Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli to produce (2S, 3R, 4S)-4-hydroxyisoleucine

A citric acid cycle-deficient Escherichia coli as an efficient chassis for aerobic fermentations

Tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) plays an important role for aerobic growth of heterotrophic bacteria. Theoretically, eliminating TCA cycle would decrease carbon dissipation and facilitate chemicals biosynthesis. Here, we construct an E. coli strain without a functional TCA cycle that can serve as a versatile chassis for chemicals biosynthesis. We first use adaptive laboratory evolution to recover aerobic growth in minimal medium of TCA cycle-deficient E. coli. Inactivation of succinate dehydrogenase is a key event in the evolutionary trajectory. Supply of succinyl-CoA is identified as the growth limiting factor. By replacing endogenous succinyl-CoA dependent enzymes, we obtain an optimized TCA cycle-deficient E. coli strain. As a proof of concept, the strain is engineered for high-yield production of four separate products. This work enhances our understanding of the role of the TCA cycle in E. coli metabolism and demonstrates the advantages of using TCA cycle-deficient E. coli strain for biotechnological applications.

Recent Advances in the Hydroxylation of Amino Acids and Its Derivatives

Hydroxy amino acids (HAAs) are of unique value in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry with antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, and anticancer properties. At present, the hydroxylated amino acids most studied are tryptophan, lysine, aspartic acid, leucine, proline, etc., and some of their derivatives. The hydroxylation of amino acids is inextricably linked to the catalysis of various biological enzymes, such as tryptophan hydroxylase, L-pipecolic acid trans-4-hydroxylase, lysine hydroxylase, etc. Hydroxylase conspicuously increases the variety of amino acid derivatives. For the manufacture of HAAs, the high regioselectivity biocatalytic synthesis approach is favored over chemical synthesis. Nowadays, the widely used method is to transcribe the hydroxylation pathway of various amino acids, including various catalytic enzymes, into Corynebacterium glutamicum or Escherichia coli for heterologous expression and then produce hydroxyamino acids. In this paper, we systematically reviewed the biosynthetic hydroxylation of aliphatic, heterocyclic, and aromatic amino acids and introduced the basic research and application of HAAs.

Efficient cell factories for the production of N-methylated amino acids and for methanol-based amino acid production

The growing world needs commodity amino acids such as L-glutamate and L-lysine for use as food and feed, and specialty amino acids for dedicated applications. To meet the supply a paradigm shift regarding their production is required. On the one hand, the use of sustainable and cheap raw materials is necessary to sustain low production cost and decrease detrimental effects of sugar-based feedstock on soil health and food security caused by competing uses of crops in the feed and food industries. On the other hand, the biotechnological methods to produce functionalized amino acids need to be developed further, and titres enhanced to become competitive with chemical synthesis methods. In the current review, we present successful strain mutagenesis and rational metabolic engineering examples leading to the construction of recombinant bacterial strains for the production of amino acids such as L-glutamate, L-lysine, L-threonine and their derivatives from methanol as sole carbon source. In addition, the fermentative routes for bioproduction of N-methylated amino acids are highlighted, with focus on three strategies: partial transfer of methylamine catabolism, S-adenosyl-L-methionine dependent alkylation and reductive methylamination of 2-oxoacids.

Efficient and scalable synthesis of 1,5-diamino-2-hydroxy-pentane from L-lysine via cascade catalysis using engineered Escherichia coli

BACKGROUND

1,5-Diamino-2-hydroxy-pentane (2-OH-PDA), as a new type of aliphatic amino alcohol, has potential applications in the pharmaceutical, chemical, and materials industries. Currently, 2-OH-PDA production has only been realized via pure enzyme catalysis from lysine hydroxylation and decarboxylation, which faces great challenges for scale-up production. However, the use of a cell factory is very promising for the production of 2-OH-PDA for industrial applications, but the substrate transport rate, appropriate catalytic environment (pH, temperature, ions) and separation method restrict its efficient synthesis. Here, a strategy was developed to produce 2-OH-PDA via an efficient, green and sustainable biosynthetic method on an industrial scale.

RESULTS

In this study, an approach was created for efficient 2-OH-PDA production from L-lysine using engineered E. coli BL21 (DE3) cell catalysis by a two-stage hydroxylation and decarboxylation process. In the hydroxylation stage, strain B14 coexpressing L-lysine 3-hydroxylase K3H and the lysine transporter CadB-argT enhanced the biosynthesis of (2S,3S)-3-hydroxylysine (hydroxylysine) compared with strain B1 overexpressing K3H. The titre of hydroxylysine synthesized by B14 was 2.1 times higher than that synthesized by B1. Then, in the decarboxylation stage, CadA showed the highest hydroxylysine activity among the four decarboxylases investigated. Based on the results from three feeding strategies, L-lysine was employed to produce 110.5 g/L hydroxylysine, which was subsequently decarboxylated to generate a 2-OH-PDA titre of 80.5 g/L with 62.6% molar yield in a 5-L fermenter. In addition, 2-OH-PDA with 95.6% purity was obtained by solid-phase extraction. Thus, the proposed two-stage whole-cell biocatalysis approach is a green and effective method for producing 2-OH-PDA on an industrial scale.

CONCLUSIONS

The whole-cell catalytic system showed a sufficiently high capability to convert lysine into 2-OH-PDA. Furthermore, the high titre of 2-OH-PDA is conducive to separation and possesses the prospect of industrial scale production by whole-cell catalysis.

