To be or not to be a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) depolymerase: PhaZd1 (PhaZ6) and PhaZd2 (PhaZ7) of Ralstonia eutropha, highly active PHB depolymerases with no detectable role in mobilization of accumulated PHB

Characterization of the conversion system of natural rubber to poly(3-Hydroxyalkanoate) in Piscinibacter gummiphilus strain NS21T

Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA), a bacteria-synthesized biodegradable polyester, is a useful alternative to fossil resources, and current systems for its production rely predominantly on edible resources, raising concerns about microbial competition for nutrients. Therefore, we investigated mechanisms underlying PHA production from non-edible resources by Piscinibacter gummiphilus strain NS21T. Strain NS21T can utilize natural rubber as a carbon source on solid media and potentially produces PHA. Gas chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses of NS21T cell extracts revealed the production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) from natural rubber and glucose, respectively. Transcriptional analysis suggested that phaC is involved in PHA production. An increased PHBV accumulation rate under nitrogen-limiting conditions indicates the potential of this strain to be used as a PHBV production enhancement strategy. Furthermore, the disruption of PHA depolymerase genes resulted in enhanced PHA production, indicating the involvement of these genes in PHA degradation. These findings highlight the potential of NS21T for PHBV production from natural rubber, a non-edible resource.

The protective role of PHB and its degradation products against stress situations in bacteria

Many bacteria produce storage biopolymers that are mobilized under conditions of metabolic adaptation, for example, low nutrient availability and cellular stress. Polyhydroxyalkanoates are often found as carbon storage in Bacteria or Archaea, and of these polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is the most frequently occurring PHA type. Bacteria usually produce PHB upon availability of a carbon source and limitation of another essential nutrient. Therefore, it is widely believed that the function of PHB is to serve as a mobilizable carbon repository when bacteria face carbon limitation, supporting their survival. However, recent findings indicate that bacteria switch from PHB synthesis to mobilization under stress conditions such as thermal and oxidative shock. The mobilization products, 3-hydroxybutyrate and its oligomers, show a protective effect against protein aggregation and cellular damage caused by reactive oxygen species and heat shock. Thus, bacteria should have an environmental monitoring mechanism directly connected to the regulation of the PHB metabolism. Here, we review the current knowledge on PHB physiology together with a summary of recent findings on novel functions of PHB in stress resistance. Potential applications of these new functions are also presented.

The Puzzling Conservation and Diversification of Lipid Droplets from Bacteria to Eukaryotes

Membrane compartments are amongst the most fascinating markers of cell evolution from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, some being conserved and the others having emerged via a series of primary and secondary endosymbiosis events. Membrane compartments comprise the system limiting cells (one or two membranes in bacteria, a unique plasma membrane in eukaryotes) and a variety of internal vesicular, subspherical, tubular, or reticulated organelles. In eukaryotes, the internal membranes comprise on the one hand the general endomembrane system, a dynamic network including organelles like the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, the nuclear envelope, etc. and also the plasma membrane, which are linked via direct lateral connectivity (e.g. between the endoplasmic reticulum and the nuclear outer envelope membrane) or indirectly via vesicular trafficking. On the other hand, semi-autonomous organelles, i.e. mitochondria and chloroplasts, are disconnected from the endomembrane system and request vertical transmission following cell division. Membranes are organized as lipid bilayers in which proteins are embedded. The budding of some of these membranes, leading to the formation of the so-called lipid droplets (LDs) loaded with hydrophobic molecules, most notably triacylglycerol, is conserved in all clades. The evolution of eukaryotes is marked by the acquisition of mitochondria and simple plastids from Gram-positive bacteria by primary endosymbiosis events and the emergence of extremely complex plastids, collectively called secondary plastids, bounded by three to four membranes, following multiple and independent secondary endosymbiosis events. There is currently no consensus view of the evolution of LDs in the Tree of Life. Some features are conserved; others show a striking level of diversification. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on the architecture, dynamics, and multitude of functions of the lipid droplets in prokaryotes and in eukaryotes deriving from primary and secondary endosymbiosis events.

