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McGinn J, Wen A, Edwards DL, Brinkley DM, Lamason RL. An expanded genetic toolkit for inducible expression and targeted gene silencing in Rickettsia parkeri. J Bacteriol 2024:e0009124. [PMID: 38842342 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00091-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic species within the Rickettsia genus are transmitted to humans through arthropod vectors and cause a spectrum of diseases ranging from mild to life-threatening. Despite rickettsiae posing an emerging global health risk, the genetic requirements of their infectious life cycles remain poorly understood. A major hurdle toward building this understanding has been the lack of efficient tools for genetic manipulation, owing to the technical difficulties associated with their obligate intracellular nature. To this end, we implemented the Tet-On system to enable conditional gene expression in Rickettsia parkeri. Using Tet-On, we show inducible expression of antibiotic resistance and a fluorescent reporter. We further used this inducible promoter to screen the ability of R. parkeri to express four variants of the catalytically dead Cas9 (dCas9). We demonstrate that all four dCas9 variants can be expressed in R. parkeri and used for CRISPR interference (CRISPRi)-mediated targeted gene knockdown. We show targeted knockdown of an antibiotic resistance gene as well as the endogenous virulence factor sca2. Altogether, we have developed systems for inducible gene expression and CRISPRi-mediated gene knockdown for the first time in rickettsiae, laying the groundwork for more scalable, targeted mechanistic investigations into their infectious life cycles.IMPORTANCEThe spotted fever group of Rickettsia contains vector-borne pathogenic bacteria that are neglected and emerging threats to public health. Due to the obligate intracellular nature of rickettsiae, the development of tools for genetic manipulation has been stunted, and the molecular and genetic underpinnings of their infectious lifecycle remain poorly understood. Here, we expand the genetic toolkit by introducing systems for conditional gene expression and CRISPR interference (CRISPRi)-mediated gene knockdown. These systems allow for relatively easy manipulation of rickettsial gene expression. We demonstrate the effectiveness of these tools by disrupting the intracellular life cycle using CRISPRi to deplete the sca2 virulence factor. These tools will be crucial for building a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of rickettsial biology and pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon McGinn
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Annie Wen
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Desmond L Edwards
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David M Brinkley
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rebecca L Lamason
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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2
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Zheng L, Shen J, Chen R, Hu Y, Zhao W, Leung ELH, Dai L. Genome engineering of the human gut microbiome. J Genet Genomics 2024; 51:479-491. [PMID: 38218395 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2024.01.002] [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] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
The human gut microbiome, a complex ecosystem, significantly influences host health, impacting crucial aspects such as metabolism and immunity. To enhance our comprehension and control of the molecular mechanisms orchestrating the intricate interplay between gut commensal bacteria and human health, the exploration of genome engineering for gut microbes is a promising frontier. Nevertheless, the complexities and diversities inherent in the gut microbiome pose substantial challenges to the development of effective genome engineering tools for human gut microbes. In this comprehensive review, we provide an overview of the current progress and challenges in genome engineering of human gut commensal bacteria, whether executed in vitro or in situ. A specific focus is directed towards the advancements and prospects in cargo DNA delivery and high-throughput techniques. Additionally, we elucidate the immense potential of genome engineering methods to enhance our understanding of the human gut microbiome and engineer the microorganisms to enhance human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linggang Zheng
- Dr Neher's Biophysics Laboratory for Innovative Drug Discovery/State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau 999078, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Juntao Shen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ruiyue Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yucan Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wei Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Elaine Lai-Han Leung
- Cancer Center, Faculty of Health Science, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China; MOE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China.
| | - Lei Dai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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3
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Orsi E, Schada von Borzyskowski L, Noack S, Nikel PI, Lindner SN. Automated in vivo enzyme engineering accelerates biocatalyst optimization. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3447. [PMID: 38658554 PMCID: PMC11043082 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46574-4] [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: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Achieving cost-competitive bio-based processes requires development of stable and selective biocatalysts. Their realization through in vitro enzyme characterization and engineering is mostly low throughput and labor-intensive. Therefore, strategies for increasing throughput while diminishing manual labor are gaining momentum, such as in vivo screening and evolution campaigns. Computational tools like machine learning further support enzyme engineering efforts by widening the explorable design space. Here, we propose an integrated solution to enzyme engineering challenges whereby ML-guided, automated workflows (including library generation, implementation of hypermutation systems, adapted laboratory evolution, and in vivo growth-coupled selection) could be realized to accelerate pipelines towards superior biocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Orsi
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Stephan Noack
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Steffen N Lindner
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
- Department of Biochemistry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
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4
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Meaney JS, Panchal AK, Wilcox AJ, diCenzo GC, Karas BJ. Identifying functional multi-host shuttle plasmids to advance synthetic biology applications in Mesorhizobium and Bradyrhizobium. Can J Microbiol 2024. [PMID: 38564797 DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2023-0232] [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: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Ammonia availability has a crucial role in agriculture as it ensures healthy plant growth and increased crop yields. Since diazotrophs are the only organisms capable of reducing dinitrogen to ammonia, they have great ecological importance and potential to mitigate the environmental and economic costs of synthetic fertilizer use. Rhizobia are especially valuable being that they can engage in nitrogen-fixing symbiotic relationships with legumes, and they demonstrate great diversity and plasticity in genomic and phenotypic traits. However, few rhizobial species have sufficient genetic tractability for synthetic biology applications. This study established a basic genetic toolbox with antibiotic resistance markers, multi-host shuttle plasmids and a streamlined protocol for biparental conjugation with Mesorhizobium and Bradyrhizobium species. We identified two repABC origins of replication from Sinorhizobium meliloti (pSymB) and Rhizobium etli (p42d) that were stable across all three strains of interest. Furthermore, the NZP2235 genome was sequenced and phylogenetic analysis determined its reclassification to Mesorhizobium huakuii. These tools will enable the use of plasmid-based strategies for more advanced genetic engineering projects and ultimately contribute towards the development of more sustainable agriculture practices by means of novel nitrogen-fixing organelles, elite bioinoculants, or symbiotic association with nonlegumes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordyn S Meaney
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Aakanx K Panchal
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Aiden J Wilcox
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - George C diCenzo
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Bogumil J Karas
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
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5
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McGinn J, Wen A, Edwards DL, Brinkley DM, Lamason RL. An expanded genetic toolkit for inducible expression and targeted gene silencing in Rickettsia parkeri. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.15.585227. [PMID: 38559073 PMCID: PMC10980030 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.15.585227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Pathogenic species within the Rickettsia genus are transmitted to humans through arthropod vectors and cause a spectrum of diseases ranging from mild to life-threatening. Despite rickettsiae posing an emerging global health risk, the genetic requirements of their infectious life cycles remain poorly understood. A major hurdle toward building this understanding has been the lack of efficient tools for genetic manipulation, owing to the technical difficulties associated with their obligate intracellular nature. To this end, we implemented the Tet-On system to enable conditional gene expression in Rickettsia parkeri. Using Tet-On, we show inducible expression of antibiotic resistance and a fluorescent reporter. We further used this inducible promoter to screen the ability of R. parkeri to express four variants of the catalytically dead Cas9 (dCas9). We demonstrate that all four dCas9 variants can be expressed in R. parkeri and used for CRISPR interference (CRISPRi)-mediated targeted gene knockdown. We show targeted knockdown of an antibiotic resistance gene as well as the endogenous virulence factor sca2. Altogether, we have developed systems for inducible gene expression and CRISPRi-mediated gene knockdown for the first time in rickettsiae, laying the groundwork for more scalable, targeted mechanistic investigations into their infectious life cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon McGinn
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Annie Wen
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Desmond L Edwards
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David M Brinkley
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rebecca L Lamason
