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Brown AN, Anderson MT, Smith SN, Bachman MA, Mobley HLT. Conserved metabolic regulator ArcA responds to oxygen availability, iron limitation, and cell envelope perturbations during bacteremia. mBio 2023; 14:e0144823. [PMID: 37681955 PMCID: PMC10653796 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01448-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Infections of the bloodstream are life-threatening and can result in sepsis. Gram-negative bacteria cause a significant portion of bloodstream infections, which is also referred to as bacteremia. The long-term goal of our work is to understand how such bacteria establish and maintain infection during bacteremia. We have previously identified the transcription factor ArcA, which promotes fermentation in bacteria, as a likely contributor to the growth and survival of bacteria in this environment. Here, we study ArcA in the Gram-negative species Citrobacter freundii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Serratia marcescens. Our findings aid in determining how these bacteria sense their environment, utilize nutrients, and generate energy while countering the host immune system. This information is critical for developing better models of infection to inform future therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aric N. Brown
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Mark T. Anderson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Sara N. Smith
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Michael A. Bachman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Harry L. T. Mobley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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2
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Fordjour E, Liu CL, Hao Y, Sackey I, Yang Y, Liu X, Li Y, Tan T, Bai Z. Engineering Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) for high-yield production of germacrene A, a precursor of β-elemene via combinatorial metabolic engineering strategies. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:3039-3056. [PMID: 37309999 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
β-elemene is one of the most commonly used antineoplastic drugs in cancer treatment. As a plant-derived natural chemical, biologically engineering microorganisms to produce germacrene A to be converted to β-elemene harbors great expectations since chemical synthesis and plant isolation methods come with their production deficiencies. In this study, we report the design of an Escherichia coli cell factory for the de novo production of germacrene A to be converted to β-elemene from a simple carbon source. A series of systematic approaches of engineering the isoprenoid and central carbon pathways, translational and protein engineering of the sesquiterpene synthase, and exporter engineering yielded high-efficient β-elemene production. Specifically, deleting competing pathways in the central carbon pathway ensured the availability of acetyl-coA, pyruvate, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate for the isoprenoid pathways. Adopting lycopene color as a high throughput screening method, an optimized NSY305N was obtained via error-prone polymerase chain reaction mutagenesis. Further overexpression of key pathway enzymes, exporter genes, and translational engineering produced 1161.09 mg/L of β-elemene in a shake flask. Finally, we detected the highest reported titer of 3.52 g/L of β-elemene and 2.13 g/L germacrene A produced by an E. coli cell factory in a 4-L fed-batch fermentation. The systematic engineering reported here generally applies to microbial production of a broader range of chemicals. This illustrates that rewiring E. coli central metabolism is viable for producing acetyl-coA-derived and pyruvate-derived molecules cost-effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Fordjour
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation, and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Jiangsu Provincial Research Centre for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Chun-Li Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation, and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Jiangsu Provincial Research Centre for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Yunpeng Hao
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation, and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Jiangsu Provincial Research Centre for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Isaac Sackey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
| | - Yankun Yang
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation, and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Jiangsu Provincial Research Centre for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Xiuxia Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation, and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Jiangsu Provincial Research Centre for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Ye Li
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation, and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Jiangsu Provincial Research Centre for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Tianwei Tan
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Zhonghu Bai
- The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Cereal Fermentation, and Food Biomanufacturing, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Jiangsu Provincial Research Centre for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
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3
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The ArcAB Two-Component System: Function in Metabolism, Redox Control, and Infection. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2022; 86:e0011021. [PMID: 35442087 PMCID: PMC9199408 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00110-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
ArcAB, also known as the Arc system, is a member of the two-component system family of bacterial transcriptional regulators and is composed of sensor kinase ArcB and response regulator ArcA. In this review, we describe the structure and function of these proteins and assess the state of the literature regarding ArcAB as a sensor of oxygen consumption. The bacterial quinone pool is the primary modulator of ArcAB activity, but questions remain for how this regulation occurs. This review highlights the role of quinones and their oxidation state in activating and deactivating ArcB and compares competing models of the regulatory mechanism. The cellular processes linked to ArcAB regulation of central metabolic pathways and potential interactions of the Arc system with other regulatory systems are also reviewed. Recent evidence for the function of ArcAB under aerobic conditions is challenging the long-standing characterization of this system as strictly an anaerobic global regulator, and the support for additional ArcAB functionality in this context is explored. Lastly, ArcAB-controlled cellular processes with relevance to infection are assessed.
