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Niehoff PJ, Müller W, Pastoors J, Miebach K, Ernst P, Hemmerich J, Noack S, Wierckx N, Büchs J. Development of an itaconic acid production process with Ustilaginaceae on alternative feedstocks. BMC Biotechnol 2023; 23:34. [PMID: 37661280 PMCID: PMC10476437 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-023-00802-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Currently, Aspergillus terreus is used for the industrial production of itaconic acid. Although, alternative feedstock use in fermentations is crucial for cost-efficient and sustainable itaconic acid production, their utilisation with A. terreus most often requires expensive pretreatment. Ustilaginacea are robust alternatives for itaconic acid production, evading the challenges, including the pretreatment of crude feedstocks regarding reduction of manganese concentration, that A. terreus poses. RESULTS In this study, five different Ustilago strains were screened for their growth and production of itaconic acid on defined media. The most promising strains were then used to find a suitable alternative feedstock, based on the local food industry. U. cynodontis ITA Max pH, a highly engineered production strain, was selected to determine the biologically available nitrogen concentration in thick juice and molasses. Based on these findings, thick juice was chosen as feedstock to ensure the necessary nitrogen limitation for itaconic acid production. U. cynodontis ITA Max pH was further characterised regarding osmotolerance and product inhibition and a successful scale-up to a 2 L stirred tank reactor was accomplished. A titer of 106.4 gitaconic acid/L with a theoretical yield of 0.50 gitaconic acid/gsucrose and a space-time yield of 0.72 gitaconic acid/L/h was reached. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the utilisation of alternative feedstocks to produce ITA with Ustilaginaceae, without drawbacks in either titer or yield, compared to glucose fermentations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul-Joachim Niehoff
- AVT - Biochemical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Forckenbeckstraße 51, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Waldemar Müller
- AVT - Biochemical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Forckenbeckstraße 51, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Johannes Pastoors
- AVT - Biochemical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Forckenbeckstraße 51, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Katharina Miebach
- AVT - Biochemical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Forckenbeckstraße 51, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Philipp Ernst
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, 52428, Jülich, Germany
| | - Johannes Hemmerich
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, 52428, Jülich, Germany
| | - Stephan Noack
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, 52428, Jülich, Germany
| | - Nick Wierckx
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, 52428, Jülich, Germany
| | - Jochen Büchs
- AVT - Biochemical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Forckenbeckstraße 51, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
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Becker J, Liebal UW, Phan AN, Ullmann L, Blank LM. Renewable carbon sources to biochemicals and -fuels: contributions of the smut fungi Ustilaginaceae. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2023; 79:102849. [PMID: 36446145 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2022.102849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The global demand for food, fuels, and chemicals increases annually. Using renewable C-sources (i.e. biomass, CO2, and organic waste) is a prerequisite for a future free of fossil carbon. The smut fungi Ustilaginaceae naturally produce a versatile spectrum of valuable products, such as organic acids, polyols, and glycolipids, applicable in the food, energy, chemistry, and pharmaceutical sector. Combined with the use of alternative (co-)substrates (e.g. acetate, butanediol, formate, and glycerol), these microorganisms offer excellent potential for industrial biotechnology, thereby overcoming central challenges humankind faces, including CO2 release and land use. Here, we provide insight into fundamental production capacities, present genetic modifications that improve the biotechnical application, and review recent high-performance engineering of Ustilaginaceae toward relevant platform chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Becker
- iAMB - Institute of Applied Microbiology, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Ulf W Liebal
- iAMB - Institute of Applied Microbiology, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - An Nt Phan
- iAMB - Institute of Applied Microbiology, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Lena Ullmann
- iAMB - Institute of Applied Microbiology, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Lars M Blank
- iAMB - Institute of Applied Microbiology, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
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Itaconic acid production is regulated by LaeA in Aspergillus pseudoterreus. Metab Eng Commun 2022; 15:e00203. [PMID: 36065328 PMCID: PMC9440423 DOI: 10.1016/j.mec.2022.e00203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The global regulator LaeA controls secondary metabolism in diverse Aspergillus species. Here we explored its role in regulation of itaconic acid production in Aspergillus pseudoterreus. To understand its role in regulating metabolism, we deleted and overexpressed laeA, and assessed the transcriptome, proteome, and secreted metabolome prior to and during initiation of phosphate limitation induced itaconic acid production. We found that secondary metabolite clusters, including the itaconic acid biosynthetic gene cluster, are regulated by laeA and that laeA is required for high yield production of itaconic acid. Overexpression of LaeA improves itaconic acid yield at the expense of biomass by increasing the expression of key biosynthetic pathway enzymes and attenuating the expression of genes involved in phosphate acquisition and scavenging. Increased yield was observed in optimized conditions as well as conditions containing excess nutrients that may be present in inexpensive sugar containing feedstocks such as excess phosphate or complex nutrient sources. This suggests that global regulators of metabolism may be useful targets for engineering metabolic flux that is robust to environmental heterogeneity. The Itaconic acid biosynthetic gene cluster is regulated by laeA. LaeA is required for production of itaconic acid. Overexpression of laeA attenuates genes involved in phosphate acquisition. Global regulator engineering increases robustness of itaconic acid production.