Comparative Analysis of Catabolic and Anabolic Dehydroshikimate Dehydratases for 3,4-DHBA Production in Escherichia coli

The production of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (3,4-DHBA or protocatechuate) is a relevant task owing to 3,4-DHBA’s pharmaceutical properties and its use as a precursor for subsequent synthesis of high value-added chemicals. The microbial production of 3,4-DHBA using dehydroshikimate dehydratase (DSD) (EC: 4.2.1.118) has been demonstrated previously. DSDs from soil-dwelling organisms (where DSD is involved in quinate/shikimate degradation) and from Bacillus spp. (synthesizing the 3,4-DHBA-containing siderophore) were compared in terms of the kinetic properties and their ability to produce 3,4-DHBA. Catabolic DSDs from Corynebacterium glutamicum (QsuB) and Neurospora crassa (Qa-4) had higher K_m (1 and 0.6 mM, respectively) and k_cat (61 and 220 s⁻¹, respectively) than biosynthetic AsbF from Bacillus thuringiensis (K_m~0.04 mM, k_cat~1 s⁻¹). Product inhibition was found to be a crucial factor when choosing DSD for strain development. AsbF was more inhibited by 3,4-DHBA (IC₅₀~0.08 mM), and Escherichia coli MG1655 ΔaroE P_lacUV5-asbF_attφ80 strain provided only 0.2 g/L 3,4-DHBA in test-tube fermentation. Isogenic strains MG1655 ΔaroE P_lacUV5-qsuB_attφ80 and MG1655 ΔaroE P_lacUV5-qa-4_attφ80 expressing QsuB and Qa-4 with IC₅₀ ~0.35 mM and ~0.64 mM, respectively, accumulated 2.7 g/L 3,4-DHBA under the same conditions.

Exploitation of Hetero- and Phototrophic Metabolic Modules for Redox-Intensive Whole-Cell Biocatalysis

The successful realization of a sustainable manufacturing bioprocess and the maximization of its production potential and capacity are the main concerns of a bioprocess engineer. A main step towards this endeavor is the development of an efficient biocatalyst. Isolated enzyme(s), microbial cells, or (immobilized) formulations thereof can serve as biocatalysts. Living cells feature, beside active enzymes, metabolic modules that can be exploited to support energy-dependent and multi-step enzyme-catalyzed reactions. Metabolism can sustainably supply necessary cofactors or cosubstrates at the expense of readily available and cheap resources, rendering external addition of costly cosubstrates unnecessary. However, for the development of an efficient whole-cell biocatalyst, in depth comprehension of metabolic modules and their interconnection with cell growth, maintenance, and product formation is indispensable. In order to maximize the flux through biosynthetic reactions and pathways to an industrially relevant product and respective key performance indices (i.e., titer, yield, and productivity), existing metabolic modules can be redesigned and/or novel artificial ones established. This review focuses on whole-cell bioconversions that are coupled to heterotrophic or phototrophic metabolism and discusses metabolic engineering efforts aiming at 1) increasing regeneration and supply of redox equivalents, such as NAD(P/H), 2) blocking competing fluxes, and 3) increasing the availability of metabolites serving as (co)substrates of desired biosynthetic routes.

Engineered and Artificial Metalloenzymes for Selective C-H Functionalization

The direct functionalization of C-H bonds constitutes a powerful strategy to construct and diversify organic molecules. However, controlling the chemo- and site-selectivity of this transformation in particularly complex molecular settings represents a significant challenge. Metalloenzymes are ideal platforms for achieving catalyst-controlled selective C-H bond functionalization as their reactivities can be tuned by protein engineering and/or redesign of their cofactor environment. In this review, we highlight recent progress in the development of engineered and artificial metalloenzymes for C-H functionalization, with a focus on biocatalytic strategies for selective C-H oxyfunctionalization and halogenation as well as C-H amination and C-H carbene insertion via abiological nitrene and carbene transfer chemistries. Engineered heme- and non-heme iron dependent enzymes have emerged as promising scaffolds for executing these transformations with high chemo-, regio- and stereocontrol as well as tunable selectivity. These emerging systems and methodologies have expanded the toolbox of sustainable strategies for organic synthesis and created new opportunities for the generation of chiral building blocks, the late-stage C-H functionalization of complex molecules, and the total synthesis of natural products.

Enzymatic Synthesis of l-threo-β-Hydroxy-α-Amino Acids via Asymmetric Hydroxylation Using 2-Oxoglutarate-Dependent Hydroxylase from Sulfobacillus thermotolerans Y0017

β-Hydroxy-α-amino acids are useful compounds for pharmaceutical development. Enzymatic synthesis of β-hydroxy-α-amino acids has attracted considerable interest as a selective, sustainable, and environmentally benign process. In this study, we identified a novel amino acid hydroxylase, AEP14369, from Sulfobacillus thermotolerans Y0017, which is included in a previously constructed CAS-like superfamily protein library, to widen the variety of amino acid hydroxylases. The detailed structures determined by nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray crystallography analysis of the enzymatically produced compounds revealed that AEP14369 catalyzed threo-β-selective hydroxylation of l-His and l-Gln in a 2-oxoglutarate-dependent manner. Furthermore, the production of l-threo-β-hydroxy-His and l-threo-β-hydroxy-Gln was achieved using Escherichia coli expressing the gene encoding AEP14369 as a whole-cell biocatalyst. Under optimized reaction conditions, 137 mM (23.4 g L^-1) l-threo-β-hydroxy-His and 150 mM l-threo-β-hydroxy-Gln (24.3 g L^-1) were obtained, indicating that the enzyme is applicable for preparative-scale production. AEP14369, an l-His/l-Gln threo-β-hydroxylase, increases the availability of 2-oxoglutarate-dependent hydroxylase and opens the way for the practical production of β-hydroxy-α-amino acids in the future. The amino acids produced in this study would also contribute to the structural diversification of pharmaceuticals that affect important bioactivities. Importance Owing to an increasing concern for sustainability, enzymatic approaches for producing industrially useful compounds have attracted considerable attention as a powerful complement to chemical synthesis for environment-friendly synthesis. In this study, we developed a bioproduction method for β-hydroxy-α-amino acid synthesis using a newly discovered enzyme. AEP14369 from the moderate thermophilic bacterium Sulfobacillus thermotolerans Y0017 catalyzed the hydroxylation of l-His and l-Gln in a regioselective and stereoselective fashion. Furthermore, we biotechnologically synthesized both l-threo-β-hydroxy-His and l-threo-β-hydroxy-Gln with a titer of over 20 g L^-1 through whole-cell bioconversion using recombinant Escherichia coli cells. As β-hydroxy-α-amino acids are important compounds for pharmaceutical development, this achievement would facilitate future sustainable and economical industrial applications.

