1
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Su T, Pang Q, Qi Q. In Vivo DNA Assembly Using the PEDA Method. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2760:437-445. [PMID: 38468102 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3658-9_24] [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: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Simple and efficient DNA assembly methods have been widely used in synthetic biology. Here, we provide the protocol for the recently developed PEDA (phage enzyme-assisted in vivo DNA assembly) method for direct in vivo assembly of individual DNA parts in multiple microorganisms, such as Escherichia coli, Ralstonia eutropha, Pseudomonas putida, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Yarrowia lipolytica. PEDA allows in vivo assembly of DNA fragments with homologous sequences as short as 5 bp, and the efficiency is comparable to the prevailing in vitro DNA assembly, which will broadly boost the rapid progress of synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyuan Su
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, People's Republic of China
| | - Qingxiao Pang
- Shandong Lishan Biotechnology Co. LTD, Jinan, People's Republic of China
| | - Qingsheng Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, People's Republic of China.
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2
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Stephenson A, Lastra L, Nguyen B, Chen YJ, Nivala J, Ceze L, Strauss K. Physical Laboratory Automation in Synthetic Biology. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:3156-3169. [PMID: 37935025 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00345] [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: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic Biology has overcome many of the early challenges facing the field and is entering a systems era characterized by adoption of Design-Build-Test-Learn (DBTL) approaches. The need for automation and standardization to enable reproducible, scalable, and translatable research has become increasingly accepted in recent years, and many of the hardware and software tools needed to address these challenges are now in place or under development. However, the lack of connectivity between DBTL modules and barriers to access and adoption remain significant challenges to realizing the full potential of lab automation. In this review, we characterize and classify the state of automation in synthetic biology with a focus on the physical automation of experimental workflows. Though fully autonomous scientific discovery is likely a long way off, impressive progress has been made toward automating critical elements of experimentation by combining intelligent hardware and software tools. It is worth questioning whether total automation that removes humans entirely from the loop should be the ultimate goal, and considerations for appropriate automation versus total automation are discussed in this light while emphasizing areas where further development is needed in both contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Stephenson
- Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington 98052, United States
| | - Lauren Lastra
- Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington 98052, United States
| | - Bichlien Nguyen
- Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington 98052, United States
| | - Yuan-Jyue Chen
- Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington 98052, United States
| | - Jeff Nivala
- Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Luis Ceze
- Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Karin Strauss
- Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington 98052, United States
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3
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Uematsu M, Baskin JM. Barcode-free multiplex plasmid sequencing using Bayesian analysis and nanopore sequencing. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.12.536413. [PMID: 37090656 PMCID: PMC10120676 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.12.536413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Plasmid construction is central to life science research, and sequence verification is arguably its costliest step. Long-read sequencing has emerged as a competitor to Sanger sequencing, with the principal benefit that whole plasmids can be sequenced in a single run. Nevertheless, the current cost of nanopore sequencing is still prohibitive for routine sequencing during plasmid construction. We develop a computational approach termed Simple Algorithm for Very Efficient Multiplexing of Oxford Nanopore Experiments for You (SAVEMONEY) that guides researchers to mix multiple plasmids and subsequently computationally de-mixes the resultant sequences. SAVEMONEY defines optimal mixtures in a pre-survey step, and following sequencing, executes a post-analysis workflow involving sequence classification, alignment, and consensus determination. By using Bayesian analysis with prior probability of expected plasmid construction error rate, high-confidence sequences can be obtained for each plasmid in the mixture. Plasmids differing by as little as two bases can be mixed for submission as a single sample for nanopore sequencing, and routine multiplexing of even six plasmids can still maintain high accuracy of consensus sequencing. SAVEMONEY should further democratize whole-plasmid sequencing by nanopore and related technologies, driving down the effective cost of whole-plasmid sequencing to lower than that of a single Sanger sequencing run.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaaki Uematsu
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Jeremy M. Baskin
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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4
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Astola A, Durán-Guerrero E, Díaz AB, Lasanta C, Castro R. Impact of the genetic improvement of fermenting yeasts on the organoleptic properties of beer. Eur Food Res Technol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00217-023-04251-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe brewing industry has experienced a significant boom in recent years through the emergence of, on the one hand, craft breweries that produce beers with unique organoleptic characteristics, and, on the other hand, the brewing of a significant number of beers using hybridized or genetically modified microorganisms with the aim of improving both the brewing processes and the final products. This review covers the influence from yeast strains on the organoleptic properties of the final beers and also the main hybridization and genetic modification methods applied to such yeast strains with the aim of improving the sensory characteristics of the product obtained and/or the brewing process. Different approaches to the phenotypic modification of the yeasts used in beer brewing have arisen in recent years. These are dealt with in this work, with special emphasis on the methodology followed as well as on the effects of the same on the brewing process and/or on the final product.
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5
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Jeong SH, Lee HJ, Lee SJ. Recent Advances in CRISPR-Cas Technologies for Synthetic Biology. J Microbiol 2023; 61:13-36. [PMID: 36723794 PMCID: PMC9890466 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-022-00005-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
With developments in synthetic biology, "engineering biology" has emerged through standardization and platformization based on hierarchical, orthogonal, and modularized biological systems. Genome engineering is necessary to manufacture and design synthetic cells with desired functions by using bioparts obtained from sequence databases. Among various tools, the CRISPR-Cas system is modularly composed of guide RNA and Cas nuclease; therefore, it is convenient for editing the genome freely. Recently, various strategies have been developed to accurately edit the genome at a single nucleotide level. Furthermore, CRISPR-Cas technology has been extended to molecular diagnostics for nucleic acids and detection of pathogens, including disease-causing viruses. Moreover, CRISPR technology, which can precisely control the expression of specific genes in cells, is evolving to find the target of metabolic biotechnology. In this review, we summarize the status of various CRISPR technologies that can be applied to synthetic biology and discuss the development of synthetic biology combined with CRISPR technology in microbiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Hee Jeong
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, 17546, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho Joung Lee
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, 17546, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Jun Lee
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, 17546, Republic of Korea.
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6
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Tanniche I, Fisher AK, Gillam F, Collakova E, Zhang C, Bevan DR, Senger RS. Lambda-PCR for precise DNA assembly and modification. Biotechnol Bioeng 2022; 119:3657-3667. [PMID: 36148504 PMCID: PMC9828557 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Lambda-polymerase chain reaction (λ-PCR) is a novel and open-source method for DNA assembly and cloning projects. λ-PCR uses overlap extension to ultimately assemble linear and circular DNA fragments, but it allows the single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) primers of the PCR extension to first exist as double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). Having dsDNA at this step is advantageous for the stability of large insertion products, to avoid inhibitory secondary structures during direct synthesis, and to reduce costs. Three variations of λ-PCR were created to convert an initial dsDNA product into an ssDNA "megaprimer" to be used in overlap extension: (i) complete digestion by λ-exonuclease, (ii) asymmetric PCR, and (iii) partial digestion by λ-exonuclease. Four case studies are presented that demonstrate the use of λ-PCR in simple gene cloning, simultaneous multipart assemblies, gene cloning not achievable with commercial kits, and the use of thermodynamic simulations to guide λ-PCR assembly strategies. High DNA assembly and cloning efficiencies have been achieved with λ-PCR for a fraction of the cost and time associated with conventional methods and some commercial kits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imen Tanniche
- Department of Biological Systems EngineeringVirginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA,School of Plant & Environmental Sciences; Virginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA
| | - Amanda K. Fisher
- Department of Biological Systems EngineeringVirginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA,Genomics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology Interdisciplinary Program, Virginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA,BioHybrid Solutions LLCPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Frank Gillam
- Department of Biological Systems EngineeringVirginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA,Locus BiosciencesMorrisvilleNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Eva Collakova
- School of Plant & Environmental Sciences, Virginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA
| | - Chenming Zhang
- Department of Biological Systems EngineeringVirginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA
| | - David R. Bevan
- Genomics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology Interdisciplinary Program, Virginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA,Department of BiochemistryVirginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA
| | - Ryan S. Senger
- Department of Biological Systems EngineeringVirginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA,Department of Chemical EngineeringVirginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA
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7
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Abstract
The continual demand for specialized molecular cloning techniques that suit a broad range of applications has driven the development of many different cloning strategies. One method that has gained significant traction is Golden Gate assembly, which achieves hierarchical assembly of DNA parts by utilizing Type IIS restriction enzymes to produce user-specified sticky ends on cut DNA fragments. This technique has been modularized and standardized, and includes different subfamilies of methods, the most widely adopted of which are the MoClo and Golden Braid standards. Moreover, specialized toolboxes tailored to specific applications or organisms are also available. Still, the quantity and range of assembly methods can constitute a barrier to adoption for new users, and even experienced scientists might find it difficult to discern which tools are best suited toward their goals. In this review, we provide a beginner-friendly guide to Golden Gate assembly, compare the different available standards, and detail the specific features and quirks of commonly used toolboxes. We also provide an update on the state-of-the-art in Golden Gate technology, discussing recent advances and challenges to inform existing users and promote standard practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine
