Analysis of the Involvement of the Isoleucine Biosynthesis Pathway in Photoheterotrophic Metabolism of Rhodospirillum rubrum

Aerobic-anaerobic transition boosts poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) synthesis in Rhodospirillum rubrum: the key role of carbon dioxide

BACKGROUND

Microbially produced bioplastics are specially promising materials since they can be naturally synthesized and degraded, making its end-of-life management more amenable to the environment. A prominent example of these new materials are polyhydroxyalkanoates. These polyesters serve manly as carbon and energy storage and increase the resistance to stress. Their synthesis can also work as an electron sink for the regeneration of oxidized cofactors. In terms of biotechnological applications, the co-polymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), or PHBV, has interesting biotechnological properties due to its lower stiffness and fragility compared to the homopolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB). In this work, we explored the potentiality of Rhodospirillum rubrum as a producer of this co-polymer, exploiting its metabolic versatility when grown in different aeration conditions and photoheterotrophically.

RESULTS

When shaken flasks experiments were carried out with limited aeration using fructose as carbon source, PHBV production was triggered reaching 29 ± 2% CDW of polymer accumulation with a 75 ± 1%mol of 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) (condition C2). Propionate and acetate were secreted in this condition. The synthesis of PHBV was exclusively carried out by the PHA synthase PhaC2. Interestingly, transcription of cbbM coding RuBisCO, the key enzyme of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle, was similar in aerobic and microaerobic/anaerobic cultures. The maximal PHBV yield (81% CDW with 86%mol 3HV) was achieved when cells were transferred from aerobic to anaerobic conditions and controlling the CO2 concentration by adding bicarbonate to the culture. In these conditions, the cells behaved like resting cells, since polymer accumulation prevailed over residual biomass formation. In the absence of bicarbonate, cells could not adapt to an anaerobic environment in the studied lapse.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that two-phase growth (aerobic-anaerobic) significantly improved the previous report of PHBV production in purple nonsulfur bacteria, maximizing the polymer accumulation at the expense of other components of the biomass. The presence of CO2 is key in this process demonstrating the involvement of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham in the adaptation to changes in oxygen availability. These results stand R. rubrum as a promising producer of high-3HV-content PHBV co-polymer from fructose, a PHBV unrelated carbon source.

Dehazing redox homeostasis to foster purple bacteria biotechnology

Purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB) show great potential for environmental and industrial biotechnology, producing microbial protein, biohydrogen, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), pigments, etc. When grown photoheterotrophically, the carbon source is typically more reduced than the PNSB biomass, which leads to a redox imbalance. To mitigate the excess of electrons, PNSB can exhibit several 'electron sinking' strategies, such as CO₂ fixation, N₂ fixation, and H₂ and PHA production. The lack of a comprehensive (over)view of these redox strategies is hindering the implementation of PNSB for biotechnology applications. This review aims to present the state of the art of redox homeostasis in phototrophically grown PNSB, presenting known and theoretically expected strategies, and discussing them from stoichiometric, thermodynamic, metabolic, and economic points of view.

Spectral bands of incandescent lamp leading to variable productivity of purple bacteria biomass and microbial protein: Full is better than segmented

Purple non‑sulfur bacteria (PNSB) are competent microorganisms capable of producing value-added products from waste streams. Light source is one of the most influential factors determining the efficiency of this process. Previous studies mostly focused on optimizing light intensity, while the impact of spectral bands on PNSB growth is still unknown. To fill the knowledge gap, this study investigated the responses of PNSB (i.e., Rhodobacter sphaeroides) growth, protein content and enzyme activity to various spectral bands of an incandescent lamp for the first time. It was found that the full spectrum of the incandescent lamp was propitious to cultivate PNSB than segmented spectral bands, as demonstrated by the maximum biomass yield of 1.05 g biomass g^-1 COD_removed, specific growth rate of 0.53 d^-1 and protein concentration of 0.48 g L^-1. The production of biomass and protein under infrared (IR) spectral band were slightly lower than those under full spectrum, but 3.2 and 1.7 times higher than the average values (0.14 g L^-1 and 0.07 g L^-1) under visible spectral bands, respectively. The variation trends of enzymatic activities, such as fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBP) and photopigments were consistent with that of PNSB biomass upon varying spectral bands, suggesting that the spectral bands might induce a variable PNSB biomass via affecting the Calvin cycle and photophosphorylation process. These results provide a new perspective that spectrum bands of light sources should be considered in the process optimization.