Programming adaptive laboratory evolution of 4-hydroxyisoleucine production driven by a lysine biosensor in Corynebacterium glutamicum

4-Hydroxyisoleucine (4-HIL) is a promising drug for treating diabetes. In our previous study, 4-HIL was synthesized from self-produced L-isoleucine (Ile) in Corynebacterium glutamicum by expressing an Ile dioxygenase gene. Although the 4-HIL production of recombinant strain SZ06 increased significantly, a by-product, L-lysine (Lys) was accumulated because of the share of the first several enzymes in Ile and Lys biosynthetic pathways. In this study, programming adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) was designed and conducted in SZ06 to promote 4-HIL biosynthesis. At first, a programming evolutionary system pMK was constructed, which contains a Lys biosensor LysG-P_lysE and an evolutionary actuator composed of a mutagenesis gene and a fluorescent protein gene. The evolutionary strain SZ06/pMK was then let to be evolved programmatically and spontaneously by sensing Lys concentration. After successive rounds of evolution, nine mutant strains K1 - K9 with significantly increased 4-HIL production and growth performance were obtained. The maximum 4-HIL titer was 152.19 ± 14.60 mM, 28.4% higher than that in SZ06. This titer was higher than those of all the metabolic engineered C. glutamicum strains ever constructed. The whole genome sequencing of the nine evolved strains revealed approximately 30 genetic mutations in each strain. Only one mutation was directly related to the Lys biosynthetic pathway. Therefore, programming ALE driven by Lys biosensor can be used as an effective strategy to increase 4-HIL production in C. glutamicum.

Exploration of Iron- and a-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenases as Practical Biocatalysts in Natural Product Synthesis

Catalytic C─H oxidation is a powerful transformation with enormous promise to streamline access to complex molecules. In recent years, biocatalytic C─H oxidation strategies have received tremendous attention due to their potential to address unmet regio- and stereoselectivity challenges that are often encountered with the use of small-molecule-based catalysts. This Account provides an overview of recent contributions from our laboratory in this area, specifically in the use of iron- and α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases in the chemoenzymatic synthesis of complex natural products.

Scalable biocatalytic C-H oxyfunctionalization reactions

Catalytic C-H oxyfunctionalization reactions have garnered significant attention in recent years with their ability to streamline synthetic routes toward complex molecules. Consequently, there have been significant strides in the design and development of catalysts that enable diversification through C-H functionalization reactions. Enzymatic C-H oxygenation reactions are often complementary to small molecule based synthetic approaches, providing a powerful tool when deployable on preparative-scale. This review highlights key advances in scalable biocatalytic C-H oxyfunctionalization reactions developed within the past decade.

Flux Enforcement for Fermentative Production of 5-Aminovalerate and Glutarate by Corynebacterium glutamicum

Bio-based plastics represent an increasing percentage of the plastics economy. The fermentative production of bioplastic monomer 5-aminovalerate (5AVA), which can be converted to polyamide 5 (PA 5), has been established in Corynebacterium glutamicum via two metabolic pathways. l-lysine can be converted to 5AVA by either oxidative decarboxylation and subsequent oxidative deamination or by decarboxylation to cadaverine followed by transamination and oxidation. Here, a new three-step pathway was established by using the monooxygenase putrescine oxidase (Puo), which catalyzes the oxidative deamination of cadaverine, instead of cadaverine transaminase. When the conversion of 5AVA to glutarate was eliminated and oxygen supply improved, a 5AVA titer of 3.7 ± 0.4 g/L was reached in microcultivation that was lower than when cadaverine transaminase was used. The elongation of the new pathway by 5AVA transamination by GABA/5AVA aminotransferase (GabT) and oxidation by succinate/glutarate semialdehyde dehydrogenase (GabD) allowed for glutarate production. Flux enforcement by the disruption of the l-glutamic acid dehydrogenase-encoding gene gdh rendered a single transaminase (GabT) in glutarate production via the new pathway responsible for nitrogen assimilation, which increased the glutarate titer to 7.7 ± 0.7 g/L, i.e., 40% higher than with two transaminases operating in glutarate biosynthesis. Flux enforcement was more effective with one coupling site, thus highlighting requirements regarding the modularity and stoichiometry of pathway-specific flux enforcement for microbial production.

Optimization of ribosomal binding site sequences for gene expression and 4-hydroxyisoleucine biosynthesis in recombinant corynebacterium glutamicum

4-Hydroxyisoleucine (4-HIL) has potential value for treating diabetes. α-Ketoglutarate (α-KG)-dependent l-isoleucine dioxygenase (IDO) can convert l-isoleucine (Ile) into 4-HIL. In our previous study, 4-HIL was de novo synthesized from glucose by expressing the ido gene in Corynebacterium glutamicum strain SN01, an Ile producer, and neither Ile nor α-KG was added. In this study, ribosomal binding site (RBS) engineering was applied for gene expression and 4-HIL biosynthesis in C. glutamicum. The 18 tested RBS sequences showed greatly differing strengths for expressing ido, and 8.10-104.22 mM 4-HIL was produced. To supply the cosubstrate α-KG at different levels, the odhI gene was then expressed using the RBS sequences of high, medium, and low strength in the above mentioned optimal strain SF01 carrying R8-ido. However, 4-HIL production decreased to varying amounts, and in some strains, the α-KG was redirected into l-glutamate synthesis. Next, the O₂ supply was further enhanced in three ido-odhI coexpressing strains by overexpressing the vgb gene, and 4-HIL production changed dramatically. 4-HIL (up to 119.27 ± 5.03 mM) was produced in the best strain, SF08, suggesting that the synchronic supply of cosubstrates α-KG and O₂ is critical for the high-yield production of 4-HIL. Finally, the avtA gene and the ldhA-pyk2 cluster were deleted separately in SF08 to reduce pyruvate-derived byproducts, and 4-HIL production increased to 122.16 ± 5.18 and 139.82 ± 1.56 mM, respectively, indicating that both strains were promising candidates for producing 4-HIL. Therefore, fine-tuning ido expression and the cosubstrates supply through RBS engineering is a useful strategy for improving 4-HIL biosynthesis in C. glutamicum.