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State of the Art on the Microbial Production of Industrially Relevant Organic Acids. Catalysts 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/catal12020234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The industrial relevance of organic acids is high; because of their chemical properties, they can be used as building blocks as well as single-molecule agents with a huge annual market. Organic acid chemical platforms can derive from fossil sources by petrochemical refining processes, but most of them also represent natural metabolites produced by many cells. They are the products, by-products or co-products of many primary metabolic processes of microbial cells. Thanks to the potential of microbial cell factories and to the development of industrial biotechnology, from the last decades of the previous century, the microbial-based production of these molecules has started to approach the market. This was possible because of a joint effort of microbial biotechnologists and biochemical and process engineers that boosted natural production up to the titer, yield and productivity needed to be industrially competitive. More recently, the possibility to utilize renewable residual biomasses as feedstock not only for biofuels, but also for organic acids production is further augmenting the sustainability of their production, in a logic of circular bioeconomy. In this review, we briefly present the latest updates regarding the production of some industrially relevant organic acids (citric fumaric, itaconic, lactic and succinic acid), discussing the challenges and possible future developments of successful production.
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Teleky BE, Vodnar DC. Recent Advances in Biotechnological Itaconic Acid Production, and Application for a Sustainable Approach. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:3574. [PMID: 34685333 PMCID: PMC8539575 DOI: 10.3390/polym13203574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Intense research has been conducted to produce environmentally friendly biopolymers obtained from renewable feedstock to substitute fossil-based materials. This is an essential aspect for implementing the circular bioeconomy strategy, expressly declared by the European Commission in 2018 in terms of "repair, reuse, and recycling". Competent carbon-neutral alternatives are renewable biomass waste for chemical element production, with proficient recyclability properties. Itaconic acid (IA) is a valuable platform chemical integrated into the first 12 building block compounds the achievement of which is feasible from renewable biomass or bio-wastes (agricultural, food by-products, or municipal organic waste) in conformity with the US Department of Energy. IA is primarily obtained through fermentation with Aspergillus terreus, but nowadays several microorganisms are genetically engineered to produce this organic acid in high quantities and on different substrates. Given its trifunctional structure, IA allows the synthesis of various novel biopolymers, such as drug carriers, intelligent food packaging, antimicrobial biopolymers, hydrogels in water treatment and analysis, and superabsorbent polymers binding agents. In addition, IA shows antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor activity. Moreover, this biopolymer retains qualities like environmental effectiveness, biocompatibility, and sustainability. This manuscript aims to address the production of IA from renewable sources to create a sustainable circular economy in the future. Moreover, being an essential monomer in polymer synthesis it possesses a continuous provocation in the biopolymer chemistry domain and technologies, as defined in the present review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadette-Emőke Teleky
- Institute of Life Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Calea Mănăstur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
| | - Dan Cristian Vodnar
- Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Institute of Life Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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Sándor E, Kolláth IS, Fekete E, Bíró V, Flipphi M, Kovács B, Kubicek CP, Karaffa L. Carbon-Source Dependent Interplay of Copper and Manganese Ions Modulates the Morphology and Itaconic Acid Production in Aspergillus terreus. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:680420. [PMID: 34093503 PMCID: PMC8173074 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.680420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The effects of the interplay of copper(II) and manganese(II) ions on growth, morphology and itaconic acid formation was investigated in a high-producing strain of Aspergillus terreus (NRRL1960), using carbon sources metabolized either mainly via glycolysis (D-glucose, D-fructose) or primarily via the pentose phosphate shunt (D-xylose, L-arabinose). Limiting Mn2+ concentration in the culture broth is indispensable to obtain high itaconic acid yields, while in the presence of higher Mn2+ concentrations yield decreases and biomass formation is favored. However, this low yield in the presence of high Mn2+ ion concentrations can be mitigated by increasing the Cu2+ concentration in the medium when D-glucose or D-fructose is the growth substrate, whereas this effect was at best modest during growth on D-xylose or L-arabinose. A. terreus displays a high tolerance to Cu2+ which decreased when Mn2+ availability became increasingly limiting. Under such conditions biomass formation on D-glucose or D-fructose could be sustained at concentrations up to 250 mg L–1 Cu2+, while on D-xylose- or L-arabinose biomass formation was completely inhibited at 100 mg L–1. High (>75%) specific molar itaconic acid yields always coincided with an “overflow-associated” morphology, characterized by small compact pellets (<250 μm diameter) and short chains of “yeast-like” cells that exhibit increased diameters relative to the elongated cells in growing filamentous hyphae. At low concentrations (≤1 mg L–1) of Cu2+ ions, manganese deficiency did not prevent filamentous growth. Mycelial- and cellular morphology progressively transformed into the typical overflow-associated one when external Cu2+ concentrations increased, irrespective of the available Mn2+. Our results indicate that copper ions are relevant for overflow metabolism and should be considered when optimizing itaconic acid fermentation in A. terreus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erzsébet Sándor
- Institute of Food Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Science and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - István S Kolláth
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.,Doctoral School of Chemistry, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Erzsébet Fekete
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Vivien Bíró
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.,Juhász-Nagy Pál Doctoral School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Michel Flipphi
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Béla Kovács
- Institute of Food Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Science and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Christian P Kubicek
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental & Bioscience Engineering, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Levente Karaffa
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
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Ullmann L, Phan ANT, Kaplan DKP, Blank LM. Ustilaginaceae Biocatalyst for Co-Metabolism of CO 2-Derived Substrates toward Carbon-Neutral Itaconate Production. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7020098. [PMID: 33573033 PMCID: PMC7911105 DOI: 10.3390/jof7020098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The family Ustilaginaceae (belonging to the smut fungi) are known for their plant pathogenicity. Despite the fact that these plant diseases cause agricultural yield reduction, smut fungi attracted special attention in the field of industrial biotechnology. Ustilaginaceae show a versatile product spectrum such as organic acids (e.g., itaconate, malate, succinate), polyols (e.g., erythritol, mannitol), and extracellular glycolipids, which are considered value-added chemicals with potential applications in the pharmaceutical, food, and chemical industries. This study focused on itaconate as a platform chemical for the production of resins, plastics, adhesives, and biofuels. During this work, 72 different Ustilaginaceae strains from 36 species were investigated for their ability to (co-) consume the CO2-derived substrates acetate and formate, potentially contributing toward a carbon-neutral itaconate production. The fungal growth and product spectrum with special interest in itaconate was characterized. Ustilago maydis MB215 and Ustilago rabenhorstiana NBRC 8995 were identified as promising candidates for acetate metabolization whereas Ustilago cynodontis NBRC 7530 was identified as a potential production host using formate as a co-substrate enhancing the itaconate production. Selected strains with the best itaconate production were characterized in more detail in controlled-batch bioreactor experiments confirming the co-substrate utilization. Thus, a proof-of-principle study was performed resulting in the identification and characterization of three promising Ustilaginaceae biocatalyst candidates for carbon-neutral itaconate production contributing to the biotechnological relevance of Ustilaginaceae.