Comparative genome analysis of completely sequenced Cupriavidus genomes provides insights into the biosynthetic potential and versatile applications of Cupriavidus alkaliphilus ASC-732

The genome analysis of microorganisms provides valuable information to endorse more extensive research on their potential applications. In this paper, the genome of Cupriavidus alkaliphilus ASC-732, isolated from agave rhizosphere in northeastern Mexico, was analyzed and compared with the genomes of other Cupriavidus species to gain better insight into the parts in the genetic makeup responsible for essential metabolic pathways and others of biotechnological importance. Here, the key genes related to glycolysis, pentose phosphate, and the Entner-Doudoroff and tricarboxylic acid cycle pathways were predicted. Comparative genome analysis revealed that the key genes for hydrogenotrophic growth and carbon fixation pathway, i.e., those coding for hydrogenase and enzymes Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle, are absent in C. alkaliphilus ASC-732. Furthermore, capabilities for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates and extracellular polysaccharide matrix and degrading xenobiotics were found, and the related pathways are explained. Moreover, biofilm formation and the production of exopolysaccharides and polyhydroxyalkanoates were corroborated with crystal violet staining, calcofluor, and Nile red fluorochromes, confirming the presence of the products of the active genes in these pathways and their related metabolic routes, respectively. Additionally, a large group of genes essential for the resistance and detoxification of several heavy metals were also found. Thus, the present study demonstrates that this strain can respond to various environmental signals, such as energy source, nutrient limitations, virulence, and extreme metals concentration, indicating the possibility to foster C. alkaliphilus ASC-732 in diverse biotechnological applications.

Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) Polymerase PhaC1 and PHB Depolymerase PhaZa1 of Ralstonia eutropha Are Phosphorylated In Vivo

In this study, we screened poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) synthase PhaC1 and PHB depolymerase PhaZa1 of Ralstonia eutropha for the presence of phosphorylated residues during the PHB accumulation and PHB degradation phases. Thr373 of PHB synthase PhaC1 was phosphorylated during the stationary growth phase but was not modified during the exponential and PHB accumulation phases. Ser35 of PHB depolymerase PhaZa1 was identified in the phosphorylated form during both the exponential and stationary growth phases. Additional phosphosites were identified for both proteins in sample-dependent forms. Site-directed mutagenesis of the codon for Thr373 and other phosphosites of PhaC1 revealed a strong negative impact on PHB synthase activity. Modifications of Thr26 and Ser35 of PhaZa1 reduced the ability of R. eutropha to mobilize PHB in the stationary growth phase. Our results show that phosphorylation of PhaC1 and PhaZa1 can be important for the modulation of the activities of PHB synthase and PHB depolymerase.IMPORTANCE Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and related polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are important intracellular carbon and energy storage compounds in many prokaryotes. The accumulation of PHB or PHAs increases the fitness of cells during periods of starvation and under other stress conditions. The simultaneous presence of PHB synthase (PhaC1) and PHB depolymerase (PhaZa1) on synthesized PHB granules in Ralstonia eutropha (alternative designation, Cupriavidus necator) was previously shown in several laboratories. These findings imply that the activities of PHB synthase and PHB depolymerase should be regulated to avoid a futile cycle of simultaneous synthesis and degradation of PHB. Here, we addressed this question by identifying the phosphorylation sites on PhaC1 and PhaZa1 and by site-directed mutagenesis of the identified residues. Furthermore, we conducted in vitro and in vivo analyses of PHB synthase activity and PHB contents.

