Metabolic flux analysis of Candida tropicalis growing on xylose in an oxygen-limited chemostat

Global Transcriptome Profile of the Oleaginous Yeast Saitozyma podzolica DSM 27192 Cultivated in Glucose and Xylose

Unlike conventional yeasts, several oleaginous yeasts, including Saitozyma podzolica DSM 27192, possess the innate ability to grow and produce biochemicals from plant-derived lignocellulosic components such as hexose and pentose sugars. To elucidate the genetic basis of S. podzolica growth and lipid production on glucose and xylose, we performed comparative temporal transcriptome analysis using RNA-seq method. Approximately 3.4 and 22.2% of the 10,670 expressed genes were differentially (FDR < 0.05, and log2FC > 1.5) expressed under batch and fed batch modes, respectively. Our analysis revealed that a higher number of sugar transporter genes were significantly overrepresented in xylose relative to glucose-grown cultures. Given the low homology between proteins encoded by most of these genes and those of the well-characterised transporters, it is plausible to conclude that S. podzolica possesses a cache of putatively novel sugar transporters. The analysis also suggests that S. podzolica potentially channels carbon flux from xylose via both the non-oxidative pentose phosphate and potentially via the first steps of the Weimberg pathways to yield xylonic acid. However, only the ATP citrate lyase (ACL) gene showed significant upregulation among the essential oleaginous pathway genes under nitrogen limitation in xylose compared to glucose cultivation. Combined, these findings pave the way toward the design of strategies or the engineering of efficient biomass hydrolysate utilization in S. podzolica for the production of various biochemicals.

Genome-scale metabolic modeling and in silico analysis of lipid accumulating yeast Candida tropicalis for dicarboxylic acid production

Recently, the bio-production of α,ω-dicarboxylic acids (DCAs) has gained significant attention, which potentially leads to the replacement of the conventional petroleum-based products. In this regard, the lipid accumulating yeast Candida tropicalis, has been recognized as a promising microbial host for DCA biosynthesis: it possess the unique ω-oxidation pathway where the terminal carbon of α-fatty acids is oxidized to form DCAs with varying chain lengths. However, despite such industrial importance, its cellular physiology and lipid accumulation capability remain largely uncharacterized. Thus, it is imperative to better understand the metabolic behavior of this lipogenic yeast, which could be achieved by a systems biological approach. To this end, herein, we reconstructed the genome-scale metabolic model of C. tropicalis, iCT646, accounting for 646 unique genes, 945 metabolic reactions, and 712 metabolites. Initially, the comparative network analysis of iCT646 with other yeasts revealed several distinctive metabolic reactions, mainly within the amino acid and lipid metabolism including the ω-oxidation pathway. Constraints-based flux analysis was, then, employed to predict the in silico growth rates of C. tropicalis which are highly consistent with the cellular phenotype observed in glucose and xylose minimal media chemostat cultures. Subsequently, the lipid accumulation capability of C. tropicalis was explored in comparison with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, indicating that the formation of "citrate pyruvate cycle" is essential to the lipid accumulation in oleaginous yeasts. The in silico flux analysis also highlighted the enhanced ability of pentose phosphate pathway as NADPH source rather than malic enzyme during lipogenesis. Finally, iCT646 was successfully utilized to highlight the key directions of C. tropicalis strain design for the whole cell biotransformation application to produce long-chain DCAs from alkanes. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 1993-2004. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Biochemical properties of xylose reductase prepared from adapted strain of Candida tropicalis

Xylose reductase (XR) is an intracellular enzyme, which catalyzes xylose to xylitol conversion in the microbes. It has potential biotechnological applications in the manufacture of various commercially important specialty bioproducts including xylitol. This study aimed to prepare XR from adapted strain of Candida tropicalis and to characterize it. The XR was isolated from adapted C. tropicalis, cultivated on Meranti wood sawdust hemicellulosic hydrolysate (MWSHH)-based medium, via ultrasonication, and was characterized based on enzyme activity, stability, and kinetic parameters. It was specific to NADPH with an activity of 11.16 U/mL. The enzyme was stable at pH 5-7 and temperature of 25-40 °C for 24 h and retained above 95 % of its original activity after 4 months of storage at -80 °C. The K m of XR for xylose and NADPH were 81.78 mM and 7.29 μM while the V max for them were 178.57 and 12.5 μM/min, respectively. The high V max and low K m values of XR for xylose reflect a highly productive reaction among XR and xylose. MWSHH can be a promising xylose source for XR preparation from yeast.