Characterization of the Corynebacterium glutamicum dehydroshikimate dehydratase QsuB and its potential for microbial production of protocatechuic acid

The dehydroshikimate dehydratase (DSD) from Corynebacterium glutamicum encoded by the qsuB gene is related to the previously described QuiC1 protein (39.9% identity) from Pseudomonas putida. Both QuiC1 and QsuB are two-domain bacterial DSDs. The N-terminal domain provides dehydratase activity, while the C-terminal domain has sequence identity with 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase. Here, the QsuB protein and its N-terminal domain (N-QsuB) were expressed in the T7 system, purified and characterized. QsuB was present mainly in octameric form (60%), while N-QsuB had a predominantly monomeric structure (80%) in aqueous buffer. Both proteins possessed DSD activity with one of the following cofactors (listed in the order of decreasing activity): Co2+, Mg2+, Mn2+. The Km and kcat values for the QsuB enzyme (Km ~ 1 mM, kcat ~ 61 s-1) were two and three times higher than those for N-QsuB. 3,4-DHBA inhibited QsuB (Ki ~ 0.38 mM, Ki' ~ 0.96 mM) and N-QsuB (Ki ~ 0.69 mM) enzymes via mixed and noncompetitive inhibition mechanism, respectively. E. coli MG1655ΔaroEPlac‒qsuB strain produced three times more 3,4-DHBA from glucose in test tube fermentation than the MG1655ΔaroEPlac‒n-qsuB strain. The C-terminal domain activity towards 3,4-DHBA was not established in vitro. This domain was proposed to promote protein oligomerization for maintaining structural stability of the enzyme. The dimer formation of QsuB protein was more predictable (ΔG = ‒15.8 kcal/mol) than the dimerization of its truncated version N-QsuB (ΔG = ‒0.4 kcal/mol).

2-Ketoglutarate-Generated In Vitro Enzymatic Biosystem Facilitates Fe(II)/2-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase-Mediated C-H Bond Oxidation for (2s,3r,4s)-4-Hydroxyisoleucine Synthesis

Fe(II)/2-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase (Fe(II)/2-KG DO)-mediated hydroxylation is a critical type of C-H bond functionalization for synthesizing hydroxy amino acids used as pharmaceutical raw materials and precursors. However, DO activity requires 2-ketoglutarate (2-KG), lack of which reduces the efficiency of Fe(II)/2-KG DO-mediated hydroxylation. Here, we conducted multi-enzymatic syntheses of hydroxy amino acids. Using (2s,3r,4s)-4-hydroxyisoleucine (4-HIL) as a model product, we coupled regio- and stereo-selective hydroxylation of l-Ile by the dioxygenase IDO with 2-KG generation from readily available l-Glu by l-glutamate oxidase (LGOX) and catalase (CAT). In the one-pot system, H₂O₂ significantly inhibited IDO activity and elevated Fe²⁺ concentrations of severely repressed LGOX. A sequential cascade reaction was preferable to a single-step process as CAT in the former system hydrolyzed H₂O₂. We obtained 465 mM 4-HIL at 93% yield in the two-step system. Moreover, this process facilitated C-H hydroxylation of several hydrophobic aliphatic amino acids to produce hydroxy amino acids, and C-H sulfoxidation of sulfur-containing l-amino acids to yield l-amino acid sulfoxides. Thus, we constructed an efficient cascade reaction to produce 4-HIL by providing prerequisite 2-KG from cheap and plentiful l-Glu and developed a strategy for creating enzymatic systems catalyzing 2-KG-dependent reactions in sustainable bioprocesses that synthesize other functional compounds.

Cofactor Generation Cascade for α-Ketoglutarate and Fe(II)-Dependent Dioxygenases

Fe(II)- and α-ketoglutarate dependent dioxygenases have emerged as important catalysts for the preparation of non-natural amino acids. The stoichiometric supply of the cosubstrate α-ketoglutarate (αKG) is an important cost factor. A combination of the N-succinyl amino acid hydroxylase SadA with an l-glutamate oxidase (LGOX) allowed for coupling in situ production of αKG to stereoselective αKG-dependent dioxygenases in a one-pot/two-step cascade reaction. Both enzymes were used as immobilized enzymes and tested in a preparative scale setup under process-near conditions. Oxygen supply, enzyme, and substrate loading of the oxidation of glutamate were investigated under controlled reaction conditions on a small scale before upscaling to a 1 L stirred tank reactor. LGOX was applied with a substrate concentration of 73.6 g/L (339 mM) and reached a space-time yield of 14.2 g/L/h. Additionally, the enzyme was recycled up to 3 times. The hydroxylase SadA reached a space-time yield of 1.2 g/L/h at a product concentration of 9.3 g/L (40 mM). For both cascade reactions, the supply with oxygen was identified as a critical parameter. The results underline the robustness and suitability of α-ketoglutarate dependent dioxygenases for application outside of living cells.

