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Intasian P, Prakinee K, Phintha A, Trisrivirat D, Weeranoppanant N, Wongnate T, Chaiyen P. Enzymes, In Vivo Biocatalysis, and Metabolic Engineering for Enabling a Circular Economy and Sustainability. Chem Rev 2021; 121:10367-10451. [PMID: 34228428 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Since the industrial revolution, the rapid growth and development of global industries have depended largely upon the utilization of coal-derived chemicals, and more recently, the utilization of petroleum-based chemicals. These developments have followed a linear economy model (produce, consume, and dispose). As the world is facing a serious threat from the climate change crisis, a more sustainable solution for manufacturing, i.e., circular economy in which waste from the same or different industries can be used as feedstocks or resources for production offers an attractive industrial/business model. In nature, biological systems, i.e., microorganisms routinely use their enzymes and metabolic pathways to convert organic and inorganic wastes to synthesize biochemicals and energy required for their growth. Therefore, an understanding of how selected enzymes convert biobased feedstocks into special (bio)chemicals serves as an important basis from which to build on for applications in biocatalysis, metabolic engineering, and synthetic biology to enable biobased processes that are greener and cleaner for the environment. This review article highlights the current state of knowledge regarding the enzymatic reactions used in converting biobased wastes (lignocellulosic biomass, sugar, phenolic acid, triglyceride, fatty acid, and glycerol) and greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4) into value-added products and discusses the current progress made in their metabolic engineering. The commercial aspects and life cycle assessment of products from enzymatic and metabolic engineering are also discussed. Continued development in the field of metabolic engineering would offer diversified solutions which are sustainable and renewable for manufacturing valuable chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pattarawan Intasian
- School of Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), Wangchan Valley, Rayong 21210, Thailand
| | - Kridsadakorn Prakinee
- School of Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), Wangchan Valley, Rayong 21210, Thailand
| | - Aisaraphon Phintha
- School of Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), Wangchan Valley, Rayong 21210, Thailand.,Department of Biochemistry and Center for Excellence in Protein and Enzyme Technology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Duangthip Trisrivirat
- School of Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), Wangchan Valley, Rayong 21210, Thailand
| | - Nopphon Weeranoppanant
- School of Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), Wangchan Valley, Rayong 21210, Thailand.,Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Burapha University, 169, Long-hard Bangsaen, Saensook, Muang, Chonburi 20131, Thailand
| | - Thanyaporn Wongnate
- School of Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), Wangchan Valley, Rayong 21210, Thailand
| | - Pimchai Chaiyen
- School of Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), Wangchan Valley, Rayong 21210, Thailand
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Smith MD, Tassoulas LJ, Biernath TA, Richman JE, Aukema KG, Wackett LP. p-Nitrophenyl esters provide new insights and applications for the thiolase enzyme OleA. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:3087-3096. [PMID: 34141132 PMCID: PMC8180931 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.05.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The OleA enzyme is distinct amongst thiolase enzymes in binding two long (≥C8) acyl chains into structurally-opposed hydrophobic channels, denoted A and B, to carry out a non-decarboxylative Claisen condensation reaction and initiate the biosynthesis of membrane hydrocarbons and β-lactone natural products. OleA has now been identified in hundreds of diverse bacteria via bioinformatics and high-throughput screening using p-nitrophenyl alkanoate esters as surrogate substrates. In the present study, p-nitrophenyl esters were used to probe the reaction mechanism of OleA and shown to be incorporated into Claisen condensation products for the first time. p-Nitrophenyl alkanoate substrates alone were shown not to undergo Claisen condensation, but co-incubation of p-nitrophenyl esters and CoA thioesters produced mixed Claisen products. Mixed product reactions were shown to initiate via acyl group transfer from a p-nitrophenyl carrier to the enzyme active site cysteine, C143. Acyl chains esterified to p-nitrophenol were synthesized and shown to undergo Claisen condensation with an acyl-CoA substrate, showing potential to greatly expand the range of possible Claisen products. Using p-nitrophenyl 1-13C-decanoate, the Channel A bound thioester chain was shown to act as the Claisen nucleophile, representing the first direct evidence for the directionality of the Claisen reaction in any OleA enzyme. These results both provide new insights into OleA catalysis and open a path for making unnatural hydrocarbon and β-lactone natural products for biotechnological applications using cheap and easily synthesized p-nitrophenyl esters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan D. Smith
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Lambros J. Tassoulas
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Troy A. Biernath
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Jack E. Richman
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Kelly G. Aukema
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Lawrence P. Wackett
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
- Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
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Smith MD, Robinson SL, Molomjamts M, Wackett LP. In Vivo Assay Reveals Microbial OleA Thiolases Initiating Hydrocarbon and β-Lactone Biosynthesis. mBio 2020; 11:e00111-20. [PMID: 32156808 PMCID: PMC7064751 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00111-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
OleA, a member of the thiolase superfamily, is known to catalyze the Claisen condensation of long-chain acyl coenzyme A (acyl-CoA) substrates, initiating metabolic pathways in bacteria for the production of membrane lipids and β-lactone natural products. OleA homologs are found in diverse bacterial phyla, but to date, only one homodimeric OleA has been successfully purified to homogeneity and characterized in vitro A major impediment for the identification of new OleA enzymes has been protein instability and time-consuming in vitro assays. Here, we developed a bioinformatic pipeline to identify OleA homologs and a new rapid assay to screen OleA enzyme activity in vivo and map their taxonomic diversity. The screen is based on the discovery that OleA displayed surprisingly high rates of p-nitrophenyl ester hydrolysis, an activity not shared by other thiolases, including FabH. The high rates allowed activity to be determined in vitro and with heterologously expressed OleA in vivo via the release of the yellow p-nitrophenol product. Seventy-four putative oleA genes identified in the genomes of diverse bacteria were heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, and 25 showed activity with p-nitrophenyl esters. The OleA proteins tested were encoded in variable genomic contexts from seven different phyla and are predicted to function in distinct membrane lipid and β-lactone natural product metabolic pathways. This study highlights the diversity of unstudied OleA proteins and presents a rapid method for their identification and characterization.IMPORTANCE Microbially produced β-lactones are found in antibiotic, antitumor, and antiobesity drugs. Long-chain olefinic membrane hydrocarbons have potential utility as fuels and specialty chemicals. The metabolic pathway to both end products share bacterial enzymes denoted as OleA, OleC, and OleD that transform acyl-CoA cellular intermediates into β-lactones. Bacteria producing membrane hydrocarbons via the Ole pathway additionally express a β-lactone decarboxylase, OleB. Both β-lactone and olefin biosynthesis pathways are initiated by OleA enzymes that define the overall structure of the final product. There is currently very limited information on OleA enzymes apart from the single representative from Xanthomonas campestris In this study, bioinformatic analysis identified hundreds of new, putative OleA proteins, 74 proteins were screened via a rapid whole-cell method, leading to the identification of 25 stably expressed OleA proteins representing seven bacteria phyla.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan D Smith
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Serina L Robinson
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Mandkhai Molomjamts
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Lawrence P Wackett
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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