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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6
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Bales MK, Vergara MM, Eckert CA. Application of functional genomics for domestication of novel non-model microbes. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 51:kuae022. [PMID: 38925657 PMCID: PMC11247347 DOI: 10.1093/jimb/kuae022] [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: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
With the expansion of domesticated microbes producing biomaterials and chemicals to support a growing circular bioeconomy, the variety of waste and sustainable substrates that can support microbial growth and production will also continue to expand. The diversity of these microbes also requires a range of compatible genetic tools to engineer improved robustness and economic viability. As we still do not fully understand the function of many genes in even highly studied model microbes, engineering improved microbial performance requires introducing genome-scale genetic modifications followed by screening or selecting mutants that enhance growth under prohibitive conditions encountered during production. These approaches include adaptive laboratory evolution, random or directed mutagenesis, transposon-mediated gene disruption, or CRISPR interference (CRISPRi). Although any of these approaches may be applicable for identifying engineering targets, here we focus on using CRISPRi to reduce the time required to engineer more robust microbes for industrial applications. ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY The development of genome scale CRISPR-based libraries in new microbes enables discovery of genetic factors linked to desired traits for engineering more robust microbial systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret K Bales
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
- Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Michael Melesse Vergara
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Carrie A Eckert
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
- Center for Bioenergy Innovation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
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7
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Tjo H, Conway JM. Sugar transport in thermophiles: Bridging lignocellulose deconstruction and bioconversion. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 51:kuae020. [PMID: 38866721 PMCID: PMC11212667 DOI: 10.1093/jimb/kuae020] [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: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Biomass degrading thermophiles play an indispensable role in building lignocellulose-based supply chains. They operate at high temperatures to improve process efficiencies and minimize mesophilic contamination, can overcome lignocellulose recalcitrance through their native carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) inventory, and can utilize a wide range of sugar substrates. However, sugar transport in thermophiles is poorly understood and investigated, as compared to enzymatic lignocellulose deconstruction and metabolic conversion of sugars to value-added chemicals. Here, we review the general modes of sugar transport in thermophilic bacteria and archaea, covering the structural, molecular, and biophysical basis of their high-affinity sugar uptake. We also discuss recent genetic studies on sugar transporter function. With this understanding of sugar transport, we discuss strategies for how sugar transport can be engineered in thermophiles, with the potential to enhance the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into renewable products. ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY Sugar transport is the understudied link between extracellular biomass deconstruction and intracellular sugar metabolism in thermophilic lignocellulose bioprocessing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hansen Tjo
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Jonathan M Conway
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- High Meadows Environmental Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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8
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Velasquez-Guzman JC, Huttanus HM, Morales DP, Werner TS, Carroll AL, Guss AM, Yeager CM, Dale T, Jha RK. Biosensors for the detection of chorismate and cis,cis-muconic acid in Corynebacterium glutamicum. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 51:kuae024. [PMID: 38944415 PMCID: PMC11258901 DOI: 10.1093/jimb/kuae024] [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: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024]
Abstract
Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032 is a promising microbial chassis for industrial production of valuable compounds, including aromatic amino acids derived from the shikimate pathway. In this work, we developed two whole-cell, transcription factor based fluorescent biosensors to track cis,cis-muconic acid (ccMA) and chorismate in C. glutamicum. Chorismate is a key intermediate in the shikimate pathway from which value-added chemicals can be produced, and a shunt from the shikimate pathway can divert carbon to ccMA, a high value chemical. We transferred a ccMA-inducible transcription factor, CatM, from Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1 into C. glutamicum and screened a promoter library to isolate variants with high sensitivity and dynamic range to ccMA by providing benzoate, which is converted to ccMA intracellularly. The biosensor also detected exogenously supplied ccMA, suggesting the presence of a putative ccMA transporter in C. glutamicum, though the external ccMA concentration threshold to elicit a response was 100-fold higher than the concentration of benzoate required to do so through intracellular ccMA production. We then developed a chorismate biosensor, in which a chorismate inducible promoter regulated by natively expressed QsuR was optimized to exhibit a dose-dependent response to exogenously supplemented quinate (a chorismate precursor). A chorismate-pyruvate lyase encoding gene, ubiC, was introduced into C. glutamicum to lower the intracellular chorismate pool, which resulted in loss of dose dependence to quinate. Further, a knockout strain that blocked the conversion of quinate to chorismate also resulted in absence of dose dependence to quinate, validating that the chorismate biosensor is specific to intracellular chorismate pool. The ccMA and chorismate biosensors were dually inserted into C. glutamicum to simultaneously detect intracellularly produced chorismate and ccMA. Biosensors, such as those developed in this study, can be applied in C. glutamicum for multiplex sensing to expedite pathway design and optimization through metabolic engineering in this promising chassis organism. ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY High-throughput screening of promoter libraries in Corynebacterium glutamicum to establish transcription factor based biosensors for key metabolic intermediates in shikimate and β-ketoadipate pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanette C Velasquez-Guzman
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
- Chemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
- Agile BioFoundry, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
| | - Herbert M Huttanus
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
- Agile BioFoundry, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
| | - Demosthenes P Morales
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - Tara S Werner
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
- Agile BioFoundry, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
| | - Austin L Carroll
- Agile BioFoundry, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - Adam M Guss
- Agile BioFoundry, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - Chris M Yeager
- Chemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
- Agile BioFoundry, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
| | - Taraka Dale
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
- Agile BioFoundry, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
| | - Ramesh K Jha
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
- Agile BioFoundry, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
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Chadha A, Padhi SK, Stella S, Venkataraman S, Saravanan T. Microbial alcohol dehydrogenases: recent developments and applications in asymmetric synthesis. Org Biomol Chem 2024; 22:228-251. [PMID: 38050738 DOI: 10.1039/d3ob01447a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol dehydrogenases are a well-known group of enzymes in the class of oxidoreductases that use electron transfer cofactors such as NAD(P)+/NAD(P)H for oxidation or reduction reactions of alcohols or carbonyl compounds respectively. These enzymes are utilized mainly as purified enzymes and offer some advantages in terms of green chemistry. They are environmentally friendly and a sustainable alternative to traditional chemical synthesis of bulk and fine chemicals. Industry has implemented several whole-cell biocatalytic processes to synthesize pharmaceutically active ingredients by exploring the high selectivity of enzymes. Unlike the whole cell system where cofactor regeneration is well conserved within the cellular environment, purified enzymes require additional cofactors or a cofactor recycling system in the reaction, even though cleaner reactions can be carried out with fewer downstream work-up problems. The challenge of producing purified enzymes in large quantities has been solved in large part by the use of recombinant enzymes. Most importantly, recombinant enzymes find applications in many cascade biotransformations to produce several important chiral precursors. Inevitably, several dehydrogenases were engineered as mere recombinant enzymes could not meet the industrial requirements for substrate and stereoselectivity. In recent years, a significant number of engineered alcohol dehydrogenases have been employed in asymmetric synthesis in industry. In a parallel development, several enzymatic and non-enzymatic methods have been established for regenerating expensive cofactors (NAD+/NADP+) to make the overall enzymatic process more efficient and economically viable. In this review article, recent developments and applications of microbial alcohol dehydrogenases are summarized by emphasizing notable examples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anju Chadha
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600 036, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Santosh Kumar Padhi
- Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500 046, Telangana, India.
| | - Selvaraj Stella
- Department of Chemistry, Sarah Tucker College (Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University), Tirunelveli-627007, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Sowmyalakshmi Venkataraman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Sri Ramachandra Faculty of Pharmacy, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education & Research, Chennai, 600116, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Thangavelu Saravanan
- School of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500 046, Telangana, India.
