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Chen Z, Zhu J, Du M, Chen Z, Liu Q, Zhu H, Lei A, Wang J. A Synthetic Biology Perspective on the Bioengineering Tools for an Industrial Microalga: Euglena gracilis. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:882391. [PMID: 35464731 PMCID: PMC9020809 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.882391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Euglena is a genus of single-celled eukaryotes that show both plant- and animal-like characteristics. Euglena gracilis, a model species, is of great academic interest for studying endosymbiosis and chloroplast development. As an industrial species, E. gracilis is also of primary biotechnological and economic importance as high value-added food, medicine, and cosmetic and high-quality feedstock for jet-fuel production because of its cells containing many high-value products, such as vitamins, amino acids, pigments, unsaturated fatty acids, and carbohydrate paramylon, as metabolites. For more than half a century, E. gracilis has been used as an industrial biotechnology platform for fundamental biology research, mainly exploring relevant physiological and biochemical method studies. Although many researchers focused on genetic engineering tools for E. gracilis in recent years, little progress has been achieved because of the lack of high-quality genome information and efficient techniques for genetic operation. This article reviewed the progress of the genetic transformation of E. gracilis, including methods for the delivery of exogenous materials and other advanced biotechnological tools for E. gracilis, such as CRISPR and RNA interference. We hope to provide a reference to improve the research in functional genomics and synthetic biology of Euglena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenfan Chen
- College of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Hanshan Normal University, Chaozhou, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Plant Epigenetics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jiayi Zhu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Plant Epigenetics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ming Du
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Plant Epigenetics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zixi Chen
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Plant Epigenetics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Qiong Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Plant Epigenetics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hui Zhu
- College of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Hanshan Normal University, Chaozhou, China
| | - Anping Lei
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Plant Epigenetics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jiangxin Wang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Plant Epigenetics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- *Correspondence: Jiangxin Wang,
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Khatiwada B, Sunna A, Nevalainen H. Molecular tools and applications of Euglena gracilis: From biorefineries to bioremediation. Biotechnol Bioeng 2020; 117:3952-3967. [PMID: 32710635 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Euglena gracilis is a promising source of commercially important metabolites such as vitamins, wax esters, paramylon, and amino acids. However, the molecular tools available to create improved Euglena strains are limited compared to other microorganisms that are currently exploited in the biotechnology industry. The complex poly-endosymbiotic nature of the Euglena genome is a major bottleneck for obtaining a complete genome sequence and thus represents a notable shortcoming in gaining molecular information of this organism. Therefore, the studies and applications have been more focused on using the wild-type strain or its variants and optimizing the nutrient composition and cultivation conditions to enhance the production of biomass and valuable metabolites. In addition to producing metabolites, the E. gracilis biorefinery concept also provides means for the production of biofuels and biogas as well as residual biomass for the remediation of industrial and municipal wastewater. Using Euglena for bioremediation of environments contaminated with heavy metals is of special interest due to the strong ability of the organism to accumulate and sequester these compounds. The published draft genome and transcriptome will serve as a basis for further molecular studies of Euglena and provide a guide for the engineering of metabolic pathways of relevance for the already established as well as novel applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bishal Khatiwada
- Department Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.,Biomolecular Discovery and Design Research Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Anwar Sunna
- Department Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.,Biomolecular Discovery and Design Research Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Helena Nevalainen
- Department Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.,Biomolecular Discovery and Design Research Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
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Hasan MT, Sun A, Khatiwada B, McQuade L, Mirzaei M, Te'o J, Hobba G, Sunna A, Nevalainen H. Comparative proteomics investigation of central carbon metabolism in Euglena gracilis grown under predominantly phototrophic, mixotrophic and heterotrophic cultivations. ALGAL RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2019.101638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Zimorski V, Mentel M, Tielens AGM, Martin WF. Energy metabolism in anaerobic eukaryotes and Earth's late oxygenation. Free Radic Biol Med 2019; 140:279-294. [PMID: 30935869 PMCID: PMC6856725 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2019.03.