E. Bird
- School
of Computing, Faculty of Science Agriculture and Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom
| | - Jon Marles-Wright
- Biosciences
Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle
upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United
Kingdom,
| | - Andrea Giachino
- Biosciences
Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle
upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United
Kingdom,School
of Science, Engineering & Environment, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4NT, United Kingdom
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8
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Pang Q, Ma S, Han H, Jin X, Liu X, Su T, Qi Q. Phage Enzyme-Assisted Direct In Vivo DNA Assembly in Multiple Microorganisms. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:1477-1487. [PMID: 35298132 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00529] [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: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The assembly of DNA fragments is extremely important for molecular biology. Increasing numbers of studies have focused on streamlining the laborious and costly protocols via in vivo DNA assembly. However, the existing methods were mainly developed for Escherichia coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae, whereas there are few direct in vivo DNA assembly methods for other microorganisms. The use of shuttle vectors and tedious plasmid extraction and transformation procedures make DNA cloning in other microorganisms laborious and inefficient, especially for DNA library construction. In this study, we developed a "phage enzyme-assisted in vivo DNA assembly" (PEDA) method via combinatorial expression of T5 exonuclease and T4 DNA ligase. PEDA facilitated the in vivo assembly of DNA fragments with homologous sequences as short as 5 bp, and it is applicable to multiple microorganisms, such as Ralstonia eutropha, Pseudomonas putida, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Yarrowia lipolytica. The cloning efficiency of optimized PEDA is much higher than that of the existing in vivo DNA assembly methods and comparable to that of in vitro DNA assembly, making it extremely suitable for DNA library cloning. Collectively, PEDA will boost the application of in vivo DNA assembly in various microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingxiao Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shuai Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hao Han
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xin Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoqin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tianyuan Su
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qingsheng Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, People’s Republic of China
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9
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Koster CC, Postma ED, Knibbe E, Cleij C, Daran-Lapujade P. Synthetic Genomics From a Yeast Perspective. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:869486. [PMID: 35387293 PMCID: PMC8979029 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.869486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic Genomics focuses on the construction of rationally designed chromosomes and genomes and offers novel approaches to study biology and to construct synthetic cell factories. Currently, progress in Synthetic Genomics is hindered by the inability to synthesize DNA molecules longer than a few hundred base pairs, while the size of the smallest genome of a self-replicating cell is several hundred thousand base pairs. Methods to assemble small fragments of DNA into large molecules are therefore required. Remarkably powerful at assembling DNA molecules, the unicellular eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been pivotal in the establishment of Synthetic Genomics. Instrumental in the assembly of entire genomes of various organisms in the past decade, the S. cerevisiae genome foundry has a key role to play in future Synthetic Genomics developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte C Koster
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Eline D Postma
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Ewout Knibbe
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Céline Cleij
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands.,Department of Bionanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
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10
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Yang Y, Yu Q, Wang M, Zhao R, Liu H, Xun L, Xia Y. Escherichia coli BW25113 Competent Cells Prepared Using a Simple Chemical Method Have Unmatched Transformation and Cloning Efficiencies. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:838698. [PMID: 35401484 PMCID: PMC8989280 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.838698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli recA− strains are usually used for cloning to prevent insert instability via RecA-dependent recombination. Here, we report that E. coli BW25113 (recA+) competent cells prepared by using a previously reported transformation and storage solution (TSS) had 100-fold or higher transformation efficiency than the commonly used E. coli cloning strains, including XL1-Blue MRF’. The cloning success rates with E. coli BW25113 were 440 to 1,267-fold higher than those with E. coli XL1-Blue MRF’ when several inserts were assembled into four vectors by using a simple DNA assembly method. The difference was in part due to RecA, as the recA deletion in E. coli BW25113 reduced the transformation efficiency by 16 folds and cloning success rate by about 10 folds. However, the transformation efficiency and the cloning success rate of the recA deletion mutant of E. coli BW25113 are still 12- and >48-fold higher than those of E. coli XL1-Blue MRF’, which is a commonly used cloning strain. The cloned inserts with different lengths of homologous sequences were assembled into four vectors and transformed into E. coli BW25113, and they were stably maintained in BW25113. Thus, we recommend using E. coli BW25113 for efficient cloning and DNA assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qiaoli Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Min Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Rui Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Huaiwei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Luying Xun
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
- *Correspondence: Luying Xun, Yongzhen Xia,
| | - Yongzhen Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- *Correspondence: Luying Xun, Yongzhen Xia,
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11
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Single 3′-exonuclease-based multifragment DNA assembly method (SENAX). Sci Rep 2022; 12:4004. [PMID: 35256704 PMCID: PMC8901738 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07878-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractDNA assembly is a vital process in biotechnology and synthetic biology research, during which DNA plasmids are designed and constructed using bioparts to engineer microorganisms for a wide range of applications. Here, we present an enzymatic homology-based DNA assembly method, SENAX (Stellar ExoNuclease Assembly miX), that can efficiently assemble multiple DNA fragments at ambient temperature from 30 to 37 °C and requires homology overlap as short as 12–18 base pairs. SENAX relies only on a 3′–5′ exonuclease, XthA (ExoIII), followed by Escherichia coli transformation, enabling easy scaling up and optimization. Importantly, SENAX can efficiently assemble short fragments down to 70 bp into a vector, overcoming a key shortcoming of existing commonly used homology-based technologies. To the best of our knowledge, this has not been reported elsewhere using homology-based methods. This advantage leads us to develop a framework to perform DNA assembly in a more modular manner using reusable promoter-RBS short fragments, simplifying the construction process and reducing the cost of DNA synthesis. This approach enables commonly used short bioparts (e.g., promoter, RBS, insulator, terminator) to be reused by the direct assembly of these parts into intermediate constructs. SENAX represents a novel accurate, highly efficient, and automation-friendly DNA assembly method.
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12
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Chaudhari VR, Hanson MR. GoldBricks: an improved cloning strategy that combines features of Golden Gate and BioBricks for better efficiency and usability. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2021; 6:ysab032. [PMID: 34778568 PMCID: PMC8578713 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysab032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
With increasing complexity of expression studies and the repertoire of characterized sequences, combinatorial cloning has become a common necessity. Techniques like BioBricks and Golden Gate aim to standardize and speed up the process of cloning large constructs while enabling sharing of resources. The BioBricks format provides a simplified and flexible approach to endless assembly with a compact library and useful intermediates but is a slow process, joining only two parts in a cycle. Golden Gate improves upon the speed with use of Type IIS enzymes and joins several parts in a cycle but requires a larger library of parts and logistical inefficiencies scale up significantly in the multigene format. We present here a method that provides improvement over these techniques by combining their features. By using Type IIS enzymes in a format like BioBricks, we have enabled a faster and efficient assembly with reduced scarring, which performs at a similarly fast pace as Golden Gate, but significantly reduces library size and user input. Additionally, this method enables faster assembly of operon-style constructs, a feature requiring extensive workaround in Golden Gate. Our format allows such inclusions resulting in faster and more efficient assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maureen R Hanson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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13
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Patel YD, Brown AJ, Zhu J, Rosignoli G, Gibson SJ, Hatton D, James DC. Control of Multigene Expression Stoichiometry in Mammalian Cells Using Synthetic Promoters. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:1155-1165. [PMID: 33939428 PMCID: PMC8296667 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
To successfully engineer mammalian cells for a desired purpose, multiple recombinant genes are required to be coexpressed at a specific and optimal ratio. In this study, we hypothesized that synthetic promoters varying in transcriptional activity could be used to create single multigene expression vectors coexpressing recombinant genes at a predictable relative stoichiometry. A library of 27 multigene constructs was created comprising three discrete fluorescent reporter gene transcriptional units in fixed series, each under the control of either a relatively low, medium, or high transcriptional strength synthetic promoter in every possible combination. Expression of each reporter gene was determined by absolute quantitation qRT-PCR in CHO cells. The synthetic promoters did generally function as designed within a multigene vector context; however, significant divergences from predicted promoter-mediated transcriptional activity were observed. First, expression of all three genes within a multigene vector was repressed at varying levels relative to coexpression of identical reporter genes on separate single gene vectors at equivalent gene copies. Second, gene positional effects were evident across all constructs where expression of the reporter genes in positions 2 and 3 was generally reduced relative to position 1. Finally, after accounting for general repression, synthetic promoter transcriptional activity within a local multigene vector format deviated from that expected. Taken together, our data reveal that mammalian synthetic promoters can be employed in vectors to mediate expression of multiple genes at predictable relative stoichiometries. However, empirical validation of functional performance is a necessary prerequisite, as vector and promoter design features can significantly impact performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yash D. Patel
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD, U.K.
| | - Adam J. Brown
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD, U.K.
| | - Jie Zhu
- Cell
Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals Development,
R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, United States
| | - Guglielmo Rosignoli
- Dynamic
Omics, Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, CB21 6GH, U.K.
| | - Suzanne J. Gibson
- Cell
Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals Development,
R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, CB21 6GH, U.K.
| | - Diane Hatton
- Cell
Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals Development,
R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, CB21 6GH, U.K.
| | - David C. James
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD, U.K.