Identification and characterisation of xylanolytic yeasts isolated from decaying wood and sugarcane bagasse in Brazil

In this study, yeasts associated with lignocellulosic materials in Brazil, including decaying wood and sugarcane bagasse, were isolated, and their ability to produce xylanolytic enzymes was investigated. A total of 358 yeast isolates were obtained, with 198 strains isolated from decaying wood and 160 strains isolated from decaying sugarcane bagasse samples. Seventy-five isolates possessed xylanase activity in solid medium and were identified as belonging to nine species: Candida intermedia, C. tropicalis, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Scheffersomyces shehatae, Sugiyamaella smithiae, Cryptococcus diffluens, Cr. heveanensis, Cr. laurentii and Trichosporon mycotoxinivorans. Twenty-one isolates were further screened for total xylanase activity in liquid medium with xylan, and five xylanolytic yeasts were selected for further characterization, which included quantitative analysis of growth in xylan and xylose and xylanase and β-D-xylosidase activities. The yeasts showing the highest growth rate and cell density in xylan, Cr. laurentii UFMG-HB-48, Su. smithiae UFMG-HM-80.1 and Sc. shehatae UFMG-HM-9.1a, were, simultaneously, those exhibiting higher xylanase activity. Xylan induced the highest level of (extracellular) xylanase activity in Cr. laurentii UFMG-HB-48 and the highest level of (intracellular, extracellular and membrane-associated) β-D-xylosidase activity in Su. smithiae UFMG-HM-80.1. Also, significant β-D-xylosidase levels were detected in xylan-induced cultures of Cr. laurentii UFMG-HB-48 and Sc. shehatae UFMG-HM-9.1a, mainly in extracellular and intracellular spaces, respectively. Under xylose induction, Cr. laurentii UFMG-HB-48 showed the highest intracellular β-D-xylosidase activity among all the yeast tested. C. tropicalis UFMG-HB 93a showed its higher (intracellular) β-D-xylosidase activity under xylose induction and higher at 30 °C than at 50 °C. This study revealed different xylanolytic abilities and strategies in yeasts to metabolise xylan and/or its hydrolysis products (xylo-oligosaccharides and xylose). Xylanolytic yeasts are able to secrete xylanolytic enzymes mainly when induced by xylan and present different strategies (intra- and/or extracellular hydrolysis) for the metabolism of xylo-oligosaccharides. Some of the unique xylanolytic traits identified here should be further explored for their applicability in specific biotechnological processes.

Diversity and fermentation products of xylose-utilizing yeasts isolated from buffalo feces in Thailand

Twenty-eight xylose-utilizing yeast strains were isolated by enrichment culture from 11 samples of feces from the rectum of Murrah buffalo and Swamp buffalo in Thailand. On the basis of their morphological and biochemical characteristics, including sequence analysis of the D1/D2 region of the large-subunit ribosomal RNA gene (LSU rDNA), they were identified as Candida tropicalis (designated as Group I, 11 isolates), Candida parasilosis (Group II, 2 isolates), Candida mengyuniae (Group III, 2 isolates), Sporopachydermia lactativora (Group IV, 2 isolates), Geotrichum sp. (Group V, 5 isolates) and Trichosporon asahii (Group VI, 6 isolates). All isolates utilized xylose as the sole carbon source but 27 isolates could ferment xylose to ethanol (0.006–0.602 g L⁻¹) and 21 isolates could ferment xylose to xylitol (0.19–22.84 g L⁻¹). Candida tropicalis isolates produced the highest yield of xylitol (74.80%). Their ability to convert xylose to xylitol and ethanol ranged from 15.06 g L⁻¹ to 22.84 g L⁻¹ xylitol and 0.110 g L⁻¹ to 0.602 g L⁻¹ ethanol, respectively.

An improved kinetic model for the acetone-butanol-ethanol pathway of Clostridium acetobutylicum and model-based perturbation analysis

Background

Comprehensive kinetic models of microbial metabolism can enhance the understanding of system dynamics and regulatory mechanisms, which is helpful in optimizing microbial production of industrial chemicals. Clostridium acetobutylicum produces solvents (acetone-butanol–ethanol, ABE) through the ABE pathway. To systematically assess the potential of increased production of solvents, kinetic modeling has been applied to analyze the dynamics of this pathway and make predictive simulations. Up to date, only one kinetic model for C. acetobutylicum supported by experiment has been reported as far as we know. But this model did not integrate the metabolic regulatory effects of transcriptional control and other complex factors. It also left out the information of some key intermediates (e.g. butyryl-phosphate).

Results

We have developed an improved kinetic model featured with the incorporation of butyryl-phosphate, inclusion of net effects of complex metabolic regulations, and quantification of endogenous enzyme activity variations caused by these regulations. The simulation results of our model are more consistent with published experimental data than the previous model, especially in terms of reflecting the kinetics of butyryl-phosphate and butyrate. Through parameter perturbation analysis, it was found that butyrate kinase has large and positive influence on butanol production while CoA transferase has negative effect on butanol production, suggesting that butyrate kinase has more efficiency in converting butyrate to butanol than CoA transferase.

Conclusions

Our improved kinetic model of the ABE process has more capacity in approaching real circumstances, providing much more insight in the regulatory mechanisms and potential key points for optimization of solvent productions. Moreover, the modeling strategy can be extended to other biological processes.