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Oh SJ, Choi TR, Kim HJ, Shin N, Hwang JH, Kim HJ, Bhatia SK, Kim W, Yeon YJ, Yang YH. Maximization of 3-hydroxyhexanoate fraction in poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) using lauric acid with engineered Cupriavidus necator H16. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 256:128376. [PMID: 38007029 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128376] [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] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
As polyhydroxybutyrate (P(3HB)) was struggling with mechanical properties, efforts have been directed towards increasing mole fraction of 3-hydroxyhexanoate (3HHx) in P(3HB-co-3HHx) to improve the properties of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). Although genetic modification had significant results, there were several issues related to cell growth and PHA production by deletion of PHA synthetic genes. To find out easier strategy for high 3HHx mole fraction without gene deletion, Cupriavidus necator H16 containing phaC2Ra-phaACn-phaJ1Pa was examined with various oils resulting that coconut oil gave the highest 3HHx mole fraction. When fatty acid composition analysis with GC-MS was applied, coconut oil was found to have very different composition from other vegetable oil containing very high lauric acid (C12) content. To find out specific fatty acid affecting 3HHx fraction, different fatty acids from caproic acid (C6) to stearic acid (C18) was evaluated and the 3HHx mole fraction was increased to 26.5 ± 1.6 % using lauric acid. Moreover, the 3HHx mole fraction could be controlled from 9 % to 31.1 % by mixing bean oil and lauric acid with different ratios. Produced P(3HB-co-3HHx) exhibited higher molecular than P(3HB-co-3HHx) from phaB-deletion mutant. This study proposes another strategy to increase 3HHx mole fraction with easier way by modifying substrate composition without applying deletion tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suk Jin Oh
- Department of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Rim Choi
- Department of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Joong Kim
- Department of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Nara Shin
- Department of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Hyeon Hwang
- Department of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jin Kim
- Department of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Shashi Kant Bhatia
- Department of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Institute for Ubiquitous Information Technology and Application, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Wooseong Kim
- College of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Joo Yeon
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangneung, Republic of Korea
| | - Yung-Hun Yang
- Department of Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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11
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Kruse L, Loeschcke A, de Witt J, Wierckx N, Jaeger K, Thies S. Halopseudomonas species: Cultivation and molecular genetic tools. Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14369. [PMID: 37991430 PMCID: PMC10832565 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The Halopseudomonas species, formerly classified as Pseudomonas pertucinogena lineage, form a unique phylogenetic branch within the Pseudomonads. Most strains have recently been isolated from challenging habitats including oil- or metal-polluted sites, deep sea, and intertidal zones, suggesting innate resilience to physical and chemical stresses. Despite their comparably small genomes, these bacteria synthesise several biomolecules with biotechnological potential and a role in the degradation of anthropogenic pollutants has been suggested for some Halopseudomonads. Until now, these bacteria are not readily amenable to existing cultivation and cloning methods. We addressed these limitations by selecting four Halopseudomonas strains of particular interest, namely H. aestusnigri, H. bauzanensis, H. litoralis, and H. oceani to establish microbiological and molecular genetic methods. We found that C4 -C10 dicarboxylic acids serve as viable carbon sources in both complex and mineral salt cultivation media. We also developed plasmid DNA transfer protocols and assessed vectors with different origins of replication and promoters inducible with isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside, l-arabinose, and salicylate. Furthermore, we have demonstrated the simultaneous genomic integration of expression cassettes into one and two attTn7 integration sites. Our results provide a valuable toolbox for constructing robust chassis strains and highlight the biotechnological potential of Halopseudomonas strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luzie Kruse
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme TechnologyHeinrich Heine UniversityDüsseldorfGermany
| | - Anita Loeschcke
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme TechnologyHeinrich Heine UniversityDüsseldorfGermany
| | - Jan de Witt
- Institute of Bio‐ and Geosciences IBG‐1: BiotechnologyJülichGermany
| | - Nick Wierckx
- Institute of Bio‐ and Geosciences IBG‐1: BiotechnologyJülichGermany
| | - Karl‐Erich Jaeger
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme TechnologyHeinrich Heine UniversityDüsseldorfGermany
- Institute of Bio‐ and Geosciences IBG‐1: BiotechnologyJülichGermany
| | - Stephan Thies
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme TechnologyHeinrich Heine UniversityDüsseldorfGermany
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Zhang Y, Kubiak AM, Bailey TS, Claessen L, Hittmeyer P, Dubois L, Theys J, Lambin P. Development of a CRISPR-Cas12a system for efficient genome engineering in clostridia. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0245923. [PMID: 37947521 PMCID: PMC10715149 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02459-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Continued efforts in developing the CRISPR-Cas systems will further enhance our understanding and utilization of Clostridium species. This study demonstrates the development and application of a genome-engineering tool in two Clostridium strains, Clostridium butyricum and Clostridium sporogenes, which have promising potential as probiotics and oncolytic agents. Particular attention was given to the folding of precursor crRNA and the role of this process in off-target DNA cleavage by Cas12a. The results provide the guidelines necessary for efficient genome engineering using this system in clostridia. Our findings not only expand our fundamental understanding of genome-engineering tools in clostridia but also improve this technology to allow use of its full potential in a plethora of biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanchao Zhang
- M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW - School of Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Aleksandra M. Kubiak
- M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW - School of Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Exomnis Biotech BV, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Tom S. Bailey
- M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW - School of Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Luuk Claessen
- M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW - School of Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- LivingMed Biotech SRL, Liège, Belgium
| | - Philip Hittmeyer
- M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW - School of Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- LivingMed Biotech SRL, Liège, Belgium
| | - Ludwig Dubois
- M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW - School of Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Theys
- M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW - School of Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Philippe Lambin
- M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW - School of Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Musilova J, Kourilova X, Hermankova K, Bezdicek M, Ieremenko A, Dvorak P, Obruca S, Sedlar K. Genomic and phenotypic comparison of polyhydroxyalkanoates producing strains of genus Caldimonas/ Schlegelella. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:5372-5381. [PMID: 37965057 PMCID: PMC10641440 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.10.051] [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: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have emerged as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional polyesters. In this study, we present a comprehensive analysis of the genomic and phenotypic characteristics of three non-model thermophilic bacteria known for their ability to produce PHAs: Schlegelella aquatica LMG 23380T, Caldimonas thermodepolymerans DSM 15264, and C. thermodepolymerans LMG 21645 and the results were compared with the type strain C. thermodepolymerans DSM 15344T. We have assembled the first complete genomes of these three bacteria and performed the structural and functional annotation. This analysis has provided valuable insights into the biosynthesis of PHAs and has allowed us to propose a comprehensive scheme of carbohydrate metabolism in the studied bacteria. Through phylogenomic analysis, we have confirmed the synonymity between Caldimonas and Schlegelella genera, and further demonstrated that S. aquatica and S. koreensis, currently classified as orphan species, belong to the Caldimonas genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Musilova
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Xenie Kourilova
- Department of Food Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kristyna Hermankova
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Matej Bezdicek
- Department of Internal Medicine – Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Anastasiia Ieremenko
- Department of Experimental Biology (Section of Microbiology, Microbial Bioengineering Laboratory), Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Dvorak
- Department of Experimental Biology (Section of Microbiology, Microbial Bioengineering Laboratory), Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Stanislav Obruca
- Department of Food Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Sedlar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Bioinformatics, Department of Informatics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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14
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Orsi E, Nikel PI, Nielsen LK, Donati S. Synergistic investigation of natural and synthetic C1-trophic microorganisms to foster a circular carbon economy. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6673. [PMID: 37865689 PMCID: PMC10590403 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42166-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023] Open
Abstract
A true circular carbon economy must upgrade waste greenhouse gases. C1-based biomanufacturing is an attractive solution, in which one carbon (C1) molecules (e.g. CO2, formate, methanol, etc.) are converted by microbial cell factories into value-added goods (i.e. food, feed, and chemicals). To render C1-based biomanufacturing cost-competitive, we must adapt microbial metabolism to perform chemical conversions at high rates and yields. To this end, the biotechnology community has undertaken two (seemingly opposing) paths: optimizing natural C1-trophic microorganisms versus engineering synthetic C1-assimilation de novo in model microorganisms. Here, we pose how these approaches can instead create synergies for strengthening the competitiveness of C1-based biomanufacturing as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Orsi
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pablo Ivan Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Lars Keld Nielsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Stefano Donati
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
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15
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van Schaik J, Li Z, Cheadle J, Crook N. Engineering the Maize Root Microbiome: A Rapid MoClo Toolkit and Identification of Potential Bacterial Chassis for Studying Plant-Microbe Interactions. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:3030-3040. [PMID: 37712562 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00371] [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: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Sustainably enhancing crop production is a global necessity to meet the escalating demand for staple crops while sustainably managing their associated carbon/nitrogen inputs. Leveraging plant-associated microbiomes is a promising avenue for addressing this demand. However, studying these communities and engineering them for sustainable enhancement of crop production have remained a challenge due to limited genetic tools and methods. In this work, we detail the development of the Maize Root Microbiome ToolKit (MRMTK), a rapid Modular Cloning (MoClo) toolkit that only takes 2.5 h to generate desired constructs (5400 potential plasmids) that replicate and express heterologous genes in Enterobacter ludwigii strain AA4 (Elu), Pseudomonas putida strain AA7 (Ppu), Herbaspirillum robiniae strain AA6 (Hro), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strain AA1 (Sma), and Brucella pituitosa strain AA2 (Bpi), which comprise a model maize root synthetic community (SynCom). In addition to these genetic tools, we describe a highly efficient transformation protocol (107-109 transformants/μg of DNA) 1 for each of these strains. Utilizing this highly efficient transformation protocol, we identified endogenous Expression Sequences (ES; promoter and ribosomal binding sites) for each strain via genomic promoter trapping. Overall, MRMTK is a scalable and adaptable platform that expands the genetic engineering toolbox while providing a standardized, high-efficiency transformation method across a diverse group of root commensals. These results unlock the ability to elucidate and engineer plant-microbe interactions promoting plant growth for each of the 5 bacterial strains in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- John van Schaik
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Room 2109, Partners II, 840 Main Campus Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
| | - Zidan Li
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Room 2109, Partners II, 840 Main Campus Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
| | - John Cheadle
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Room 2109, Partners II, 840 Main Campus Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
| | - Nathan Crook
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Room 2109, Partners II, 840 Main Campus Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
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16
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Grace Barrios-Gutiérrez S, Inés Vélez-Mercado M, Rodrigues Ortega J, da Silva Lima A, Luiza da Rocha Fortes Saraiva A, Leila Berto G, Segato F. Oxidative Machinery of basidiomycetes as potential enhancers in lignocellulosic biorefineries: A lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases approach. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023; 386:129481. [PMID: 37437815 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Basidiomycetes are renowned as highly effective decomposers of plant materials, due to their extensive array of oxidative enzymes, which enable them to efficiently break down complex lignocellulosic biomass structures. Among the oxidative machinery of industrially relevant basidiomycetes, the role of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMO) in lignocellulosic biomass deconstruction is highlighted. So far, only a limited number of basidiomycetes LPMOs have been identified and heterologously expressed. These LPMOs have presented activity on cellulose and hemicellulose, as well as participation in the deconstruction of lignin. Expanding on this, the current review proposes both enzymatic and non-enzymatic mechanisms of LPMOs for biomass conversion, considering the significance of the Carbohydrate-Binding Modules and other C-terminal regions domains associated with their structure, which is involved in the deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solange Grace Barrios-Gutiérrez
- Synthetic and Molecular Biology Laboratory (SyMB), Department of Biotechnology, Lorena School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Lorena, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Martha Inés Vélez-Mercado
- Synthetic and Molecular Biology Laboratory (SyMB), Department of Biotechnology, Lorena School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Lorena, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Júlia Rodrigues Ortega
- Synthetic and Molecular Biology Laboratory (SyMB), Department of Biotechnology, Lorena School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Lorena, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Awana da Silva Lima
- Synthetic and Molecular Biology Laboratory (SyMB), Department of Biotechnology, Lorena School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Lorena, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana Luiza da Rocha Fortes Saraiva
- Synthetic and Molecular Biology Laboratory (SyMB), Department of Biotechnology, Lorena School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Lorena, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Leila Berto
- Synthetic and Molecular Biology Laboratory (SyMB), Department of Biotechnology, Lorena School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Lorena, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fernando Segato
- Synthetic and Molecular Biology Laboratory (SyMB), Department of Biotechnology, Lorena School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Lorena, São Paulo, Brazil.
