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Lassen LM, Nielsen AZ, Ziersen B, Gnanasekaran T, Møller BL, Jensen PE. Redirecting photosynthetic electron flow into light-driven synthesis of alternative products including high-value bioactive natural compounds. ACS Synth Biol 2014; 3:1-12. [PMID: 24328185 DOI: 10.1021/sb400136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthesis in plants, green algae, and cyanobacteria converts solar energy into chemical energy in the form of ATP and NADPH, both of which are used in primary metabolism. However, often more reducing power is generated by the photosystems than what is needed for primary metabolism. In this review, we discuss the development in the research field, focusing on how the photosystems can be used as synthetic biology building blocks to channel excess reducing power into light-driven production of alternative products. Plants synthesize a large number of high-value bioactive natural compounds. Some of the key enzymes catalyzing their biosynthesis are the cytochrome P450s situated in the endoplasmic reticulum. However, bioactive compounds are often synthesized in low quantities in the plants and are difficult to produce by chemical synthesis due to their often complex structures. Through a synthetic biology approach, enzymes with a requirement for reducing equivalents as cofactors, such as the cytochrome P450s, can be coupled directly to the photosynthetic energy output to obtain environmentally friendly production of complex chemical compounds. By relocating cytochrome P450s to the chloroplasts, reducing power can be diverted toward the reactions catalyzed by the cytochrome P450s. This provides a sustainable production method for high-value compounds that potentially can solve the problem of NADPH regeneration, which currently limits the biotechnological uses of cytochrome P450s. We describe the approaches that have been taken to couple enzymes to photosynthesis in vivo and to photosystem I in vitro and the challenges associated with this approach to develop new green production platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lærke Münter Lassen
- UNIK Center for Synthetic Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center "bioSYNergy", the VILLUM Research Center "Plant Plasticity", Copenhagen Plant Science Center, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen , Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Lassen LM, Nielsen AZ, Ziersen B, Gnanasekaran T, Møller BL, Jensen PE. Redirecting photosynthetic electron flow into light-driven synthesis of alternative products including high-value bioactive natural compounds. ACS Synth Biol 2014; 3:1-12. [PMID: 24328185 DOI: 10.1021/sb400136f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthesis in plants, green algae, and cyanobacteria converts solar energy into chemical energy in the form of ATP and NADPH, both of which are used in primary metabolism. However, often more reducing power is generated by the photosystems than what is needed for primary metabolism. In this review, we discuss the development in the research field, focusing on how the photosystems can be used as synthetic biology building blocks to channel excess reducing power into light-driven production of alternative products. Plants synthesize a large number of high-value bioactive natural compounds. Some of the key enzymes catalyzing their biosynthesis are the cytochrome P450s situated in the endoplasmic reticulum. However, bioactive compounds are often synthesized in low quantities in the plants and are difficult to produce by chemical synthesis due to their often complex structures. Through a synthetic biology approach, enzymes with a requirement for reducing equivalents as cofactors, such as the cytochrome P450s, can be coupled directly to the photosynthetic energy output to obtain environmentally friendly production of complex chemical compounds. By relocating cytochrome P450s to the chloroplasts, reducing power can be diverted toward the reactions catalyzed by the cytochrome P450s. This provides a sustainable production method for high-value compounds that potentially can solve the problem of NADPH regeneration, which currently limits the biotechnological uses of cytochrome P450s. We describe the approaches that have been taken to couple enzymes to photosynthesis in vivo and to photosystem I in vitro and the challenges associated with this approach to develop new green production platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lærke Münter Lassen
- UNIK Center
for Synthetic
Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center “bioSYNergy”,
the VILLUM Research Center “Plant Plasticity”, Copenhagen
Plant Science Center, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Agnieszka Zygadlo Nielsen
- UNIK Center
for Synthetic
Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center “bioSYNergy”,
the VILLUM Research Center “Plant Plasticity”, Copenhagen
Plant Science Center, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bibi Ziersen
- UNIK Center
for Synthetic
Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center “bioSYNergy”,
the VILLUM Research Center “Plant Plasticity”, Copenhagen
Plant Science Center, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thiyagarajan Gnanasekaran
- UNIK Center
for Synthetic
Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center “bioSYNergy”,
the VILLUM Research Center “Plant Plasticity”, Copenhagen
Plant Science Center, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Birger Lindberg Møller
- UNIK Center
for Synthetic
Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center “bioSYNergy”,
the VILLUM Research Center “Plant Plasticity”, Copenhagen
Plant Science Center, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Poul Erik Jensen
- UNIK Center
for Synthetic
Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center “bioSYNergy”,
the VILLUM Research Center “Plant Plasticity”, Copenhagen
Plant Science Center, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Nielsen AZ, Ziersen B, Jensen K, Lassen LM, Olsen CE, Møller BL, Jensen PE. Redirecting photosynthetic reducing power toward bioactive natural product synthesis. ACS Synth Biol 2013; 2:308-15. [PMID: 23654276 DOI: 10.1021/sb300128r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In addition to the products of photosynthesis, the chloroplast provides the energy and carbon building blocks required for synthesis of a wealth of bioactive natural products of which many have potential uses as pharmaceuticals. In the course of plant evolution, energy generation and biosynthetic capacities have been compartmentalized. Chloroplast photosynthesis provides ATP and NADPH as well as carbon sources for primary metabolism. Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) synthesize a wide spectrum of bioactive natural products, powered by single electron transfers from NADPH. P450s are present in low amounts, and the reactions proceed relatively slowly due to limiting concentrations of NADPH. Here we demonstrate that it is possible to break the evolutionary compartmentalization of energy generation and P450-catalyzed biosynthesis, by relocating an entire P450-dependent pathway to the chloroplast and driving the pathway by direct use of the reducing power generated by photosystem I in a light-dependent manner. The study demonstrates the potential of transferring pathways for structurally complex high-value natural products to the chloroplast and directly tapping into the reducing power generated by photosynthesis to drive the P450s using water as the primary electron donor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Zygadlo Nielsen
- Center for Synthetic Biology and Villum Research Centre "Pro-Active Plants", †Section for Molecular Plant Biology, ‡Plant Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen , Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen, Denmark
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