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Cronan JE. Lipoic acid attachment to proteins: stimulating new developments. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2024; 88:e0000524. [PMID: 38624243 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00005-24] [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: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
SUMMARYLipoic acid-modified proteins are essential for central metabolism and pathogenesis. In recent years, the Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis lipoyl assembly pathways have been modified and extended to archaea and diverse eukaryotes including humans. These extensions include a new pathway to insert the key sulfur atoms of lipoate, several new pathways of lipoate salvage, and a novel use of lipoic acid in sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. Other advances are the modification of E. coli LplA for studies of protein localization and protein-protein interactions in cell biology and in enzymatic removal of lipoate from lipoyl proteins. Finally, scenarios have been put forth for the evolution of lipoate assembly in archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E Cronan
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
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2
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Luppi AI, Rosas FE, Noonan MP, Mediano PAM, Kringelbach ML, Carhart-Harris RL, Stamatakis EA, Vernon AC, Turkheimer FE. Oxygen and the Spark of Human Brain Evolution: Complex Interactions of Metabolism and Cortical Expansion across Development and Evolution. Neuroscientist 2024; 30:173-198. [PMID: 36476177 DOI: 10.1177/10738584221138032] [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] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Scientific theories on the functioning and dysfunction of the human brain require an understanding of its development-before and after birth and through maturation to adulthood-and its evolution. Here we bring together several accounts of human brain evolution by focusing on the central role of oxygen and brain metabolism. We argue that evolutionary expansion of human transmodal association cortices exceeded the capacity of oxygen delivery by the vascular system, which led these brain tissues to rely on nonoxidative glycolysis for additional energy supply. We draw a link between the resulting lower oxygen tension and its effect on cytoarchitecture, which we posit as a key driver of genetic developmental programs for the human brain-favoring lower intracortical myelination and the presence of biosynthetic materials for synapse turnover. Across biological and temporal scales, this protracted capacity for neural plasticity sets the conditions for cognitive flexibility and ongoing learning, supporting complex group dynamics and intergenerational learning that in turn enabled improved nutrition to fuel the metabolic costs of further cortical expansion. Our proposed model delineates explicit mechanistic links among metabolism, molecular and cellular brain heterogeneity, and behavior, which may lead toward a clearer understanding of brain development and its disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea I Luppi
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
| | - Fernando E Rosas
- Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Science, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - MaryAnn P Noonan
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Pedro A M Mediano
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychology, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Department of Computing, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Morten L Kringelbach
- Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Psychedelics Division-Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Emmanuel A Stamatakis
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anthony C Vernon
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Federico E Turkheimer
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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3
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Tanabe TS, Grosser M, Hahn L, Kümpel C, Hartenfels H, Vtulkin E, Flegler W, Dahl C. Identification of a novel lipoic acid biosynthesis pathway reveals the complex evolution of lipoate assembly in prokaryotes. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002177. [PMID: 37368881 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Lipoic acid is an essential biomolecule found in all domains of life and is involved in central carbon metabolism and dissimilatory sulfur oxidation. The machineries for lipoate assembly in mitochondria and chloroplasts of higher eukaryotes, as well as in the apicoplasts of some protozoa, are all of prokaryotic origin. Here, we provide experimental evidence for a novel lipoate assembly pathway in bacteria based on a sLpl(AB) lipoate:protein ligase, which attaches octanoate or lipoate to apo-proteins, and 2 radical SAM proteins, LipS1 and LipS2, which work together as lipoyl synthase and insert 2 sulfur atoms. Extensive homology searches combined with genomic context analyses allowed us to precisely distinguish between the new and established pathways and map them on the tree of life. This not only revealed a much wider distribution of lipoate biogenesis systems than expected, in particular, the novel sLpl(AB)-LipS1/S2 pathway, and indicated a highly modular nature of the enzymes involved, with unforeseen combinations, but also provided a new framework for the evolution of lipoate assembly. Our results show that dedicated machineries for both de novo lipoate biogenesis and scavenging from the environment were implemented early in evolution and that their distribution in the 2 prokaryotic domains was shaped by a complex network of horizontal gene transfers, acquisition of additional genes, fusions, and losses. Our large-scale phylogenetic analyses identify the bipartite archaeal LplAB ligase as the ancestor of the bacterial sLpl(AB) proteins, which were obtained by horizontal gene transfer. LipS1/S2 have a more complex evolutionary history with multiple of such events but probably also originated in the domain archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohisa Sebastian Tanabe
- Institut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Martina Grosser
- Institut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Lea Hahn
- Institut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Carolin Kümpel
- Institut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Hanna Hartenfels
- Institut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Evelyn Vtulkin
- Institut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Wanda Flegler
- Institut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Christiane Dahl
- Institut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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4
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Prioretti L, D’Ermo G, Infossi P, Kpebe A, Lebrun R, Bauzan M, Lojou E, Guigliarelli B, Giudici-Orticoni MT, Guiral M. Carbon Fixation in the Chemolithoautotrophic Bacterium Aquifex aeolicus Involves Two Low-Potential Ferredoxins as Partners of the PFOR and OGOR Enzymes. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13030627. [PMID: 36983784 PMCID: PMC10052474 DOI: 10.3390/life13030627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Aquifex aeolicus is a microaerophilic hydrogen- and sulfur -oxidizing bacterium that assimilates CO2 via the reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle (rTCA). Key enzymes of this pathway are pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR) and 2-oxoglutarate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (OGOR), which are responsible, respectively, for the reductive carboxylation of acetyl-CoA to pyruvate and of succinyl-CoA to 2-oxoglutarate, two energetically unfavorable reactions that require a strong reduction potential. We have confirmed, by biochemistry and proteomics, that A. aeolicus possesses a pentameric version of these enzyme complexes ((αβγδε)2) and that they are highly abundant in the cell. In addition, we have purified and characterized, from the soluble fraction of A. aeolicus, two low redox potential and oxygen-stable [4Fe-4S] ferredoxins (Fd6 and Fd7, E0 = −440 and −460 mV, respectively) and shown that they can physically interact and exchange electrons with both PFOR and OGOR, suggesting that they could be the physiological electron donors of the system in vivo. Shotgun proteomics indicated that all the enzymes assumed to be involved in the rTCA cycle are produced in the A. aeolicus cells. A number of additional enzymes, previously suggested to be part of a putative partial Wood-Ljungdahl pathway used for the synthesis of serine and glycine from CO2 were identified by mass spectrometry, but their abundance in the cell seems to be much lower than that of the rTCA cycle. Their possible involvement in carbon assimilation is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Prioretti
- CNRS, Bioénergétique et Ingénierie des Protéines, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Giulia D’Ermo
- CNRS, Bioénergétique et Ingénierie des Protéines, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Pascale Infossi
