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Furuya K, Kiyoshi K, Punjuy C, Yoshida N, Maruyama R, Yasuda T, Watanabe K, Kadokura T, Nakayama S. Effect of spo0A, sigE, sigG, and sigK disruption on butanol production and spore formation in Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum strain N1-4 (ATCC13564). J Biosci Bioeng 2023; 136:198-204. [PMID: 37487916 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2023.07.003] [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: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum strain N1-4 (ATCC13564) is a butanol-producing strain suitable for application to butanol production from cellulosic materials by co-culture with cellulolytic and thermophilic species, such as Hungateiclostridium thermocellum (synonym: Clostridium thermocellum). The optimal temperature for butanol production by strain N1-4 is 30 °C, and the strain is sensitive to a high culture temperature of 37 °C. Given that spore formation is observed at high frequency when strain N1-4 is cultivated at 37 °C, we assumed in a previous study that the initiation of sporulation is related to a decrease in butanol production. Therefore, to investigate the relationship between butanol production and spore formation, we generated strain N1-4 isolates in which genes related to spore formation were disrupted. The sporulation-related gene disruptants of spo0A, sigE, sigG, and sigK lost the ability to produce heat-resistant spores, irrespective of the culture temperature. Among the gene disruptants produced, only the spo0A disruptant lost butanol-producing ability when cultivated at 30 °C. Interestingly, the sigE disruptant maintained butanol productivity similar to that observed at 30 °C, even when cultivated at 37 °C. In addition, the sigE disruptant successfully produced butanol from Avicel cellulose by co-culture with H. thermocellum at a fermentation temperature of 37 °C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiko Furuya
- Department of Fermentation Science and Technology, Faculty of Applied Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
| | - Keiji Kiyoshi
- Department of Biochemistry and Applied Bioscience, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1 Gakuenkibanadainishi, Miyazaki-shi, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
| | - Chaophaya Punjuy
- Department of Biochemistry and Applied Bioscience, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1 Gakuenkibanadainishi, Miyazaki-shi, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
| | - Naoto Yoshida
- Department of Biochemistry and Applied Bioscience, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1 Gakuenkibanadainishi, Miyazaki-shi, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
| | - Risa Maruyama
- Department of Fermentation Science and Technology, Faculty of Applied Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
| | - Tatsuki Yasuda
- Department of Fermentation Science and Technology, Faculty of Applied Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
| | - Kota Watanabe
- Department of Fermentation Science and Technology, Faculty of Applied Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
| | - Toshimori Kadokura
- Department of Fermentation Science and Technology, Faculty of Applied Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
| | - Shunichi Nakayama
- Department of Fermentation Science and Technology, Faculty of Applied Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan.
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Gyulev IS, Willson BJ, Hennessy RC, Krabben P, Jenkinson ER, Thomas GH. Part by Part: Synthetic Biology Parts Used in Solventogenic Clostridia. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:311-327. [PMID: 29186949 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The solventogenic Clostridia are of interest to the chemical industry because of their natural ability to produce chemicals such as butanol, acetone and ethanol from diverse feedstocks. Their use as whole cell factories presents multiple metabolic engineering targets that could lead to improved sustainability and profitability of Clostridium industrial processes. However, engineering efforts have been held back by the scarcity of genetic and synthetic biology tools. Over the past decade, genetic tools to enable transformation and chromosomal modifications have been developed, but the lack of a broad palette of synthetic biology parts remains one of the last obstacles to the rapid engineered improvement of these species for bioproduction. We have systematically reviewed existing parts that have been used in the modification of solventogenic Clostridia, revealing a narrow range of empirically chosen and nonengineered parts that are in current use. The analysis uncovers elements, such as promoters, transcriptional terminators and ribosome binding sites where increased fundamental knowledge is needed for their reliable use in different applications. Together, the review provides the most comprehensive list of parts used and also presents areas where an improved toolbox is needed for full exploitation of these industrially important bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan S. Gyulev
- Department
of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin J. Willson
- Department
of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Rosanna C. Hennessy
- Department
of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, 1871, Denmark
| | - Preben Krabben
- Green Biologics Limited, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RU, United Kingdom
| | | | - Gavin H. Thomas
- Department
of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
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Genome Editing in Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4 with the CRISPR-Cas9 System. Appl Environ Microbiol 2017; 83:AEM.00233-17. [PMID: 28258147 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00233-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4 is well known as a hyper-butanol-producing strain. However, the lack of genetic engineering tools hinders further elucidation of its solvent production mechanism and development of more robust strains. In this study, we set out to develop an efficient genome engineering system for this microorganism based on the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) system. First, the functionality of the CRISPR-Cas9 system previously customized for Clostridium beijerinckii was evaluated in C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum by targeting pta and buk, two essential genes for acetate and butyrate production, respectively. pta and buk single and double deletion mutants were successfully obtained based on this system. However, the genome engineering efficiency was rather low (the mutation rate is <20%). Therefore, the efficiency was further optimized by evaluating various promoters for guide RNA (gRNA) expression. With promoter P J23119 , we achieved a mutation rate of 75% for pta deletion without serial subculturing as suggested previously for C. beijerinckii Thus, this developed CRISPR-Cas9 system is highly desirable for efficient genome editing in C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum Batch fermentation results revealed that both the acid and solvent production profiles were altered due to the disruption of acid production pathways; however, neither acetate nor butyrate production was eliminated with the deletion of the corresponding gene. The butanol production, yield, and selectivity were improved in mutants, depending on the fermentation medium. In the pta buk double deletion mutant, the butanol production in P2 medium reached 19.0 g/liter, which is one of the highest levels ever reported from batch fermentations.IMPORTANCE An efficient CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering system was developed for C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4. This paves the way for elucidating the solvent production mechanism in this hyper-butanol-producing microorganism and developing strains with desirable butanol-producing features. This tool can be easily adapted for use in closely related microorganisms. As also reported by others, here we demonstrated with solid data that the highly efficient expression of gRNA is the key factor determining the efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9 for genome editing. The protocol developed in this study can provide essential references for other researchers who work in the areas of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. The developed mutants can be used as excellent starting strains for development of more robust ones for desirable solvent production.