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14
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Chen F, Li YY, Yu YL, Dai J, Huang JL, Lin J. Simplified plasmid cloning with a universal MCS design and bacterial in vivo assembly. BMC Biotechnol 2021; 21:24. [PMID: 33722223 PMCID: PMC7962268 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-021-00679-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ability to clone DNA sequences quickly and precisely into plasmids is essential for molecular biology studies. The recent development of seamless cloning technologies has made significant improvements in plasmid construction, but simple and reliable tools are always desirable for time- and labor-saving purposes. RESULTS We developed and standardized a plasmid cloning protocol based on a universal MCS (Multiple Cloning Site) design and bacterial in vivo assembly. With this method, the vector is linearized first by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) or restriction digestion. Then a small amount (10 ~ 20 ng) of this linear vector can be mixed with a PCR-amplified insert (5× molar ratio against vector) and transformed directly into competent E. coli cells to obtain the desired clones through in vivo assembly. Since we used a 36-bp universal MCS as the homologous linker, any PCR-amplified insert with ~ 15 bp compatible termini can be cloned into the vector with high fidelity and efficiency. Thus, the need for redesigning insert-amplifying primers according to various vector sequences and the following PCR procedures was eliminated. CONCLUSIONS Our protocol significantly reduced hands-on time for preparing transformation reactions, had excellent reliability, and was confirmed to be a rapid and versatile plasmid cloning technique. The protocol contains mostly mixing steps, making it an extremely automation-friendly and promising tool in modern biology studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Chen
- School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou, 363000, P.R. China.
| | - Yi-Ya Li
- School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou, 363000, P.R. China
| | - Yan-Li Yu
- School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou, 363000, P.R. China
| | - Jie Dai
- School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou, 363000, P.R. China
| | - Jin-Ling Huang
- School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou, 363000, P.R. China
| | - Jie Lin
- School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou, 363000, P.R. China
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15
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Utomo JC, Hodgins CL, Ro DK. Multiplex Genome Editing in Yeast by CRISPR/Cas9 - A Potent and Agile Tool to Reconstruct Complex Metabolic Pathways. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:719148. [PMID: 34421973 PMCID: PMC8374951 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.719148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Numerous important pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals originate from plant specialized metabolites, most of which are synthesized via complex biosynthetic pathways. The elucidation of these pathways is critical for the applicable uses of these compounds. Although the rapid progress of the omics technology has revolutionized the identification of candidate genes involved in these pathways, the functional characterization of these genes remains a major bottleneck. Baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) has been used as a microbial platform for characterizing newly discovered metabolic genes in plant specialized metabolism. Using yeast for the investigation of numerous plant enzymes is a streamlined process because of yeast's efficient transformation, limited endogenous specialized metabolism, partially sharing its primary metabolism with plants, and its capability of post-translational modification. Despite these advantages, reconstructing complex plant biosynthetic pathways in yeast can be time intensive. Since its discovery, CRISPR/Cas9 has greatly stimulated metabolic engineering in yeast. Yeast is a popular system for genome editing due to its efficient homology-directed repair mechanism, which allows precise integration of heterologous genes into its genome. One practical use of CRISPR/Cas9 in yeast is multiplex genome editing aimed at reconstructing complex metabolic pathways. This system has the capability of integrating multiple genes of interest in a single transformation, simplifying the reconstruction of complex pathways. As plant specialized metabolites usually have complex multigene biosynthetic pathways, the multiplex CRISPR/Cas9 system in yeast is suited well for functional genomics research in plant specialized metabolism. Here, we review the most advanced methods to achieve efficient multiplex CRISPR/Cas9 editing in yeast. We will also discuss how this powerful tool has been applied to benefit the study of plant specialized metabolism.
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16
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Jiang X, Palazzotto E, Wybraniec E, Munro LJ, Zhang H, Kell DB, Weber T, Lee SY. Automating Cloning by Natural Transformation. ACS Synth Biol 2020; 9:3228-3235. [PMID: 33231069 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Affordable and automated cloning platforms are essential to many synthetic biology studies. However, the traditional E. coli-based cloning is a major bottleneck as it requires heat shock or electroporation implemented in the robotic workflows. To overcome this problem, we explored bacterial natural transformation for automatic DNA cloning and engineering. Recombinant plasmids are efficiently generated from Gibson or overlap extension PCR (OE-PCR) products by simply adding the DNA into Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1 cultures. No DNA purification, competence induction, or special equipment is required. Up to 10,000 colonies were obtained per microgram of DNA, while the number of false positive colonies was low. We cloned and engineered 21 biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) of various types, with length from 1.5 to 19 kb and GC content from 35% to 72%. One of them, a nucleoside BGC, showed antibacterial activity. Furthermore, the method was easily transferred to a low-cost benchtop robot with consistent cloning efficiency. Thus, this automatic natural transformation (ANT) cloning provides an easy, robust, and affordable platform for high throughput DNA engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinglin Jiang
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Emilia Palazzotto
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Ewa Wybraniec
- Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Lachlan Jake Munro
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Haibo Zhang
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266101, P. R. China
| | - Douglas B. Kell
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology,Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, Biosciences Building, University of Liverpool, LiverpoolL69 7ZB, UK
| | - Tilmann Weber
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sang Yup Lee
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Plus Program), Center for Systems and Synthetic Biotechnology, Institute for the BioCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
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17
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Zhao M, García B, Gallo A, Tzanetakis IE, Simón-Mateo C, García JA, Pasin F. Home-made enzymatic premix and Illumina sequencing allow for one-step Gibson assembly and verification of virus infectious clones. PHYTOPATHOLOGY RESEARCH 2020; 2:36. [PMID: 33768973 PMCID: PMC7990137 DOI: 10.1186/s42483-020-00077-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
An unprecedented number of viruses have been discovered by leveraging advances in high-throughput sequencing. Infectious clone technology is a universal approach that facilitates the study of biology and role in disease of viruses. In recent years homology-based cloning methods such as Gibson assembly have been used to generate virus infectious clones. We detail herein the preparation of home-made cloning materials for Gibson assembly. The home-made materials were used in one-step generation of the infectious cDNA clone of a plant RNA virus into a T-DNA binary vector. The clone was verified by a single Illumina reaction and a de novo read assembly approach that required no primer walking, custom primers or reference sequences. Clone infectivity was finally confirmed by Agrobacterium-mediated delivery to host plants. We anticipate that the convenient home-made materials, one-step cloning and Illumina verification strategies described herein will accelerate characterization of viruses and their role in disease development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingmin Zhao
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Beatriz García
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Araiz Gallo
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ioannis E. Tzanetakis
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas System, 72701 Fayetteville, USA
| | | | | | - Fabio Pasin
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
- University of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy
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18
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Matsumura I. Methylase-assisted subcloning for high throughput BioBrick assembly. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9841. [PMID: 32974095 PMCID: PMC7489255 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The BioBrick standard makes possible iterated pairwise assembly of cloned parts without any depletion of unique restriction sites. Every part that conforms to the standard is compatible with every other part, thereby fostering a worldwide user community. The assembly methods, however, are labor intensive or inefficient compared to some newer ones so the standard may be falling out of favor. An easier way to assemble BioBricks is described herein. Plasmids encoding BioBrick parts are purified from Escherichia coli cells that express a foreign site-specific DNA methyltransferase, so that each is subsequently protected in vitro from the activity of a particular restriction endonuclease. Each plasmid is double-digested and all resulting restriction fragments are ligated together without gel purification. The ligation products are subsequently double-digested with another pair of restriction endonucleases so only the desired insert-recipient vector construct retains the capacity to transform E. coli. This 4R/2M BioBrick assembly protocol is more efficient and accurate than established workflows including 3A assembly. It is also much easier than gel purification to miniaturize, automate and perform more assembly reactions in parallel. As such, it should streamline DNA assembly for the existing community of BioBrick users, and possibly encourage others to join.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ichiro Matsumura
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
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19
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Nishioka D, Banno H. Construction of a cDNA expression library in a binary vector using a nicking enzyme. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY (TOKYO, JAPAN) 2020; 37:369-372. [PMID: 33088203 PMCID: PMC7557658 DOI: 10.5511/plantbiotechnology.20.0511c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Ligation-independent cloning (LIC), such as Gibson Assembly, tends to produce clones without an insert, depending on the sequences present at the ends of linearized vectors. We used a nicking enzyme-mediated LIC (NE-LIC) method to construct a cDNA library in a binary vector pER8. Prior to constructing the cDNA library, pilot experiments were carried out, in which the GUS coding sequence was cloned into pER8 using NE-LIC. Approximately 12% of input vector DNAs were converted to plasmids carrying a GUS insert, and no plasmids without an insert were detected, indicating that this strategy is highly effective for cloning with the binary vector pER8. Therefore, NE-LIC was adopted to construct a cDNA library in pER8, by using cDNA that was PCR-amplified from a library constructed in another vector. As a result, a cDNA library in pER8 was successfully constructed. During library construction, it is important to exclude plasmids without an insert, since contamination from plasmids without inserts decreases the efficiency of screening. Therefore, NE-LIC is useful for the construction of cDNA libraries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiki Nishioka
- Department of Environmental Biology, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University, Kasugai, Aichi 487-8501, Japan
| | - Hiroharu Banno
- Department of Environmental Biology, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University, Kasugai, Aichi 487-8501, Japan
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20
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Spakman D, King GA, Peterman EJG, Wuite GJL. Constructing arrays of nucleosome positioning sequences using Gibson Assembly for single-molecule studies. Sci Rep 2020; 10:9903. [PMID: 32555215 PMCID: PMC7303147 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66259-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
As the basic building blocks of chromatin, nucleosomes play a key role in dictating the accessibility of the eukaryotic genome. Consequently, nucleosomes are involved in essential genomic transactions such as DNA transcription, replication and repair. In order to unravel the mechanisms by which nucleosomes can influence, or be altered by, DNA-binding proteins, single-molecule techniques are increasingly employed. To this end, DNA molecules containing a defined series of nucleosome positioning sequences are often used to reconstitute arrays of nucleosomes in vitro. Here, we describe a novel method to prepare DNA molecules containing defined arrays of the ‘601’ nucleosome positioning sequence by exploiting Gibson Assembly cloning. The approaches presented here provide a more accessible and efficient means to generate arrays of nucleosome positioning motifs, and facilitate a high degree of control over the linker sequences between these motifs. Nucleosomes reconstituted on such arrays are ideal for interrogation with single-molecule techniques. To demonstrate this, we use dual-trap optical tweezers, in combination with fluorescence microscopy, to monitor nucleosome unwrapping and histone localisation as a function of tension. We reveal that, although nucleosomes unwrap at ~20 pN, histones (at least histone H3) remain bound to the DNA, even at tensions beyond 60 pN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dian Spakman
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, and LaserLaB Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Graeme A King
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, and LaserLaB Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. .,Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Erwin J G Peterman
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, and LaserLaB Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Gijs J L Wuite
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, and LaserLaB Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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21