Chassis engineering of Escherichia coli for trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline production

Microbial production of trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline (Hyp) offers significant advantages over conventional chemical extraction. However, it is still challenging for industrial production of Hyp due to its low production efficiency. Here, chassis engineering was used for tailoring Escherichia coli cellular metabolism to enhance enzymatic production of Hyp. Specifically, four proline 4-hydroxylases (P4H) were selected to convert l-proline to Hyp, and the recombinant strain overexpressing DsP4H produced 32.5 g l^-1 Hyp with α-ketoglutarate addition. To produce Hyp without α-ketoglutarate addition, α-ketoglutarate supply was enhanced by rewiring the TCA cycle and l-proline degradation pathway, and oxygen transfer was improved by fine-tuning heterologous haemoglobin expression. In a 5-l fermenter, the engineered strain E. coliΔsucCDΔputA-VHb_(L) -DsP4H showed a significant increase in Hyp titre, conversion rate and productivity up to 49.8 g l^-1 , 87.4% and 1.38 g l^-1  h^-1 respectively. This strategy described here provides an efficient method for production of Hyp, and it has a great potential in industrial application.

Reconstitution of TCA cycle involving l-isoleucine dioxygenase for hydroxylation of l-isoleucine in Escherichia coli using CRISPR-Cas9

l-isoleucine dioxygenase (IDO) is an Fe (II)/α-ketoglutarate (α-KG)-dependent dioxygenase that specifically converts l-isoleucine (l-Ile) to (2S, 3R, 4S)-4-hydroxyisoleucine (4-HIL). 4-HIL is an important drug for the treatment and prevention of type 1 and type 2 diabetes but the yields using current methods are low. In this study, the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system was used to knockout sucAB and aceAK gene in the TCA cycle pathway of Escherichia coli (E. coli). For single-gene knockout, the whole process took approximately 7 days. However, the manipulation time was reduced by 2 days for each round of gene modification for multigene editing. Using the genome-edited recombinant strain E. coli BL21(DE3) ΔsucABΔaceAK/pET-28a(+)-ido (2Δ-ido), the bioconversion ratio of L-Ile to 4-HIL was enhanced by about 15% compared to E. coli BL21(DE3)/pET-28a(+)-ido [BL21(DE3)-ido] strain. The CRISPR-Cas9 editing strategy has the potential in modifying multiple genes more rapidly and in optimizing strains for industrial production.

Engineered disulfide bonds improve thermostability and activity of L-isoleucine hydroxylase for efficient 4-HIL production in Bacillus subtilis 168

4-Hydroxyisoleucine, a promising drug, has mainly been applied in the clinical treatment of type 2 diabetes in the pharmaceutical industry. l-Isoleucine hydroxylase specifically converts l-Ile to 4-hydroxyisoleucine. However, due to its poor thermostability, the industrial production of 4-hydroxyisoleucine has been largely restricted. In the present study, the disulfide bond in l-isoleucine hydroxylase protein was rationally designed to improve its thermostability to facilitate industrial application. The half-life of variant T181C was 4.03 h at 50°C, 10.27-fold the half-life of wild type (0.39 h). The specific enzyme activity of mutant T181C was 2.42 ± 0.08 U/mg, which was 3.56-fold the specific enzyme activity of wild type 0.68 ± 0.06 U/mg. In addition, molecular dynamics simulation was performed to determine the reason for the improvement of thermostability. Based on five repeated batches of whole-cell biotransformation, Bacillus subtilis 168/pMA5-ido ^T181C recombinant strain produced a cumulative yield of 856.91 mM (126.11 g/L) 4-hydroxyisoleucine, which is the highest level of productivity reported based on a microbial process. The results could facilitate industrial scale production of 4-hydroxyisoleucine. Rational design of disulfide bond improved l-isoleucine hydroxylase thermostability and may be suitable for protein engineering of other hydroxylases.

Chemoenzymatic Total Synthesis of Deoxy-, epi-, and Podophyllotoxin and a Biocatalytic Kinetic Resolution of Dibenzylbutyrolactones

Podophyllotoxin is probably the most prominent representative of lignan natural products. Deoxy‐, epi‐, and podophyllotoxin, which are all precursors to frequently used chemotherapeutic agents, were prepared by a stereodivergent biotransformation and a biocatalytic kinetic resolution of the corresponding dibenzylbutyrolactones with the same 2‐oxoglutarate‐dependent dioxygenase. The reaction can be conducted on 2 g scale, and the enzyme allows tailoring of the initial, “natural” structure and thus transforms various non‐natural derivatives. Depending on the substitution pattern, the enzyme performs an oxidative C−C bond formation by C−H activation or hydroxylation at the benzylic position prone to ring closure.

Metabolic engineering advances and prospects for amino acid production

Amino acid fermentation is one of the major pillars of industrial biotechnology. The multi-billion USD amino acid market is rising steadily and is diversifying. Metabolic engineering is no longer focused solely on strain development for the bulk amino acids L-glutamate and L-lysine that are produced at the million-ton scale, but targets specialty amino acids. These demands are met by the development and application of new metabolic engineering tools including CRISPR and biosensor technologies as well as production processes by enabling a flexible feedstock concept, co-production and co-cultivation schemes. Metabolic engineering advances are exemplified for specialty proteinogenic amino acids, cyclic amino acids, omega-amino acids, and amino acids functionalized by hydroxylation, halogenation and N-methylation.

Industrial Application of 2-Oxoglutarate-Dependent Oxygenases

C–H functionalization is a chemically challenging but highly desirable transformation. 2-oxoglutarate-dependent oxygenases (2OGXs) are remarkably versatile biocatalysts for the activation of C–H bonds. In nature, they have been shown to accept both small and large molecules carrying out a plethora of reactions, including hydroxylations, demethylations, ring formations, rearrangements, desaturations, and halogenations, making them promising candidates for industrial manufacture. In this review, we describe the current status of 2OGX use in biocatalytic applications concentrating on 2OGX-catalyzed oxyfunctionalization of amino acids and synthesis of antibiotics. Looking forward, continued bioinformatic sourcing will help identify additional, practical useful members of this intriguing enzyme family, while enzyme engineering will pave the way to enhance 2OGX reactivity for non-native substrates.