Microbial biosynthesis and in vivo depolymerization of intracellular medium-chain-length poly-3-hydroxyalkanoates as potential route to platform chemicals

Biosynthesis and in vivo depolymerization of intracellular medium-chain-length poly-3-hydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA) in Pseudomonas putida Bet001 grown on lauric acid were studied. Highest mcl-PHA fraction (>50 % of total biomass) and cell concentration (8 g L^-1 ) were obtained at carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio 20, starting cell concentration 1 g L^-1 , and 48 H fermentation. The mcl-PHA comprised of 3-hydroxyhexanoate (C₆ ), 3-hydroxyoctanote (C₈ ), 3-hydroxydecanoate (C₁₀ ), and 3-hydroxydodecanoate (C₁₂ ) monomers. In vivo action was studied in a mineral liquid medium without carbon source, and in different buffer solutions with varied pH, molarity, ionic strength, and temperature. The monomer liberation rate reflected the mol percentage distribution of the initial polymer subunit composition. Rate and percentage of in vivo depolymerization were highest in 0.2 M Tris-HCl buffer (pH 9, strength = 0.2 M, 30 °C) at 0.21 g L^-1  H^-1 and 98.6 ± 1.3 wt%, respectively. There is a congruity vis-à-vis to specific buffer type, molarity, pH, ionic strength, and temperature values for superior in vivo depolymerization activities. Direct products from in vivo depolymerization matched the individual monomeric composition of native mcl-PHA. It points to exo-type reaction for the in vivo process, and potential biological route to chiral molecules.

Absence of ppGpp Leads to Increased Mobilization of Intermediately Accumulated Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) in Ralstonia eutropha H16

In this study, we constructed a set of Ralstonia eutropha H16 strains with single, double, or triple deletions of the (p)ppGpp synthase/hydrolase (spoT1), (p)ppGpp synthase (spoT2), and/or polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) depolymerase (phaZa1 or phaZa3) gene, and we determined the impact on the levels of (p)ppGpp and on accumulated PHB. Mutants with deletions of both the spoT1 and spoT2 genes were unable to synthesize detectable amounts of (p)ppGpp and accumulated only minor amounts of PHB, due to PhaZa1-mediated depolymerization of PHB. In contrast, unusually high levels of PHB were found in strains in which the (p)ppGpp concentration was increased by the overexpression of (p)ppGpp synthase (SpoT2) and the absence of (p)ppGpp hydrolase. Determination of (p)ppGpp levels in wild-type R. eutropha under different growth conditions and induction of the stringent response by amino acid analogs showed that the concentrations of (p)ppGpp during the growth phase determine the amount of PHB remaining in later growth phases by influencing the efficiency of the PHB mobilization system in stationary growth. The data reported for a previously constructed ΔspoT2 strain (C. J. Brigham, D. R. Speth, C. Rha, and A. J. Sinskey, Appl Environ Microbiol 78:8033-8044, 2012, https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01693-12) were identified as due to an experimental error in strain construction, and our results are in contrast to the previous indication that the spoT2 gene product is essential for PHB accumulation in R. eutrophaIMPORTANCE Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is an important intracellular carbon and energy storage compound in many prokaryotes and helps cells survive periods of starvation and other stress conditions. Research activities in several laboratories over the past 3 decades have shown that both PHB synthase and PHB depolymerase are constitutively expressed in most PHB-accumulating bacteria, such as Ralstonia eutropha This implies that PHB synthase and depolymerase activities must be well regulated in order to avoid a futile cycle of simultaneous PHB synthesis and PHB degradation (mobilization). Previous reports suggested that the stringent response in Rhizobium etli and R. eutropha is involved in the regulation of PHB metabolism. However, the levels of (p)ppGpp and the influence of those levels on PHB accumulation and PHB mobilization have not yet been determined for any PHB-accumulating species. In this study, we optimized a (p)ppGpp extraction procedure and a high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS)-based detection method for the quantification of (p)ppGpp in R. eutropha This enabled us to study the relationship between the concentrations of (p)ppGpp and the accumulated levels of PHB in the wild type and in several constructed mutant strains. We show that overproduction of the alarmone (p)ppGpp correlated with reduced growth and massive overproduction of PHB. In contrast, in the absence of (p)ppGpp, mobilization of PHB was dramatically enhanced.