A fundamental regulatory role of formate on thuringiensin production by resting cell of Bacillus thuringiensis YBT-032

In this work, a fundamental regulatory role of formate on thuringiensin production by resting cell of Bacillus thuringiensis YBT-032 was investigated. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) production and formate dehydrogenase activity increased with formate addition from 0.5 to 2.0 g/L, respectively. However, with the formate addition of 1.5 g/L, the activities of pyruvate kinase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase reached a peak and increased by 316 and 150% relative to those of the control, respectively. In addition, intracellular production of pyruvate, aspartate, citrate and adenine were significantly enhanced by 75, 66, 32 and 78% as well. An improvement (90%) of thuringiensin production was also successfully obtained. Interestingly to point out, thuringiensin yield was closely correlative with adenine production, and the linear relationship was also observed. The results suggest that appropriate formate addition did act as a modulator and facilitate carbon flux in glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway to synthesize adenine and thuringiensin via intracellular NADH availability.

Kinetic modeling and sensitivity analysis of acetone–butanol–ethanol production

A kinetic simulation model of metabolic pathways that describes the dynamic behaviors of metabolites in acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) production by Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4 was proposed using a novel simulator WinBEST-KIT. This model was validated by comparing with experimental time-course data of metabolites in batch cultures over a wide range of initial glucose concentrations (36.1-295 mM). By introducing substrate inhibition, product inhibition of butanol, activation of butyrate and considering the cessation of metabolic reactions in the case of insufficiency of energy after glucose exhaustion, the revised model showed 0.901 of squared correlation coefficient (r(2)) between experimental time-course of metabolites and calculated ones. Thus, the final revised model is assumed to be one of the best candidates for kinetic simulation describing dynamic behavior of metabolites in ABE production. Sensitivity analysis revealed that 5% increase in reaction of reverse pathway of butyrate production (R(17)) and 5% decrease in reaction of CoA transferase for butyrate (R(15)) highly contribute to high production of butanol. These system analyses should be effective in the elucidation which pathway is metabolic bottleneck for high production of butanol.

Production of xylitol from D-xylose by a xylitol dehydrogenase gene-disrupted mutant of Candida tropicalis

Xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) is one of the key enzymes in d-xylose metabolism, catalyzing the oxidation of xylitol to d-xylulose. Two copies of the XYL2 gene encoding XDH in the diploid yeast Candida tropicalis were sequentially disrupted using the Ura-blasting method. The XYL2-disrupted mutant, BSXDH-3, did not grow on a minimal medium containing d-xylose as a sole carbon source. An enzyme assay experiment indicated that BSXDH-3 lost apparently all XDH activity. Xylitol production by BSXDH-3 was evaluated using a xylitol fermentation medium with glucose as a cosubstrate. As glucose was found to be an insufficient cosubstrate, various carbon sources were screened for efficient cofactor regeneration, and glycerol was found to be the best cosubstrate. BSXDH-3 produced xylitol with a volumetric productivity of 3.23 g liter(-1) h(-1), a specific productivity of 0.76 g g(-1) h(-1), and a xylitol yield of 98%. This is the first report of gene disruption of C. tropicalis for enhancing the efficiency of xylitol production.

Izumoring

Starch, whey or hemicellulosic waste can be used as a raw material for the industrial production of rare sugars. D-glucose from starch, whey and hemicellulose, D-galactose from whey, and D-xylose from hemicellulose are the main starting monosaccharides for production of rare sugars. We can produce all monosaccharides; tetroses, pentoses and hexoses, from these raw materials. This is achieved by using D-tagatose 3-epimerase, aldose isomerase, aldose reductase, and oxidoreductase enzymes or whole cells as biocatalysts. Bioproduction strategies for all rare sugars are illustrated using ring form structures given the name Izumoring.

Metabolic flux analysis of xylose metabolism in recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae using continuous culture

This study focused on elucidating metabolism of xylose in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain that overexpresses xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase from Pichia stipitis, as well as the endogenous xylulokinase. The influence of xylose on overall metabolism was examined supplemented with low glucose levels with emphasis on two potential bottlenecks; cofactor requirements and xylose uptake. Results of metabolic flux analysis in continuous cultivations show changes in central metabolism due to the cofactor imbalance imposed by the two-step oxidoreductase reaction of xylose to xylulose. A comparison between cultivations on 27:3g/L xylose-glucose mixture and 10g/L glucose revealed that the NADPH-generating flux from glucose-6-phosphate to ribulose-5-phosphate was almost tenfold higher on xylose-glucose mixture and due to the loss of carbon in that pathway the total flux to pyruvate was only around 60% of that on glucose. As a consequence also the fluxes in the citric acid cycle were reduced to around 60%. As the glucose level was decreased to 0.1g/L the fluxes to pyruvate and in the citric acid cycle were further reduced to 30% and 20%, respectively. The results from in vitro and in vivo xylose uptake measurements showed that the specific xylose uptake rate was highest at the lowest glucose level, 0.1g/L.