Redesign and engineering of a dioxygenase targeting biocatalytic synthesis of 5-hydroxyl leucine

The protein engineering and metabolic engineering strategies are performed to solve rate-limiting steps in the biosynthesis of 5-HLeu.

Recent examples of α-ketoglutarate-dependent mononuclear non-haem iron enzymes in natural product biosyntheses

Covering: up to 2018 α-Ketoglutarate (αKG, also known as 2-oxoglutarate)-dependent mononuclear non-haem iron (αKG-NHFe) enzymes catalyze a wide range of biochemical reactions, including hydroxylation, ring fragmentation, C-C bond cleavage, epimerization, desaturation, endoperoxidation and heterocycle formation. These enzymes utilize iron(ii) as the metallo-cofactor and αKG as the co-substrate. Herein, we summarize several novel αKG-NHFe enzymes involved in natural product biosyntheses discovered in recent years, including halogenation reactions, amino acid modifications and tailoring reactions in the biosynthesis of terpenes, lipids, fatty acids and phosphonates. We also conducted a survey of the currently available structures of αKG-NHFe enzymes, in which αKG binds to the metallo-centre bidentately through either a proximal- or distal-type binding mode. Future structure-function and structure-reactivity relationship investigations will provide crucial information regarding how activities in this large class of enzymes have been fine-tuned in nature.

Sufficient NADPH supply and pknG deletion improve 4-hydroxyisoleucine production in recombinant Corynebacterium glutamicum

Cofactor engineering is a common strategy to improve amino acid production. 4-hydroxyisoleucine (4-HIL), a nonproteinogenic amino acid, exhibits unique insulinotropic and insulin-sensitizing activities, therefore has potential medical value in treating diabetes. In our previous study, l-isoleucine (Ile) dioxygenase gene ido was overexpressed in an Ile-producing Corynebacterium glutamicum strain, and 4-HIL was de novo synthesized from glucose. In this study, to increase the NADPH supply, the endogenous NAD⁺ kinase gene ppnK and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase gene zwf were co-expressed with ido. The resulting strain SL01 produced 81.12 ± 5.96 mM 4-HIL, 62% higher than the ido-mere expressing strain SN02. However, the strain SL02 co-expressing exogenous NADH kinase gene POS5 with ido grew slowly and its 4-HIL production decreased by 12%, perhaps due to the lower 2-oxoglutarate (OG) level and slightly weaker membrane permeability. To increase OG availability for 4-HIL conversion, the serine/threonine protein kinase G gene pknG was deleted and replaced by ido gene in SL02. The growth of the resulting strain SL04 was restored and 4-HIL production was improved to 84.14 ± 6.38 mM; meanwhile, the conversion ratio of Ile to 4-HIL reached up to 0.98 ± 0.01 mol/mol. Therefore, sufficient NADPH supply and OG availability may be benefit to 4-HIL de novo biosynthesis in recombinant C. glutamicum.

2-Oxoglutarate-Dependent Oxygenases

2-Oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent oxygenases (2OGXs) catalyze a remarkably diverse range of oxidative reactions. In animals, these comprise hydroxylations and N-demethylations proceeding via hydroxylation; in plants and microbes, they catalyze a wider range including ring formations, rearrangements, desaturations, and halogenations. The catalytic flexibility of 2OGXs is reflected in their biological functions. After pioneering work identified the roles of 2OGXs in collagen biosynthesis, research revealed they also function in plant and animal development, transcriptional regulation, nucleic acid modification/repair, fatty acid metabolism, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis, including of medicinally important antibiotics. In plants, 2OGXs are important agrochemical targets and catalyze herbicide degradation. Human 2OGXs, particularly those regulating transcription, are current therapeutic targets for anemia and cancer. Here, we give an overview of the biochemistry of 2OGXs, providing examples linking to biological function, and outline how knowledge of their enzymology is being exploited in medicine, agrochemistry, and biocatalysis.

Current status on metabolic engineering for the production of l-aspartate family amino acids and derivatives

The l-aspartate amino acids (AFAAs) are constituted of l-aspartate, l-lysine, l-methionine, l-threonine and l-isoleucine. Except for l-aspartate, AFAAs are essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized by humans and most farm animals, and thus possess wide applications in food, animal feed, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. To date, a number of amino acids, including AFAAs have been industrially produced by microbial fermentation. However, the overall metabolic and regulatory mechanisms of the synthesis of AFAAs and the recent progress on strain construction have rarely been reviewed. Aiming to promote the establishment of strains of Corynebacterium glutamicum and Escherichia coli, the two industrial amino acids producing bacteria, that are capable of producing high titers of AFAAs and derivatives, this paper systematically summarizes the current progress on metabolic engineering manipulations in both central metabolic pathways and AFAA synthesis pathways based on the category of the five-word strain breeding strategies: enter, flow, moderate, block and exit.

Process optimization for enhancing production of cis-4-hydroxy-L-proline by engineered Escherichia coli

Background

Understanding the bioprocess limitations is critical for the efficient design of biocatalysts to facilitate process feasibility and improve process economics. In this study, a proline hydroxylation process with recombinant Escherichia coli expressing l-proline cis-4-hydroxylase (SmP4H) was investigated. The factors that influencing the metabolism of microbial hosts and process economics were focused on for the optimization of cis-4-hydroxy-l-proline (CHOP) production.