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotes arose about 1.6 billion years ago, at a time when oxygen levels were still very low on Earth, both in the atmosphere and in the ocean. According to newer geochemical data, oxygen rose to approximately its present atmospheric levels very late in evolution, perhaps as late as the origin of land plants (only about 450 million years ago). It is therefore natural that many lineages of eukaryotes harbor, and use, enzymes for oxygen-independent energy metabolism. This paper provides a concise overview of anaerobic energy metabolism in eukaryotes with a focus on anaerobic energy metabolism in mitochondria. We also address the widespread assumption that oxygen improves the overall energetic state of a cell. While it is true that ATP yield from glucose or amino acids is increased in the presence of oxygen, it is also true that the synthesis of biomass costs thirteen times more energy per cell in the presence of oxygen than in anoxic conditions. This is because in the reaction of cellular biomass with O2, the equilibrium lies very far on the side of CO2. The absence of oxygen offers energetic benefits of the same magnitude as the presence of oxygen. Anaerobic and low oxygen environments are ancient. During evolution, some eukaryotes have specialized to life in permanently oxic environments (life on land), other eukaryotes have remained specialized to low oxygen habitats. We suggest that the Km of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase of 0.1-10 μM for O2, which corresponds to about 0.04%-4% (avg. 0.4%) of present atmospheric O2 levels, reflects environmental O2 concentrations that existed at the time that the eukaryotes arose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Zimorski
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Marek Mentel
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, 851 04, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Aloysius G M Tielens
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - William F Martin
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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Inwongwan S, Kruger NJ, Ratcliffe RG, O'Neill EC. Euglena Central Metabolic Pathways and Their Subcellular Locations. Metabolites 2019; 9:E115. [PMID: 31207935 PMCID: PMC6630311 DOI: 10.3390/metabo9060115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Euglenids are a group of algae of great interest for biotechnology, with a large and complex metabolic capability. To study the metabolic network, it is necessary to know where the component enzymes are in the cell, but despite a long history of research into Euglena, the subcellular locations of many major pathways are only poorly defined. Euglena is phylogenetically distant from other commonly studied algae, they have secondary plastids bounded by three membranes, and they can survive after destruction of their plastids. These unusual features make it difficult to assume that the subcellular organization of the metabolic network will be equivalent to that of other photosynthetic organisms. We analysed bioinformatic, biochemical, and proteomic information from a variety of sources to assess the subcellular location of the enzymes of the central metabolic pathways, and we use these assignments to propose a model of the metabolic network of Euglena. Other than photosynthesis, all major pathways present in the chloroplast are also present elsewhere in the cell. Our model demonstrates how Euglena can synthesise all the metabolites required for growth from simple carbon inputs, and can survive in the absence of chloroplasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahutchai Inwongwan
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK.
| | - Nicholas J Kruger
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK.
| | - R George Ratcliffe
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK.
| | - Ellis C O'Neill
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK.
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Zimorski V, Rauch C, van Hellemond JJ, Tielens AGM, Martin WF. The Mitochondrion of Euglena gracilis. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2017; 979:19-37. [PMID: 28429315 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-54910-1_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In the presence of oxygen, Euglena gracilis mitochondria function much like mammalian mitochondria. Under anaerobiosis, E. gracilis mitochondria perform a malonyl-CoA independent synthesis of fatty acids leading to accumulation of wax esters, which serve as the sink for electrons stemming from glycolytic ATP synthesis and pyruvate oxidation. Some components (enzymes and cofactors) of Euglena's anaerobic energy metabolism are found among the anaerobic mitochondria of invertebrates, others are found among hydrogenosomes, the H2-producing anaerobic mitochondria of protists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Zimorski
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Cessa Rauch
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jaap J van Hellemond
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Aloysius G M Tielens
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - William F Martin
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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Wang J, Wang Z, Ling B, Cao N, Wang W. Identification of a potential proton donor to the linking oxygen atom in a three-metal ion assisted catalysis pathway catalyzed by Fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase. J Mol Graph Model 2017; 73:191-199. [PMID: 28301812 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2017.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2016] [Revised: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, the dephosphorylation mechanism of FBP to F6P catalyzed by the Fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase (St-Fbp) from Sulfolobus tokodaii was studied using quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) approach. Based on the experimental results, total five possible catalytic mechanisms (path1-path4') were designed. The most possible dephosphorylation reaction follows a two-step mechanism (path2): a dephosphorylation process (with D12 being an base of W6 and residue K133 being the proton donor of the linking FBP:O4) and a proton exchange process (between K133 and the water W1). Furthermore, the three-step of path4 is also possible: a dephosphorylation process (with D54 being the base of W6 and residue K133 being the proton donor of the linking FBP:O4) and two proton exchange processes (first between residues D54 and D12 then between K133 and the water W1). The relative low energy of this pathway suggests that D54 might also be a base except D12. Our calculations indicate that K133 is the preferred proton donor during the breaking of the phosphate bond O4-P1, with the W1 being an alternative proton donor to access to a more stable product. Findings here give a new insight into the understanding of catalytic mechanism of FBPase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinhu Wang
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Material Science, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, Shandong 277160, China.
