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Tian C, Li J, Wu Y, Wang G, Zhang Y, Zhang X, Sun Y, Wang Y. An integrative database and its application for plant synthetic biology research. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 5:100827. [PMID: 38297840 PMCID: PMC11121754 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2024.100827] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Plant synthetic biology research requires diverse bioparts that facilitate the redesign and construction of new-to-nature biological devices or systems in plants. Limited by few well-characterized bioparts for plant chassis, the development of plant synthetic biology lags behind that of its microbial counterpart. Here, we constructed a web-based Plant Synthetic BioDatabase (PSBD), which currently categorizes 1677 catalytic bioparts and 384 regulatory elements and provides information on 309 species and 850 chemicals. Online bioinformatics tools including local BLAST, chem similarity, phylogenetic analysis, and visual strength are provided to assist with the rational design of genetic circuits for manipulation of gene expression in planta. We demonstrated the utility of the PSBD by functionally characterizing taxadiene synthase 2 and its quantitative regulation in tobacco leaves. More powerful synthetic devices were then assembled to amplify the transcriptional signals, enabling enhanced expression of flavivirus non-structure 1 proteins in plants. The PSBD is expected to be an integrative and user-centered platform that provides a one-stop service for diverse applications in plant synthetic biology research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenfei Tian
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Jianhua Li
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yuhan Wu
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Guangyi Wang
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Yixin Zhang
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Xiaowei Zhang
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yuwei Sun
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Yong Wang
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
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Wang H, Tan HY, Lian J, Zhou K. Nanopore sequencing improves construction of customized CRISPR-based gene activation libraries. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:1543-1553. [PMID: 38293815 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based screening has emerged as a powerful tool for identifying new gene targets for desired cellular phenotypes. The construction of guide RNA (gRNA) pools largely determines library quality and is usually performed using Golden Gate assembly or Gibson assembly. To date, library construction methods have not been systematically compared, and the quality check of each batch has been slow. In this study, an in-house nanopore sequencing workflow was established for assessing the current methods of gRNA pool construction. The bias of pool construction was reduced by employing the polymerase-mediated non-amplifying method. Then, a small gRNA pool was utilized to characterize stronger activation domains, specifically MED2 (a subunit of mediator complex) and HAP4 (a heme activator protein), as well as to identify better gRNA choices for dCas12a-based gene activation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Furthermore, based on the better CRISPRa tool identified in this study, a custom gRNA pool, which consisted of 99 gRNAs targeting central metabolic pathways, was designed and employed to screen for gene targets that could improve ethanol utilization in S. cerevisiae. The nanopore sequencing-based workflow demonstrated here should provide a cost-effective approach for assessing the quality of customized gRNA library, leading to faster and more efficient genetic and metabolic engineering in S. cerevisiae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Handing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Heng Yih Tan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jiazhang Lian
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Kang Zhou
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Cluster of Food, Chemical and Biotechnology, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore
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Liang Y, Gao S, Qi X, Valentovich LN, An Y. Progress in Gene Editing and Metabolic Regulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with CRISPR/Cas9 Tools. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:428-448. [PMID: 38326929 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
The CRISPR/Cas9 systems have been developed as tools for genetic engineering and metabolic engineering in various organisms. In this review, various aspects of CRISPR/Cas9 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, from basic principles to practical applications, have been summarized. First, a comprehensive review has been conducted on the history of CRISPR/Cas9, successful cases of gene disruptions, and efficiencies of multiple DNA fragment insertions. Such advanced systems have accelerated the development of microbial engineering by reducing time and labor, and have enhanced the understanding of molecular genetics. Furthermore, the research progress of the CRISPR/Cas9-based systems in the production of high-value-added chemicals and the improvement of stress tolerance in S. cerevisiae have been summarized, which should have an important reference value for genetic and synthetic biology studies based on S. cerevisiae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaokun Liang
- College of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110065, China
| | - Song Gao
- College of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110065, China
| | - Xianghui Qi
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangdong 511370, China
| | - Leonid N Valentovich
- Institute of Microbiology, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Minsk 220072, Belarus
| | - Yingfeng An
- College of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110065, China
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Liu X, Deng J, Zhang J, Cui Z, Qi Q, Hou J. Genome-scale transcriptional activation by non-homologous end joining-mediated integration in Yarrowia lipolytica. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS 2024; 17:24. [PMID: 38360689 PMCID: PMC10870441 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-024-02472-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genome-scale screening can be applied to efficiently mine for unknown genes with phenotypes of interest or special functions. It is also useful to identify new targets for engineering desirable properties of cell factories. RESULTS Here, we designed a new approach for genome-scale transcription activation using non-homologous end joining (NHEJ)-mediated integration in Yarrowia lipolytica. We utilized this approach to screen for genes that, upon activation, confer phenotypes including improved acetic acid tolerance and xylose metabolism. The candidates were validated using gene overexpression, and functional changes including improved growth performance under multiple stressors and activated pentose metabolism were identified. CONCLUSIONS This study provides a simple and effective approach to randomly activate endogenous genes and mine for key targets associated with phenotypes of interest. The specific gene targets identified here will be useful for cell factory construction and biorefining lignocellulose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Binhai Road 72, Qingdao, 266237, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingyu Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Binhai Road 72, Qingdao, 266237, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinhong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Binhai Road 72, Qingdao, 266237, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiyong Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Binhai Road 72, Qingdao, 266237, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Qingsheng Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Binhai Road 72, Qingdao, 266237, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Binhai Road 72, Qingdao, 266237, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