Results

In recombinant E. coli, SmP4H synthesis limitation was observed. After the optimization of expression system, CHOP production was improved in accordance with the enhanced SmP4H synthesis. Furthermore, the effects of the regulation of proline uptake and metabolism on whole-cell catalytic activity were investigated. The improved CHOP production by repressing putA gene responsible for l-proline degradation or overexpressing l-proline transporter putP on CHOP production suggested the important role of substrate uptake and metabolism on the whole-cell biocatalyst efficiency. Through genetically modifying these factors, the biocatalyst activity was significantly improved, and CHOP production was increased by twofold. Meanwhile, to further improve process economics, a two-strain coupling whole-cell system was established to supply co-substrate (α-ketoglutarate, α-KG) with a cheaper chemical l-glutamate as a starting material, and 13.5 g/L of CHOP was successfully produced.

Conclusions

In this study, SmP4H expression, and l-proline uptake and degradation, were uncovered as the hurdles for microbial production of CHOP. Accordingly, the whole-cell biocatalysts were metabolically engineered for enhancing CHOP production. Meanwhile, a two-strain biotransformation system for CHOP biosynthesis was developed aiming at supplying α-KG more economically. Our work provided valuable insights into the design of recombinant microorganism to improve the biotransformation efficiency that catalyzed by Fe(II)/α-KG-dependent dioxygenase.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12934-017-0821-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Holistic bioengineering: rewiring central metabolism for enhanced bioproduction

What does it take to convert a living organism into a truly productive biofactory? Apart from optimizing biosynthesis pathways as standalone units, a successful bioengineering approach must bend the endogenous metabolic network of the host, and especially its central metabolism, to support the bioproduction process. In practice, this usually involves three complementary strategies which include tuning-down or abolishing competing metabolic pathways, increasing the availability of precursors of the desired biosynthesis pathway, and ensuring high availability of energetic resources such as ATP and NADPH. In this review, we explore these strategies, focusing on key metabolic pathways and processes, such as glycolysis, anaplerosis, the TCA (tricarboxylic acid) cycle, and NADPH production. We show that only a holistic approach for bioengineering — considering the metabolic network of the host organism as a whole, rather than focusing on the production pathway alone — can truly mold microorganisms into efficient biofactories.

Discovery of Lysine Hydroxylases in the Clavaminic Acid Synthase-Like Superfamily for Efficient Hydroxylysine Bioproduction

Hydroxylation via C-H bond activation in the absence of any harmful oxidizing reagents is technically difficult in modern chemistry. In this work, we attempted to generate pharmaceutically important hydroxylysine from readily available l-lysine with l-lysine hydroxylases from diverse microorganisms. Clavaminic acid synthase-like superfamily gene mining and phylogenetic analysis led to the discovery of six biocatalysts, namely two l-lysine 3S-hydroxylases and four l-lysine 4R-hydroxylases, the latter of which partially matched known hydroxylases. Subsequent characterization of these hydroxylases revealed their capacity for regio- and stereoselective hydroxylation into either C-3 or C-4 positions of l-lysine, yielding (2S,3S)-3-hydroxylysine and (2S,4R)-4-hydroxylysine, respectively. To determine if these factors had industrial application, we performed a preparative production of both hydroxylysines under optimized conditions. For this, recombinant l-lysine hydroxylase-expressing Escherichia coli cells were used as a biocatalyst for l-lysine bioconversion. In batch-scale reactions, 531 mM (86.1 g/liter) (2S,3S)-3-hydroxylysine was produced from 600 mM l-lysine with an 89% molar conversion after a 52-h reaction, and 265 mM (43.0 g/liter) (2S,4R)-4-hydroxylysine was produced from 300 mM l-lysine with a molar conversion of 88% after 24 h. This report demonstrates the highly efficient production of hydroxylysines using lysine hydroxylases, which may contribute to future industrial bioprocess technologies.IMPORTANCE The present study identified six l-lysine hydroxylases belonging to the 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase superfamily, although some of them overlapped with known hydroxylases. While the substrate specificity of l-lysine hydroxylases was relatively narrow, we found that (2S,3S)-3-hydroxylysine was hydroxylated by 4R-hydroxylase and (2S,5R)-5-hydroxylysine was hydroxylated by both 3S- and 4R-hydroxylases. Moreover, the l-arginine hydroxylase VioC also hydroxylated l-lysine, albeit to a lesser extent. Further, we also demonstrated the bioconversion of l-lysine into (2S,3S)-3-hydroxylysine and (2S,4R)-4-hydroxylysine on a gram scale under optimized conditions. These findings provide new insights into biocatalytic l-lysine hydroxylation and thus have a great potential for use in manufacturing bioprocesses.

A strategy for L-isoleucine dioxygenase screening and 4-hydroxyisoleucine production by resting cells

L-Isoleucine dioxygenase (IDO) specifically converts L-isoleucine(L-Ile) to 4-hydroxyisoleucine(4-HIL). To obtain IDO with improved activity, a strategy was developed that is dependent on the restoration of succinate-minus E. coli cell growth by the coupling of L-Ile hydroxylation and the oxidation of α-ketoglutarate(α-KGA) to succinate. Five mutants were obtained with this strategy, and the characteristics of IDO^M3, which exhibited the highest activity, were studied. The catalytic efficiency, thermal stability and catalytic rate of IDO^M3 were significantly improved compared with those of wild-type IDO. Moreover, an efficient method for the biotransformation of 4-HIL by resting cells expressing IDO^M3 was developed, with which 151.9 mmol of 4-HIL/L (22.4 g/L) was synthesized in 12 h while the substrates seldom exhibited additional consumption.

