processes can lead to cell malfunction. Protein synthesis, a key proteostatic process, is highly-regulated at multiple levels to ensure adequate adaptation to environmental and physiological challenges such as different stressors, proteotoxic conditions and aging, among other factors. Because alterations in protein translation can lead to protein misfolding, examining how protein translation is regulated may also help to elucidate in part how proteostasis is controlled. Codon usage bias has been implicated in the fine-tuning of translation rate, as more-frequent codons might be read faster than their less-frequent counterparts. Thus, alterations in codon usage due to synonymous mutations may alter translation kinetics and thereby affect the folding of the nascent polypeptide, without altering its primary structure. To date, it has been difficult to predict the effect of synonymous mutations on protein folding and cellular fitness due to a scarcity of relevant data. Thus, the purpose of this work was to assess the effect of synonymous mutations in discrete regions of the gene that encodes the highly-expressed enzyme 3-phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (pgk1) in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Results By means of systematic replacement of synonymous codons along pgk1, we found slightly-altered protein folding and activity in a region-specific manner. However, alterations in protein aggregation, heat stress as well as changes in proteasome activity occurred independently of the mutated region. Concomitantly, reduced mRNA levels of the chaperones Hsp9 and Hsp16 were observed. Conclusion Taken together, these data suggest that codon usage bias of the gene encoding this highly-expressed protein is an important regulator of protein function and proteostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Moreira-Ramos
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Loreto Arias
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Flores
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Assaf Katz
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gloria Levicán
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), Santiago, Chile
| | - Omar Orellana
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile,*Correspondence: Omar Orellana,
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Lu CW, Ho HC, Yao CL, Tseng TY, Kao CM, Chen SC. Bioremediation potential of cadmium by recombinant Escherichia coli surface expressing metallothionein MTT5 from Tetrahymenathermophila. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 310:136850. [PMID: 36243083 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) is a common heavy metal contaminant in industrial wastewater that causes many diseases in humans. Metallothionein (MT), a cysteine-rich metal-binding protein, is well known in chelate-heavy metals. In this study, we expressed MTT5 of Tetrahymena thermophila fused with Lpp-OmpA in the outer membrane of Escherichia coli to determine its ability to accumulate and adsorb Cd. Our results revealed that our recombinant E. coli had a 4.9-fold greater Cd adsorption compared to wild E. coli. Adsorption isothermic analysis demonstrated that the adsorption behavior for Cd in our recombinant bacteria was better fitted into the Freundlich isotherm model than Langmuir isotherm model. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that phosphate and organic phosphate groups were involved in the interaction between Cd and the bacterial surface. Using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, we further showed that the expression of metal-resistance genes (dnaK and clpB) was downregulated due to surface MTT5 protected our recombinant bacteria from Cd2+ adsorption. Furthermore, we showed that our recombinant bacteria could adsorb Cd from the contaminated wastewater containing other metals and were suggested to be applied in the field study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Che-Wei Lu
- Department of Life Sciences, National Central University, Taoyuan, 32001, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Cheng Ho
- Department of Life Sciences, National Central University, Taoyuan, 32001, Taiwan
| | - Chao-Ling Yao
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
| | - Tsung-Yu Tseng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Ming Kao
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan.
| | - Ssu-Ching Chen
- Department of Life Sciences, National Central University, Taoyuan, 32001, Taiwan.
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Wishard R, Jayaram M, Ramesh SR, Nongthomba U. Spatial and temporal requirement of Mlp60A isoforms during muscle development and function in Drosophila melanogaster. Exp Cell Res 2023; 422:113430. [PMID: 36423661 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2022.113430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Many myofibrillar proteins undergo isoform switching in a spatio-temporal manner during muscle development. The biological significance of the variants of several of these myofibrillar proteins remains elusive. One such myofibrillar protein, the Muscle LIM Protein (MLP), is a vital component of the Z-discs. In this paper, we show that one of the Drosophila MLP encoding genes, Mlp60A, gives rise to two isoforms: a short (279 bp, 10 kDa) and a long (1461 bp, 54 kDa) one. The short isoform is expressed throughout development, but the long isoform is adult-specific, being the dominant of the two isoforms in the indirect flight muscles (IFMs). A concomitant, muscle-specific knockdown of both isoforms leads to partial developmental lethality, with most of the surviving flies being flight defective. A global loss of both isoforms in a Mlp60A-null background also leads to developmental lethality, with muscle defects in the individuals that survive to the third instar larval stage. This lethality could be rescued partially by a muscle-specific overexpression of the short isoform. Genetic perturbation of only the long isoform, through a P-element insertion in the long isoform-specific coding sequence, leads to defective flight, in around 90% of the flies. This phenotype was completely rescued when the P-element insertion was precisely excised from the locus. Hence, our data show that the two Mlp60A isoforms are functionally specialized: the short isoform being essential for normal embryonic muscle development and the long isoform being necessary for normal adult flight muscle function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohan Wishard
- Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics; Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560012, India.