New Insights into PhaM-PhaC-Mediated Localization of Polyhydroxybutyrate Granules in Ralstonia eutropha H16

The formation and localization of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) granules in Ralstonia eutropha are controlled by PhaM, which interacts both with the PHB synthase (PhaC) and with the bacterial nucleoid. Here, we studied the importance of proline and lysine residues of two C-terminal PAKKA motifs in PhaM for their importance in attaching PHB granules to DNA by in vitro and in vivo methods. Substitution of the lysine residues but not of the proline residues resulted in detachment of formed PHB granules from the nucleoid. Instead, formation of PHB granule clusters at polar regions of the rod-shaped cells and an unequal distribution of PHB granules to daughter cells were observed. The formation of PHB granules was studied by the expression of chromosomally anchored gene fusions of fluorescent proteins with PhaM and PhaC in different backgrounds. PhaM and PhaC fusions showed a distinct colocalization at formed PHB granules in the nucleoid region of the wild type. In a ΔphaC background, PhaM and the catalytically inactive PhaC^C319A protein were not able to form fluorescent foci, indicating that correct positioning requires the formation of PHB. Furthermore, time-lapse experiments revealed that PhaC and PhaM proteins detach from formed PHB granules at later stages, resulting in a nonhomogeneous population of PHB granules. This could explain why growth of individual PHB granules stops under PHB-permissive conditions at a certain size.IMPORTANCE PHB granules are storage compounds for carbon and energy in many prokaryotes. Equal distribution of accumulated PHB granules during cell division is therefore important for optimal fitness of the daughter cells. In R. eutropha, PhaM is responsible for maximal activity of PHB synthase, for initiation of PHB granule formation at discrete regions in the cells, and for association of formed PHB granules with the nucleoid. Here we found that four lysine residues of C-terminal PhaM sequence motifs are essential for association of PHB granules with the nucleoid. Furthermore, we followed PHB granule formation by time-lapse microscopy and provide evidence for aging of PHB granules that is manifested by detachment of previously PHB granule-associated PhaM and PHB synthase.

Proteins with CHADs (Conserved Histidine α-Helical Domains) Are Attached to Polyphosphate Granules In Vivo and Constitute a Novel Family of Polyphosphate-Associated Proteins (Phosins)

On the basis of bioinformatic evidence, we suspected that proteins with a CYTH (CyaB thiamine triphosphatase) domain and/or a CHAD (conserved histidine α-helical domain) motif might represent polyphosphate (polyP) granule-associated proteins. We found no evidence of polyP targeting by proteins with CYTH domains. In contrast, two CHAD motif-containing proteins from Ralstonia eutropha H16 (A0104 and B1017) that were expressed as fusions with enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (eYFP) colocalized with polyP granules. While the expression of B1017 was not detectable, the A0104 protein was specifically identified in an isolated polyP granule fraction by proteome analysis. Moreover, eYFP fusions with the CHAD motif-containing proteins MGMSRV2-1987 from Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense and PP2307 from Pseudomonas putida also colocalized with polyP granules in a transspecies-specific manner. These data indicated that CHAD-containing proteins are generally attached to polyP granules. Together with the findings from four previously polyP-attached proteins (polyP kinases), the results of this study raised the number of polyP-associated proteins in R. eutropha to six. We suggest designating polyP granule-bound proteins with CHAD motifs as phosins (phosphate), analogous to phasins and oleosins that are specifically bound to the surface of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) granules in PHA-accumulating bacteria and to oil droplets in oil seed plants, respectively.IMPORTANCE The importance of polyphosphate (polyP) for life is evident from the ubiquitous presence of polyP in all species on earth. In unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms, polyP is located in specific membrane-enclosed organelles, called acidocalcisomes. However, in most prokaryotes, polyP is present as insoluble granules that have been designated previously as volutin granules. Almost nothing is known regarding the macromolecular composition of polyP granules. Particularly, the absence or presence of cellular compounds on the surface of polyP granules has not yet been investigated. In this study, we identified a novel class of proteins that are attached to the surface of polyP granules in three model species of Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria These proteins are characterized by the presence of a CHAD (conserved histidine α-helical domain) motif that functions as a polyP granule-targeting signal. We suggest designating CHAD motif-containing proteins as phosins [analogous to phasins for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-associated proteins and to oleosins for oil droplet-associated proteins in oil seed plants]. The expression of phosins in different species confirmed their polyP-targeting function in a transspecies-specific manner. We postulate that polyP granules in prokaryotic species generally have a complex surface structure that consists of one to several polyP kinases and phosin proteins. We suggest differentiating polyP granules from acidocalcisomes by designating them as polyphosphatosomes.