- CNRS, Bioénergétique et Ingénierie des Protéines, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Arlette Kpebe
- CNRS, Bioénergétique et Ingénierie des Protéines, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Régine Lebrun
- CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Marielle Bauzan
- CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Elisabeth Lojou
- CNRS, Bioénergétique et Ingénierie des Protéines, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Bruno Guigliarelli
- CNRS, Bioénergétique et Ingénierie des Protéines, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, 13009 Marseille, France
| | | | - Marianne Guiral
- CNRS, Bioénergétique et Ingénierie des Protéines, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, 13009 Marseille, France
- Correspondence:
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5
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Aithal A, Dagar S, Rajamani S. Metals in Prebiotic Catalysis: A Possible Evolutionary Pathway for the Emergence of Metalloproteins. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:5197-5208. [PMID: 36816708 PMCID: PMC9933472 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c07635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Proteinaceous catalysts found in extant biology are products of life that were potentially derived through prolonged periods of evolution. Given their complexity, it is reasonable to assume that they were not accessible to prebiotic chemistry as such. Nevertheless, the dependence of many enzymes on metal ions or metal-ligand cores suggests that catalysis relevant to biology could also be possible with just the metal centers. Given their availability on the Hadean/Archean Earth, it is fair to conjecture that metal ions could have constituted the first forms of catalysts. A slow increase of complexity that was facilitated through the provision of organic ligands and amino acids/peptides possibly allowed for further evolution and diversification, eventually demarcating them into specific functions. Herein, we summarize some key experimental developments and observations that support the possible roles of metal catalysts in shaping the origins of life. Further, we also discuss how they could have evolved into modern-day enzymes, with some suggestions for what could be the imminent next steps that researchers can pursue, to delineate the putative sequence of catalyst evolution during the early stages of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuraag Aithal
- Department
of Biology, Indian Institute of Science
Education and Research, Pune, Maharashtra 411008, India
| | - Shikha Dagar
- Department
of Biology, Indian Institute of Science
Education and Research, Pune, Maharashtra 411008, India
| | - Sudha Rajamani
- Department
of Biology, Indian Institute of Science
Education and Research, Pune, Maharashtra 411008, India
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6
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EP-Pred: A Machine Learning Tool for Bioprospecting Promiscuous Ester Hydrolases. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12101529. [PMID: 36291739 PMCID: PMC9599548 DOI: 10.3390/biom12101529] [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: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
When bioprospecting for novel industrial enzymes, substrate promiscuity is a desirable property that increases the reusability of the enzyme. Among industrial enzymes, ester hydrolases have great relevance for which the demand has not ceased to increase. However, the search for new substrate promiscuous ester hydrolases is not trivial since the mechanism behind this property is greatly influenced by the active site’s structural and physicochemical characteristics. These characteristics must be computed from the 3D structure, which is rarely available and expensive to measure, hence the need for a method that can predict promiscuity from sequence alone. Here we report such a method called EP-pred, an ensemble binary classifier, that combines three machine learning algorithms: SVM, KNN, and a Linear model. EP-pred has been evaluated against the Lipase Engineering Database together with a hidden Markov approach leading to a final set of ten sequences predicted to encode promiscuous esterases. Experimental results confirmed the validity of our method since all ten proteins were found to exhibit a broad substrate ambiguity.
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7
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Advances in the Structural Biology, Mechanism, and Physiology of Cyclopropane Fatty Acid Modifications of Bacterial Membranes. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2022; 86:e0001322. [PMID: 35435731 PMCID: PMC9199407 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00013-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclopropane fatty acid (CFA) synthase catalyzes a remarkable reaction. The
cis
double bonds of unsaturated fatty acyl chains of phospholipid bilayers are converted to cyclopropane rings by transfer of a methylene moiety from S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM).
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8
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9
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Blackholly LR, Harris NJ, Findlay HE, Booth PJ. Cell-Free Expression to Probe Co-Translational Insertion of an Alpha Helical Membrane Protein. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:795212. [PMID: 35187078 PMCID: PMC8847741 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.795212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The majority of alpha helical membrane proteins fold co-translationally during their synthesis on the ribosome. In contrast, most mechanistic folding studies address refolding of full-length proteins from artificially induced denatured states that are far removed from the natural co-translational process. Cell-free translation of membrane proteins is emerging as a useful tool to address folding during translation by a ribosome. We summarise the benefits of this approach and show how it can be successfully extended to a membrane protein with a complex topology. The bacterial leucine transporter, LeuT can be synthesised and inserted into lipid membranes using a variety of in vitro transcription translation systems. Unlike major facilitator superfamily transporters, where changes in lipids can optimise the amount of correctly inserted protein, LeuT insertion yields are much less dependent on the lipid composition. The presence of a bacterial translocon either in native membrane extracts or in reconstituted membranes also has little influence on the yield of LeuT incorporated into the lipid membrane, except at high reconstitution concentrations. LeuT is considered a paradigm for neurotransmitter transporters and possesses a knotted structure that is characteristic of this transporter family. This work provides a method in which to probe the formation of a protein as the polypeptide chain is being synthesised on a ribosome and inserting into lipids. We show that in comparison with the simpler major facilitator transporter structures, LeuT inserts less efficiently into membranes when synthesised cell-free, suggesting that more of the protein aggregates, likely as a result of the challenging formation of the knotted topology in the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Paula J. Booth
- Department of Chemistry, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
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10
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Sumi T, Harada K. Kinetics of the ancestral carbon metabolism pathways in deep-branching bacteria and archaea. Commun Chem 2021; 4:149. [PMID: 36697601 PMCID: PMC9814661 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-021-00585-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The origin of life is believed to be chemoautotrophic, deriving all biomass components from carbon dioxide, and all energy from inorganic redox couples in the environment. The reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle (rTCA) and the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway (WL) have been recognized as the most ancient carbon fixation pathways. The rTCA of the chemolithotrophic Thermosulfidibacter takaii, which was recently demonstrated to take place via an unexpected reverse reaction of citrate synthase, was reproduced using a kinetic network model, and a competition between reductive and oxidative fluxes on rTCA due to an acetyl coenzyme A (ACOA) influx upon acetate uptake was revealed. Avoiding ACOA direct influx into rTCA from WL is, therefore, raised as a kinetically necessary condition to maintain a complete rTCA. This hypothesis was confirmed for deep-branching bacteria and archaea, and explains the kinetic factors governing elementary processes in carbon metabolism evolution from the last universal common ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomonari Sumi
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, 3-1-1 Tsushima-Naka, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan. .,Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Okayama University, 3-1-1 Tsushima-Naka, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan.