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Pollak B, Matute T, Nuñez I, Cerda A, Lopez C, Vargas V, Kan A, Bielinski V, von Dassow P, Dupont CL, Federici F. Universal loop assembly: open, efficient and cross-kingdom DNA fabrication. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2020; 5:ysaa001. [PMID: 32161816 PMCID: PMC7052795 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysaa001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Standardized type IIS DNA assembly methods are becoming essential for biological engineering and research. These methods are becoming widespread and more accessible due to the proposition of a 'common syntax' that enables higher interoperability between DNA libraries. Currently, Golden Gate (GG)-based assembly systems, originally implemented in host-specific vectors, are being made compatible with multiple organisms. We have recently developed the GG-based Loop assembly system for plants, which uses a small library and an intuitive strategy for hierarchical fabrication of large DNA constructs (>30 kb). Here, we describe 'universal Loop' (uLoop) assembly, a system based on Loop assembly for use in potentially any organism of choice. This design permits the use of a compact number of plasmids (two sets of four odd and even vectors), which are utilized repeatedly in alternating steps. The elements required for transformation/maintenance in target organisms are also assembled as standardized parts, enabling customization of host-specific plasmids. Decoupling of the Loop assembly logic from the host-specific propagation elements enables universal DNA assembly that retains high efficiency regardless of the final host. As a proof-of-concept, we show the engineering of multigene expression vectors in diatoms, yeast, plants and bacteria. These resources are available through the OpenMTA for unrestricted sharing and open access.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernardo Pollak
- Microbial and Environmental Genomics Department, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago, Chile
- Fundación Ciencia y Vida, Santiago, Chile
| | - Tamara Matute
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago, Chile
- Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Isaac Nuñez
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago, Chile
- Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ariel Cerda
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Constanza Lopez
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Valentina Vargas
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Anton Kan
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Vincent Bielinski
- Microbial and Environmental Genomics Department, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Peter von Dassow
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía de Chile, Concepción, Chile
- UMI 3614 Evolutionary Biology and Ecology of Algae, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Universidad Austral de Chile, Station Biologique de Roscoff, 29680 Roscoff, France
| | - Chris L Dupont
- Microbial and Environmental Genomics Department, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Fernán Federici
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Fondo de Desarrollo de Áreas Prioritarias, Center for Genome Regulation, Santiago, Chile
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22
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Cataldo VF, Salgado V, Saa PA, Agosin E. Genomic integration of unclonable gene expression cassettes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using rapid cloning-free workflows. Microbiologyopen 2020; 9:e978. [PMID: 31944620 PMCID: PMC7066455 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Most DNA assembly methods require bacterial amplification steps, which restrict its application to genes that can be cloned in the bacterial host without significant toxic effects. However, genes that cannot be cloned in bacteria do not necessarily exert toxic effects on the final host. In order to tackle this issue, we adapted two DNA assembly workflows for rapid, cloning-free construction and genomic integration of expression cassettes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. One method is based on a modified Gibson assembly, while the other relies on a direct assembly and integration of linear PCR products by yeast homologous recombination. The methods require few simple experimental steps, and their performance was evaluated for the assembly and integration of unclonable zeaxanthin epoxidase expression cassettes in yeast. Results showed that up to 95% integration efficiency can be reached with minimal experimental effort. The presented workflows can be employed as rapid gene integration tools for yeast, especially tailored for integrating unclonable genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicente F Cataldo
- Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Valeria Salgado
- Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Pedro A Saa
- Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Eduardo Agosin
- Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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23
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Xia Y, Li K, Li J, Wang T, Gu L, Xun L. T5 exonuclease-dependent assembly offers a low-cost method for efficient cloning and site-directed mutagenesis. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:e15. [PMID: 30462336 PMCID: PMC6379645 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky1169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The assembly of DNA fragments with homologous arms is becoming popular in routine cloning. For an in vitro assembly reaction, a DNA polymerase is often used either alone for its 3'-5' exonuclease activity or together with a 5'-3' exonuclease for its DNA polymerase activity. Here, we present a 'T5 exonuclease DNA assembly' (TEDA) method that only uses a 5'-3' exonuclease. DNA fragments with short homologous ends were treated by T5 exonuclease and then transformed into Escherichia coli to produce clone colonies. The cloning efficiency was similar to that of the commercial In-Fusion method employing a proprietary DNA polymerase, but higher than that of the Gibson method utilizing T5 exonuclease, Phusion DNA polymerase, and DNA ligase. It also assembled multiple DNA fragments and did simultaneous site-directed mutagenesis at multiple sites. The reaction mixture was simple, and each reaction used 0.04 U of T5 exonuclease that cost 0.25 US cents. The simplicity, cost effectiveness, and cloning efficiency should promote its routine use, especially for labs with a budget constraint. TEDA may trigger further development of DNA assembly methods that employ single exonucleases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongzhen Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, P.R. China
| | - Kai Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, P.R. China
| | - Jingjing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, P.R. China
| | - Tianqi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, P.R. China
| | - Lichuan Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, P.R. China
| | - Luying Xun
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao 266237, P.R. China.,School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7520, USA
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24
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Walsh DI, Pavan M, Ortiz L, Wick S, Bobrow J, Guido NJ, Leinicke S, Fu D, Pandit S, Qin L, Carr PA, Densmore D. Standardizing Automated DNA Assembly: Best Practices, Metrics, and Protocols Using Robots. SLAS Technol 2019; 24:282-290. [PMID: 30768372 PMCID: PMC6819997 DOI: 10.1177/2472630318825335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The advancement of synthetic biology requires the ability to create new DNA sequences to produce unique behaviors in biological systems. Automation is increasingly employed to carry out well-established assembly methods of DNA fragments in a multiplexed, high-throughput fashion, allowing many different configurations to be tested simultaneously. However, metrics are required to determine when automation is warranted based on factors such as assembly methodology, protocol details, and number of samples. The goal of our synthetic biology automation work is to develop and test protocols, hardware, and software to investigate and optimize DNA assembly through quantifiable metrics. We performed a parameter analysis of DNA assembly to develop a standardized, highly efficient, and reproducible MoClo protocol, suitable to be used both manually and with liquid-handling robots. We created a key DNA assembly metric (Q-metric) to characterize a given automation method's advantages over conventional manual manipulations with regard to researchers' highest-priority parameters: output, cost, and time. A software tool called Puppeteer was developed to formally capture these metrics, help define the assembly design, and provide human and robotic liquid-handling instructions. Altogether, we contribute to a growing foundation of standardizing practices, metrics, and protocols for automating DNA assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- David I. Walsh
- Bioengineering Systems and Technologies, MIT-Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA, USA
- Synthetic Biology Center at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Marilene Pavan
- Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Luis Ortiz
- Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Scott Wick
- Bioengineering Systems and Technologies, MIT-Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA, USA
- Synthetic Biology Center at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Johanna Bobrow
- Bioengineering Systems and Technologies, MIT-Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA, USA
- Synthetic Biology Center at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nicholas J. Guido
- Bioengineering Systems and Technologies, MIT-Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA, USA
- Synthetic Biology Center at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sarah Leinicke
- Hariri Institute for Computing, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dany Fu
- Hariri Institute for Computing, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shreya Pandit
- Hariri Institute for Computing, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lucy Qin
- Hariri Institute for Computing, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter A. Carr
- Bioengineering Systems and Technologies, MIT-Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA, USA
- Synthetic Biology Center at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Douglas Densmore
- Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
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25
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Pasin F, Menzel W, Daròs J. Harnessed viruses in the age of metagenomics and synthetic biology: an update on infectious clone assembly and biotechnologies of plant viruses. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2019; 17:1010-1026. [PMID: 30677208 PMCID: PMC6523588 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Revised: 12/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Recent metagenomic studies have provided an unprecedented wealth of data, which are revolutionizing our understanding of virus diversity. A redrawn landscape highlights viruses as active players in the phytobiome, and surveys have uncovered their positive roles in environmental stress tolerance of plants. Viral infectious clones are key tools for functional characterization of known and newly identified viruses. Knowledge of viruses and their components has been instrumental for the development of modern plant molecular biology and biotechnology. In this review, we provide extensive guidelines built on current synthetic biology advances that streamline infectious clone assembly, thus lessening a major technical constraint of plant virology. The focus is on generation of infectious clones in binary T-DNA vectors, which are delivered efficiently to plants by Agrobacterium. We then summarize recent applications of plant viruses and explore emerging trends in microbiology, bacterial and human virology that, once translated to plant virology, could lead to the development of virus-based gene therapies for ad hoc engineering of plant traits. The systematic characterization of plant virus roles in the phytobiome and next-generation virus-based tools will be indispensable landmarks in the synthetic biology roadmap to better crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Pasin
- Agricultural Biotechnology Research CenterAcademia SinicaTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Wulf Menzel
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ‐German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell CulturesBraunschweigGermany
| | - José‐Antonio Daròs
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas‐Universitat Politècnica de València)ValenciaSpain
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26
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HamediRad M, Weisberg S, Chao R, Lian J, Zhao H. Highly Efficient Single-Pot Scarless Golden Gate Assembly. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:1047-1054. [PMID: 31013062 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.8b00480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Golden Gate assembly is one of the most widely used DNA assembly methods due to its robustness and modularity. However, despite its popularity, the need for BsaI-free parts, the introduction of scars between junctions, as well as the lack of a comprehensive study on the linkers hinders its more widespread use. Here, we first developed a novel sequencing scheme to test the efficiency and specificity of 96 linkers of 4-bp length and experimentally verified these linkers and their effects on Golden Gate assembly efficiency and specificity. We then used this sequencing data to generate 200 distinct linker sets that can be used by the community to perform efficient Golden Gate assemblies of different sizes and complexity. We also present a single-pot scarless Golden Gate assembly and BsaI removal scheme and its accompanying assembly design software to perform point mutations and Golden Gate assembly. This assembly scheme enables scarless assembly without compromising efficiency by choosing optimized linkers near assembly junctions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Huimin Zhao
- Departments of Chemistry and Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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27
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Metagenomics Approaches in Discovery and Development of New Bioactive Compounds from Marine Actinomycetes. Curr Microbiol 2019; 77:645-656. [PMID: 31069462 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-019-01698-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Marine actinomycetes are prolific sources of marine drug discovery system contributing for several bioactive compounds of biomedical prominence. Metagenomics, a culture-independent technique through its sequence- and function-based screening has led to the discovery and synthesis of numerous biologically significant compounds like polyketide synthase, Non-ribosomal peptide synthetase, antibiotics, and biocatalyst. While metagenomics offers different advantages over conventional sequencing techniques, they also have certain limitations including bias classification, non-availability of quality DNA samples, heterologous expression, and host selection. The assimilation of advanced amplification and screening methods such as φ29 DNA polymerase, Next-Generation Sequencing, Cosmids, and recent bioinformatics tools like automated genome mining, anti-SMASH have shown promising results to overcome these constrains. Consequently, functional genomics and bioinformatics along with synthetic biology will be crucial for the success of the metagenomic approach and indeed for exploring new possibilities among the microbial consortia for the future drug discovery process.