Low temperature-induced viable but not culturable state of Ralstonia eutropha and its relationship to accumulated polyhydroxybutyrate

The culturability of Escherichia coli, Ralstonia eutropha and Bacillus subtilis after incubation in phosphate-buffered saline at either 5°C or 30°C was determined. The culturability of B. subtilis showed little dependence on temperature. The culturability of E. coli rapidly decreased at 30°C but remained almost constant at 5°C. In contrast, the culturability of R. eutropha decreased by three orders of magnitude at 5°C within 24 h but only moderately decreased (one order of magnitude) at 30°C. Remarkably, prolonged incubation of R. eutropha at 30°C resulted in a full recovery of colony forming units in contrast to only a partial recovery at 5°C. Ralstonia eutropha cells at 30°C remained culturable for 3 weeks while culturability at 5°C constantly decreased. The effect of temperature was significantly stronger in a polyhydroxybutyrate-negative mutant. Our data show that accumulated polyhydroxybutyrate has a cold-protective function and can prevent R. eutropha entering the viable but not culturable state.

Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate Metabolism Is Unrelated to the Sporulation and Parasporal Crystal Protein Formation in Bacillus thuringiensis

Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a natural polymer synthesized by many bacteria as a carbon-energy storage material. It was accumulated maximally prior to the spore formation but was degraded during the process of sporulation in Bacillus thuringiensis. Intriguingly, B. thuringiensis also accumulates large amounts of insecticidal crystal proteins (ICPs) during sporulation, which requires considerable input of carbon and energy sources. How PHB accumulation affects sporulation and ICP formation remains unclear to date. Intuitively, one would imagine that accumulated PHB provides the energy required for ICP formation. Yet our current data indicate that this is not the case. First, growth curves of the deletion mutants of phaC (encoding the PHB synthase) and phaZ (encoding the PHB depolymerase) were found to be similar to the parent strain BMB171; no difference in growth rate could be observed. In addition we further constructed the cry1Ac10 ICP gene overexpression strains of BMB171 (BMB171-cry), as well as its phaC and phaZ deletion mutants ΔphaC-cry and ΔphaZ-cry to compare their spore and ICP production rates. Again, not much change of ICP production was observed among these strains either. In fact, PHB was still degraded in most ΔphaZ-cry cells as observed by transmission electron microscopy. Together these results indicated that there is no direct association between the PHB accumulation and the sporulation and ICP formation in B. thuringiensis. Some other enzymes for PHB degradation or other energy source may be responsible for the sporulation and/or ICP formation in B. thuringiensis.