| | - Kouji Harada
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Tempaku-cho, Toyohashi, 441-8580, Japan.,Center for IT-Based Education, Toyohashi University of Technology, Tempaku-cho, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8580, Japan
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11
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Tong T, Chen X, Hu G, Wang XL, Liu GQ, Liu L. Engineering microbial metabolic energy homeostasis for improved bioproduction. Biotechnol Adv 2021; 53:107841. [PMID: 34610353 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107841] [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: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic energy (ME) homeostasis is essential for the survival and proper functioning of microbial cell factories. However, it is often disrupted during bioproduction because of inefficient ME supply and excessive ME consumption. In this review, we propose strategies, including reinforcement of the capacity of ME-harvesting systems in autotrophic microorganisms; enhancement of the efficiency of ME-supplying pathways in heterotrophic microorganisms; and reduction of unessential ME consumption by microbial cells, to address these issues. This review highlights the potential of biotechnology in the engineering of microbial ME homeostasis and provides guidance for the higher efficient bioproduction of microbial cell factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Tong
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Forestry Biotechnology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; International Cooperation Base of Science and Technology Innovation on Forest Resource Biotechnology of Hunan Province, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
| | - Xiulai Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; International Joint Laboratory on Food Safety, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Guipeng Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; International Joint Laboratory on Food Safety, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Xiao-Ling Wang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Forestry Biotechnology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; International Cooperation Base of Science and Technology Innovation on Forest Resource Biotechnology of Hunan Province, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
| | - Gao-Qiang Liu
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Forestry Biotechnology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; International Cooperation Base of Science and Technology Innovation on Forest Resource Biotechnology of Hunan Province, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China.
| | - Liming Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; International Joint Laboratory on Food Safety, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
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12
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Rivera-Valentín EG, Filiberto J, Lynch KL, Mamajanov I, Lyons TW, Schulte M, Méndez A. Introduction-First Billion Years: Habitability. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:893-905. [PMID: 34406807 PMCID: PMC8403211 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The physical processes active during the first billion years (FBY) of Earth's history, such as accretion, differentiation, and impact cratering, provide constraints on the initial conditions that were conducive to the formation and establishment of life on Earth. This motivated the Lunar and Planetary Institute's FBY topical initiative, which was a four-part conference series intended to look at each of these physical processes to study the basic structure and composition of our Solar System that was set during the FBY. The FBY Habitability conference, held in September 2019, was the last in this series and was intended to synthesize the initiative; specifically, to further our understanding of the origins of life, planetary and environmental habitability, and the search for life beyond Earth. The conference included discussions of planetary habitability and the potential emergence of life on bodies within our Solar System, as well as extrasolar systems by applying our knowledge of the Solar System's FBY, and in particular Earth's early history. To introduce this Special Collection, which resulted from work discussed at the conference, we provide a review of the main themes and a synopsis of the FBY Habitability conference.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Justin Filiberto
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Kennda L. Lynch
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Irena Mamajanov
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Timothy W. Lyons
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Mitch Schulte
- Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Abel Méndez
- Planetary Habitability Laboratory, University of Puerto Rico Arecibo, Arecibo, Puerto Rico
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13
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The Semi-Enzymatic Origin of Metabolic Pathways: Inferring a Very Early Stage of the Evolution of Life. J Mol Evol 2021; 89:183-188. [PMID: 33506330 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-021-09994-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The early evolution of life is a period with many important events with a lot of big and open questions. One of them is the evolution of metabolic pathways, which means the origin and assembly of enzymes that act together. The retrograde hypothesis was the first attempt to explain the origin and evolutionary history of metabolic pathways; Norman Horowitz developed this first significant hypothesis. This idea was followed by relevant proposals developed by Sam Granick, who proposed the "forward direction hypothesis," and then the successful idea of "Patchwork" assembly proposed independently by Martynas Yčas and Roy Jensen. Since then, a few new hypotheses were proposed; one of the most influential was made by Antonio Lazcano and Stanley Miller in the Journal Molecular Evolution, the "semi-enzymatic origin" of metabolic pathways. This article was cited more than 160 times, including in most papers published about the early evolution of metabolism, placing it as influential work in the field. The ideas proposed in this work and their effects on studying the origin and early evolution of life are analyzed.