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Tran PN, Yen MR, Chiang CY, Lin HC, Chen PY. Detecting and prioritizing biosynthetic gene clusters for bioactive compounds in bacteria and fungi. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:3277-3287. [PMID: 30859257 PMCID: PMC6449301 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-09708-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 02/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Secondary metabolites (SM) produced by fungi and bacteria have long been of exceptional interest owing to their unique biomedical ramifications. The traditional discovery of new natural products that was mainly driven by bioactivity screening has now experienced a fresh new approach in the form of genome mining. Several bioinformatics tools have been continuously developed to detect potential biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that are responsible for the production of SM. Although the principles underlying the computation of these tools have been discussed, the biological background is left underrated and ambiguous. In this review, we emphasize the biological hypotheses in BGC formation driven from the observations across genomes in bacteria and fungi, and provide a comprehensive list of updated algorithms/tools exclusively for BGC detection. Our review points to a direction that the biological hypotheses should be systematically incorporated into the BGC prediction and assist the prioritization of candidate BGC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong Nguyen Tran
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Section 2, Academia Rd, Nangang District, Taipei City, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Ren Yen
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Section 2, Academia Rd, Nangang District, Taipei City, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Yu Chiang
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Section 2, Academia Rd, Nangang District, Taipei City, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Ching Lin
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Section 2, Academia Rd, Nangang District, Taipei City, 11529, Taiwan.
| | - Pao-Yang Chen
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Section 2, Academia Rd, Nangang District, Taipei City, 11529, Taiwan.
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Auxillos JY, Garcia-Ruiz E, Jones S, Li T, Jiang S, Dai J, Cai Y. Multiplex Genome Engineering for Optimizing Bioproduction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biochemistry 2019; 58:1492-1500. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b01086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Y. Auxillos
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB), School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, United Kingdom
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, King’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JY, United Kingdom
| | - Eva Garcia-Ruiz
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB), School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, United Kingdom
| | - Sally Jones
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB), School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, United Kingdom
| | - Tianyi Li
- Center for Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Shuangying Jiang
- Center for Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Junbiao Dai
- Center for Synthetic Genomics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yizhi Cai
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB), School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, United Kingdom
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Exley K, Reynolds CR, Suckling L, Chee SM, Tsipa A, Freemont PS, McClymont D, Kitney RI. Utilising datasheets for the informed automated design and build of a synthetic metabolic pathway. J Biol Eng 2019; 13:8. [PMID: 30675181 PMCID: PMC6339355 DOI: 10.1186/s13036-019-0141-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The automation of modular cloning methodologies permits the assembly of many genetic designs. Utilising characterised biological parts aids in the design and redesign of genetic pathways. The characterisation information held on datasheets can be used to determine whether a biological part meets the design requirements. To manage the design of genetic pathways, researchers have turned to modelling-based computer aided design software tools. RESULT An automated workflow has been developed for the design and build of heterologous metabolic pathways. In addition, to demonstrate the powers of electronic datasheets we have developed software which can transfer part information from a datasheet to the Design of Experiment software JMP. To this end we were able to use Design of Experiment software to rationally design and test randomised samples from the design space of a lycopene pathway in E. coli. This pathway was optimised by individually modulating the promoter strength, RBS strength, and gene order targets. CONCLUSION The use of standardised and characterised biological parts will empower a design-oriented synthetic biology for the forward engineering of heterologous expression systems. A Design of Experiment approach streamlines the design-build-test cycle to achieve optimised solutions in biodesign. Developed automated workflows provide effective transfer of information between characterised information (in the form of datasheets) and DoE software.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kealan Exley
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Christopher Robert Reynolds
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Lorna Suckling
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- The London DNA Foundry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Soo Mei Chee
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- SynbiCITE, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Argyro Tsipa
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- SynbiCITE, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Paul S. Freemont
- SynbiCITE, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Section of Structural Biology, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Richard Ian Kitney
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- SynbiCITE, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Herbst E, Baldera-Aguayo PA, Lee H, Cornish VW. A Yeast Three Hybrid Assay for Metabolic Engineering of Tetracycline Derivatives. Biochemistry 2018; 57:4726-4734. [PMID: 29956923 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic engineering stands to transform the discovery and production of a wide range of chemicals, but metabolic engineering currently demands considerable resource investments that restrict commercial application. To facilitate the applicability of metabolic engineering, general high-throughput and readily implemented technologies are needed to assay vast libraries of strains producing desirable chemicals. Toward this end, we describe here the development of a yeast three hybrid (Y3H) assay as a general, high-throughput, versatile and readily implemented approach for the detection of target molecule biosynthesis. Our system detects target molecule biosynthesis through a change in reporter gene transcription that results from the binding of the target molecule to a modular protein receptor. We demonstrate the use of the Y3H assay for detecting the biosynthesis of tetracyclines, a major class of antibiotics, based on the interaction between tetracyclines and the tetracycline repressor protein (TetR). Various tetracycline derivatives can be detected using our assay, whose versatility enables its use both as a screen and a selection to match the needs and instrumentation of a wide range of end users. We demonstrate the applicability of the Y3H assay to metabolic engineering by differentiating between producer and nonproducer strains of the natural product tetracycline TAN-1612. The Y3H assay is superior to state-of-the-art HPLC-MS methods in throughput and limit of detection of tetracycline derivatives. Finally, our establishment of the Y3H assay for detecting the biosynthesis of a tetracycline supports the generality of the Y3H assay for detecting the biosynthesis of many other target molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehud Herbst
- Department of Chemistry , Columbia University , New York , New York 10027 , United States
| | - Pedro A Baldera-Aguayo
- Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Studies , Columbia University , New York , New York 10032 , United States
| | - Hyunwook Lee
- Department of Chemistry , Columbia University , New York , New York 10027 , United States
| | - Virginia W Cornish
- Department of Chemistry , Columbia University , New York , New York 10027 , United States.,Department of Systems Biology , Columbia University , New York , New York 10032 , United States
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Vieira Gomes AM, Souza Carmo T, Silva Carvalho L, Mendonça Bahia F, Parachin NS. Comparison of Yeasts as Hosts for Recombinant Protein Production. Microorganisms 2018; 6:microorganisms6020038. [PMID: 29710826 PMCID: PMC6027275 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms6020038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Recombinant protein production emerged in the early 1980s with the development of genetic engineering tools, which represented a compelling alternative to protein extraction from natural sources. Over the years, a high level of heterologous protein was made possible in a variety of hosts ranging from the bacteria Escherichia coli to mammalian cells. Recombinant protein importance is represented by its market size, which reached $1654 million in 2016 and is expected to reach $2850.5 million by 2022. Among the available hosts, yeasts have been used for producing a great variety of proteins applied to chemicals, fuels, food, and pharmaceuticals, being one of the most used hosts for recombinant production nowadays. Historically, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was the dominant yeast host for heterologous protein production. Lately, other yeasts such as Komagataella sp., Kluyveromyces lactis, and Yarrowia lipolytica have emerged as advantageous hosts. In this review, a comparative analysis is done listing the advantages and disadvantages of using each host regarding the availability of genetic tools, strategies for cultivation in bioreactors, and the main techniques utilized for protein purification. Finally, examples of each host will be discussed regarding the total amount of protein recovered and its bioactivity due to correct folding and glycosylation patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Milton Vieira Gomes
- Grupo Engenharia de Biocatalisadores, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Bloco K 1º andar, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, CEP 70.790-900 Brasília-DF, Brazil.
| | - Talita Souza Carmo
- Grupo Engenharia de Biocatalisadores, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Bloco K 1º andar, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, CEP 70.790-900 Brasília-DF, Brazil.
| | - Lucas Silva Carvalho
- Grupo Engenharia de Biocatalisadores, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Bloco K 1º andar, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, CEP 70.790-900 Brasília-DF, Brazil.
| | - Frederico Mendonça Bahia
- Grupo Engenharia de Biocatalisadores, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Bloco K 1º andar, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, CEP 70.790-900 Brasília-DF, Brazil.
| | - Nádia Skorupa Parachin
- Grupo Engenharia de Biocatalisadores, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Bloco K 1º andar, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, CEP 70.790-900 Brasília-DF, Brazil.