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17
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Volke DC, Orsi E, Nikel PI. Emergent CRISPR-Cas-based technologies for engineering non-model bacteria. Curr Opin Microbiol 2023; 75:102353. [PMID: 37413959 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2023.102353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated proteins (Cas) technologies brought a transformative change in the way bacterial genomes are edited, and a plethora of studies contributed to developing multiple tools based on these approaches. Prokaryotic biotechnology benefited from the implementation of such genome engineering strategies, with an increasing number of non-model bacterial species becoming genetically tractable. In this review, we summarize the recent trends in engineering non-model microbes using CRISPR-Cas technologies, discussing their potential in supporting cell factory design towards biotechnological applications. These efforts include, among other examples, genome modifications as well as tunable transcriptional regulation (both positive and negative). Moreover, we examine how CRISPR-Cas toolkits for engineering non-model organisms enabled the exploitation of emergent biotechnological processes (e.g. native and synthetic assimilation of one-carbon substrates). Finally, we discuss our slant on the future of bacterial genome engineering for domesticating non-model organisms in light of the most recent advances in the ever-expanding CRISPR-Cas field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Volke
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Enrico Orsi
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
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18
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Arnold J, Glazier J, Mimee M. Genetic Engineering of Resident Bacteria in the Gut Microbiome. J Bacteriol 2023; 205:e0012723. [PMID: 37382533 PMCID: PMC10367592 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00127-23] [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] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Techniques by which to genetically manipulate members of the microbiota enable both the evaluation of host-microbe interactions and an avenue by which to monitor and modulate human physiology. Genetic engineering applications have traditionally focused on model gut residents, such as Escherichia coli and lactic acid bacteria. However, emerging efforts by which to develop synthetic biology toolsets for "nonmodel" resident gut microbes could provide an improved foundation for microbiome engineering. As genome engineering tools come online, so too have novel applications for engineered gut microbes. Engineered resident gut bacteria facilitate investigations of the roles of microbes and their metabolites on host health and allow for potential live microbial biotherapeutics. Due to the rapid pace of discovery in this burgeoning field, this minireview highlights advancements in the genetic engineering of all resident gut microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Arnold
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Joshua Glazier
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Mark Mimee
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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19
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Buyuklyan JA, Zakalyukina YV, Osterman IA, Biryukov MV. Modern Approaches to the Genome Editing of Antibiotic Biosynthetic Clusters in Actinomycetes. Acta Naturae 2023; 15:4-16. [PMID: 37908767 PMCID: PMC10615194 DOI: 10.32607/actanaturae.23426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Representatives of the phylum Actinomycetota are one of the main sources of secondary metabolites, including antibiotics of various classes. Modern studies using high-throughput sequencing techniques enable the detection of dozens of potential antibiotic biosynthetic genome clusters in many actinomycetes; however, under laboratory conditions, production of secondary metabolites amounts to less than 5% of the total coding potential of producer strains. However, many of these antibiotics have already been described. There is a continuous "rediscovery" of known antibiotics, and new molecules become almost invisible against the general background. The established approaches aimed at increasing the production of novel antibiotics include: selection of optimal cultivation conditions by modifying the composition of nutrient media; co-cultivation methods; microfluidics, and the use of various transcription factors to activate silent genes. Unfortunately, these tools are non-universal for various actinomycete strains, stochastic in nature, and therefore do not always lead to success. The use of genetic engineering technologies is much more efficient, because they allow for a directed and controlled change in the production of target metabolites. One example of such technologies is mutagenesis-based genome editing of antibiotic biosynthetic clusters. This targeted approach allows one to alter gene expression, suppressing the production of previously characterized molecules, and thereby promoting the synthesis of other unknown antibiotic variants. In addition, mutagenesis techniques can be successfully applied both to new producer strains and to the genes of known isolates to identify new compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Buyuklyan
- Center for Translational Medicine, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sochi, 354340 Russian Federation
| | - Yu V Zakalyukina
- Center for Translational Medicine, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sochi, 354340 Russian Federation
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234 Russian Federation
| | - I A Osterman
- Center for Translational Medicine, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sochi, 354340 Russian Federation
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, Moscow Region, 143025 Russian Federation
| | - M V Biryukov
- Center for Translational Medicine, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sochi, 354340 Russian Federation
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234 Russian Federation
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20
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Garg D, Samota MK, Kontis N, Patel N, Bala S, Rosado AS. Revolutionizing biofuel generation: Unleashing the power of CRISPR-Cas mediated gene editing of extremophiles. Microbiol Res 2023; 274:127443. [PMID: 37399654 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2023.127443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Molecular biology techniques like gene editing have altered the specific genes in micro-organisms to increase their efficiency to produce biofuels. This review paper investigates the outcomes of Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) for gene editing in extremophilic micro-organisms to produce biofuel. Commercial production of biofuel from lignocellulosic waste is limited due to various constraints. A potential strategy to enhance the capability of extremophiles to produce biofuel is gene-editing via CRISPR-Cas technology. The efficiency of intracellular enzymes like cellulase, hemicellulose in extremophilic bacteria, fungi and microalgae has been increased by alteration of genes associated with enzymatic activity and thermotolerance. extremophilic microbes like Thermococcus kodakarensis, Thermotoga maritima, Thermus thermophilus, Pyrococcus furiosus and Sulfolobus sp. are explored for biofuel production. The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels involves pretreatment, hydrolysis and fermentation. The challenges like off-target effect associated with use of extremophiles for biofuel production is also addressed. The appropriate regulations are required to maximize effectiveness while minimizing off-target cleavage, as well as the total biosafety of this technique. The latest discovery of the CRISPR-Cas system should provide a new channel in the creation of microbial biorefineries through site- specific gene editing that might boost the generation of biofuels from extremophiles. Overall, this review study highlights the potential for genome editing methods to improve the potential of extremophiles to produce biofuel, opening the door to more effective and environmentally friendly biofuel production methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diksha Garg
- Department of Microbiology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
| | | | - Nicholas Kontis
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division,King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Makkah 23955, Saudi Arabia; Computational Bioscience Research Center, Biological and Environmental Science and, Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Makkah 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Niketan Patel
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division,King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Makkah 23955, Saudi Arabia; Computational Bioscience Research Center, Biological and Environmental Science and, Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Makkah 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saroj Bala
- Department of Microbiology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
| | - Alexandre Soares Rosado
- Red Sea Research Center, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division,King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Makkah 23955, Saudi Arabia; Computational Bioscience Research Center, Biological and Environmental Science and, Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Makkah 23955, Saudi Arabia.