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Yu G, Duan Q, Cui T, Jiang C, Li X, Li Y, Fu J, Zhang Y, Wang H, Luan J. Development of a bacterial gene transcription activating strategy based on transcriptional activator positive feedback. J Adv Res 2023:S2090-1232(23)00400-9. [PMID: 38123018 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2023.12.015] [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: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Transcription of biological nitrogen fixation (nif) genes is activated by the NifA protein which recognizes specific activating sequences upstream of σ54-dependent nif promoters. The large quantities of nitrogenase which can make up 20% of the total proteins in the cell indicates high transcription activating efficiency of NifA and high transcription level of nifHDK nitrogenase genes. OBJECTIVES Development of an efficient gene transcription activating strategy in bacteria based on positive transcription regulatory proteins and their regulating DNA sequences. METHODS We designed a highly efficient gene transcription activating strategy in which the nifA gene was placed directly downstream of its regulating sequences. The NifA protein binds its regulating sequences and stimulates transcription of itself and downstream genes. Overexpressed NifA causes transcription activation by positive reinforcement. RESULTS When this gene transcription activating strategy was used to overexpress NifA in Pseudomonas stutzeri DSM4166 containing the nif gene cluster, the nitrogenase activity was increased by 368 folds which was 16 times higher than that obtained by nifA driven by the strongest endogenous constitutive promoter. When this strategy was used to activate transcription of exogenous biosynthetic genes for the plant auxin indole-3-acetic acid and the antitumor alkaloid pigment prodigiosin in DSM4166, both of them resulted in better performance than the strongest endogenous constitutive promoter and the highest reported productions in heterologous hosts to date. Finally, we demonstrated the universality of this strategy using the positive transcriptional regulator of the psp operon, PspF, in E. coli and the pathway-specific positive transcription regulator of the polyene antibiotic salinomycin biosynthesis, SlnR, in Streptomyces albus. CONCLUSION Many positive transcription regulatory proteins and their regulating DNA sequences have been identified in bacteria. The gene transcription activating strategy developed in this study will have broad applications in molecular biology and biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangle Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, Shandong University, Binhai Rd 72, 266237, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Qiuyue Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, Shandong University, Binhai Rd 72, 266237, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Tianqi Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, Shandong University, Binhai Rd 72, 266237, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Chanjuan Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, Shandong University, Binhai Rd 72, 266237, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Xiaochen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, Shandong University, Binhai Rd 72, 266237, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Yutong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, Shandong University, Binhai Rd 72, 266237, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Jun Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, Shandong University, Binhai Rd 72, 266237, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Youming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, Shandong University, Binhai Rd 72, 266237, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Hailong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, Shandong University, Binhai Rd 72, 266237, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
| | - Ji Luan
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Helmholtz International Lab for Anti-infectives, Shandong University-Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology, Shandong University, Binhai Rd 72, 266237, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
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Wu Y, Feng S, Sun Z, Hu Y, Jia X, Zeng B. An outlook to sophisticated technologies and novel developments for metabolic regulation in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae expression system. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1249841. [PMID: 37869712 PMCID: PMC10586203 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1249841] [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: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the most extensively used biosynthetic systems for the production of diverse bioproducts, especially biotherapeutics and recombinant proteins. Because the expression and insertion of foreign genes are always impaired by the endogenous factors of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and nonproductive procedures, various technologies have been developed to enhance the strength and efficiency of transcription and facilitate gene editing procedures. Thus, the limitations that block heterologous protein secretion have been overcome. Highly efficient promoters responsible for the initiation of transcription and the accurate regulation of expression have been developed that can be precisely regulated with synthetic promoters and double promoter expression systems. Appropriate codon optimization and harmonization for adaption to the genomic codon abundance of S. cerevisiae are expected to further improve the transcription and translation efficiency. Efficient and accurate translocation can be achieved by fusing a specifically designed signal peptide to an upstream foreign gene to facilitate the secretion of newly synthesized proteins. In addition to the widely applied promoter engineering technology and the clear mechanism of the endoplasmic reticulum secretory pathway, the innovative genome editing technique CRISPR/Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated system) and its derivative tools allow for more precise and efficient gene disruption, site-directed mutation, and foreign gene insertion. This review focuses on sophisticated engineering techniques and emerging genetic technologies developed for the accurate metabolic regulation of the S. cerevisiae expression system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Bin Zeng
- College of Pharmacy, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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Sato G, Kuroda K. Overcoming the Limitations of CRISPR-Cas9 Systems in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Off-Target Effects, Epigenome, and Mitochondrial Editing. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11041040. [PMID: 37110464 PMCID: PMC10145089 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11041040] [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: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Modification of the genome of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has great potential for application in biological research and biotechnological advancements, and the CRISPR-Cas9 system has been increasingly employed for these purposes. The CRISPR-Cas9 system enables the precise and simultaneous modification of any genomic region of the yeast to a desired sequence by altering only a 20-nucleotide sequence within the guide RNA expression constructs. However, the conventional CRISPR-Cas9 system has several limitations. In this review, we describe the methods that were developed to overcome these limitations using yeast cells. We focus on three types of developments: reducing the frequency of unintended editing to both non-target and target sequences in the genome, inducing desired changes in the epigenetic state of the target region, and challenging the expansion of the CRISPR-Cas9 system to edit genomes within intracellular organelles such as mitochondria. These developments using yeast cells to overcome the limitations of the CRISPR-Cas9 system are a key factor driving the advancement of the field of genome editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genki Sato
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Kouichi Kuroda
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
- Department of Molecular Chemistry and Engineering, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
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