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van Dolleweerd CJ, Kessans SA, Van de Bittner KC, Bustamante LY, Bundela R, Scott B, Nicholson MJ, Parker EJ. MIDAS: A Modular DNA Assembly System for Synthetic Biology. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:1018-1029. [PMID: 29620866 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A modular and hierarchical DNA assembly platform for synthetic biology based on Golden Gate (Type IIS restriction enzyme) cloning is described. This enabling technology, termed MIDAS (for Modular Idempotent DNA Assembly System), can be used to precisely assemble multiple DNA fragments in a single reaction using a standardized assembly design. It can be used to build genes from libraries of sequence-verified, reusable parts and to assemble multiple genes in a single vector, with full user control over gene order and orientation, as well as control of the direction of growth (polarity) of the multigene assembly, a feature that allows genes to be nested between other genes or genetic elements. We describe the detailed design and use of MIDAS, exemplified by the reconstruction, in the filamentous fungus Penicillium paxilli, of the metabolic pathway for production of paspaline and paxilline, key intermediates in the biosynthesis of a range of indole diterpenes-a class of secondary metabolites produced by several species of filamentous fungi. MIDAS was used to efficiently assemble a 25.2 kb plasmid from 21 different modules (seven genes, each composed of three basic parts). By using a parts library-based system for construction of complex assemblies, and a unique set of vectors, MIDAS can provide a flexible route to assembling tailored combinations of genes and other genetic elements, thereby supporting synthetic biology applications in a wide range of expression hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig J. van Dolleweerd
- Protein Science & Engineering, Callaghan Innovation, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Sarah A. Kessans
- Department of Chemistry, University of Canterbury, 20 Kirkwood Avenue, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Kyle C. Van de Bittner
- Department of Chemistry, University of Canterbury, 20 Kirkwood Avenue, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
- Ferrier Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
| | - Leyla Y. Bustamante
- Department of Chemistry, University of Canterbury, 20 Kirkwood Avenue, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
- Ferrier Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
| | - Rudranuj Bundela
- Department of Chemistry, University of Canterbury, 20 Kirkwood Avenue, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Barry Scott
- Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
| | - Matthew J. Nicholson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Canterbury, 20 Kirkwood Avenue, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
- Ferrier Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
| | - Emily J. Parker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Canterbury, 20 Kirkwood Avenue, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
- Ferrier Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn, Wellington 6012, New Zealand
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Lukan T, Machens F, Coll A, Baebler Š, Messerschmidt K, Gruden K. Plant X-tender: An extension of the AssemblX system for the assembly and expression of multigene constructs in plants. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0190526. [PMID: 29300787 PMCID: PMC5754074 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cloning multiple DNA fragments for delivery of several genes of interest into the plant genome is one of the main technological challenges in plant synthetic biology. Despite several modular assembly methods developed in recent years, the plant biotechnology community has not widely adopted them yet, probably due to the lack of appropriate vectors and software tools. Here we present Plant X-tender, an extension of the highly efficient, scar-free and sequence-independent multigene assembly strategy AssemblX, based on overlap-depended cloning methods and rare-cutting restriction enzymes. Plant X-tender consists of a set of plant expression vectors and the protocols for most efficient cloning into the novel vector set needed for plant expression and thus introduces advantages of AssemblX into plant synthetic biology. The novel vector set covers different backbones and selection markers to allow full design flexibility. We have included ccdB counterselection, thereby allowing the transfer of multigene constructs into the novel vector set in a straightforward and highly efficient way. Vectors are available as empty backbones and are fully flexible regarding the orientation of expression cassettes and addition of linkers between them, if required. We optimised the assembly and subcloning protocol by testing different scar-less assembly approaches: the noncommercial SLiCE and TAR methods and the commercial Gibson assembly and NEBuilder HiFi DNA assembly kits. Plant X-tender was applicable even in combination with low efficient homemade chemically competent or electrocompetent Escherichia coli. We have further validated the developed procedure for plant protein expression by cloning two cassettes into the newly developed vectors and subsequently transferred them to Nicotiana benthamiana in a transient expression setup. Thereby we show that multigene constructs can be delivered into plant cells in a streamlined and highly efficient way. Our results will support faster introduction of synthetic biology into plant science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tjaša Lukan
- National Institute of Biology, Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- * E-mail:
| | - Fabian Machens
- University of Potsdam, Cell2Fab Research Unit, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Anna Coll
- National Institute of Biology, Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Špela Baebler
- National Institute of Biology, Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Kristina Gruden
- National Institute of Biology, Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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35
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Bates M, Lachoff J, Meech D, Zulkower V, Moisy A, Luo Y, Tekotte H, Franziska Scheitz CJ, Khilari R, Mazzoldi F, Chandran D, Groban E. Genetic Constructor: An Online DNA Design Platform. ACS Synth Biol 2017; 6:2362-2365. [PMID: 29020772 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Genetic Constructor is a cloud Computer Aided Design (CAD) application developed to support synthetic biologists from design intent through DNA fabrication and experiment iteration. The platform allows users to design, manage, and navigate complex DNA constructs and libraries, using a new visual language that focuses on functional parts abstracted from sequence. Features like combinatorial libraries and automated primer design allow the user to separate design from construction by focusing on functional intent, and design constraints aid iterative refinement of designs. A plugin architecture enables contributions from scientists and coders to leverage existing powerful software and connect to DNA foundries. The software is easily accessible and platform agnostic, free for academics, and available in an open-source community edition. Genetic Constructor seeks to democratize DNA design, manufacture, and access to tools and services from the synthetic biology community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxwell Bates
- Autodesk Life Sciences , San Francisco, California 94111, United States
| | - Joe Lachoff
- Autodesk Life Sciences , San Francisco, California 94111, United States
| | - Duncan Meech
- Autodesk Life Sciences , San Francisco, California 94111, United States
| | - Valentin Zulkower
- Edinburgh Genome Foundry, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh EH9 3BF, U.K
| | - Anaïs Moisy
- Edinburgh Genome Foundry, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh EH9 3BF, U.K
| | - Yisha Luo
- Edinburgh Genome Foundry, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh EH9 3BF, U.K
| | - Hille Tekotte
- Edinburgh Genome Foundry, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh EH9 3BF, U.K
| | | | - Rupal Khilari
- Autodesk Life Sciences , San Francisco, California 94111, United States
| | | | - Deepak Chandran
- Radiant Genomics , Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Eli Groban
- Autodesk Life Sciences , San Francisco, California 94111, United States
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36
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Jia B, Jeon CO. High-throughput recombinant protein expression in Escherichia coli: current status and future perspectives. Open Biol 2017; 6:rsob.160196. [PMID: 27581654 PMCID: PMC5008019 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.160196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The ease of genetic manipulation, low cost, rapid growth and number of previous studies have made Escherichia coli one of the most widely used microorganism species for producing recombinant proteins. In this post-genomic era, challenges remain to rapidly express and purify large numbers of proteins for academic and commercial purposes in a high-throughput manner. In this review, we describe several state-of-the-art approaches that are suitable for the cloning, expression and purification, conducted in parallel, of numerous molecules, and we discuss recent progress related to soluble protein expression, mRNA folding, fusion tags, post-translational modification and production of membrane proteins. Moreover, we address the ongoing efforts to overcome various challenges faced in protein expression in E. coli, which could lead to an improvement of the current system from trial and error to a predictable and rational design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baolei Jia
- Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea
| | - Che Ok Jeon
- Department of Life Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea
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37
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Zeng F, Zang J, Zhang S, Hao Z, Dong J, Lin Y. AFEAP cloning: a precise and efficient method for large DNA sequence assembly. BMC Biotechnol 2017; 17:81. [PMID: 29137618 PMCID: PMC5686892 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-017-0394-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Recent development of DNA assembly technologies has spurred myriad advances in synthetic biology, but new tools are always required for complicated scenarios. Here, we have developed an alternative DNA assembly method named AFEAP cloning (Assembly of Fragment Ends After PCR), which allows scarless, modular, and reliable construction of biological pathways and circuits from basic genetic parts. Methods The AFEAP method requires two-round of PCRs followed by ligation of the sticky ends of DNA fragments. The first PCR yields linear DNA fragments and is followed by a second asymmetric (one primer) PCR and subsequent annealing that inserts overlapping overhangs at both sides of each DNA fragment. The overlapping overhangs of the neighboring DNA fragments annealed and the nick was sealed by T4 DNA ligase, followed by bacterial transformation to yield the desired plasmids. Results We characterized the capability and limitations of new developed AFEAP cloning and demonstrated its application to assemble DNA with varying scenarios. Under the optimized conditions, AFEAP cloning allows assembly of an 8 kb plasmid from 1-13 fragments with high accuracy (between 80 and 100%), and 8.0, 11.6, 19.6, 28, and 35.6 kb plasmids from five fragments at 91.67, 91.67, 88.33, 86.33, and 81.67% fidelity, respectively. AFEAP cloning also is capable to construct bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC, 200 kb) with a fidelity of 46.7%. Conclusions AFEAP cloning provides a powerful, efficient, seamless, and sequence-independent DNA assembly tool for multiple fragments up to 13 and large DNA up to 200 kb that expands synthetic biologist’s toolbox. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi: 10.1186/s12896-017-0394-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanli Zeng
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinping Zang
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China
| | - Suhua Zhang
- Institute of Biophysics, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, 300401, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhimin Hao
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingao Dong
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yibin Lin
- McGovern Medical School, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, 77030, USA.
