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Tanwee TNN, Lipscomb GL, Vailionis JL, Zhang K, Bing RG, O'Quinn HC, Poole FL, Zhang Y, Kelly RM, Adams MWW. Metabolic engineering of Caldicellulosiruptor bescii for 2,3-butanediol production from unpretreated lignocellulosic biomass and metabolic strategies for improving yields and titers. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0195123. [PMID: 38131671 PMCID: PMC10807448 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01951-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The platform chemical 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO) is used to derive products, such as 1,3-butadiene and methyl ethyl ketone, for the chemical and fuel production industries. Efficient microbial 2,3-BDO production at industrial scales has not been achieved yet for various reasons, including product inhibition to host organisms, mixed stereospecificity in product formation, and dependence on expensive substrates (i.e., glucose). In this study, we explore engineering of a 2,3-BDO pathway in Caldicellulosiruptor bescii, an extremely thermophilic (optimal growth temperature = 78°C) and anaerobic bacterium that can break down crystalline cellulose and hemicellulose into fermentable C5 and C6 sugars. In addition, C. bescii grows on unpretreated plant biomass, such as switchgrass. Biosynthesis of 2,3-BDO involves three steps: two molecules of pyruvate are condensed into acetolactate; acetolactate is decarboxylated to acetoin, and finally, acetoin is reduced to 2,3-BDO. C. bescii natively produces acetoin; therefore, in order to complete the 2,3-BDO biosynthetic pathway, C. bescii was engineered to produce a secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (sADH) to catalyze the final step. Two previously characterized, thermostable sADH enzymes with high affinity for acetoin, one from a bacterium and one from an archaeon, were tested independently. When either sADH was present in C. bescii, the recombinant strains were able to produce up to 2.5-mM 2,3-BDO from crystalline cellulose and xylan and 0.2-mM 2,3-BDO directly from unpretreated switchgrass. This serves as the basis for higher yields and productivities, and to this end, limiting factors and potential genetic targets for further optimization were assessed using the genome-scale metabolic model of C. bescii.IMPORTANCELignocellulosic plant biomass as the substrate for microbial synthesis of 2,3-butanediol is one of the major keys toward cost-effective bio-based production of this chemical at an industrial scale. However, deconstruction of biomass to release the sugars for microbial growth currently requires expensive thermochemical and enzymatic pretreatments. In this study, the thermo-cellulolytic bacterium Caldicellulosiruptor bescii was successfully engineered to produce 2,3-butanediol from cellulose, xylan, and directly from unpretreated switchgrass. Genome-scale metabolic modeling of C. bescii was applied to adjust carbon and redox fluxes to maximize productivity of 2,3-butanediol, thereby revealing bottlenecks that require genetic modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania N. N. Tanwee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Gina L. Lipscomb
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Jason L. Vailionis
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, College of the Environment and Life Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Ke Zhang
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, College of the Environment and Life Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Ryan G. Bing
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hailey C. O'Quinn
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Farris L. Poole
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, College of the Environment and Life Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Robert M. Kelly
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Michael W. W. Adams
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
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Swinnen S, Zurek C, Krämer M, Heger RM, Domeyer JE, Ziegler J, Svetlitchnyi VA, Läufer A. A novel SfaNI-like restriction-modification system in Caldicellulosiruptor extents the genetic engineering toolbox for this genus. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0279562. [PMID: 36580476 PMCID: PMC9799307 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Caldicellulosiruptor is a genus of thermophilic to hyper-thermophilic microorganisms that express and secrete an arsenal of enzymes degrading lignocellulosic biomasses into fermentable sugars. Because of this distinguished feature, strains of Caldicellulosiruptor have been considered as promising candidates for consolidated bioprocessing. Although a few Caldicellulosiruptor strains with industrially relevant characteristics have been isolated to date, it is apparent that further improvement of the strains is essential for industrial application. The earlier identification of the HaeIII-like restriction-modification system in C. bescii strain DSM 6725 has formed the basis for genetic methods with the aim to improve the strain's lignocellulolytic activity and ethanol production. In this study, a novel SfaNI-like restriction-modification system was identified in Caldicellulosiruptor sp. strain BluCon085, consisting of an endonuclease and two methyltransferases that recognize the reverse-complement sequences 5'-GATGC-3' and 5'-GCATC-3'. Methylation of the adenine in both sequences leads to an asymmetric methylation pattern in the genomic DNA of strain BluCon085. Proteins with high percentage of identity to the endonuclease and two methyltransferases were identified in the genomes of C. saccharolyticus strain DSM 8903, C. naganoensis strain DSM 8991, C. changbaiensis strain DSM 26941 and Caldicellulosiruptor sp. strain F32, suggesting that a similar restriction-modification system may be active also in these strains and respective species. We show that methylation of plasmid and linear DNA by the identified methyltransferases, obtained by heterologous expression in Escherichia coli, is sufficient for successful transformation of Caldicellulosiruptor sp. strain DIB 104C. The genetic engineering toolbox developed in this study forms the basis for rational strain improvement of strain BluCon085, a derivative from strain DIB 104C with exceptionally high L-lactic acid production. The toolbox may also work for other species of the genus Caldicellulosiruptor that have so far not been genetically tractable.