Regulating light, oxygen and volatile fatty acids to boost the productivity of purple bacteria biomass, protein and co-enzyme Q10

Purple non‑sulfur bacteria (PNSB) possess significant potential for bioresource recovery from wastewater. Effective operational tools are needed to boost productivity and direct the PNSB biomass towards abundant value-added substances (e.g., protein and co-enzyme Q10, CoQ10). This study aimed to investigate the impact of light, oxygen and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) on PNSB growth (i.e., Rhodobacter sphaeroides) and productivity of protein and CoQ10. Overall, the biomass yields and specific growth rates of PNSB were in the ranges of 0.57-1.08 g biomass g^-1 COD_removed and 0.48-0.71 d^-1, respectively. VFAs did not influence the biomass yield, yet acetate and VFA mixtures enhanced the specific growth rate with a factor of 1.2-1.5 compared to propionate and butyrate. The most PNSB biomass (1.08 g biomass g^-1 COD_removed and 0.71 d^-1) and the highest biomass quality (protein content of 609 mg g^-1 dry cell weight (DCW) and CoQ10 content of 13.21 mg g^-1 DCW) were obtained in the presence of VFA mixtures under natural light and microaerobic (low light alternated with darkness; dissolved oxygen (DO) between 0.5 and 1 mg L^-1) conditions (vs. light anaerobic and dark aerobic cultivations). Further investigation on VFAs dynamics revealed that acetate was most rapidly consumed by PNSB in the individual VFA feeding (specific uptake rate of 0.76 g COD g^-1 DCW d^-1), while acetate as a co-substrate in the mixed VFAs feeding might accelerate the consumption of propionate and butyrate through providing additional cell metabolism precursor. Enzymes activities of succinate dehydrogenase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase as well as the concentration of photo pigments confirmed that light, oxygen and VFAs regulated the key enzymes in the energy metabolism and biomass synthesis to boost PNSB growth. These results provide a promising prospect for utilization of fermented waste stream for the harvest of PNSB biomass, protein and CoQ10.

Study of the production of poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyhexanoate) and poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate-co-hydroxyhexanoate) in Rhodospirillum rubrum

Poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyhexanoate) (P(HB-co-HHx)) and poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate-co-hydroxyhexanoate) P(HB-co-HV-co-HHx) demonstrate interesting mechanical and thermal properties as well as excellent biocompatibility making them suitable for multiple applications and notably biomedical purposes. The production of such polymer was described in Rhodospirillum rubrum (Rs. rubrum), a purple non-sulfur bacteria in a nutrient-lacking environment where the HHx synthesis is triggered by the presence of hexanoate in the medium. However, the production of P(HB-co-HHx) under nutrient-balanced growth conditions has not been described so far in Rs. rubrum and the assimilation of hexanoate is poorly documented. In this study, we demonstrate using proteomic analysis and mutant fitness assay, that hexanoate assimilation involve β-oxidation and the ethylmalonyl-CoA (EMC) and methylbutanoyl-CoA (MBC) pathways, both being anaplerotic pathways already described in Rs. rubrum. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production is likely to involve the de novo fatty acid synthesis pathway. Concerning the polymer composition, HB is the main component of the polymer, probably as acetyl-CoA and butyryl-CoA are intermediates of hexanoate assimilation pathways. When no essential nutrient is lacking in the medium, the synthesis of PHA seems to help maintain the redox balance of the cell. In this framework, we showed that the fixation of CO₂ is required to sustain the growth. An increase in the proportion of HHx in the polymer was observed when redox stress was engendered in the cell under bicarbonate limiting growth conditions. The addition of isoleucine or valerate in the medium also increased the HHx content of the polymer and allowed the production of a terpolymer of P(HB-co-HV-co-HHx). Importance The use of purple bacteria, which can assimilate volatile fatty acids for biotechnological applications has risen since they reduce the production costs of added-value compounds such as PHA. P(HB-co-HHx) and P(HB-co-HV-co-HHx) have demonstrated interesting properties notably for biomedical application. In a nutrient-lacking environment, Rs. rubrum is known to synthesize such polymer when hexanoate is used as carbon source. However, their production in non-nutrient lacking growth conditions has not been described so far in Rs. rubrum and the assimilation of hexanoate is poorly documented. As the carbon source and its assimilation directly impact the polymer composition, we studied under non-nutrient lacking growth conditions, the assimilation path of hexanoate and PHA production in Rs. rubrum. Proteomic analysis and mutant fitness assay allowed to explain PHA production and composition. Increase in HHx content of the polymer and production of P(HB-co-HV-co-HHx) was possible using the knowledge gained on metabolism under hexanoate growth conditions.

Effects of Mixing Volatile Fatty Acids as Carbon Sources on Rhodospirillum rubrum Carbon Metabolism and Redox Balance Mechanisms

Rhodospirillum rubrum has a versatile metabolism, and as such can assimilate a broad range of carbon sources, including volatile fatty acids. These carbon sources are gaining increasing interest for biotechnological processes, since they reduce the production costs for numerous value-added compounds and contribute to the development of a more circular economy. Usually, studies characterizing carbon metabolism are performed by supplying a single carbon source; however, in both environmental and engineered conditions, cells would rather grow on mixtures of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) generated via anaerobic fermentation. In this study, we show that the use of a mixture of VFAs as carbon source appears to have a synergy effect on growth phenotype. In addition, while propionate and butyrate assimilation in Rs. rubrum is known to require an excess of bicarbonate in the culture medium, mixing them reduces the requirement for bicarbonate supplementation. The fixation of CO2 is one of the main electron sinks in purple bacteria; therefore, this observation suggests an adaptation of both metabolic pathways used for the assimilation of these VFAs and redox homeostasis mechanism. Based on proteomic data, modification of the propionate assimilation pathway seems to occur with a switch from a methylmalonyl-CoA intermediate to the methylcitrate cycle. Moreover, it seems that the presence of a mixture of VFAs switches electron sinking from CO2 fixation to H2 and isoleucine production.