| | - Zhiguo Wang
- Institute of Aging Research, School of Medicine, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China.
| | - Baoping Ling
- College of Chemistry Chemical Engineering, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong 273165, China
| | - Nan Cao
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Material Science, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, Shandong 277160, China
| | - Wen Wang
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Material Science, Zaozhuang University, Zaozhuang, Shandong 277160, China
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Yoshida Y, Tomiyama T, Maruta T, Tomita M, Ishikawa T, Arakawa K. De novo assembly and comparative transcriptome analysis of Euglena gracilis in response to anaerobic conditions. BMC Genomics 2016; 17:182. [PMID: 26939900 PMCID: PMC4778363 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-016-2540-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The phytoflagellated protozoan, Euglena gracilis, has been proposed as an attractive feedstock for the accumulation of valuable compounds such as β-1,3-glucan, also known as paramylon, and wax esters. The production of wax esters proceeds under anaerobic conditions, designated as wax ester fermentation. In spite of the importance and usefulness of Euglena, the genome and transcriptome data are currently unavailable, though another research group has recently published E.gracilis transcriptome study during our submission. We herein performed an RNA-Seq analysis to provide a comprehensive sequence resource and some insights into the regulation of genes including wax ester metabolism by comparative transcriptome analysis of E.gracilis under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Results The E.gracilis transcriptome analysis was performed using the Illumina platform and yielded 90.3 million reads after the filtering steps. A total of 49,826 components were assembled and identified as a reference sequence of E.gracilis, of which 26,479 sequences were considered to be potentially expressed (having FPKM value of greater than 1). Approximately half of all components were estimated to be regulated in a trans-splicing manner, with the addition of protruding spliced leader sequences. Nearly 40 % of 26,479 sequences were annotated by similarity to Swiss-Prot database using the BLASTX program. A total of 2080 transcripts were identified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in response to anaerobic treatment for 24 h. A comprehensive pathway enrichment analysis using the KEGG pathway revealed that the majority of DEGs were involved in photosynthesis, nucleotide metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid metabolism. We successfully identified a candidate gene set of paramylon and wax esters, including novel β-1,3-glucan and wax ester synthases. A comparative expression analysis of aerobic- and anaerobic-treated E.gracilis cells indicated that gene expression changes in these components were not extensive or dynamic during the anaerobic treatment. Conclusion The RNA-Seq analysis provided comprehensive transcriptome information on E.gracilis for the first time, and this information will advance our understanding of this unique organism. The comprehensive analysis indicated that paramylon and wax ester metabolic pathways are regulated at post-transcriptional rather than the transcriptional level in response to anaerobic conditions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2540-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Yoshida
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, 997-0052, Japan. .,Systems Biology Program, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0882, Japan.
| | - Takuya Tomiyama
- Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University, 1060 Nishikawatsu, Matsue, Shimane, 690-8504, Japan. .,Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-0076, Japan.
| | - Takanori Maruta
- Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University, 1060 Nishikawatsu, Matsue, Shimane, 690-8504, Japan. .,Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-0076, Japan.
| | - Masaru Tomita
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, 997-0052, Japan. .,Systems Biology Program, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0882, Japan.
| | - Takahiro Ishikawa
- Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University, 1060 Nishikawatsu, Matsue, Shimane, 690-8504, Japan. .,Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-0076, Japan.
| | - Kazuharu Arakawa
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, 997-0052, Japan. .,Systems Biology Program, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0882, Japan.
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