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14
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Buhrman G, Enríquez P, Dillard L, Baer H, Truong V, Grunden AM, Rose RB. Structure, Function, and Thermal Adaptation of the Biotin Carboxylase Domain Dimer from Hydrogenobacter thermophilus 2-Oxoglutarate Carboxylase. Biochemistry 2021; 60:324-345. [PMID: 33464881 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
2-Oxoglutarate carboxylase (OGC), a unique member of the biotin-dependent carboxylase family from the order Aquificales, captures dissolved CO2 via the reductive tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle. Structure and function studies of OGC may facilitate adaptation of the rTCA cycle to increase the level of carbon fixation for biofuel production. Here we compare the biotin carboxylase (BC) domain of Hydrogenobacter thermophilus OGC with the well-studied mesophilic homologues to identify features that may contribute to thermal stability and activity. We report three OGC BC X-ray structures, each bound to bicarbonate, ADP, or ADP-Mg2+, and propose that substrate binding at high temperatures is facilitated by interactions that stabilize the flexible subdomain B in a partially closed conformation. Kinetic measurements with varying ATP and biotin concentrations distinguish two temperature-dependent steps, consistent with biotin's rate-limiting role in organizing the active site. Transition state thermodynamic values derived from the Eyring equation indicate a larger positive ΔH⧧ and a less negative ΔS⧧ compared to those of a previously reported mesophilic homologue. These thermodynamic values are explained by partially rate limiting product release. Phylogenetic analysis of BC domains suggests that OGC diverged prior to Aquificales evolution. The phylogenetic tree identifies mis-annotations of the Aquificales BC sequences, including the Aquifex aeolicus pyruvate carboxylase structure. Notably, our structural data reveal that the OGC BC dimer comprises a "wet" dimerization interface that is dominated by hydrophilic interactions and structural water molecules common to all BC domains and likely facilitates the conformational changes associated with the catalytic cycle. Mutations in the dimerization domain demonstrate that dimerization contributes to thermal stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg Buhrman
- Department of Molecular & Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7622, United States
| | - Paul Enríquez
- Department of Molecular & Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7622, United States
| | - Lucas Dillard
- Department of Molecular & Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7622, United States
| | - Hayden Baer
- Department of Molecular & Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7622, United States
| | - Vivian Truong
- Department of Molecular & Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7622, United States
| | - Amy M Grunden
- Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7612, United States
| | - Robert B Rose
- Department of Molecular & Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7622, United States
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15
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Guiral M, Giudici-Orticoni MT. Microbe Profile: Aquifex aeolicus: an extreme heat-loving bacterium that feeds on gases and inorganic chemicals. Microbiology (Reading) 2021; 167. [DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacterium ‘
Aquifex aeolicus
’ is the model organism for the deeply rooted phylum
Aquificae
. This ‘water-maker’ is an H2-oxidizing microaerophile that flourishes in extremely hot marine habitats, and it also thrives on the sulphur compounds commonly found in volcanic environments. ‘
A. aeolicus
’ has hyper-stable proteins and a fully sequenced genome, with some of its essential metabolic pathways deciphered (including energy conservation). Many of its proteins have also been characterized (especially structurally), including many of the enzymes involved in replication, transcription, RNA processing and cell envelope biosynthesis. Enzymes that are of promise for biotechnological applications have been widely investigated in this species. ‘
A. aeolicus
’ has also added to our understanding of the origins of life and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Guiral
- BIP, UMR 7281, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
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16
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Cronan JE. Progress in the Enzymology of the Mitochondrial Diseases of Lipoic Acid Requiring Enzymes. Front Genet 2020; 11:510. [PMID: 32508887 PMCID: PMC7253636 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Three human mitochondrial diseases that directly affect lipoic acid metabolism result from heterozygous missense and nonsense mutations in the LIAS, LIPT1, and LIPT2 genes. However, the functions of the proteins encoded by these genes in lipoic acid metabolism remained uncertain due to a lack of biochemical analysis at the enzyme level. An exception was the LIPT1 protein for which a perplexing property had been reported, a ligase lacking the ability to activate its substrate. This led to several models, some contradictory, to accommodate the role of LIPT1 protein activity in explaining the phenotypes of the afflicted neonatal patients. Recent evidence indicates that this LIPT1 protein activity is a misleading evolutionary artifact and that the physiological role of LIPT1 is in transfer of lipoic acid moieties from one protein to another. This and other new biochemical data now define a straightforward pathway that fully explains each of the human disorders specific to the assembly of lipoic acid on its cognate enzyme proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E Cronan
- B103 Chemical and Life Sciences Laboratory, Departments of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
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17
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Ferrer M, Méndez-García C, Bargiela R, Chow J, Alonso S, García-Moyano A, Bjerga GEK, Steen IH, Schwabe T, Blom C, Vester J, Weckbecker A, Shahgaldian P, de Carvalho CCCR, Meskys R, Zanaroli G, Glöckner FO, Fernández-Guerra A, Thambisetty S, de la Calle F, Golyshina OV, Yakimov MM, Jaeger KE, Yakunin AF, Streit WR, McMeel O, Calewaert JB, Tonné N, Golyshin PN. Decoding the ocean's microbiological secrets for marine enzyme biodiscovery. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2019; 366:5232402. [PMID: 30534987 PMCID: PMC6322442 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fny285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A global census of marine microbial life has been underway over the past several decades. During this period, there have been scientific breakthroughs in estimating microbial diversity and understanding microbial functioning and ecology. It is estimated that the ocean, covering 71% of the earth's surface with its estimated volume of about 2 × 1018 m3 and an average depth of 3800 m, hosts the largest population of microbes on Earth. More than 2 million eukaryotic and prokaryotic species are thought to thrive both in the ocean and on its surface. Prokaryotic cell abundances can reach densities of up to 1012 cells per millilitre, exceeding eukaryotic densities of around 106 cells per millilitre of seawater. Besides their large numbers and abundance, marine microbial assemblages and their organic catalysts (enzymes) have a largely underestimated value for their use in the development of industrial products and processes. In this perspective article, we identified critical gaps in knowledge and technology to fast-track this development. We provided a general overview of the presumptive microbial assemblages in oceans, and an estimation of what is known and the enzymes that have been currently retrieved. We also discussed recent advances made in this area by the collaborative European Horizon 2020 project ‘INMARE’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Ferrer
- Department of Applied Biocatalysis, Institute of Catalysis, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Marie Curie 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Celia Méndez-García
- Department of Applied Biocatalysis, Institute of Catalysis, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Marie Curie 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael Bargiela
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, LL57 2UW Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer Chow
- Biozentrum Klein Flottbek, Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Universität Hamburg, Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sandra Alonso
- Department of Applied Biocatalysis, Institute of Catalysis, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Marie Curie 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio García-Moyano
- NORCE Environment, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS, Thormøhlens gate 55, 5008 Bergen, Norway
| | - Gro E K Bjerga
- NORCE Environment, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS, Thormøhlens gate 55, 5008 Bergen, Norway