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Bing RG, Straub CT, Sulis DB, Wang JP, Adams MWW, Kelly RM. Plant biomass fermentation by the extreme thermophile Caldicellulosiruptor bescii for co-production of green hydrogen and acetone: Technoeconomic analysis. Bioresour Technol 2022; 348:126780. [PMID: 35093526 PMCID: PMC10560548 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.126780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A variety of chemical and biological processes have been proposed for conversion of sustainable low-cost feedstocks into industrial products. Here, a biorefinery concept is formulated, modeled, and analyzed in which a naturally (hemi)cellulolytic and extremely thermophilic bacterium, Caldicellulosiruptor bescii, is metabolically engineered to convert the carbohydrate content of lignocellulosic biomasses (i.e., soybean hulls, transgenic poplar) into green hydrogen and acetone. Experimental validation of C. bescii fermentative performance demonstrated 82% carbohydrate solubilization of soybean hulls and 55% for transgenic poplar. A detailed technical design, including equipment specifications, provides the basis for an economic analysis that establishes metabolic engineering targets. This robust industrial process leveraging metabolically engineered C. bescii yields 206 kg acetone and 25 kg H2 per metric ton of soybean hull, or 174 kg acetone and 21 kg H2 per metric ton transgenic poplar. Beyond this specific case, the model demonstrates industrial feasibility and economic advantages of thermophilic fermentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan G Bing
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Christopher T Straub
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Daniel B Sulis
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Jack P Wang
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Michael W W Adams
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, United States
| | - Robert M Kelly
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States.
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Wang L, Gu J, Feng Y, Wang M, Tong Y, Liu Y, Lyu X, Yang R. Enhancement of the Isomerization Activity and Thermostability of Cellobiose 2-Epimerase from Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus by Exchange of a Flexible Loop. J Agric Food Chem 2021; 69:1907-1915. [PMID: 33541071 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.0c07073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cellobiose 2-epimerase (CE) offers a promising enzymatic approach to produce lactulose. However, its application is limited by the unsatisfactory isomerization activity and thermostability. Our study attempted to optimize the catalytic performances of CEs by flexible loop exchange, for which four mutants were constructed using CsCE (CE from Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus) as a template. As a result, all mutants maintained the same catalytic directions as the templates. Mutant RmC displayed a 2.2- and 1.34-fold increase in the isomerization activity and catalytic efficiency, respectively. According to the results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, it was revealed that the loop exchange in RmC enlarged the entrance of the active site for substrate binding and benefited proton transfer involved in the isomerization process. Besides, the t1/2 of mutant StC at 70 °C was increased from 29.07 to 38.29 h, owing to the abundance of rigid residues (proline) within the flexible loop of StC. Our work demonstrated that the isomerization activity and thermostability of CEs were closely related to the flexible loop surrounding the active site, which provides a new perspective to engineer CEs for higher lactulose production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Jiali Gu
- College of Life Sciences, Huzhou University, Huzhou 313000, China
| | - Yinghui Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Mingming Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Yanjun Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Yingjie Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Xiaomei Lyu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Ruijin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
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Cann I, Pereira GV, Abdel-Hamid AM, Kim H, Wefers D, Kayang BB, Kanai T, Sato T, Bernardi RC, Atomi H, Mackie RI. Thermophilic Degradation of Hemicellulose, a Critical Feedstock in the Production of Bioenergy and Other Value-Added Products. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 86:e02296-19. [PMID: 31980431 PMCID: PMC7082577 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02296-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Renewable fuels have gained importance as the world moves toward diversifying its energy portfolio. A critical step in the biomass-to-bioenergy initiative is deconstruction of plant cell wall polysaccharides to their unit sugars for subsequent fermentation to fuels. To acquire carbon and energy for their metabolic processes, diverse microorganisms have evolved genes encoding enzymes that depolymerize polysaccharides to their carbon/energy-rich building blocks. The microbial enzymes mostly target the energy present in cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin, three major forms of energy storage in plants. In the effort to develop bioenergy as an alternative to fossil fuel, a common strategy is to harness microbial enzymes to hydrolyze cellulose to glucose for fermentation to fuels. However, the conversion of plant biomass to renewable fuels will require both cellulose and hemicellulose, the two largest components of the plant cell wall, as feedstock to improve economic feasibility. Here, we explore the enzymes and strategies evolved by two well-studied bacteria to depolymerize the hemicelluloses xylan/arabinoxylan and mannan. The sets of enzymes, in addition to their applications in biofuels and value-added chemical production, have utility in animal feed enzymes, a rapidly developing industry with potential to minimize adverse impacts of animal agriculture on the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Cann
- Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Energy Biosciences Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Microbiome Metabolic Engineering Theme, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Gabriel V Pereira
- Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Energy Biosciences Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Microbiome Metabolic Engineering Theme, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Ahmed M Abdel-Hamid
- Energy Biosciences Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Microbiome Metabolic Engineering Theme, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Heejin Kim
- Microbiome Metabolic Engineering Theme, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Daniel Wefers
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Applied Biosciences, Department of Food Chemistry and Phytochemistry, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Boniface B Kayang
- Department of Animal Science, School of Agriculture, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Tamotsu Kanai
- Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takaaki Sato
- Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Kyoto, Japan
- JST, CREST, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Rafael C Bernardi
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Haruyuki Atomi
- Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Kyoto, Japan
- JST, CREST, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Roderick I Mackie
- Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Energy Biosciences Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Microbiome Metabolic Engineering Theme, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
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