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Granules Have no Phospholipids

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) granules, also designated as carbonosomes, are supra-molecular complexes in prokaryotes consisting of a PHB polymer core and a surface layer of structural and functional proteins. The presence of suspected phospholipids in the surface layer is based on in vitro data of isolated PHB granules and is often shown in cartoons of the PHB granule structure in reviews on PHB metabolism. However, the in vivo presence of a phospholipid layer has never been demonstrated. We addressed this topic by the expression of fusion proteins of DsRed2EC and other fluorescent proteins with the phospholipid-binding domain (LactC2) of lactadherin in three model organisms. The fusion proteins specifically localized at the cell membrane of Ralstonia eutropha but did not co-localize with PHB granules. The same result was obtained for Pseudomonas putida, a species that accumulates another type of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) granules related to PHB. Notably, DsRed2EC-LactC2 expressed in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense was detected at the position of membrane-enclosed magnetosome chains and at the cytoplasmic membrane but not at PHB granules. In conclusion, the carbonosomes of representatives of α-proteobacteria, β-proteobacteria and γ-proteobacteria have no phospholipids in vivo and we postulate that the PHB/PHA granule surface layers in natural producers generally are free of phospholipids and consist of proteins only.

Formation of polyphosphate by polyphosphate kinases and its relationship to poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) accumulation in Ralstonia eutropha strain H16

A protein (PhaX) that interacted with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) depolymerase PhaZa1 and with PHB granule-associated phasin protein PhaP2 was identified by two-hybrid analysis. Deletion of phaX resulted in an increase in the level of polyphosphate (polyP) granule formation and in impairment of PHB utilization in nutrient broth-gluconate cultures. A procedure for enrichment of polyP granules from cell extracts was developed. Twenty-seven proteins that were absent in other cell fractions were identified in the polyP granule fraction by proteome analysis. One protein (A2437) harbored motifs characteristic of type 1 polyphosphate kinases (PPK1s), and two proteins (A1212, A1271) had PPK2 motifs. In vivo colocalization with polyP granules was confirmed by expression of C- and N-terminal fusions of enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (eYFP) with the three polyphosphate kinases (PPKs). Screening of the genome DNA sequence for additional proteins with PPK motifs revealed one protein with PPK1 motifs and three proteins with PPK2 motifs. Construction and subsequent expression of C- and N-terminal fusions of the four new PPK candidates with eYFP showed that only A1979 (PPK2 motif) colocalized with polyP granules. The other three proteins formed fluorescent foci near the cell pole (apart from polyP) (A0997, B1019) or were soluble (A0226). Expression of the Ralstonia eutropha ppk (ppkReu) genes in an Escherichia coli Δppk background and construction of a set of single and multiple chromosomal deletions revealed that both A2437 (PPK1a) and A1212 (PPK2c) contributed to polyP granule formation. Mutants with deletion of both genes were unable to produce polyP granules. The formation and utilization of PHB and polyP granules were investigated in different chromosomal backgrounds.

A patatin-like protein associated with the polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) granules of Haloferax mediterranei acts as an efficient depolymerase in the degradation of native PHA

The key enzymes and pathways involved in polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biosynthesis in haloarchaea have been identified in recent years, but the haloarchaeal enzymes for PHA degradation remain unknown. In this study, a patatin-like PHA depolymerase, PhaZh1, was determined to be located on the PHA granules in the haloarchaeon Haloferax mediterranei. PhaZh1 hydrolyzed the native PHA (nPHA) [including native polyhydroxybutyrate (nPHB) and native poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (nPHBV) in this study] granules in vitro with 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) monomer as the primary product. The site-directed mutagenesis of PhaZh1 indicated that Gly16, Ser47 (in a classical lipase box, G-X-S47-X-G), and Asp195 of this depolymerase were essential for its activity in nPHA granule hydrolysis. Notably, phaZh1 and bdhA (encoding putative 3HB dehydrogenase) form a gene cluster (HFX_6463 to _6464) in H. mediterranei. The 3HB monomer generated from nPHA degradation by PhaZh1 could be further converted into acetoacetate by BdhA, indicating that PhaZh1-BdhA may constitute the first part of a PHA degradation pathway in vivo. Interestingly, although PhaZh1 showed efficient activity and was most likely the key enzyme in nPHA granule hydrolysis in vitro, the knockout of phaZh1 had no significant effect on the intracellular PHA mobilization, implying the existence of an alternative PHA mobilization pathway(s) that functions effectively within the cells of H. mediterranei. Therefore, identification of this patatin-like depolymerase of haloarchaea may provide a new strategy for producing the high-value-added chiral compound (R)-3HB and may also shed light on the PHA mobilization in haloarchaea.