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Zhang Y, Li Z, Liu Y, Cen X, Liu D, Chen Z. Systems metabolic engineering of Vibrio natriegens for the production of 1,3-propanediol. Metab Eng 2021; 65:52-65. [PMID: 33722653 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2021.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The economic viability of current bio-production systems is often limited by its low productivity due to slow cell growth and low substrate uptake rate. The fastest-growing bacterium Vibrio natriegens is a highly promising next-generation workhorse of the biotechnology industry which can utilize various industrially relevant carbon sources with high substrate uptake rates. Here, we demonstrate the first systematic engineering example of V. natriegens for the heterologous production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) from glycerol. Systems metabolic engineering strategies have been applied in this study to develop a superior 1,3-PDO producer, including: (1) heterologous pathway construction and optimization; (2) engineering cellular transcriptional regulators and global transcriptomic analysis; (3) enhancing intracellular reducing power by cofactor engineering; (4) reducing the accumulation of toxic intermediate by pathway engineering; (5) systematic engineering of glycerol oxidation pathway to eliminate byproduct formation. A final engineered strain can efficiently produce 1,3-PDO with a titer of 56.2 g/L, a yield of 0.61 mol/mol, and an average productivity of 2.36 g/L/h. The strategies described in this study would be useful for engineering V. natriegens as a potential chassis for the production of other useful chemicals and biofuels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Zihua Li
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Xuecong Cen
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Dehua Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China; Tsinghua Innovation Center in Dongguan, Dongguan, 523808, China; Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Zhen Chen
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China; Tsinghua Innovation Center in Dongguan, Dongguan, 523808, China; Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
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Gayán E, Van den Bergh B, Michiels J, Michiels CW, Aertsen A. Synthetic reconstruction of extreme high hydrostatic pressure resistance in Escherichia coli. Metab Eng 2020; 62:287-297. [PMID: 32979485 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Although high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) is an interesting parameter to be applied in bioprocessing, its potential is currently limited by the lack of bacterial chassis capable of surviving and maintaining homeostasis under pressure. While several efforts have been made to genetically engineer microorganisms able to grow at sublethal pressures, there is little information for designing backgrounds that survive more extreme pressures. In this investigation, we analyzed the genome of an extreme HHP-resistant mutant of E. coli MG1655 (designated as DVL1), from which we identified four mutations (in the cra, cyaA, aceA and rpoD loci) causally linked to increased HHP resistance. Analysing the functional effect of these mutations we found that the coupled effect of downregulation of cAMP/CRP, Cra and the glyoxylate shunt activity, together with the upregulation of RpoH and RpoS activity, could mechanistically explain the increased HHP resistance of the mutant. Using combinations of three mutations, we could synthetically engineer E. coli strains able to comfortably survive pressures of 600-800 MPa, which could serve as genetic backgrounds for HHP-based biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Gayán
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, KU Leuven. Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Bram Van den Bergh
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, KU Leuven. Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001, Leuven, Belgium; VIB Center for Microbiology, Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Michiels
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, KU Leuven. Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001, Leuven, Belgium; VIB Center for Microbiology, Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Chris W Michiels
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, KU Leuven. Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Abram Aertsen
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, KU Leuven. Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001, Leuven, Belgium.
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6
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Production of cellulosic butyrate and 3-hydroxybutyrate in engineered Escherichia coli. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:5215-5230. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-09815-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Revised: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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Durante-Rodríguez G, de Lorenzo V, Nikel PI. A Post-translational Metabolic Switch Enables Complete Decoupling of Bacterial Growth from Biopolymer Production in Engineered Escherichia coli. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:2686-2697. [PMID: 30346720 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.8b00345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Most of the current methods for controlling the formation rate of a key protein or enzyme in cell factories rely on the manipulation of target genes within the pathway. In this article, we present a novel synthetic system for post-translational regulation of protein levels, FENIX, which provides both independent control of the steady-state protein level and inducible accumulation of target proteins. The FENIX device is based on the constitutive, proteasome-dependent degradation of the target polypeptide by tagging with a short synthetic, hybrid NIa/SsrA amino acid sequence in the C-terminal domain. Protein production is triggered via addition of an orthogonal inducer ( i.e., 3-methylbenzoate) to the culture medium. The system was benchmarked in Escherichia coli by tagging two fluorescent proteins (GFP and mCherry), and further exploited to completely uncouple poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) accumulation from bacterial growth. By tagging PhaA (3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase, first step of the route), a dynamic metabolic switch at the acetyl-coenzyme A node was established in such a way that this metabolic precursor could be effectively redirected into PHB formation upon activation of the system. The engineered E. coli strain reached a very high specific rate of PHB accumulation (0.4 h-1) with a polymer content of ca. 72% (w/w) in glucose cultures in a growth-independent mode. Thus, FENIX enables dynamic control of metabolic fluxes in bacterial cell factories by establishing post-translational synthetic switches in the pathway of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo Durante-Rodríguez
- Environmental Microbiology Group, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB-CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Víctor de Lorenzo
- Systems and Synthetic Biology Program, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pablo I. Nikel
- Systems Environmental Microbiology Group, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
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