Effect of Pyruvate Decarboxylase Knockout on Product Distribution Using Pichia pastoris (Komagataella phaffii) Engineered for Lactic Acid Production

Bioconversion of C1 feedstocks for chemical production using Pichia pastoris

Bioconversion of C1 feedstocks for chemical production offers a promising solution to global challenges such as the energy and food crises and climate change. The methylotroph Pichia pastoris is an attractive host system for the production of both recombinant proteins and chemicals from methanol. Recent studies have also demonstrated its potential for utilizing CO2 through metabolic engineering or coupling with electrocatalysis. This review focuses on the bioconversion of C1 feedstocks for chemical production using P. pastoris. Herein the challenges and feasible strategies for chemical production in P. pastoris are discussed. The potential of P. pastoris to utilize other C1 feedstocks - including CO2 and formate - is highlighted, and new insights from the perspectives of synthetic biology and material science are proposed.

Flux regulation through glycolysis and respiration is balanced by inositol pyrophosphates in yeast

Although many prokaryotes have glycolysis alternatives, it's considered as the only energy-generating glucose catabolic pathway in eukaryotes. Here, we managed to create a hybrid-glycolysis yeast. Subsequently, we identified an inositol pyrophosphatase encoded by OCA5 that could regulate glycolysis and respiration by adjusting 5-diphosphoinositol 1,2,3,4,6-pentakisphosphate (5-InsP₇) levels. 5-InsP₇ levels could regulate the expression of genes involved in glycolysis and respiration, representing a global mechanism that could sense ATP levels and regulate central carbon metabolism. The hybrid-glycolysis yeast did not produce ethanol during growth under excess glucose and could produce 2.68 g/L free fatty acids, which is the highest reported production in shake flask of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This study demonstrated the significance of hybrid-glycolysis yeast and determined Oca5 as an inositol pyrophosphatase controlling the balance between glycolysis and respiration, which may shed light on the role of inositol pyrophosphates in regulating eukaryotic metabolism.

Loss of a Functional Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier in Komagataella phaffii Does Not Improve Lactic Acid Production from Glycerol in Aerobic Cultivation

Cytosolic pyruvate is an essential metabolite in lactic acid production during microbial fermentation. However, under aerobiosis, pyruvate is transported to the mitochondrial matrix by the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) and oxidized in cell respiration. Previous reports using Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Aspergillus oryzae have shown that the production of pyruvate-derived chemicals is improved by deleting the MPC1 gene. A previous lactate-producing K. phaffii strain engineered by our group was used as a host for the deletion of the MPC1 gene. In addition, the expression of a bacterial hemoglobin gene under the alcohol dehydrogenase 2 promoter from Scheffersomyces stipitis, known to work as a hypoxia sensor, was used to evaluate whether aeration would supply enough oxygen to meet the metabolic needs during lactic acid production. However, unlike S. cerevisiae and A. oryzae, the deletion of Mpc1 had no significant impact on lactic acid production but negatively affected cell growth in K. phaffii strains. Furthermore, the relative quantification of the VHb gene revealed that the expression of hemoglobin was detected even in aerobic cultivation, which indicates that the demand for oxygen in the bioreactor could result in functional hypoxia. Overall, the results add to our previously published ones and show that blocking cell respiration using hypoxia is more suitable than deleting Mpc for producing lactic acid in K. phaffii.

Advances in Komagataella phaffii Engineering for the Production of Renewable Chemicals and Proteins

The need for a more sustainable society has prompted the development of bio-based processes to produce fuels, chemicals, and materials in substitution for fossil-based ones. In this context, microorganisms have been employed to convert renewable carbon sources into various products. The methylotrophic yeast Komagataella phaffii has been extensively used in the production of heterologous proteins. More recently, it has been explored as a host organism to produce various chemicals through new metabolic engineering and synthetic biology tools. This review first summarizes Komagataella taxonomy and diversity and then highlights the recent approaches in cell engineering to produce renewable chemicals and proteins. Finally, strategies to optimize and develop new fermentative processes using K. phaffii as a cell factory are presented and discussed. The yeast K. phaffii shows an outstanding performance for renewable chemicals and protein production due to its ability to metabolize different carbon sources and the availability of engineering tools. Indeed, it has been employed in producing alcohols, carboxylic acids, proteins, and other compounds using different carbon sources, including glycerol, glucose, xylose, methanol, and even CO2.