Comparative proteome analysis reveals four novel polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) granule-associated proteins in Ralstonia eutropha H16

Identification of proteins that were present in a polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) granule fraction isolated from Ralstonia eutropha but absent in the soluble, membrane, and membrane-associated fractions revealed the presence of only 12 polypeptides with PHB-specific locations plus 4 previously known PHB-associated proteins with multiple locations. None of the previously postulated PHB depolymerase isoenzymes (PhaZa2 to PhaZa5, PhaZd1, and PhaZd2) and none of the two known 3-hydroxybutyrate oligomer hydrolases (PhaZb and PhaZc) were significantly present in isolated PHB granules. Four polypeptides were found that had not yet been identified in PHB granules. Three of the novel proteins are putative α/β-hydrolases, and two of those (A0671 and B1632) have a PHB synthase/depolymerase signature. The third novel protein (A0225) is a patatin-like phospholipase, a type of enzyme that has not been described for PHB granules of any PHB-accumulating species. No function has been ascribed to the fourth protein (A2001), but its encoding gene forms an operon with phaB2 (acetoacetyl-coenzyme A [CoA] reductase) and phaC2 (PHB synthase), and this is in line with a putative function in PHB metabolism. The localization of the four new proteins at the PHB granule surface was confirmed in vivo by fluorescence microscopy of constructed fusion proteins with enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (eYFP). Deletion of A0671 and B1632 had a minor but detectable effect on the PHB mobilization ability in the stationary growth phase of nutrient broth (NB)-gluconate cells, confirming the functional involvement of both proteins in PHB metabolism.

Impact of Ralstonia eutropha's poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) Depolymerases and Phasins on PHB storage in recombinant Escherichia coli

The model organism for polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) biosynthesis, Ralstonia eutropha H16, possesses multiple isoenzymes of granules coating phasins as well as of PHB depolymerases, which degrade accumulated PHB under conditions of carbon limitation. In this study, recombinant Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) strains were used to study the impact of selected PHB depolymerases of R. eutropha H16 on the growth behavior and on the amount of accumulated PHB in the absence or presence of phasins. For this purpose, 20 recombinant E. coli BL21(DE3) strains were constructed, which harbored a plasmid carrying the phaCAB operon from R. eutropha H16 to ensure PHB synthesis and a second plasmid carrying different combinations of the genes encoding a phasin and a PHB depolymerase from R. eutropha H16. It is shown in this study that the growth behavior of the respective recombinant E. coli strains was barely affected by the overexpression of the phasin and PHB depolymerase genes. However, the impact on the PHB contents was significantly greater. The strains expressing the genes of the PHB depolymerases PhaZ1, PhaZ2, PhaZ3, and PhaZ7 showed 35% to 94% lower PHB contents after 30 h of cultivation than the control strain. The strain harboring phaZ7 reached by far the lowest content of accumulated PHB (only 2.0% [wt/wt] PHB of cell dry weight). Furthermore, coexpression of phasins in addition to the PHB depolymerases influenced the amount of PHB stored in cells of the respective strains. It was shown that the phasins PhaP1, PhaP2, and PhaP4 are not substitutable without an impact on the amount of stored PHB. In particular, the phasins PhaP2 and PhaP4 seemed to limit the degradation of PHB by the PHB depolymerases PhaZ2, PhaZ3, and PhaZ7, whereas almost no influence of the different phasins was observed if phaZ1 was coexpressed. This study represents an extensive analysis of the impact of PHB depolymerases and phasins on PHB accumulation and provides a deeper insight into the complex interplay of these enzymes.