| | - Mohan Jayaram
- Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics; Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560012, India; Department of Studies in Zoology, University of Mysore, Manasgangotri, Mysuru, 570006, India
| | - Saraf R Ramesh
- Department of Studies in Zoology, University of Mysore, Manasgangotri, Mysuru, 570006, India; Department of Life Sciences, Pooja Bhagvat Memorial Mahajana Education Center, K. R. S. Road, Mysuru, 570016, India
| | - Upendra Nongthomba
- Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics; Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560012, India.
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The squalene route to C30 carotenoid biosynthesis and the origins of carotenoid biosynthetic pathways. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2210081119. [PMID: 36534808 PMCID: PMC9907078 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210081119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Carotenoids are isoprenoid lipids found across the tree of life with important implications in oxidative stress adaptations, photosynthetic metabolisms, as well as in membrane dynamics. The canonical view is that C40 carotenoids are synthesized from phytoene and C30 carotenoids from diapophytoene. Squalene is mostly associated with the biosynthesis of polycyclic triterpenes, although there have been suggestions that it could also be involved in the biosynthesis of C30 carotenoids. However, demonstration of the existence of this pathway in nature is lacking. Here, we demonstrate that C30 carotenoids are synthesized from squalene in the Planctomycetes bacteria and that this squalene route to C30 carotenoids is the most widespread in prokaryotes. Using the evolutionary history of carotenoid and squalene amino oxidases, we propose an evolutionary scenario to explain the origin and diversification of the different carotenoid and squalene-related pathways. We show that carotenoid biosynthetic pathways have been constantly transferred and neofunctionalized during prokaryotic evolution. One possible origin of the squalene pathway connects it with the one of C40 carotenoid synthesis of Cyanobacteria. The widespread occurrence of the squalene route to C30 carotenoids in Bacteria increases the functional repertoire of squalene, establishing it as a general hub of carotenoids and polycyclic triterpenes synthesis.
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An Optimized Transformation Protocol for Escherichia coli BW3KD with Supreme DNA Assembly Efficiency. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0249722. [PMID: 36317996 PMCID: PMC9769673 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02497-22] [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] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA cloning requires two steps: the assembly of recombinant DNA molecules and the transformation of the product into a host organism for replication. High efficiencies in both processes can increase the success rate. Recently, we developed an Escherichia coli BW3KD strain with higher transformation efficiency than commonly used cloning strains. Here, we further developed a simple method named TSS-HI (transformation storage solution optimized by Hannahan and Inoue method) for competent cell preparation, which combined the advantages of three common methods for operational simplicity and high transformation efficiency. When competent BW3KD cells were prepared using this developed method, the transformation efficiency reached up to (7.21 ± 1.85) × 109 CFU/μg DNA, which exceeded the levels of commercial chemically competent cells and homemade electrocompetent cells. BW3KD cells formed colonies within 7 h on lysogeny broth agar plates, quicker than the well-known fast-growing E. coli cloning strain Mach1. The competent cells worked effectively for the transformation of assembled DNA of 1 to 7 fragments in one step and promoted efficiencies of transformation or cloning with large plasmids. The cloning efficiency of BW3KD cells prepared by this method increased up to 828-fold over that of E. coli XL1-Blue MRF' cells prepared by a common method. Thus, competent cells are suitable for different cloning jobs and should help with the increased demand for DNA assembly in biological studies and biotechnology. IMPORTANCE DNA transformation is commonly used in cloning; however, high transformation efficiency becomes a limiting factor in many applications, such as the construction of CRISPR and DNA libraries, the assembly of multiple fragments, and the transformation of large plasmids. We developed a new competent cell preparation method with unmatched transformation efficiency. When the BW3KD strain, derived from Escherichia coli BW25113 cells, was prepared by this method, its transformation efficiency reached up to (7.21 ± 1.85) × 109 CFU/μg DNA, which broke the record for chemically prepared competent cells. Routine cloning could be completed in 1 day due to the high growth rate of this strain. The competent cells were shown to be highly efficient for transformation or cloning with large plasmids and for the assembly of multiple fragments. The results highlight the effectiveness of the new protocol and the usefulness of the BW3KD strain as the host.
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