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38
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Liang J, Liu Z, Low XZ, Ang EL, Zhao H. Twin-primer non-enzymatic DNA assembly: an efficient and accurate multi-part DNA assembly method. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:e94. [PMID: 28334760 PMCID: PMC5499748 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA assembly forms the cornerstone of modern synthetic biology. Despite the numerous available methods, scarless multi-fragment assembly of large plasmids remains challenging. Furthermore, the upcoming wave in molecular biological automation demands a rethinking of how we perform DNA assembly. To streamline automation workflow and minimize operator intervention, a non-enzymatic assembly method is highly desirable. Here, we report the optimization and operationalization of a process called Twin-Primer Assembly (TPA), which is a method to assemble polymerase chain reaction-amplified fragments into a plasmid without the use of enzymes. TPA is capable of assembling a 7 kb plasmid from 10 fragments at ∼80% fidelity and a 31 kb plasmid from five fragments at ∼50% fidelity. TPA cloning is scarless and sequence independent. Even without the use of enzymes, the performance of TPA is on par with some of the best in vitro assembly methods currently available. TPA should be an invaluable addition to a synthetic biologist's toolbox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Liang
- Metabolic Engineering Research Laboratory, Science and Engineering Institutes, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138669, Singapore
| | - Zihe Liu
- Metabolic Engineering Research Laboratory, Science and Engineering Institutes, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138669, Singapore
| | - Xi Z Low
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Ee L Ang
- Metabolic Engineering Research Laboratory, Science and Engineering Institutes, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138669, Singapore
| | - Huimin Zhao
- Metabolic Engineering Research Laboratory, Science and Engineering Institutes, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138669, Singapore.,NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, Singapore 129957, Singapore
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39
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Yamazaki KI, de Mora K, Saitoh K. BioBrick-based 'Quick Gene Assembly' in vitro. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2017; 2:ysx003. [PMID: 32995504 PMCID: PMC7513740 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysx003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2016] [Revised: 04/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Because of the technological limitations of de novo DNA synthesis in (i) making constructs containing tandemly repeated DNA sequence units, (ii) making an unbiased DNA library containing DNA fragments with sequence multiplicity in a specific region of target genes, and (iii) replacing DNA fragments, development of efficient and reliable biochemical gene assembly methods is still anticipated. We succeeded in developing a biological standardized genetic parts that are flanked between a common upstream and downstream nucleotide sequences in an appropriate plasmid DNA vector (BioBrick)-based novel assembly method that can be used to assemble genes composed of 25 tandemly repeated BioBricks in the correct format in vitro. We named our new DNA part assembly system: ‘Quick Gene Assembly (QGA)’. The time required for finishing a sequential fusion of five BioBricks is less than 24 h. We believe that the QGA method could be one of the best methods for ‘gene construction based on engineering principles’ at the present time, and is also a method suitable for automation in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken-Ichi Yamazaki
- Laboratory of Environmental Molecular Biology, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Kim de Mora
- iGEM Foundation, One Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kensuke Saitoh
- Laboratory of Environmental Molecular Biology, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Kita 10, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
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40
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Woodruff LBA, Gorochowski TE, Roehner N, Mikkelsen TS, Densmore D, Gordon DB, Nicol R, Voigt CA. Registry in a tube: multiplexed pools of retrievable parts for genetic design space exploration. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:1553-1565. [PMID: 28007941 PMCID: PMC5388403 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw1226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic designs can consist of dozens of genes and hundreds of genetic parts. After evaluating a design, it is desirable to implement changes without the cost and burden of starting the construction process from scratch. Here, we report a two-step process where a large design space is divided into deep pools of composite parts, from which individuals are retrieved and assembled to build a final construct. The pools are built via multiplexed assembly and sequenced using next-generation sequencing. Each pool consists of ∼20 Mb of up to 5000 unique and sequence-verified composite parts that are barcoded for retrieval by PCR. This approach is applied to a 16-gene nitrogen fixation pathway, which is broken into pools containing a total of 55 848 composite parts (71.0 Mb). The pools encompass an enormous design space (1043 possible 23 kb constructs), from which an algorithm-guided 192-member 4.5 Mb library is built. Next, all 1030 possible genetic circuits based on 10 repressors (NOR/NOT gates) are encoded in pools where each repressor is fused to all permutations of input promoters. These demonstrate that multiplexing can be applied to encompass entire design spaces from which individuals can be accessed and evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren B A Woodruff
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Thomas E Gorochowski
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nicholas Roehner
- Biological Design Center, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tarjei S Mikkelsen
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Douglas Densmore
- Biological Design Center, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - D Benjamin Gordon
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Robert Nicol
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Christopher A Voigt
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
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41
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Basitta P, Westrich L, Rösch M, Kulik A, Gust B, Apel AK. AGOS: A Plug-and-Play Method for the Assembly of Artificial Gene Operons into Functional Biosynthetic Gene Clusters. ACS Synth Biol 2017; 6:817-825. [PMID: 28182401 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.6b00319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The generation of novel secondary metabolites by reengineering or refactoring biochemical pathways is a rewarding but also challenging goal of synthetic biology. For this, the development of tools for the reconstruction of secondary metabolite gene clusters as well as the challenge of understanding the obstacles in this process is of great interest. The artificial gene operon assembly system (AGOS) is a plug-and-play method developed as a tool to consecutively assemble artificial gene operons into a destination vector and subsequently express them under the control of a de-repressed promoter in a Streptomyces host strain. AGOS was designed as a set of entry plasmids for the construction of artificial gene operons and a SuperCos1 based destination vector, into which the constructed operons can be assembled by Red/ET-mediated recombination. To provide a proof-of-concept of this method, we disassembled the well-known novobiocin biosynthetic gene cluster into four gene operons, encoding for the different moieties of novobiocin. We then genetically reorganized these gene operons with the help of AGOS to finally obtain the complete novobiocin gene cluster again. The production of novobiocin precursors and of novobiocin could successfully be detected by LC-MS and LC-MS/MS. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the omission of terminator sequences only had a minor impact on product formation in our system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Basitta
- Pharmaceutical
Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Tübingen, Auf
der Morgenstelle 8, Tübingen, 72076, Germany
| | - Lucia Westrich
- Pharmaceutical
Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Tübingen, Auf
der Morgenstelle 8, Tübingen, 72076, Germany
| | - Manuela Rösch
- Pharmaceutical
Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Tübingen, Auf
der Morgenstelle 8, Tübingen, 72076, Germany
| | | | - Bertolt Gust
- Pharmaceutical
Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Tübingen, Auf
der Morgenstelle 8, Tübingen, 72076, Germany
| | - Alexander Kristian Apel
- Pharmaceutical
Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Tübingen, Auf
der Morgenstelle 8, Tübingen, 72076, Germany
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42
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Larson CB, Crüsemann M, Moore BS. PCR-Independent Method of Transformation-Associated Recombination Reveals the Cosmomycin Biosynthetic Gene Cluster in an Ocean Streptomycete. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2017; 80:1200-1204. [PMID: 28333450 PMCID: PMC5714584 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.6b01121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The transformation-associated recombination cloning methodology facilitates the genomic capture and heterologous expression of natural product biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). We have streamlined this procedure by introduction of synthetic DNA gene blocks for the efficient capture of BGCs. We show the successful capture and expression of the aromatic polyketide antitumor agent cosmomycin from streptomycete bacteria and the discovery of new cosmomycin analogues by mass spectral molecular networking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles B. Larson
- Center for Marine Biotechnology & Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Max Crüsemann
- Center for Marine Biotechnology & Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Bradley S. Moore
- Center for Marine Biotechnology & Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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43
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Chen X, Gao C, Guo L, Hu G, Luo Q, Liu J, Nielsen J, Chen J, Liu L. DCEO Biotechnology: Tools To Design, Construct, Evaluate, and Optimize the Metabolic Pathway for Biosynthesis of Chemicals. Chem Rev 2017; 118:4-72. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiulai Chen
- State
Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key
Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Cong Gao
- State
Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key
Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Liang Guo
- State
Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key
Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Guipeng Hu
- State
Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key
Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Qiuling Luo
- State
Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key
Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Jia Liu
- State
Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key
Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Jens Nielsen
- Department
of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg SE-412 96, Sweden
- Novo
Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, DK2800 Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Jian Chen
- State
Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Key
Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Liming Liu
- State
Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
- Department
of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg SE-412 96, Sweden
- Key
Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
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44
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Abstract
Most reconstruction methods for genomes of ancient origin that are used today require a closely related reference. In order to identify genomic rearrangements or the deletion of whole genes, de novo assembly has to be used. However, because of inherent problems with ancient DNA, its de novo assembly is highly complicated. In order to tackle the diversity in the length of the input reads, we propose a two-layer approach, where multiple assemblies are generated in the first layer, which are then combined in the second layer. We used this two-layer assembly to generate assemblies for two different ancient samples and compared the results to current de novo assembly approaches. We are able to improve the assembly with respect to the length of the contigs and can resolve more repetitive regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Seitz
- Center for Bioinformatics (ZBIT), Integrative Transcriptomics, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen , Tübingen , Germany
| | - Kay Nieselt
- Center for Bioinformatics (ZBIT), Integrative Transcriptomics, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen , Tübingen , Germany
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45
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Ren H, Wang B, Zhao H. Breaking the silence: new strategies for discovering novel natural products. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2017; 48:21-27. [PMID: 28288336 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2017.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Natural products have been a prolific source of antibacterial and anticancer drugs for decades. One of the major challenges in natural product discovery is that the vast majority of natural product biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) have not been characterized, partially due to the fact that they are either transcriptionally silent or expressed at very low levels under standard laboratory conditions. Here we describe the strategies developed in recent years (mostly between 2014-2016) for activating silent BGCs. These strategies can be broadly divided into two categories: approaches in native hosts and approaches in heterologous hosts. In addition, we briefly discuss recent advances in developing new computational tools for identification and characterization of BGCs and high-throughput methods for detection of natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hengqian Ren
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
| | - Bin Wang
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
| | - Huimin Zhao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States; Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States.