| | - Ida H Steen
- Department of Biological Sciences and KG Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt 53A/B, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Tatjana Schwabe
- CLIB2021 - Cluster industrielle Biotechnologie, Voelklinger Str. 4, 40219 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | | | - Jan Vester
- Novozymes A/S, Krogshoejvej 36, 2880 Bagsvaerd, Denmark
| | - Andrea Weckbecker
- evoxx technologies GmbH, Alfred-Nobel-Str. 10, 40789 Monheim am Rhein, Germany
| | - Patrick Shahgaldian
- School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Hofackerstrasse 35, CH-4132 Muttenz, Switzerland
| | - Carla C C R de Carvalho
- iBB - Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Rolandas Meskys
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Biochemistry, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Sauletekio 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Giulio Zanaroli
- Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering (DICAM), University of Bologna, via Terracini 28, 40131 Bologna, Italy
| | - Frank O Glöckner
- Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany.,Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | | | - Siva Thambisetty
- London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE London, United Kingdom
| | - Fernando de la Calle
- Microbiology R&D Dpt., Pharma Mar, S.A., Avda. Los Reyes, 1, 28770 Colmenar Viejo, Madrid, Spain
| | - Olga V Golyshina
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, LL57 2UW Bangor, United Kingdom.,Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, LL57 2UW Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Michail M Yakimov
- Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnology, IRBIM-CNR, Spianata S. Raineri 86, 98122 Messina, Italy.,Institute of Living Systems, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Nevskogo 14 a, 236016 Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Karl-Erich Jaeger
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Strasse, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Alexander F Yakunin
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, LL57 2UW Bangor, United Kingdom.,Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, LL57 2UW Bangor, United Kingdom.,Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto, M5S 3E5 Ontario, Canada
| | - Wolfgang R Streit
- Biozentrum Klein Flottbek, Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Universität Hamburg, Ohnhorststr. 18, 22609 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Oonagh McMeel
- Seascape Belgium bvba, Kindermansstraat 14/19, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Nathalie Tonné
- Seascape Belgium bvba, Kindermansstraat 14/19, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Peter N Golyshin
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, LL57 2UW Bangor, United Kingdom.,Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, LL57 2UW Bangor, United Kingdom
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18
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Rasetto NB, Lavatelli A, Martin N, Mansilla MC. Unravelling the lipoyl-relay of exogenous lipoate utilization in Bacillus subtilis. Mol Microbiol 2019; 112:302-316. [PMID: 31066113 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Lipoate is an essential cofactor for key enzymes of oxidative and one-carbon metabolism. It is covalently attached to E2 subunits of dehydrogenase complexes and GcvH, the H subunit of the glycine cleavage system. Bacillus subtilis possess two protein lipoylation pathways: biosynthesis and scavenging. The former requires octanoylation of GcvH, insertion of sulfur atoms and amidotransfer of the lipoate to E2s, catalyzed by LipL. Lipoate scavenging is mediated by a lipoyl protein ligase (LplJ) that catalyzes a classical two-step ATP-dependent reaction. Although these pathways were thought to be redundant, a ∆lipL mutant, in which the endogenous lipoylation pathway of E2 subunits is blocked, showed growth defects in minimal media even when supplemented with lipoate and despite the presence of a functional LplJ. In this study, we demonstrate that LipL is essential to modify E2 subunits of branched chain ketoacid and pyruvate dehydrogenases during lipoate scavenging. The crucial role of LipL during lipoate utilization relies on the strict substrate specificity of LplJ, determined by charge complementarity between the ligase and the lipoylable subunits. This new lipoyl-relay required for lipoate scavenging highlights the relevance of the amidotransferase as a valid target for the design of new antimicrobial agents among Gram-positive pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalí B Rasetto
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, and Departamento de Microbiología Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Ocampo y Esmeralda, Predio CONICET, Rosario, S2000FHQ, Argentina
| | - Antonela Lavatelli
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, and Departamento de Microbiología Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Ocampo y Esmeralda, Predio CONICET, Rosario, S2000FHQ, Argentina
| | - Natalia Martin
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - María Cecilia Mansilla
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, and Departamento de Microbiología Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Ocampo y Esmeralda, Predio CONICET, Rosario, S2000FHQ, Argentina
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19
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QnAs with John E. Cronan. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:6878-6879. [DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1808617115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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20
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Jaramillo KB, Reverter M, Guillen PO, McCormack G, Rodriguez J, Sinniger F, Thomas OP. Assessing the Zoantharian Diversity of the Tropical Eastern Pacific through an Integrative Approach. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7138. [PMID: 29739963 PMCID: PMC5940898 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25086-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Zoantharians represent a group of marine invertebrates widely distributed from shallow waters to the deep sea. Despite a high diversity and abundance in the rocky reefs of the Pacific Ocean, very few studies have been reported on the diversity of this group in the Tropical Eastern Pacific coasts. While molecular techniques recently clarified some taxonomic relationships within the order, the taxonomy of zoantharians is still highly challenging due to a lack of clear morphological characters and confusing use of different data in previous studies. Our first insight into the zoantharian diversity at El Pelado Marine Protected Area - Ecuador led to the identification of six species: Terrazoanthus patagonichus; Terrazoanthus sp.; Antipathozoanthus hickmani; Parazoanthus darwini; Zoanthus cf. pulchellus; and Zoanthus cf. sociatus. A metabolomic approach using UHPLC-HRMS was proven to be very efficient as a complementary tool in the systematics of these species and specialized metabolites of the ecdysteroid and alkaloid families were identified as key biomarkers for interspecific discrimination. These results show good promise for an application of this integrative approach to other zoantharians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla B Jaramillo
- Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), Centro Nacional de Acuicultura e Investigaciones Marinas (CENAIM), Campus Gustavo Galindo Km. 30.5 Vía Perimetral, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador.,Zoology, School of Natural Science and Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), University Road, H91 TK33, Galway, Ireland
| | - Miriam Reverter
- Marine Biodiscovery, School of Chemistry and Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), University Road, H91 TK33, Galway, Ireland
| | - Paul O Guillen
- Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), Centro Nacional de Acuicultura e Investigaciones Marinas (CENAIM), Campus Gustavo Galindo Km. 30.5 Vía Perimetral, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador.,Marine Biodiscovery, School of Chemistry and Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), University Road, H91 TK33, Galway, Ireland
| | - Grace McCormack
- Zoology, School of Natural Science and Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), University Road, H91 TK33, Galway, Ireland
| | - Jenny Rodriguez
- Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), Centro Nacional de Acuicultura e Investigaciones Marinas (CENAIM), Campus Gustavo Galindo Km. 30.5 Vía Perimetral, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Frédéric Sinniger
- Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Sesoko Island, Okinawa, 905-0227, Japan.
| | - Olivier P Thomas
- Marine Biodiscovery, School of Chemistry and Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), University Road, H91 TK33, Galway, Ireland.
