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Engineering a microbial biosynthesis platform for de novo production of tropane alkaloids. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3634. [PMID: 31406117 PMCID: PMC6690885 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11588-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Tropane alkaloids (TAs) are a class of phytochemicals produced by plants of the nightshade family used for treating diverse neurological disorders. Here, we demonstrate de novo production of tropine, a key intermediate in the biosynthetic pathway of medicinal TAs such as scopolamine, from simple carbon and nitrogen sources in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Our engineered strain incorporates 15 additional genes, including 11 derived from diverse plants and bacteria, and 7 disruptions to yeast regulatory or biosynthetic proteins to produce tropine at titers of 6 mg/L. We also demonstrate the utility of our engineered yeast platform for the discovery of TA derivatives by combining biosynthetic modules from distant plant lineages to achieve de novo production of cinnamoyltropine, a non-canonical TA. Our engineered strain constitutes a starting point for future optimization efforts towards realizing industrial fermentation of medicinal TAs and a platform for the synthesis of TA derivatives with enhanced bioactivities. Tropane alkaloids (TAs) are a group of phytochemicals that are used to treat neurological disorders. Here, the authors engineer baker’s yeast to produce tropine, a key intermediate in the biosynthetic pathway of TAs, and cinnamoyltropine, a non-canonical TA, from simple carbon and nitrogen sources.
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Olin-Sandoval V, Yu JSL, Miller-Fleming L, Alam MT, Kamrad S, Correia-Melo C, Haas R, Segal J, Peña Navarro DA, Herrera-Dominguez L, Méndez-Lucio O, Vowinckel J, Mülleder M, Ralser M. Lysine harvesting is an antioxidant strategy and triggers underground polyamine metabolism. Nature 2019; 572:249-253. [PMID: 31367038 PMCID: PMC6774798 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1442-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Both single and multicellular organisms depend on anti-stress mechanisms that enable them to deal with sudden changes in the environment, including exposure to heat and oxidants. Central to the stress response are dynamic changes in metabolism, such as the transition from the glycolysis to the pentose phosphate pathway-a conserved first-line response to oxidative insults1,2. Here we report a second metabolic adaptation that protects microbial cells in stress situations. The role of the yeast polyamine transporter Tpo1p3-5 in maintaining oxidant resistance is unknown6. However, a proteomic time-course experiment suggests a link to lysine metabolism. We reveal a connection between polyamine and lysine metabolism during stress situations, in the form of a promiscuous enzymatic reaction in which the first enzyme of the polyamine pathway, Spe1p, decarboxylates lysine and forms an alternative polyamine, cadaverine. The reaction proceeds in the presence of extracellular lysine, which is taken up by cells to reach concentrations up to one hundred times higher than those required for growth. Such extensive harvest is not observed for the other amino acids, is dependent on the polyamine pathway and triggers a reprogramming of redox metabolism. As a result, NADPH-which would otherwise be required for lysine biosynthesis-is channelled into glutathione metabolism, leading to a large increase in glutathione concentrations, lower levels of reactive oxygen species and increased oxidant tolerance. Our results show that nutrient uptake occurs not only to enable cell growth, but when the nutrient availability is favourable it also enables cells to reconfigure their metabolism to preventatively mount stress protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viridiana Olin-Sandoval
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Nutrition Physiology, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jason Shu Lim Yu
- The Molecular Biology of Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Leonor Miller-Fleming
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Stephan Kamrad
- The Molecular Biology of Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Clara Correia-Melo
- The Molecular Biology of Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Robert Haas
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- The Molecular Biology of Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Joanna Segal
- The Molecular Biology of Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | | | | | - Oscar Méndez-Lucio
- Facultad de Química, Departamento de Farmacia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jakob Vowinckel
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Biognosys AG, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Michael Mülleder
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- The Molecular Biology of Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Biochemistry, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Markus Ralser
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- The Molecular Biology of Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
- Department of Biochemistry, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
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