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21
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de Siqueira GMV, Guazzaroni ME. Host-Dependent Improvement of GFP Expression in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 Using Terminators of Metagenomic Origin. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:1562-1566. [PMID: 37126733 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional terminators are key players in the flow of genetic information, but are often overlooked in circuit design. In this work, we used the Standard European Vector Architecture (SEVA) as a scaffold to investigate the effects of different terminators in the output of a reporter construct expressed in two bacterial species, and found that replacing the conventional T1 and T0 transcriptional terminators of the SEVA vector format with a set of broad-host metagenomic terminators resulted in a significant improvement in the signal of a fluorescent device in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 but not in Escherichia coli DH10B. Our results suggest that replacing the default set of terminators present in the SEVA specification may be an useful strategy for fine-tuning circuit expression in P. putida, which can be leveraged for the development of new devices with improved performance in this microbial host.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - María-Eugenia Guazzaroni
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters at Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto 14040-901, Brazil
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22
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Lammens EM, Putzeys L, Boon M, Lavigne R. Sourcing Phage-Encoded Terminators Using ONT-cappable-seq for SynBio Applications in Pseudomonas. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:1415-1423. [PMID: 37092882 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Efficient transcriptional terminators are essential for the performance of genetic circuitry in microbial SynBio hosts. In recent years, several libraries of characterized strong terminators have become available for model organisms such as Escherichia coli. Conversely, terminator libraries for nonmodel species remain scarce, and individual terminators are often ported over from model systems, leading to unpredictable performance in their new hosts. In this work, we mined the genomes of Pseudomonas infecting phages LUZ7 and LUZ100 for transcriptional terminators utilizing the full-length RNA sequencing technique "ONT-cappable-seq" and validated these terminators in three Gram-negative hosts using a terminator trap assay. Based on these results, we present nine terminators for E. coli, Pseudomonas putida, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which outperform current reference terminators. Among these, terminator LUZ7 T50 displays potent bidirectional activity. These data further support that bacteriophages, as evolutionary-adapted natural predators of the targeted bacteria, provide a valuable source of microbial SynBio parts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eveline-Marie Lammens
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Leena Putzeys
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maarten Boon
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rob Lavigne
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
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23
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Brumwell SL, Van Belois KD, Nucifora DP, Karas BJ. SLICER: A Seamless Gene Deletion Method for Deinococcus radiodurans. BIODESIGN RESEARCH 2023; 5:0009. [PMID: 37849465 PMCID: PMC10085245 DOI: 10.34133/bdr.0009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Deinococcus radiodurans' high resistance to various stressors combined with its ability to utilize sustainable carbon sources makes it an attractive bacterial chassis for synthetic biology and industrial bioproduction. However, to fully harness the capabilities of this microbe, further strain engineering and tool development are required. Methods for creating seamless genome modifications are an essential part of the microbial genetic toolkit to enable strain engineering. Here, we report the development of the SLICER method, which can be used to create seamless gene deletions in D. radiodurans. This process involves (a) integration of a seamless deletion cassette replacing a target gene, (b) introduction of the pSLICER plasmid to mediate cassette excision by I-SceI endonuclease cleavage and homologous recombination, and (c) curing of the helper plasmid. We demonstrate the utility of SLICER for creating multiple gene deletions in D. radiodurans by sequentially targeting 5 putative restriction-modification system genes, recycling the same selective and screening markers for each subsequent deletion. While we observed no significant increase in transformation efficiency for most of the knockout strains, we demonstrated SLICER as a promising method to create a fully restriction-minus strain to expand the synthetic biology applications of D. radiodurans, including its potential as an in vivo DNA assembly platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L. Brumwell
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
| | | | - Daniel P. Nucifora
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Bogumil J. Karas
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
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24
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Hooker CA, Hanafy R, Hillman ET, Muñoz Briones J, Solomon KV. A Genetic Engineering Toolbox for the Lignocellulolytic Anaerobic Gut Fungus Neocallimastix frontalis. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:1034-1045. [PMID: 36920337 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00502] [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: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic fungi are powerful platforms for biotechnology that remain unexploited due to a lack of genetic tools. These gut fungi encode the largest number of lignocellulolytic carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) in the fungal kingdom, making them attractive for applications in renewable energy and sustainability. However, efforts to genetically modify anaerobic fungi have remained limited due to inefficient methods for DNA uptake and a lack of characterized genetic parts. We demonstrate that anaerobic fungi are naturally competent for DNA and leverage this to develop a nascent genetic toolbox informed by recently acquired genomes for transient transformation of anaerobic fungi. We validate multiple selectable markers (HygR and Neo), an anaerobic reporter protein (iRFP702), enolase and TEF1A promoters, TEF1A terminator, and a nuclear localization tag for protein compartmentalization. This work establishes novel methods to reliably transform the anaerobic fungus Neocallimastix frontalis, thereby paving the way for strain development and various synthetic biology applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey A Hooker
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Radwa Hanafy
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Ethan T Hillman
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Javier Muñoz Briones
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Kevin V Solomon
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
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25
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Elmore JR, Dexter GN, Baldino H, Huenemann JD, Francis R, Peabody GL, Martinez-Baird J, Riley LA, Simmons T, Coleman-Derr D, Guss AM, Egbert RG. High-throughput genetic engineering of nonmodel and undomesticated bacteria via iterative site-specific genome integration. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade1285. [PMID: 36897939 PMCID: PMC10005180 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade1285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Efficient genome engineering is critical to understand and use microbial functions. Despite recent development of tools such as CRISPR-Cas gene editing, efficient integration of exogenous DNA with well-characterized functions remains limited to model bacteria. Here, we describe serine recombinase-assisted genome engineering, or SAGE, an easy-to-use, highly efficient, and extensible technology that enables selection marker-free, site-specific genome integration of up to 10 DNA constructs, often with efficiency on par with or superior to replicating plasmids. SAGE uses no replicating plasmids and thus lacks the host range limitations of other genome engineering technologies. We demonstrate the value of SAGE by characterizing genome integration efficiency in five bacteria that span multiple taxonomy groups and biotechnology applications and by identifying more than 95 heterologous promoters in each host with consistent transcription across environmental and genetic contexts. We anticipate that SAGE will rapidly expand the number of industrial and environmental bacteria compatible with high-throughput genetics and synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua R. Elmore
- Biological Science Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - Gara N. Dexter
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, One Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Henri Baldino
- Biological Science Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - Jay D. Huenemann
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, One Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996,USA
| | - Ryan Francis
- Biological Science Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - George L. Peabody
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, One Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Jessica Martinez-Baird
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, One Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Lauren A. Riley
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, One Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996,USA
| | - Tuesday Simmons
- Plant and Microbial Biology Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94701, USA
| | - Devin Coleman-Derr
- Plant and Microbial Biology Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94701, USA
- Plant Gene Expression Center, USDA-ARS, Albany, CA 94710, USA
| | - Adam M. Guss
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, One Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Robert G. Egbert
- Biological Science Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
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26
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Simple and Rapid Site-Specific Integration of Multiple Heterologous DNAs into the Escherichia coli Chromosome. J Bacteriol 2023; 205:e0033822. [PMID: 36655997 PMCID: PMC9945576 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00338-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli is the most studied and well understood microorganism, but research in this system can still be limited by available genetic tools, including the ability to rapidly integrate multiple DNA constructs efficiently into the chromosome. Site-specific, large serine-recombinases can be useful tools, catalyzing a single, unidirectional recombination event between 2 specific DNA sequences, attB and attP, without requiring host proteins for functionality. Using these recombinases, we have developed a system to integrate up to 12 genetic constructs sequentially and stably into in the E. coli chromosome. A cassette of attB sites was inserted into the chromosome and the corresponding recombinases were cloned onto temperature sensitive plasmids to mediate recombination between a non-replicating, attP-containing "cargo" plasmid and the corresponding attB site on the chromosome. The efficiency of DNA insertion into the E. coli chromosome was approximately 107 CFU/μg DNA for six of the recombinases when the competent cells already contained the recombinase-expressing plasmid and approximately 105 CFU/μg DNA or higher when the recombinase-expressing plasmid and "cargo" plasmid were co-transformed. The "cargo" plasmid contains ΦC31 recombination sites flanking the antibiotic gene, allowing for resistance markers to be removed and reused following transient expression of the ΦC31 recombinase. As an example of the utility of this system, eight DNA methyltransferases from Clostridium clariflavum 4-2a were inserted into the E. coli chromosome to methylate plasmid DNA for evasion of the C. clariflavum restriction systems, enabling the first demonstration of transformation of this cellulose-degrading species. IMPORTANCE More rapid genetic tools can help accelerate strain engineering, even in advanced hosts like Escherichia coli. Here, we adapt a suite of site-specific recombinases to enable simple, rapid, and highly efficient site-specific integration of heterologous DNA into the chromosome. This utility of this system was demonstrated by sequential insertion of eight DNA methyltransferases into the E. coli chromosome, allowing plasmid DNA to be protected from restriction in Clostridium clariflavum and enabling genetic transformation of this organism. This integration system should also be highly portable into non-model organisms.