An artificial TCA cycle selects for efficient α-ketoglutarate dependent hydroxylase catalysis in engineered Escherichia coli

Amino acid hydroxylases depend directly on the cellular TCA cycle via their cosubstrate α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) and are highly useful for the selective biocatalytic oxyfunctionalization of amino acids. This study evaluates TCA cycle engineering strategies to force and increase α-KG flux through proline-4-hydroxylase (P4H). The genes sucA (α-KG dehydrogenase E1 subunit) and sucC (succinyl-CoA synthetase β subunit) were alternately deleted together with aceA (isocitrate lyase) in proline degradation-deficient Escherichia coli strains (ΔputA) expressing the p4h gene. Whereas, the ΔsucCΔaceAΔputA strain grew in minimal medium in the absence of P4H, relying on the activity of fumarate reductase, growth of the ΔsucAΔaceAΔputA strictly depended on P4H activity, thus coupling growth to proline hydroxylation. P4H restored growth, even when proline was not externally added. However, the reduced succinyl-CoA pool caused a 27% decrease of the average cell size compared to the wildtype strain. Medium supplementation partially restored the morphology and, in some cases, enhanced proline hydroxylation activity. The specific proline hydroxylation rate doubled when putP, encoding the Na⁺ /l-proline transporter, was overexpressed in the ΔsucAΔaceAΔputA strain. This is in contrast to wildtype and ΔputA single-knock out strains, in which α-KG availability obviously limited proline hydroxylation. Such α-KG limitation was relieved in the ΔsucAΔaceAΔputA strain. Furthermore, the ΔsucAΔaceAΔputA strain was used to demonstrate an agar plate-based method for the identification and selection of active α-KG dependent hydroxylases. This together with the possibility to waive selection pressure and overcome α-KG limitation in respective hydroxylation processes based on living cells emphasizes the potential of TCA cycle engineering for the productive application of α-KG dependent hydroxylases. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1511-1520. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Characteristics and biotechnology applications of aliphatic amino acid hydroxylases belonging to the Fe(II)/α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase superfamily

The asymmetric hydroxylation of inactive carbon atoms is still an important reaction in the industrial synthesis of valuable chiral compounds such as pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. Applications of monooxygenation enzymes, like cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, flavin-containing monooxygenases, and Fe(II)/α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases (Fe/αKG-DOs), are strongly desired as hydroxylation biocatalysts because they have great advantages in regio- and stereoselectivity of the reactions. Recently, several novel Fe/αKG-DOs have been found to catalyze the asymmetric hydroxylation of aliphatic amino acids. Depending on their amino acid sequences, these Fe/αKG-DOs catalyze different types of regioselective hydroxylations, or C3-, C4-, and C5-hydroxylation. Additionally, most also have stereoselective sulfoxidation activities. Here, we have reviewed the characterization and process development of this novel functioning group of Fe/αKG-DOs.

Whole-cell biocatalysis for selective and productive C-O functional group introduction and modification

During the last decades, biocatalysis became of increasing importance for chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Regarding regio- and stereospecificity, enzymes have shown to be superior compared to traditional chemical synthesis approaches, especially in C-O functional group chemistry. Catalysts established on a process level are diverse and can be classified along a functional continuum starting with single-step biotransformations using isolated enzymes or microbial strains towards fermentative processes with recombinant microorganisms containing artificial synthetic pathways. The complex organization of respective enzymes combined with aspects such as cofactor dependency and low stability in isolated form often favors the use of whole cells over that of isolated enzymes. Based on an inventory of the large spectrum of biocatalytic C-O functional group chemistry, this review focuses on highlighting the potentials, limitations, and solutions offered by the application of self-regenerating microbial cells as biocatalysts. Different cellular functionalities are discussed in the light of their (possible) contribution to catalyst efficiency. The combined achievements in the areas of protein, genetic, metabolic, and reaction engineering enable the development of whole-cell biocatalysts as powerful tools in organic synthesis.

Crystal structure of a member of a novel family of dioxygenases (PF10014) reveals a conserved cupin fold and active site

PF10014 is a novel family of 2-oxyglutarate-Fe(2+) -dependent dioxygenases that are involved in biosynthesis of antibiotics and regulation of biofilm formation, likely by catalyzing hydroxylation of free amino acids or other related ligands. The crystal structure of a PF10014 member from Methylibium petroleiphilum at 1.9 Å resolution shows strong structural similarity to cupin dioxygenases in overall fold and active site, despite very remote homology. However, one of the β-strands of the cupin catalytic core is replaced by a loop that displays conformational isomerism that likely regulates the active site.

A novel l-isoleucine-4'-dioxygenase and l-isoleucine dihydroxylation cascade in Pantoea ananatis

A unique operon structure has been identified in the genomes of several plant- and insect-associated bacteria. The distinguishing feature of this operon is the presence of tandem hilA and hilB genes encoding dioxygenases belonging to the PF13640 and PF10014 (BsmA) Pfam families, respectively. The genes encoding HilA and HilB from Pantoea ananatis AJ13355 were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The culturing of E. coli cells expressing hilA (E. coli-HilA) or both hilA and hilB (E. coli-HilAB) in the presence of l-isoleucine resulted in the conversion of l-isoleucine into two novel biogenic compounds: l-4′-isoleucine and l-4,4′-dihydroxyisoleucine, respectively. In parallel, two novel enzymatic activities were detected in the crude cell lysates of the E. coli-HilA and E. coli-HilAB strains: l-isoleucine, 2-oxoglutarate: oxygen oxidoreductase (4′-hydroxylating) (HilA) and l-4′-hydroxyisoleucine, 2-oxoglutarate: oxygen oxidoreductase (4-hydroxylating) (HilB), respectively. Two hypotheses regarding the physiological significance of C-4(4′)-hydroxylation of l-isoleucine in bacteria are also discussed. According to first hypothesis, the l-isoleucine dihydroxylation cascade is involved in synthesis of dipeptide antibiotic in P. ananatis. Another unifying hypothesis is that the C-4(4′)-hydroxylation of l-isoleucine in bacteria could result in the synthesis of signal molecules belonging to two classes: 2(5H)-furanones and analogs of N-acyl homoserine lactone.