Transcriptome Profiling Analysis of Phosphate-Solubilizing Mechanism of Pseudomonas Strain W134

Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) can alleviate available phosphorus deficiency without causing environmental pollution, unlike chemical phosphate fertilizers. However, the phosphate solubilization mechanisms of PSB are still unclear. Transcriptome sequencing was used to analyze the expression patterns of differential expressed genes (DEGs) of the phosphate-solubilizing bacterium W134 under the conditions of soluble phosphorus (group A), insoluble phosphorus (group B), and lacking phosphorus (group C). Nine DEGs in three different groups were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Then, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was applied to detect the concentrations and composition of organic acids. Compared with group A, Gene Ontology (GO) annotation showed that the cluster of W134 DEGs in groups B and C were basically the same. Besides, the results of enrichment Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway indicated that genes in the Citrate cycle (TCA cycle) pathway closely related to organic acid production were significantly upregulated. The qRT-PCR results were almost consistent with the expression trends of the transcriptome data. The HPLC results showed that the formic acid, ascorbic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, and succinic acid concentrations were significantly increased in group B and C (p < 0.05), while the contents of lactic acid and malic acid were significantly increased in group B (p < 0.05). The above results provided further validation that the upregulated genes should be related to W134 secretion of organic acids. Our study revealed several potential candidate genes and tried to explain phosphate solubilization mechanisms. This provides a new insight for calcareous reclaimed soil, and it will reduce the need of chemical phosphate fertilizers to promote environmentally friendly agriculture.

Multi-Omics Reveal the Efficient Phosphate-Solubilizing Mechanism of Bacteria on Rocky Soil

Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) can alleviate available phosphorus (AP)-deficiency without causing environmental pollution like chemical phosphate fertilizers. However, the research and application of PSB on the barren rocky soil is very rare. We screened six PSB from sweetpotato rhizosphere rocky soil. Among them, Ochrobactrum haematophilum FP12 showed the highest P-solubilizing ability of 1,085.00 mg/L at 7 days, which was higher than that of the most reported PSB. The assembled genome of PSB FP12 was 4.92 Mb with P-solubilizing and plant growth-promoting genes. In an AP-deficient environment, according to transcriptome and metabolomics analysis, PSB FP12 upregulated genes involved in gluconic acid synthesis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and increased the concentration of gluconic acid and malic acid, which would result in the enhanced P-solubilizing ability. Moreover, a series of experiments in the laboratory and field confirmed the efficient role of the screened PSB on significantly increasing AP in the barren rocky soil and promoting sweetpotato yield. So, in this study, we screened highly efficient PSB, especially suitable for the barren rocky soil, and explored the P-solubilizing mechanism. The research will reduce the demand for chemical phosphate fertilizers and promote the environment-friendly agricultural development.

Established tools and emerging trends for the production of recombinant proteins and metabolites in Pichia pastoris

Besides bakers' yeast, the methylotrophic yeast Komagataella phaffii (also known as Pichia pastoris) has been developed into the most popular yeast cell factory for the production of heterologous proteins. Strong promoters, stable genetic constructs and a growing collection of freely available strains, tools and protocols have boosted this development equally as thorough genetic and cell biological characterization. This review provides an overview of state-of-the-art tools and techniques for working with P. pastoris, as well as guidelines for the production of recombinant proteins with a focus on small-scale production for biochemical studies and protein characterization. The growing applications of P. pastoris for in vivo biotransformation and metabolic pathway engineering for the production of bulk and specialty chemicals are highlighted as well.

Mechanisms underlying lactic acid tolerance and its influence on lactic acid production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

One of the major bottlenecks in lactic acid production using microbial fermentation is the detrimental influence lactic acid accumulation poses on the lactic acid producing cells. The accumulation of lactic acid results in many negative effects on the cell such as intracellular acidification, anion accumulation, membrane perturbation, disturbed amino acid trafficking, increased turgor pressure, ATP depletion, ROS accumulation, metabolic dysregulation and metal chelation. In this review, the manner in which Saccharomyces cerevisiae deals with these issues will be discussed extensively not only for lactic acid as a singular stress factor but also in combination with other stresses. In addition, different methods to improve lactic acid tolerance in S. cerevisiae using targeted and non-targeted engineering methods will be discussed.

