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Xie X, Ding D, Bai D, Zhu Y, Sun W, Sun Y, Zhang D. Melatonin biosynthesis pathways in nature and its production in engineered microorganisms. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2022; 7:544-553. [PMID: 35087957 PMCID: PMC8761603 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2021.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Melatonin is a biogenic amine that can be found in plants, animals and microorganism. The metabolic pathway of melatonin is different in various organisms, and biosynthetic endogenous melatonin acts as a molecular signal and antioxidant protection against external stress. Microbial synthesis pathways of melatonin are similar to those of animals but different from those of plants. At present, the method of using microorganism fermentation to produce melatonin is gradually prevailing, and exploring the biosynthetic pathway of melatonin to modify microorganism is becoming the mainstream, which has more advantages than traditional chemical synthesis. Here, we review recent advances in the synthesis, optimization of melatonin pathway. l-tryptophan is one of the two crucial precursors for the synthesis of melatonin, which can be produced through a four-step reaction. Enzymes involved in melatonin synthesis have low specificity and catalytic efficiency. Site-directed mutation, directed evolution or promotion of cofactor synthesis can enhance enzyme activity and increase the metabolic flow to promote microbial melatonin production. On the whole, the status and bottleneck of melatonin biosynthesis can be improved to a higher level, providing an effective reference for future microbial modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaotong Xie
- Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, 116000, PR China
| | - Dongqin Ding
- Tianjin Institutes of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, PR China
- Biodesign Center, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, PR China
| | - Danyang Bai
- Tianjin Institutes of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, PR China
- Biodesign Center, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, PR China
| | - Yaru Zhu
- Tianjin Institutes of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, PR China
- Biodesign Center, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, PR China
| | - Wei Sun
- Tianjin University of science and technology, Tianjin, 300308, PR China
| | - Yumei Sun
- Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, 116000, PR China
- Corresponding author.
| | - Dawei Zhang
- Tianjin Institutes of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, PR China
- Biodesign Center, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, PR China
- Corresponding author. Tianjin Institutes of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, PR China.
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Zhang Y, He Y, Zhang N, Gan J, Zhang S, Dong Z. Combining protein and metabolic engineering strategies for biosynthesis of melatonin in Escherichia coli. Microb Cell Fact 2021; 20:170. [PMID: 34454478 PMCID: PMC8403405 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-021-01662-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Melatonin has attracted substantial attention because of its excellent prospects for both medical applications and crop improvement. The microbial production of melatonin is a safer and more promising alternative to chemical synthesis approaches. Researchers have failed to produce high yields of melatonin in common heterologous hosts due to either the insolubility or low enzyme activity of proteins encoded by gene clusters related to melatonin biosynthesis. RESULTS Here, a combinatorial gene pathway for melatonin production was successfully established in Escherichia coli by combining the physostigmine biosynthetic genes from Streptomyces albulus and gene encoding phenylalanine 4-hydroxylase (P4H) from Xanthomonas campestris and caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase (COMT) from Oryza sativa. A threefold improvement of melatonin production was achieved by balancing the expression of heterologous proteins and adding 3% glycerol. Further protein engineering and metabolic engineering were conducted to improve the conversion of N-acetylserotonin (NAS) to melatonin. Construction of COMT variant containing C303F and V321T mutations increased the production of melatonin by fivefold. Moreover, the deletion of speD gene increased the supply of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), an indispensable cofactor of COMT, which doubled the yield of melatonin. In the final engineered strain EcMEL8, the production of NAS and melatonin reached 879.38 ± 71.42 mg/L and 136.17 ± 1.33 mg/L in a shake flask. Finally, in a 2-L bioreactor, EcMEL8 produced 1.06 ± 0.07 g/L NAS and 0.65 ± 0.11 g/L melatonin with tryptophan supplementation. CONCLUSIONS This study established a novel combinatorial pathway for melatonin biosynthesis in E. coli and provided alternative strategies for improvement of melatonin production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1 West Beichen Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongzhi He
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1 West Beichen Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, People's Republic of China
| | - Nan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1 West Beichen Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - JiaJia Gan
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1 West Beichen Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Shan Zhang
- Shenzhen Siyomicro Bio-Tech C., LTD, No. 39 Qingfeng Avenue, Baolong Community, Longgang District, Shenzhen, 518116, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhiyang Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1 West Beichen Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, People's Republic of China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China.
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Simonneaux V, Ribelayga C. Generation of the melatonin endocrine message in mammals: a review of the complex regulation of melatonin synthesis by norepinephrine, peptides, and other pineal transmitters. Pharmacol Rev 2003; 55:325-95. [PMID: 12773631 DOI: 10.1124/pr.55.2.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 449] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Melatonin, the major hormone produced by the pineal gland, displays characteristic daily and seasonal patterns of secretion. These robust and predictable rhythms in circulating melatonin are strong synchronizers for the expression of numerous physiological processes in photoperiodic species. In mammals, the nighttime production of melatonin is mainly driven by the circadian clock, situated in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus, which controls the release of norepinephrine from the dense pineal sympathetic afferents. The pivotal role of norepinephrine in the nocturnal stimulation of melatonin synthesis has been extensively dissected at the cellular and molecular levels. Besides the noradrenergic input, the presence of numerous other transmitters originating from various sources has been reported in the pineal gland. Many of these are neuropeptides and appear to contribute to the regulation of melatonin synthesis by modulating the effects of norepinephrine on pineal biochemistry. The aim of this review is firstly to update our knowledge of the cellular and molecular events underlying the noradrenergic control of melatonin synthesis; and secondly to gather together early and recent data on the effects of the nonadrenergic transmitters on modulation of melatonin synthesis. This information reveals the variety of inputs that can be integrated by the pineal gland; what elements are crucial to deliver the very precise timing information to the organism. This also clarifies the role of these various inputs in the seasonal variation of melatonin synthesis and their subsequent physiological function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Simonneaux
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie Rythmes, UMR 7518 CNRS/ULP, 12, rue de l'Université, 67000 Strasbourg, France.
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Arnoult F, Vernet G. Immunocytochemical localization of hydroxyindole-o-methyltransferase (HIOMT) in the brain of Myoisophagos lacteus (Nemertea: Heteronemertea: Lineidae). THE JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY 2001; 290:156-62. [PMID: 11471145 DOI: 10.1002/jez.1045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In an attempt to identify the brain structures that synthesize melatonin and that probably mediate the photoperiodic response of the heteronemertean Myoisophagos lacteus, we utilized immunocytochemical techniques and employed immunoglobulins directed against hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase (HIOMT, EC 2.1.1.4). This enzyme catalyzes the last step of melatonin biosynthesis. In immunocytochemically treated head sections of Myoisophagos lacteus, antibodies labelled a few cells in the dorsal region of the dorsal cerebral ganglia. Previous studies have shown that melatonin is present both in the brain and eyes of this nemertean species and that melatonin is involved in control of the worm reproduction. Other studies have demonstrated the presence of photoreceptor-like cells in the same region of the worm brain that showed HIOMT immunostaining. Therefore, anatomical findings of the present study, coupled with results of previous works, provide strong evidence that this region of the worm brain houses a photoperiodic receptor involved in melatonin biosynthesis. J. Exp. Zool. 290:156-162, 2001.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Arnoult
- Laboratoire d'Eco-Toxicologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, 51687 Reims cedex 2, France.
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