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21
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22
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Cao X, Hong Y, Zhu L, Hu Y, Cronan JE. Development and retention of a primordial moonlighting pathway of protein modification in the absence of selection presents a puzzle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:647-655. [PMID: 29339506 PMCID: PMC5789953 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1718653115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Lipoic acid is synthesized by a remarkably atypical pathway in which the cofactor is assembled on its cognate proteins. An octanoyl moiety diverted from fatty acid synthesis is covalently attached to the acceptor protein, and sulfur insertion at carbons 6 and 8 of the octanoyl moiety form the lipoyl cofactor. Covalent attachment of this cofactor is required for function of several central metabolism enzymes, including the glycine cleavage H protein (GcvH). In Bacillus subtilis, GcvH is the sole substrate for lipoate assembly. Hence lipoic acid-requiring 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase (OADH) proteins acquire the cofactor only by transfer from lipoylated GcvH. Lipoyl transfer has been argued to be the primordial pathway of OADH lipoylation. The Escherichia coli pathway where lipoate is directly assembled on both its GcvH and OADH proteins, is proposed to have arisen later. Because roughly 3 billion years separate the divergence of these bacteria, it is surprising that E. coli GcvH functionally substitutes for the B. subtilis protein in lipoyl transfer. Known and putative GcvHs from other bacteria and eukaryotes also substitute for B. subtilis GcvH in OADH modification. Because glycine cleavage is the primary GcvH role in ancestral bacteria that lack OADH enzymes, lipoyl transfer is a "moonlighting" function: that is, development of a new function while retaining the original function. This moonlighting has been conserved in the absence of selection by some, but not all, GcvH proteins. Moreover, Aquifex aeolicus encodes five putative GcvHs, two of which have the moonlighting function, whereas others function only in glycine cleavage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyun Cao
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Yaoqin Hong
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Lei Zhu
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Yuanyuan Hu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - John E Cronan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, Urbana, IL 61801;
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, Urbana, IL 61801
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23
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Martínez-Martínez M, Coscolín C, Santiago G, Chow J, Stogios PJ, Bargiela R, Gertler C, Navarro-Fernández J, Bollinger A, Thies S, Méndez-García C, Popovic A, Brown G, Chernikova TN, García-Moyano A, Bjerga GEK, Pérez-García P, Hai T, Del Pozo MV, Stokke R, Steen IH, Cui H, Xu X, Nocek BP, Alcaide M, Distaso M, Mesa V, Peláez AI, Sánchez J, Buchholz PCF, Pleiss J, Fernández-Guerra A, Glöckner FO, Golyshina OV, Yakimov MM, Savchenko A, Jaeger KE, Yakunin AF, Streit WR, Golyshin PN, Guallar V, Ferrer M, The INMARE Consortium. Determinants and Prediction of Esterase Substrate Promiscuity Patterns. ACS Chem Biol 2018; 13:225-234. [PMID: 29182315 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.7b00996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Esterases receive special attention because of their wide distribution in biological systems and environments and their importance for physiology and chemical synthesis. The prediction of esterases' substrate promiscuity level from sequence data and the molecular reasons why certain such enzymes are more promiscuous than others remain to be elucidated. This limits the surveillance of the sequence space for esterases potentially leading to new versatile biocatalysts and new insights into their role in cellular function. Here, we performed an extensive analysis of the substrate spectra of 145 phylogenetically and environmentally diverse microbial esterases, when tested with 96 diverse esters. We determined the primary factors shaping their substrate range by analyzing substrate range patterns in combination with structural analysis and protein-ligand simulations. We found a structural parameter that helps rank (classify) the promiscuity level of esterases from sequence data at 94% accuracy. This parameter, the active site effective volume, exemplifies the topology of the catalytic environment by measuring the active site cavity volume corrected by the relative solvent accessible surface area (SASA) of the catalytic triad. Sequences encoding esterases with active site effective volumes (cavity volume/SASA) above a threshold show greater substrate spectra, which can be further extended in combination with phylogenetic data. This measure provides also a valuable tool for interrogating substrates capable of being converted. This measure, found to be transferred to phosphatases of the haloalkanoic acid dehalogenase superfamily and possibly other enzymatic systems, represents a powerful tool for low-cost bioprospecting for esterases with broad substrate ranges, in large scale sequence data sets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cristina Coscolín
- Institute of Catalysis, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Gerard Santiago
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jennifer Chow
- Biozentrum Klein Flottbek, Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Universität Hamburg, 22609 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Peter J. Stogios
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, M5S 3E5 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rafael Bargiela
- Institute of Catalysis, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Christoph Gertler
- School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, LL57 2UW Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - José Navarro-Fernández
- Institute of Catalysis, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Alexander Bollinger
- Institut für Molekulare Enzymtechnologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Stephan Thies
- Institut für Molekulare Enzymtechnologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Celia Méndez-García
- Department of Functional Biology-IUBA, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Ana Popovic
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, M5S 3E5 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Greg Brown
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, M5S 3E5 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | - Gro E. K. Bjerga
- Uni Research AS, Center for Applied Biotechnology, 5006 Bergen, Norway
| | - Pablo Pérez-García
- Biozentrum Klein Flottbek, Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Universität Hamburg, 22609 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tran Hai
- School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, LL57 2UW Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Mercedes V. Del Pozo
- Institute of Catalysis, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Runar Stokke
- Department of Biology and KG Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Ida H. Steen
- Department of Biology and KG Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Hong Cui
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, M5S 3E5 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Xiaohui Xu
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, M5S 3E5 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Boguslaw P. Nocek
- Structural Biology Center, Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, 60439 Illinois, United States
| | - María Alcaide
- Institute of Catalysis, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Marco Distaso
- School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, LL57 2UW Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria Mesa
- Department of Functional Biology-IUBA, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Ana I. Peláez
- Department of Functional Biology-IUBA, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Jesús Sánchez
- Department of Functional Biology-IUBA, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Patrick C. F. Buchholz
- Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Jürgen Pleiss
- Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Antonio Fernández-Guerra
- Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH, Bremen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
- University of Oxford, Oxford e-Research Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Frank O. Glöckner
- Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH, Bremen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Olga V. Golyshina
- School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, LL57 2UW Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Michail M. Yakimov
- Institute for Coastal Marine Environment, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 98122 Messina, Italy
- Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236041 Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Alexei Savchenko
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, M5S 3E5 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Karl-Erich Jaeger
- Institut für Molekulare Enzymtechnologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Institute for Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschunsgzentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Alexander F. Yakunin
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, M5S 3E5 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Wolfgang R. Streit
- Biozentrum Klein Flottbek, Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Universität Hamburg, 22609 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Peter N. Golyshin
- School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, LL57 2UW Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Víctor Guallar
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manuel Ferrer
- Institute of Catalysis, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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24
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Braakman R, Follows MJ, Chisholm SW. Metabolic evolution and the self-organization of ecosystems. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E3091-E3100. [PMID: 28348231 PMCID: PMC5393222 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1619573114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Metabolism mediates the flow of matter and energy through the biosphere. We examined how metabolic evolution shapes ecosystems by reconstructing it in the globally abundant oceanic phytoplankter Prochlorococcus To understand what drove observed evolutionary patterns, we interpreted them in the context of its population dynamics, growth rate, and light adaptation, and the size and macromolecular and elemental composition of cells. This multilevel view suggests that, over the course of evolution, there was a steady increase in Prochlorococcus' metabolic rate and excretion of organic carbon. We derived a mathematical framework that suggests these adaptations lower the minimal subsistence nutrient concentration of cells, which results in a drawdown of nutrients in oceanic surface waters. This, in turn, increases total ecosystem biomass and promotes the coevolution of all cells in the ecosystem. Additional reconstructions suggest that Prochlorococcus and the dominant cooccurring heterotrophic bacterium SAR11 form a coevolved mutualism that maximizes their collective metabolic rate by recycling organic carbon through complementary excretion and uptake pathways. Moreover, the metabolic codependencies of Prochlorococcus and SAR11 are highly similar to those of chloroplasts and mitochondria within plant cells. These observations lead us to propose a general theory relating metabolic evolution to the self-amplification and self-organization of the biosphere. We discuss the implications of this framework for the evolution of Earth's biogeochemical cycles and the rise of atmospheric oxygen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rogier Braakman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139;
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Michael J Follows
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Sallie W Chisholm
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139;
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
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da Costa C, Galembeck E. The evolution of the Krebs cycle: A promising subject for meaningful learning of biochemistry. BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY EDUCATION : A BIMONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2016; 44:288-296. [PMID: 26952386 DOI: 10.1002/bmb.20946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Revised: 09/30/2015] [Accepted: 11/29/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Evolution has been recognized as a key concept for biologists. To enhance comprehension and motivate biology undergraduates for the contents of central energetic metabolism, we addressed the Krebs cycle structure and functions in an evolutionary view. To this end, we created a study guide that contextualizes the emergence of the cyclic pathway, in light of the prokaryotic influence since the early anaerobic condition of the Earth to increase oxygen in the atmosphere. The study guide is composed of three interrelated sections: (1) a problem, designed to arouse curiosity, inform and motivate students, (2) a text about life evolution, including early microorganisms and the emergence of the Krebs cycle, and (3) questions for debate. The activity consisted on individual reading and peer discussion based on this written material, under the guidance of the instructors. The questions were designed to foster debate in an ever-increasing level of complexity and to strengthen the main contextual aspects leading to emergence, evolving, and permanency of a complex metabolic pathway. Based on classroom observation, analysis of student's written responses, and individual interviews, we noticed they were engaged and motivated by the task, especially during group discussion. The whole experience suggests that the study guide was a stimulus to broaden the comprehension of the Krebs cycle, reinforcing the evolutionary approach as an important subject for learning purposes. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44:288-296, 2016.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caetano da Costa
- Department of UNICAMP, Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Galembeck
- Department of UNICAMP, Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Campinas, SP, Brazil
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Assembly of Lipoic Acid on Its Cognate Enzymes: an Extraordinary and Essential Biosynthetic Pathway. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2016; 80:429-50. [PMID: 27074917 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00073-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the structure of lipoic acid and its role in bacterial metabolism were clear over 50 years ago, it is only in the past decade that the pathways of biosynthesis of this universally conserved cofactor have become understood. Unlike most cofactors, lipoic acid must be covalently bound to its cognate enzyme proteins (the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenases and the glycine cleavage system) in order to function in central metabolism. Indeed, the cofactor is assembled on its cognate proteins rather than being assembled and subsequently attached as in the typical pathway, like that of biotin attachment. The first lipoate biosynthetic pathway determined was that of Escherichia coli, which utilizes two enzymes to form the active lipoylated protein from a fatty acid biosynthetic intermediate. Recently, a more complex pathway requiring four proteins was discovered in Bacillus subtilis, which is probably an evolutionary relic. This pathway requires the H protein of the glycine cleavage system of single-carbon metabolism to form active (lipoyl) 2-oxoacid dehydrogenases. The bacterial pathways inform the lipoate pathways of eukaryotic organisms. Plants use the E. coli pathway, whereas mammals and fungi probably use the B. subtilis pathway. The lipoate metabolism enzymes (except those of sulfur insertion) are members of PFAM family PF03099 (the cofactor transferase family). Although these enzymes share some sequence similarity, they catalyze three markedly distinct enzyme reactions, making the usual assignment of function based on alignments prone to frequent mistaken annotations. This state of affairs has possibly clouded the interpretation of one of the disorders of human lipoate metabolism.