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27
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Madhavan A, Arun KB, Sindhu R, Nair BG, Pandey A, Awasthi MK, Szakacs G, Binod P. Design and genome engineering of microbial cell factories for efficient conversion of lignocellulose to fuel. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023; 370:128555. [PMID: 36586428 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.128555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The gradually increasing need for fossil fuels demands renewable biofuel substitutes. This has fascinated an increasing investigation to design innovative energy fuels that have comparable Physico-chemical and combustion characteristics with fossil-derived fuels. The efficient microbes for bioenergy synthesis desire the proficiency to consume a large quantity of carbon substrate, transfer various carbohydrates through efficient metabolic pathways, capability to withstand inhibitory components and other degradation compounds, and improve metabolic fluxes to synthesize target compounds. Metabolically engineered microbes could be an efficient methodology for synthesizing biofuel from cellulosic biomass by cautiously manipulating enzymes and metabolic pathways. This review offers a comprehensive perspective on the trends and advances in metabolic and genetic engineering technologies for advanced biofuel synthesis by applying various heterologous hosts. Probable technologies include enzyme engineering, heterologous expression of multiple genes, CRISPR-Cas technologies for genome editing, and cell surface display.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aravind Madhavan
- School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, Kollam 690525 Kerala, India.
| | - K B Arun
- Department of Life Sciences, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru 560029, Karnataka, India
| | - Raveendran Sindhu
- Department of Food Technology, TKM Institute of Technology, Kollam 689 122, India
| | - Bipin G Nair
- School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, Kollam 690525 Kerala, India
| | - Ashok Pandey
- Center for Innovation and Translational Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow 226 001, India; Sustainability Cluster, School of Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun 248007, Uttarkhand, India; Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, Lucknow 226 029, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Mukesh Kumar Awasthi
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712 100, China
| | - George Szakacs
- Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, 1111 Budapest, Szent Gellert ter 4, Hungary
| | - Parameswaran Binod
- Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Trivandrum 695 019, India
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28
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Recent advances in genetic tools for engineering probiotic lactic acid bacteria. Biosci Rep 2023; 43:232386. [PMID: 36597861 PMCID: PMC9842951 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20211299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthetic biology has grown exponentially in the last few years, with a variety of biological applications. One of the emerging applications of synthetic biology is to exploit the link between microorganisms, biologics, and human health. To exploit this link, it is critical to select effective synthetic biology tools for use in appropriate microorganisms that would address unmet needs in human health through the development of new game-changing applications and by complementing existing technological capabilities. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are considered appropriate chassis organisms that can be genetically engineered for therapeutic and industrial applications. Here, we have reviewed comprehensively various synthetic biology techniques for engineering probiotic LAB strains, such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 mediated genome editing, homologous recombination, and recombineering. In addition, we also discussed heterologous protein expression systems used in engineering probiotic LAB. By combining computational biology with genetic engineering, there is a lot of potential to develop next-generation synthetic LAB with capabilities to address bottlenecks in industrial scale-up and complex biologics production. Recently, we started working on Lactochassis project where we aim to develop next generation synthetic LAB for biomedical application.
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29
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Lee TM, Lin JY, Tsai TH, Yang RY, Ng IS. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) technology and genetic engineering strategies for microalgae towards carbon neutrality: A critical review. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023; 368:128350. [PMID: 36414139 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.128350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Carbon dioxide is the major greenhouse gas and regards as the critical issue of global warming and climate changes. The inconspicuous microalgae are responsible for 40% of carbon fixation among all photosynthetic plants along with a higher photosynthetic efficiency and convert the carbon into lipids, protein, pigments, and bioactive compounds. Genetic approach and metabolic engineering are applied to accelerate the growth rate and biomass of microalgae, hence achieve the mission of carbon neutrality. Meanwhile, CRISPR/Cas9 is efficiently to enhance the productivity of high-value compounds in microalgae for it is easier operation, more affordable and is able to regulate multiple genes simultaneously. The genetic engineering strategies provide the multidisciplinary concept to evolute and increase the CO2 fixation rate through Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle. Therefore, the technologies, bioinformatics tools, systematic engineering approaches for carbon neutrality and circular economy are summarized and leading one step closer to the decarbonization society in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tse-Min Lee
- Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
| | - Jia-Yi Lin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
| | - Tsung-Han Tsai
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
| | - Ru-Yin Yang
- Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
| | - I-Son Ng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
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30
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Microorganisms-An Effective Tool to Intensify the Utilization of Sulforaphane. Foods 2022; 11:foods11233775. [PMID: 36496582 PMCID: PMC9737538 DOI: 10.3390/foods11233775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Sulforaphane (SFN) was generated by the hydrolysis of glucoraphanin under the action of myrosinase. However, due to the instability of SFN, the bioavailability of SFN was limited. Meanwhile, the gut flora obtained the ability to synthesize myrosinase and glucoraphanin, which could be converted into SFN in the intestine. However, the ability of microorganisms to synthesize myrosinase in the gut was limited. Therefore, microorganisms with myrosinase synthesis ability need to be supplemented. With the development of research, microorganisms with high levels of myrosinase synthesis could be obtained by artificial selection and gene modification. Researchers found the SFN production rate of the transformed microorganisms could be significantly improved. However, despite applying transformation technology and regulating nutrients to microorganisms, it still could not provide the best efficiency during generating SFN and could not accomplish colonization in the intestine. Due to the great effect of microencapsulation on improving the colonization ability of microorganisms, microencapsulation is currently an important way to deliver microorganisms into the gut. This article mainly analyzed the possibility of obtaining SFN-producing microorganisms through gene modification and delivering them to the gut via microencapsulation to improve the utilization rate of SFN. It could provide a theoretical basis for expanding the application scope of SFN.
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31
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Kumar A, Karthikeyan OP, Joshi SJ. Editorial: Insights in microbiotechnology-2021. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1059702. [DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1059702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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32
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Singh S, Singh M, Gaur S. Probiotics as multifaceted oral vaccines against colon cancer: A review. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1002674. [PMID: 36263037 PMCID: PMC9573965 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1002674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Probiotics are known as the live microorganisms that, upon adequate administration, elicit a health beneficial response inside the host. The probiotics are known as immunomodulators and exhibit anti-tumor properties. Advanced research has explored the potential use of probiotics as the oral vaccines without the latent risks of pathogenicity. Probiotic-based oral vaccines are known to induce mucosal immunity that prevents the host from several enteric infections. Probiotic bacteria have the ability to produce metabolites in the form of anti-inflammatory cytokines, which play an important role in the prevention of carcinogenesis and in the activation of the phagocytes that eliminate the preliminary stage cancer cells. This review discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using the oral probiotic vaccines as well as the mechanism of action of probiotics in colon cancer therapy. This review also employs the use of “PROBIO” database for selecting certain probiotics with immunomodulatory properties. Furthermore, the use of several probiotic bacteria as anti-colon cancer adjuvants has also been discussed in detail. Because the current studies and trials are more focused on using the attenuated pathogens instead of using the probiotic-based vaccines, future studies must involve the advanced research in exploiting the potential of several probiotic strains as adjuvants in cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shubhi Singh
- Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida, India
| | - Manisha Singh
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Smriti Gaur
- Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida, India
- *Correspondence: Smriti Gaur,
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33
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Sridhar S, Ajo-Franklin CM, Masiello CA. A Framework for the Systematic Selection of Biosensor Chassis for Environmental Synthetic Biology. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:2909-2916. [PMID: 35961652 PMCID: PMC9486965 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Microbial biosensors sense and report exposures to stimuli, thereby facilitating our understanding of environmental processes. Successful design and deployment of biosensors hinge on the persistence of the microbial host of the genetic circuit, termed the chassis. However, model chassis organisms may persist poorly in environmental conditions. In contrast, non-model organisms persist better in environmental conditions but are limited by other challenges, such as genetic intractability and part unavailability. Here we identify ecological, metabolic, and genetic constraints for chassis development and propose a conceptual framework for the systematic selection of environmental biosensor chassis. We identify key challenges with using current model chassis and delineate major points of conflict in choosing the most suitable organisms as chassis for environmental biosensing. This framework provides a way forward in the selection of biosensor chassis for environmental synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swetha Sridhar
- Systems,
Synthetic, and Physical Biology Graduate Program, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, MS-180, Houston, Texas 77005, United
States,Tel: 713-348-2565.