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Development of a High-Efficiency Transformation Method and Implementation of Rational Metabolic Engineering for the Industrial Butanol Hyperproducer Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum Strain N1-4. Appl Environ Microbiol 2016; 83:AEM.02942-16. [PMID: 27836845 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02942-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2016] [Accepted: 11/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
While a majority of academic studies concerning acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) production by Clostridium have focused on Clostridium acetobutylicum, other members of this genus have proven to be effective industrial workhorses despite the inability to perform genetic manipulations on many of these strains. To further improve the industrial performance of these strains in areas such as substrate usage, solvent production, and end product versatility, transformation methods and genetic tools are needed to overcome the genetic intractability displayed by these species. In this study, we present the development of a high-efficiency transformation method for the industrial butanol hyperproducer Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum strain N1-4 (HMT) ATCC 27021. Following initial failures, we found that the key to creating a successful transformation method was the identification of three distinct colony morphologies (types S, R, and I), which displayed significant differences in transformability. Working with the readily transformable type I cells (transformation efficiency, 1.1 × 106 CFU/μg DNA), we performed targeted gene deletions in C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4 using a homologous recombination-mediated allelic exchange method. Using plasmid-based gene overexpression and targeted knockouts of key genes in the native acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) metabolic pathway, we successfully implemented rational metabolic engineering strategies, yielding in the best case an engineered strain (Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum strain N1-4/pWIS13) displaying an 18% increase in butanol titers and 30% increase in total ABE titer (0.35 g ABE/g sucrose) in batch fermentations. Additionally, two engineered strains overexpressing aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenases (encoded by adh11 and adh5) displayed 8.5- and 11.8-fold increases (respectively) in batch ethanol production. IMPORTANCE This paper presents the first steps toward advanced genetic engineering of the industrial butanol producer Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum strain N1-4 (HMT). In addition to providing an efficient method for introducing foreign DNA into this species, we demonstrate successful rational engineering for increasing solvent production. Examples of future applications of this work include metabolic engineering for improving desirable industrial traits of this species and heterologous gene expression for expanding the end product profile to include high-value fuels and chemicals.
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Pyne ME, Bruder M, Moo-Young M, Chung DA, Chou CP. Technical guide for genetic advancement of underdeveloped and intractable Clostridium. Biotechnol Adv 2014; 32:623-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2014.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2014] [Revised: 04/10/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2014] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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Metabolic engineering for solvent productivity by downregulation of the hydrogenase gene cluster hupCBA in Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum strain N1-4. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2008; 78:483-93. [PMID: 18188555 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-007-1323-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2007] [Revised: 12/06/2007] [Accepted: 12/08/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The selective production of acetone and butanol is highly desirable from the viewpoint of biofuel production. We have manipulated the activity level of a hydrogenase for this purpose because hydrogen and solvent production are closely correlated with each other. First, we cloned the hydrogenase gene cluster from Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum strain N1-4 and downregulated its expression using an antisense RNA strategy. The cloned hydrogenase gene cluster contained three adjacent open reading frames, designated hupC, hupB, and hupA. Sequence analysis revealed that HupA could accommodate an H-cluster, which is the catalytic domain of the Fe-hydrogenase. HupB and HupC contained no H-cluster but could accommodate several Fe-S clusters. The hupCBA genes were co-transcribed, and the level of the transcript was maximized in the solventogenic phase. When the antisense RNA of the hupC upstream region (180 bp) was expressed under the bdh (encoding butanol dehydrogenase) promoter, significant reduction of hupC translation was observed, indicating that this antisense RNA is effective in strain N1-4. Production of hydrogen in the antisense transformant increased 3.1-fold. Hydrogen-evolving activity was comparable in both the control and antisense strains, but hydrogen uptake activity significantly decreased in the antisense strain (13% remaining). These results indicate that the HupCBA proteins are involved in hydrogen uptake. Importantly, the level of acetone in the antisense transformant increased 1.6-fold, and butanol production decreased to 75.6% compared to the control strain. Thus, we successfully altered solvent productivity by controlling electron flow in an acetone/butanol-producing Clostridium species.
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