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Abstract
Biologists used to draw schematic “universal” trees of life as metaphors illustrating the history of life. It is indeed a priori possible to construct an organismal tree connecting the three major domains of ribosome encoding organisms: Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya, since they originated by cell division from LUCA. Several universal trees based on ribosomal RNA sequence comparisons proposed at the end of the last century are still widely used, although some of their main features have been challenged by subsequent analyses. Several authors have proposed to replace the traditional universal tree with a ring of life, whereas others have proposed more recently to include viruses as new domains. These proposals are misleading, suggesting that endosymbiosis can modify the shape of a tree or that viruses originated from the last universal common ancestor (LUCA). I propose here an updated version of Woese’s universal tree that includes several rootings for each domain and internal branching within domains that are supported by recent phylogenomic analyses of domain specific proteins. The tree is rooted between Bacteria and Arkarya, a new name proposed for the clade grouping Archaea and Eukarya. A consensus version, in which each of the three domains is unrooted, and a version in which eukaryotes emerged within archaea are also presented. This last scenario assumes the transformation of a modern domain into another, a controversial evolutionary pathway. Viruses are not indicated in these trees but are intrinsically present because they infect the tree from its roots to its leaves. Finally, I present a detailed tree of the domain Archaea, proposing the sub-phylum neo-Euryarchaeota for the monophyletic group of euryarchaeota containing DNA gyrase. These trees, that will be easily updated as new data become available, could be useful to discuss controversial scenarios regarding early life evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Forterre
- Unité de Biologie Moléculaire du Gène chez les Extrêmophiles, Département de Microbiologie, Institut Pasteur , Paris, France ; Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la cellule, Université Paris-Saclay , Paris, France
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Nybo SE, Khan NE, Woolston BM, Curtis WR. Metabolic engineering in chemolithoautotrophic hosts for the production of fuels and chemicals. Metab Eng 2015; 30:105-120. [PMID: 25959019 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2015.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Revised: 04/06/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The ability of autotrophic organisms to fix CO2 presents an opportunity to utilize this 'greenhouse gas' as an inexpensive substrate for biochemical production. Unlike conventional heterotrophic microorganisms that consume carbohydrates and amino acids, prokaryotic chemolithoautotrophs have evolved the capacity to utilize reduced chemical compounds to fix CO2 and drive metabolic processes. The use of chemolithoautotrophic hosts as production platforms has been renewed by the prospect of metabolically engineered commodity chemicals and fuels. Efforts such as the ARPA-E electrofuels program highlight both the potential and obstacles that chemolithoautotrophic biosynthetic platforms provide. This review surveys the numerous advances that have been made in chemolithoautotrophic metabolic engineering with a focus on hydrogen oxidizing bacteria such as the model chemolithoautotrophic organism (Ralstonia), the purple photosynthetic bacteria (Rhodobacter), and anaerobic acetogens. Two alternative strategies of microbial chassis development are considered: (1) introducing or enhancing autotrophic capabilities (carbon fixation, hydrogen utilization) in model heterotrophic organisms, or (2) improving tools for pathway engineering (transformation methods, promoters, vectors etc.) in native autotrophic organisms. Unique characteristics of autotrophic growth as they relate to bioreactor design and process development are also discussed in the context of challenges and opportunities for genetic manipulation of organisms as production platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Eric Nybo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI, United States
| | - Nymul E Khan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Benjamin M Woolston
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Wayne R Curtis
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States.
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Fontecilla-Camps JC. The stereochemical basis of the genetic code and the (mostly) autotrophic origin of life. Life (Basel) 2014; 4:1013-25. [PMID: 25522252 PMCID: PMC4284479 DOI: 10.3390/life4041013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2014] [Revised: 11/27/2014] [Accepted: 12/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Spark-tube experiments and analysis of meteorite contents have led to the widespread notion that abiotic organic molecules were the first life components. However, there is a contradiction between the abundance of simple molecules, such as the amino acids glycine and alanine, observed in these studies, and the minimal functional complexity that even the least sophisticated living system should require. I will argue that although simple abiotic molecules must have primed proto-metabolic pathways, only Darwinian evolving systems could have generated life. This condition may have been initially fulfilled by both replicating RNAs and autocatalytic reaction chains, such as the reductive citric acid cycle. The interactions between nucleotides and biotic amino acids, which conferred new functionalities to the former, also resulted in the progressive stereochemical recognition of the latter by cognate anticodons. At this point only large enough amino acids would be recognized by the primordial RNA adaptors and could polymerize forming the first peptides. The gene duplication of RNA adaptors was a crucial event. By removing one of the anticodons from the acceptor stem the new RNA adaptor liberated itself from the stereochemical constraint and could be acylated by smaller amino acids. The emergence of messenger RNA and codon capture followed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan C Fontecilla-Camps
- Metalloproteins Unit, University Grenoble Alpes, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France.
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Härtig C, Lohmayer R, Kolb S, Horn MA, Inskeep WP, Planer-Friedrich B. Chemolithotrophic growth of the aerobic hyperthermophilic bacteriumThermocrinis ruberOC 14/7/2 on monothioarsenate and arsenite. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2014; 90:747-60. [DOI: 10.1111/1574-6941.12431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Revised: 09/10/2014] [Accepted: 09/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia Härtig
- Department of Environmental Geochemistry; Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER); University of Bayreuth; Bayreuth Germany
| | - Regina Lohmayer
- Department of Environmental Geochemistry; Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER); University of Bayreuth; Bayreuth Germany
| | - Steffen Kolb
- Department of Ecological Microbiology; Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER); University of Bayreuth; Bayreuth Germany
| | - Marcus A. Horn
- Department of Ecological Microbiology; Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER); University of Bayreuth; Bayreuth Germany
| | - William P. Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences and Thermal Biology Institute (TBI); Montana State University; Bozeman MT USA
| | - Britta Planer-Friedrich
- Department of Environmental Geochemistry; Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER); University of Bayreuth; Bayreuth Germany
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