| | - Caroline M. Ajo-Franklin
- Department
of BioSciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, MS-140, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Caroline A. Masiello
- Department
of BioSciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, MS-140, Houston, Texas 77005, United States,Department
of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Rice University, 6100 Main St, MS-126, Houston, Texas 77005, United
States
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34
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Call SN, Andrews LB. CRISPR-Based Approaches for Gene Regulation in Non-Model Bacteria. Front Genome Ed 2022; 4:892304. [PMID: 35813973 PMCID: PMC9260158 DOI: 10.3389/fgeed.2022.892304] [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: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) have become ubiquitous approaches to control gene expression in bacteria due to their simple design and effectiveness. By regulating transcription of a target gene(s), CRISPRi/a can dynamically engineer cellular metabolism, implement transcriptional regulation circuitry, or elucidate genotype-phenotype relationships from smaller targeted libraries up to whole genome-wide libraries. While CRISPRi/a has been primarily established in the model bacteria Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, a growing numbering of studies have demonstrated the extension of these tools to other species of bacteria (here broadly referred to as non-model bacteria). In this mini-review, we discuss the challenges that contribute to the slower creation of CRISPRi/a tools in diverse, non-model bacteria and summarize the current state of these approaches across bacterial phyla. We find that despite the potential difficulties in establishing novel CRISPRi/a in non-model microbes, over 190 recent examples across eight bacterial phyla have been reported in the literature. Most studies have focused on tool development or used these CRISPRi/a approaches to interrogate gene function, with fewer examples applying CRISPRi/a gene regulation for metabolic engineering or high-throughput screens and selections. To date, most CRISPRi/a reports have been developed for common strains of non-model bacterial species, suggesting barriers remain to establish these genetic tools in undomesticated bacteria. More efficient and generalizable methods will help realize the immense potential of programmable CRISPR-based transcriptional control in diverse bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie N. Call
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Lauren B. Andrews
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States
- Biotechnology Training Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Lauren B. Andrews,
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35
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Jayasekara S, Dissanayake L, Jayakody LN. Opportunities in the microbial valorization of sugar industrial organic waste to biodegradable smart food packaging materials. Int J Food Microbiol 2022; 377:109785. [PMID: 35752069 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2022.109785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Many petroleum-derived plastics, including food packaging materials are non-biodegradable and designed for single-use applications. Annually, around 175 Mt. of plastic enters the land and ocean ecosystems due to mismanagement and lack of techno economically feasible plastic waste recycling technologies. Renewable sourced, biodegradable polymer-based food packaging materials can reduce this environmental pollution. Sugar production from sugarcane or sugar beet generates organic waste streams that contain fermentable substrates, including sugars, acids, and aromatics. Microbial metabolism can be leveraged to funnel those molecules to platform chemicals or biopolymers to generate biodegradable food packaging materials that have active or sensing molecules embedded in biopolymer matrices. The smart package can real-time monitor food quality, assure health safety, and provide economic and environmental benefits. Active packaging materials display functional properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and light or gas barrier. This article provides an overview of potential biodegradable smart/active polymer packages for food applications by valorizing sugar industry-generated organic waste. We highlight the potential microbial pathways and metabolic engineering strategies to biofunnel the waste carbon efficiently into the targeted platform chemicals such as lactic, succinate, muconate, and biopolymers, including polyhydroxyalkanoates, and bacterial cellulose. The obtained platform chemicals can be used to produce biodegradable polymers such as poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) that could replace incumbent polyethylene and polypropylene food packaging materials. When nanomaterials are added, these polymers can be active/smart. The process can remarkably lower the greenhouse gas emission and energy used to produce food-packaging material via sugar industrial waste carbon relative to the petroleum-based production. The proposed green routes enable the valorization of sugar processing organic waste into biodegradable materials and enable the circular economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandhya Jayasekara
- School of Biological Science, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, USA
| | - Lakshika Dissanayake
- School of Biological Science, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, USA
| | - Lahiru N Jayakody
- School of Biological Science, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, USA; Fermentation Science Institute, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, USA.
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36
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Patel A, Bettiga M, Rova U, Christakopoulos P, Matsakas L. Microbial genetic engineering approach to replace shark livering for squalene. Trends Biotechnol 2022; 40:1261-1273. [PMID: 35450778 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Squalene is generally sourced from the liver oil of deep sea sharks (Squalus spp.), in which it accounts for 40-70% of liver mass. To meet the growing demand for squalene because of its beneficial effects for human health, three to six million deep sea sharks are slaughtered each year, profoundly endangering marine ecosystems. To overcome this unsustainable practice, microbial sources of squalene might offer a viable alternative to plant- or animal-based squalene, although only a few microorganisms have been found that are capable of synthesizing up to 30% squalene of dry biomass by native biosynthetic pathways. These squalene biosynthetic pathways, on the other hand, can be genetically manipulated to transform microorganisms into 'cellular factories' for squalene overproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alok Patel
- Biochemical Process Engineering, Division of Chemical Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden.
| | - Maurizio Bettiga
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden; Bioeconomy Division, EviKrets Biobased Processes Consultants, Landvetter, Sweden
| | - Ulrika Rova
- Biochemical Process Engineering, Division of Chemical Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden
| | - Paul Christakopoulos
- Biochemical Process Engineering, Division of Chemical Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden
| | - Leonidas Matsakas
- Biochemical Process Engineering, Division of Chemical Engineering, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden
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37
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Li M, Huo YX, Guo S. CRISPR-Mediated Base Editing: From Precise Point Mutation to Genome-Wide Engineering in Nonmodel Microbes. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:571. [PMID: 35453770 PMCID: PMC9024924 DOI: 10.3390/biology11040571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Nonmodel microbes with unique and diverse metabolisms have become rising stars in synthetic biology; however, the lack of efficient gene engineering techniques still hinders their development. Recently, the use of base editors has emerged as a versatile method for gene engineering in a wide range of organisms including nonmodel microbes. This method is a fusion of impaired CRISPR/Cas9 nuclease and base deaminase, enabling the precise point mutation at the target without inducing homologous recombination. This review updates the latest advancement of base editors in microbes, including the conclusion of all microbes that have been researched by base editors, the introduction of newly developed base editors, and their applications. We provide a list that comprehensively concludes specific applications of BEs in nonmodel microbes, which play important roles in industrial, agricultural, and clinical fields. We also present some microbes in which BEs have not been fully established, in the hope that they are explored further and so that other microbial species can achieve arbitrary base conversions. The current obstacles facing BEs and solutions are put forward. Lastly, the highly efficient BEs and other developed versions for genome-wide reprogramming of cells are discussed, showing great potential for future engineering of nonmodel microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yi-Xin Huo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, No. 5 South Zhongguancun Street, Beijing 100081, China;
| | - Shuyuan Guo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, No. 5 South Zhongguancun Street, Beijing 100081, China;
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38
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Gurdo N, Volke DC, Nikel PI. Merging automation and fundamental discovery into the design–build–test–learn cycle of nontraditional microbes. Trends Biotechnol 2022; 40:1148-1159. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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39
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Optogenetic tools for microbial synthetic biology. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 59:107953. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.107953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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40
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CRISPR-based metabolic engineering in non-model microorganisms. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2022; 75:102698. [PMID: 35217297 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2022.102698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Non-model microorganisms possess unique and versatile metabolic characteristics, offering great opportunities as cell factories for biosynthesis of target products. However, lack of efficient genetic tools for pathway engineering represents a big challenge to unlock the full production potential of these microbes. Over the past years, CRISPR systems have been extensively developed and applied to domesticate non-model microorganisms. In this paper, we summarize the current significant advances in designing and constructing CRISPR-mediated genetic modification systems in non-model microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi and cyanobacteria. We particularly put emphasis on reviewing some successful implementations in metabolic pathway engineering via CRISPR-based genome editing tools. Moreover, the current barriers and future perspectives on improving the editing efficiency of CRISPR systems in non-model microorganisms are also discussed.