Physiological characterization and transcriptome analysis of Pichia pastoris reveals its response to lignocellulose-derived inhibitors

The negative effects of lignocellulose-derived inhibitors such as acetic acid and furaldehydes on microbial metabolism constitute a significant drawback to the usage of biomass feedstocks for the production of fuels and chemicals. The yeast Pichia pastoris has shown a great biotechnological potential for producing heterologous proteins and renewable chemicals. Despite its relevance, the performance of P. pastoris in presence of lignocellulose-derived inhibitors remains unclear. In this work, our results show for the first time the dose-dependent response of P. pastoris to acetic acid, furaldehydes (HMF and furfural), and sugarcane biomass hydrolysate, both at physiological and transcriptional levels. The yeast was able to grow in synthetic media with up to 6 g.L-1 acetic acid, 1.75 g.L-1 furaldehydes or hydrolysate diluted to 10% (v/v). However, its metabolism was completely hindered in presence of hydrolysate diluted to 30% (v/v). Additionally, the yeast was capable to co-consume acetic acid and glucose. At the transcriptional level, P. pastoris response to lignocellulose-derived inhibitors relays on the up-regulation of genes related to transmembrane transport, oxidoreductase activities, RNA processing, and the repression of pathways related to biosynthetic processes and central carbon metabolism. These results demonstrate a polygenetic response that involves detoxification activities, and maintenance of energy and cellular homeostasis. In this context, ALD4, OYE3, QOR2, NTL100, YCT1, and PPR1 were identified as target genes to improve P. pastoris tolerance. Altogether, this work provides valuable insights into the P. pastoris stress tolerance, which can be useful to expand its use in different bioprocesses.

Metabolic engineering of Pichia pastoris for malic acid production from methanol

The application of rational design in reallocating metabolic flux to accumulate desired chemicals is always restricted by the native regulatory network. In this study, recombinant Pichia pastoris was constructed for malic acid production from sole methanol through rational redistribution of metabolic flux. Different malic acid accumulation modules were systematically evaluated and optimized in P. pastoris. The recombinant PP-CM301 could produce 8.55 g/L malic acid from glucose, which showed a 3.45-fold increase compared to the parent strain. To improve the efficiency of site-directed gene knockout, NHEJ-related protein Ku70 was destroyed, whereas leading to the silencing of heterogenous genes. Hence, genes related to by-product generation were deleted via a specially designed FRT/FLP system, which successfully reduced succinic acid and ethanol production. Furthermore, a key node in the methanol assimilation pathway, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase was knocked out to liberate metabolic fluxes trapped in the XuMP cycle, which finally enabled 2.79 g/L malic acid accumulation from sole methanol feeding with nitrogen source optimization. These results will provide guidance and reference for the metabolic engineering of P. pastoris to produce value-added chemicals from methanol.

Evaluation of Product Distribution in Chemostat and Batch Fermentation in Lactic Acid-Producing Komagataella phaffii Strains Utilizing Glycerol as Substrate

Lactic acid is the monomeric unit of polylactide (PLA), a bioplastic widely used in the packaging, automotive, food, and pharmaceutical industries. Previously, the yeast Komagataella phaffii was genetically modified for the production of lactate from glycerol. For this, the bovine L-lactate dehydrogenase- (LDH)-encoding gene was inserted and the gene encoding the pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) was disrupted, resulting in the GLp strain. This showed a yield of 67% L-lactic acid and 20% arabitol as a by-product in batches with oxygen limitation. Following up on these results, the present work endeavored to perform a detailed study of the metabolism of this yeast, as well as perturbing arabitol synthesis in an attempt to increase lactic acid titers. The GLp strain was cultivated in a glycerol-limited chemostat at different dilution rates, confirming that the production of both lactic acid and arabitol is dependent on the specific growth rate (and consequently on the concentration of the limiting carbon source) as well as on the oxygen level. Moreover, disruption of the gene encoding arabitol dehydrogenase (ArDH) was carried out, resulting in an increase of 20% in lactic acid and a 50% reduction in arabitol. This study clarifies the underlying metabolic reasons for arabitol formation in K. phaffii and points to ways for improving production of lactic acid using K. phaffii as a biocatalyst.

Deletion of JEN1 and ADY2 reduces lactic acid yield from an engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in xylose medium, expressing a heterologous lactate dehydrogenase

Microorganisms have evolved to produce specific end products for many reasons, including maintaining redox balance between NAD+ and NADH. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, for example, produces ethanol as a primary end product from glucose for the regeneration of NAD+. Engineered S. cerevisiae strains have been developed to ferment lignocellulosic sugars, such as xylose, to produce lactic acid by expression of a heterologous lactate dehydrogenase (ldhA from Rhizopus oryzae) without genetic perturbation to the native ethanol pathway. Surprisingly, the engineered yeast strains predominantly produce ethanol from glucose, but produce lactic acid as the major product from xylose. Here, we provide initial evidence that the shift in product formation from ethanol to lactic acid during xylose fermentation is at least partially dependent on the presence of functioning monocarboxylate transporter genes/proteins, including JEN1 and ADY2, which are downregulated and unstable in the presence of glucose, but upregulated/stable on xylose. Future yeast metabolic engineering studies may find the feedstock/carbon selection, such as xylose, an important step toward improving the yield of target end products.