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46
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Abstract
Efficacy of de novo gene synthesis largely depends on the quality of overlapping oligonucleotides used as template for PCR assembly. The error rate associated with current gene synthesis protocols limits the efficient and accurate production of synthetic genes, both in the small and large scales. Here, we analysed the ability of different endonuclease enzymes, which specifically recognize and cleave DNA mismatches resulting from incorrect impairments between DNA strands, to remove mutations accumulated in synthetic genes. The gfp gene, which encodes the green fluorescent protein, was artificially synthesized using an integrated protocol including an enzymatic mismatch cleavage step (EMC) following gene assembly. Functional and sequence analysis of resulting artificial genes revealed that number of deletions, insertions and substitutions was strongly reduced when T7 endonuclease I was used for mutation removal. This method diminished mutation frequency by eightfold relative to gene synthesis not incorporating an error correction step. Overall, EMC using T7 endonuclease I improved the population of error-free synthetic genes, resulting in an error frequency of 0.43 errors per 1 kb. Taken together, data presented here reveal that incorporation of a mutation-removal step including T7 endonuclease I can effectively improve the fidelity of artificial gene synthesis.
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47
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Reider Apel A, d'Espaux L, Wehrs M, Sachs D, Li RA, Tong GJ, Garber M, Nnadi O, Zhuang W, Hillson NJ, Keasling JD, Mukhopadhyay A. A Cas9-based toolkit to program gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:496-508. [PMID: 27899650 PMCID: PMC5224472 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw1023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Revised: 10/12/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the extensive use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a platform for synthetic biology, strain engineering remains slow and laborious. Here, we employ CRISPR/Cas9 technology to build a cloning-free toolkit that addresses commonly encountered obstacles in metabolic engineering, including chromosomal integration locus and promoter selection, as well as protein localization and solubility. The toolkit includes 23 Cas9-sgRNA plasmids, 37 promoters of various strengths and temporal expression profiles, and 10 protein-localization, degradation and solubility tags. We facilitated the use of these parts via a web-based tool, that automates the generation of DNA fragments for integration. Our system builds upon existing gene editing methods in the thoroughness with which the parts are standardized and characterized, the types and number of parts available and the ease with which our methodology can be used to perform genetic edits in yeast. We demonstrated the applicability of this toolkit by optimizing the expression of a challenging but industrially important enzyme, taxadiene synthase (TXS). This approach enabled us to diagnose an issue with TXS solubility, the resolution of which yielded a 25-fold improvement in taxadiene production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Reider Apel
- DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, California, CA 94608, USA
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, CA 94720, USA
| | - Leo d'Espaux
- DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, California, CA 94608, USA
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, CA 94720, USA
| | - Maren Wehrs
- DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, California, CA 94608, USA
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, CA 94720, USA
| | - Daniel Sachs
- DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, California, CA 94608, USA
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, CA 94720, USA
| | - Rachel A Li
- DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, California, CA 94608, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, CA 94720, USA
| | - Gary J Tong
- DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, California, CA 94608, USA
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, CA 94720, USA
| | - Megan Garber
- DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, California, CA 94608, USA
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, CA 94720, USA
| | - Oge Nnadi
- DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, California, CA 94608, USA
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, CA 94720, USA
| | - William Zhuang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, CA 94720, USA
| | - Nathan J Hillson
- DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, California, CA 94608, USA
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, CA 94720, USA
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California, CA 94598, USA
| | - Jay D Keasling
- DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, California, CA 94608, USA
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, CA 94720, USA
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California, CA 94598, USA
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Sustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Aindrila Mukhopadhyay
- DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, California, CA 94608, USA
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, CA 94720, USA
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48
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Messerschmidt SJ, Schindler D, Zumkeller CM, Kemter FS, Schallopp N, Waldminghaus T. Optimization and Characterization of the Synthetic Secondary Chromosome synVicII in Escherichia coli. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2016; 4:96. [PMID: 28066763 PMCID: PMC5179572 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2016.00096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning by building is one of the core ideas of synthetic biology research. Consequently, building synthetic chromosomes is the way to fully understand chromosome characteristics. The last years have seen exciting synthetic chromosome studies. We had previously introduced the synthetic secondary chromosome synVicII in Escherichia coli. It is based on the replication mechanism of the secondary chromosome in Vibrio cholerae. Here, we present a detailed analysis of its genetic characteristics and a selection approach to optimize replicon stability. We probe the origin diversity of secondary chromosomes from Vibrionaceae by construction of several new respective replicons. Finally, we present a synVicII version 2.0 with several innovations including its full compatibility with the popular modular cloning (MoClo) assembly system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja J Messerschmidt
- LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, SYNMIKRO, Philipps-Universität Marburg , Marburg , Germany
| | - Daniel Schindler
- LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, SYNMIKRO, Philipps-Universität Marburg , Marburg , Germany
| | - Celine M Zumkeller
- LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, SYNMIKRO, Philipps-Universität Marburg , Marburg , Germany
| | - Franziska S Kemter
- LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, SYNMIKRO, Philipps-Universität Marburg , Marburg , Germany
| | - Nadine Schallopp
- LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, SYNMIKRO, Philipps-Universität Marburg , Marburg , Germany
| | - Torsten Waldminghaus
- LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, SYNMIKRO, Philipps-Universität Marburg , Marburg , Germany
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49
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Construction of a minimal genome as a chassis for synthetic biology. Essays Biochem 2016; 60:337-346. [DOI: 10.1042/ebc20160024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Revised: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Microbial diversity and complexity pose challenges in understanding the voluminous genetic information produced from whole-genome sequences, bioinformatics and high-throughput ‘-omics’ research. These challenges can be overcome by a core blueprint of a genome drawn with a minimal gene set, which is essential for life. Systems biology and large-scale gene inactivation studies have estimated the number of essential genes to be ∼300–500 in many microbial genomes. On the basis of the essential gene set information, minimal-genome strains have been generated using sophisticated genome engineering techniques, such as genome reduction and chemical genome synthesis. Current size-reduced genomes are not perfect minimal genomes, but chemically synthesized genomes have just been constructed. Some minimal genomes provide various desirable functions for bioindustry, such as improved genome stability, increased transformation efficacy and improved production of biomaterials. The minimal genome as a chassis genome for synthetic biology can be used to construct custom-designed genomes for various practical and industrial applications.
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50
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Kim SH, Cavaleiro AM, Rennig M, Nørholm MHH. SEVA Linkers: A Versatile and Automatable DNA Backbone Exchange Standard for Synthetic Biology. ACS Synth Biol 2016; 5:1177-1181. [PMID: 26917044 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.5b00257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
DNA vectors serve to maintain and select recombinant DNA in cell factories, and as design complexity increases, there is a greater need for well-characterized parts and methods for their assembly. Standards in synthetic biology are top priority, but standardizing molecular cloning contrasts flexibility, and different researchers prefer and master different molecular technologies. Here, we describe a new, highly versatile and automatable standard "SEVA linkers" for vector exchange. SEVA linkers enable backbone swapping with 20 combinations of classical enzymatic restriction/ligation, Gibson isothermal assembly, uracil excision cloning, and a nicking enzyme-based methodology we term SEVA cloning. SEVA cloning is a simplistic one-tube protocol for backbone swapping directly from plasmid stock solutions. We demonstrate the different performance of 30 plasmid backbones for small molecule and protein production and obtain more than 10-fold improvement from a four-gene biosynthetic pathway and 430-fold improvement with a difficult-to-express membrane protein. The standardized linkers and protocols add to the Standard European Vectors Architecture (SEVA) resource and are freely available to the synthetic biology community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Se Hyeuk Kim
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center
for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Hørsholm DK-2970, Denmark
| | - Ana Mafalda Cavaleiro
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center
for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Hørsholm DK-2970, Denmark
| | - Maja Rennig
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center
for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Hørsholm DK-2970, Denmark
| | - Morten H. H. Nørholm
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center
for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Hørsholm DK-2970, Denmark
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