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Lovley DR. Electrotrophy: Other microbial species, iron, and electrodes as electron donors for microbial respirations. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 345:126553. [PMID: 34906705 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Electrotrophy, the growth of microbes on extracellular electron donors, drives important biogeochemical cycles and has practical applications. Studies of Fe(II)-based electrotrophy have provided foundational cytochrome-based mechanistic models for electron transport into cells. Direct electron uptake from other microbial species, Fe(0), or cathodes is of intense interest due to its potential roles in the production and anaerobic oxidation of methane, corrosion, and bioelectrochemical technologies. Other cells or Fe(0) can serve as the sole electron donor supporting the growth of several Geobacter and methanogen strains that are unable to use H2 as an electron donor, providing strong evidence for electrotrophy. Additional evidence for electrotrophy in Geobacter strains and Methanosarcina acetivorans is a requirement for outer-surface c-type cytochromes. However, in most instances claims for electrotrophy in anaerobes are based on indirect inference and the possibility that H2 is actually the electron donor supporting growth has not been rigorously excluded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek R Lovley
- Electrobiomaterials Institute, Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China; Department of Microbiology and Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS), University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
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Gronchi N, De Bernardini N, Cripwell RA, Treu L, Campanaro S, Basaglia M, Foulquié-Moreno MR, Thevelein JM, Van Zyl WH, Favaro L, Casella S. Natural Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strain Reveals Peculiar Genomic Traits for Starch-to-Bioethanol Production: the Design of an Amylolytic Consolidated Bioprocessing Yeast. Front Microbiol 2022; 12:768562. [PMID: 35126325 PMCID: PMC8815085 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.768562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural yeast with superior fermentative traits can serve as a platform for the development of recombinant strains that can be used to improve the sustainability of bioethanol production from starch. This process will benefit from a consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) approach where an engineered strain producing amylases directly converts starch into ethanol. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae L20, previously selected as outperforming the benchmark yeast Ethanol Red, was here subjected to a comparative genomic investigation using a dataset of industrial S. cerevisiae strains. Along with Ethanol Red, strain L20 was then engineered for the expression of α-amylase amyA and glucoamylase glaA genes from Aspergillus tubingensis by employing two different approaches (delta integration and CRISPR/Cas9). A correlation between the number of integrated copies and the hydrolytic abilities of the recombinants was investigated. L20 demonstrated important traits for the construction of a proficient CBP yeast. Despite showing a close relatedness to commercial wine yeast and the benchmark Ethanol Red, a unique profile of gene copy number variations (CNVs) was found in L20, mainly encoding membrane transporters and secretion pathway proteins but also the fermentative metabolism. Moreover, the genome annotation disclosed seven open reading frames (ORFs) in L20 that are absent in the reference S288C genome. Genome engineering was successfully implemented for amylase production. However, with equal amylase gene copies, L20 proved its proficiency as a good enzyme secretor by exhibiting a markedly higher amylolytic activity than Ethanol Red, in compliance to the findings of the genomic exploration. The recombinant L20 dT8 exhibited the highest amylolytic activity and produced more than 4 g/L of ethanol from 2% starch in a CBP setting without the addition of supplementary enzymes. Based on the performance of this strain, an amylase/glucoamylase ratio of 1:2.5 was suggested as baseline for further improvement of the CBP ability. Overall, L20 showed important traits for the future construction of a proficient CBP yeast. As such, this work shows that natural S. cerevisiae strains can be used for the expression of foreign secreted enzymes, paving the way to strain improvement for the starch-to-bioethanol route.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicoletta Gronchi
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, Legnaro, Italy
| | | | - Rosemary A Cripwell
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Laura Treu
- Department of Biology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | | | - Marina Basaglia
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, Legnaro, Italy
| | | | - Johan M Thevelein
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, VIB, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- NovelYeast Bv, Open Bio-Incubator, Erasmus High School, Jette, Belgium
| | - Willem H Van Zyl
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Lorenzo Favaro
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Sergio Casella
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, Legnaro, Italy
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Innard N, Chong JPJ. The challenges of monitoring and manipulating anaerobic microbial communities. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 344:126326. [PMID: 34780902 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Mixed anaerobic microbial communities are a key component in valorization of waste biomass via anaerobic digestion. Similar microbial communities are important as soil and animal microbiomes and have played a critical role in shaping the planet as it is today. Understanding how individual species within communities interact with others and their environment is important for improving performance and potential applications of an inherently green technology. Here, the challenges associated with making measurements critical to assessing the status of anaerobic microbial communities are considered. How these measurements could be incorporated into control philosophies and augment the potential of anaerobic microbial communities to produce different and higher value products from waste materials are discussed. The benefits and pitfalls of current genetic and molecular approaches to measuring and manipulating anaerobic microbial communities and the challenges which should be addressed to realise the potential of this exciting technology are explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Innard
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - James P J Chong
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK.
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44
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Obruča S, Dvořák P, Sedláček P, Koller M, Sedlář K, Pernicová I, Šafránek D. Polyhydroxyalkanoates synthesis by halophiles and thermophiles: towards sustainable production of microbial bioplastics. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 58:107906. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.107906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Exploiting Aerobic Carboxydotrophic Bacteria for Industrial Biotechnology. ADVANCES IN BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING/BIOTECHNOLOGY 2021; 180:1-32. [PMID: 34894287 DOI: 10.1007/10_2021_178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Aerobic carboxydotrophic bacteria are a group of microorganisms which possess the unique trait to oxidize carbon monoxide (CO) as sole energy source with molecular oxygen (O2) to produce carbon dioxide (CO2) which subsequently is used for biomass formation via the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle. Moreover, most carboxydotrophs are also able to oxidize hydrogen (H2) with hydrogenases to drive the reduction of carbon dioxide in the absence of CO. As several abundant industrial off-gases contain significant amounts of CO, CO2, H2 as well as O2, these bacteria come into focus for industrial application to produce chemicals and fuels from such gases in gas fermentation approaches. Since the group of carboxydotrophic bacteria is rather unknown and not very well investigated, we will provide an overview about their lifestyle and the underlying metabolic characteristics, introduce promising members for industrial application, and give an overview of available genetic engineering tools. We will point to limitations and discuss challenges, which have to be overcome to apply metabolic engineering approaches and to utilize aerobic carboxydotrophs in the industrial environment.
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Azubuike CC, Allemann MN, Michener JK. Microbial assimilation of lignin-derived aromatic compounds and conversion to value-added products. Curr Opin Microbiol 2021; 65:64-72. [PMID: 34775172 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2021.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Lignin is an abundant and sustainable source of aromatic compounds that can be converted to value-added products. However, lignin is underutilized, since depolymerization produces a complex mixture of aromatic compounds that is difficult to convert to a single product. Microbial conversion of mixed aromatic substrates provides a potential solution to this conversion challenge. Recent advances have expanded the range of lignin-derived aromatic substrates that can be assimilated and demonstrated efficient conversion via central metabolism to new potential products. The development of additional non-model microbial hosts and genetic tools for these hosts have accelerated engineering efforts. However, yields with real depolymerized lignin are still low, and additional work will be required to achieve viable conversion processes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marco N Allemann
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA
| | - Joshua K Michener
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA.
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47
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Scarborough MJ, Lawson CE, DeCola AC, Gois IM. Microbiomes for sustainable biomanufacturing. Curr Opin Microbiol 2021; 65:8-14. [PMID: 34700205 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2021.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew James Scarborough
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, United States.
| | - Christopher Evan Lawson
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Amy Camille DeCola
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, United States
| | - Ian Mateus Gois
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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48
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Jaiswal D, Sahasrabuddhe D, Wangikar PP. Cyanobacteria as cell factories: the roles of host and pathway engineering and translational research. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2021; 73:314-322. [PMID: 34695729 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2021.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria, a group of photoautotrophic prokaryotes, are attractive hosts for the sustainable production of chemicals from carbon dioxide and sunlight. However, the rates, yields, and titers have remained well below those needed for commercial deployment. We argue that the following areas will be central to the development of cyanobacterial cell factories: engineered and well-characterized host strains, model-guided pathway design, and advanced synthetic biology tools. Although several foundational studies report improved strain properties, translational research will be needed to develop engineered hosts and deploy them for metabolic engineering. Further, the recent developments in metabolic modeling and synthetic biology of cyanobacteria will enable nimble strategies for strain improvement with the complete cycle of design, build, test, and learn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damini Jaiswal
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Deepti Sahasrabuddhe
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Pramod P Wangikar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400076, India.
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Rau EM, Ertesvåg H. Method Development Progress in Genetic Engineering of Thraustochytrids. Mar Drugs 2021; 19:515. [PMID: 34564177 PMCID: PMC8467673 DOI: 10.3390/md19090515] [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: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Thraustochytrids are unicellular, heterotrophic marine eukaryotes. Some species are known to store surplus carbon as intracellular lipids, and these also contain the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Most vertebrates are unable to synthesize sufficient amounts of DHA, and this fatty acid is essential for, e.g., marine fish, domesticated animals, and humans. Thraustochytrids may also produce other commercially valuable fatty acids and isoprenoids. Due to the great potential of thraustochytrids as producers of DHA and other lipid-related molecules, a need for more knowledge on this group of organisms is needed. This necessitates the ability to do genetic manipulation of the different strains. Thus far, this has been obtained for a few strains, while it has failed for other strains. Here, we systematically review the genetic transformation methods used for different thraustochytrid strains, with the aim of aiding studies on strains not yet successfully transformed. The designs of transformation cassettes are also described and compared. Moreover, the potential problems when trying to establish transformation protocols in new thraustochytrid species/strains are discussed, along with suggestions utilized in other organisms to overcome similar challenges. The approaches discussed in this review could be a starting point when designing protocols for other non-model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Helga Ertesvåg
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N7491 Trondheim, Norway;
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50
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Abstract
Microbial communities (microbiomes) have been harnessed in biotechnology applications such as wastewater treatment and bioremediation for over a century. Traditionally, engineering approaches have focused on shaping the environment to steer microbiome function versus direct manipulation of the microbiome's metabolic network. While these selection-based approaches have proven to be invaluable for guiding bioprocess engineering, they do not enable the precise manipulation and control of microbiomes required for unlocking their full potential. Over the past 2 decades, systems biology has revolutionized our understanding of the metabolic networks driving microbiome processes, and more recently genetic engineering tools have started to emerge for nonmodel microorganisms and microbiomes. In this commentary, I discuss how systems biology approaches are being used to generate actionable understanding of microbiome functions in engineered ecosystems. I also highlight how integrating synthetic biology, automation, and machine learning can accelerate microbiome engineering to meet the sustainability challenges of the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher E Lawson
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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