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Schlembach I, Hosseinpour Tehrani H, Blank LM, Büchs J, Wierckx N, Regestein L, Rosenbaum MA. Consolidated bioprocessing of cellulose to itaconic acid by a co-culture of Trichoderma reesei and Ustilago maydis. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2020; 13:207. [PMID: 33317635 PMCID: PMC7737373 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-020-01835-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Itaconic acid is a bio-derived platform chemical with uses ranging from polymer synthesis to biofuel production. The efficient conversion of cellulosic waste streams into itaconic acid could thus enable the sustainable production of a variety of substitutes for fossil oil based products. However, the realization of such a process is currently hindered by an expensive conversion of cellulose into fermentable sugars. Here, we present the stepwise development of a fully consolidated bioprocess (CBP), which is capable of directly converting recalcitrant cellulose into itaconic acid without the need for separate cellulose hydrolysis including the application of commercial cellulases. The process is based on a synthetic microbial consortium of the cellulase producer Trichoderma reesei and the itaconic acid producing yeast Ustilago maydis. A method for process monitoring was developed to estimate cellulose consumption, itaconic acid formation as well as the actual itaconic acid production yield online during co-cultivation. RESULTS The efficiency of the process was compared to a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation setup (SSF). Because of the additional substrate consumption of T. reesei in the CBP, the itaconic acid yield was significantly lower in the CBP than in the SSF. In order to increase yield and productivity of itaconic acid in the CBP, the population dynamics was manipulated by varying the inoculation delay between T. reesei and U. maydis. Surprisingly, neither inoculation delay nor inoculation density significantly affected the population development or the CBP performance. Instead, the substrate availability was the most important parameter. U. maydis was only able to grow and to produce itaconic acid when the cellulose concentration and thus, the sugar supply rate, was high. Finally, the metabolic processes during fed-batch CBP were analyzed in depth by online respiration measurements. Thereby, substrate availability was again identified as key factor also controlling itaconic acid yield. In summary, an itaconic acid titer of 34 g/L with a total productivity of up to 0.07 g/L/h and a yield of 0.16 g/g could be reached during fed-batch cultivation. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates the feasibility of consortium-based CBP for itaconic acid production and also lays the fundamentals for the development and improvement of similar microbial consortia for cellulose-based organic acid production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Schlembach
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans-Knöll-Institute, Jena, Germany
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany
| | - Hamed Hosseinpour Tehrani
- Institute of Applied Microbiology - iAMB, Aachen Biology and Biotechnology - ABBt, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Lars M. Blank
- Institute of Applied Microbiology - iAMB, Aachen Biology and Biotechnology - ABBt, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jochen Büchs
- AVT‑Biochemical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Nick Wierckx
- Institute of Applied Microbiology - iAMB, Aachen Biology and Biotechnology - ABBt, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Lars Regestein
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans-Knöll-Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Miriam A. Rosenbaum
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans-Knöll-Institute, Jena, Germany
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany
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Evaluating aeration and stirring effects to improve itaconic acid production from glucose using Aspergillus terreus. Biotechnol Lett 2019; 41:1383-1389. [PMID: 31617036 PMCID: PMC6828833 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-019-02742-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The effects of the bioreactor conditions, in particular the mode and intensity of aeration and mixing were studied on itaconic acid (IA) fermentation efficiency by Aspergillus terreus strain from glucose substrate. IA was produced in batch system by systematically varying the oxygen content of the aeration gas (from 21 to 31.5 vol% O2) and the stirring rate (from 150 to 600 rpm). The data were analyzed kinetically to characterize the behavior of the process, and besides, the performances were evaluated comparatively with the literature. It turned out that the operation of the bioreactor with either the higher inlet O2 concentration (31.5 vol% O2) or faster stirring (600 rpm) could enhance biological IA generation the most, resulting in yield and volumetric productivity of 0.31 g IA/g glucose and 0.32 g IA/g glucose and 3.15 g IA/L day and 4.26 g IA/L day, respectively. Overall, the significance of fermentation settings was shown in this work regarding IA production catalyzed by A. terreus and notable advances could be realized by adjusting the aeration and stirring towards an optimal combination.
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