Enhanced production of 2-hydroxyphenazine in Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72

Recent Advances in Phenazine Natural Products: Biosynthesis and Metabolic Engineering

Phenazine natural products are a class of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds produced by microorganisms. The tricyclic ring molecules show various chemical structures and extensive pharmacological activities, such as antimicrobial, anticancer, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, and insecticidal activities, with low toxicity to the environment. Since phenazine-1-carboxylic acid has been developed as a registered biopesticide, the application of phenazine natural products will be promising in the field of agriculture pathogenic fungi control based on broad-spectrum antifungal activity, minimal toxicity to the environment, and improvement of crop production. Currently, there are still plenty of intriguing hidden biosynthetic pathways of phenazine natural products to be discovered, and the titer of naturally occurring phenazine natural products is insufficient for agricultural applications. In this review, we spotlight the progress regarding biosynthesis and metabolic engineering research of phenazine natural products in the past decade. The review provides useful insights concerning phenazine natural products production and more clues on new phenazine derivatives biosynthesis.

Profiling Metabolites with Antifungal Activities from Endophytic Plant-Beneficial Strains of Pseudomonas chlororaphis Isolated from Chamaecytisus albus (Hack.) Rothm

Fungal phytopathogens represent a large and economically significant challenge to food production worldwide. Thus, the application of biocontrol agents can be an alternative. In the present study, we carried out biological, metabolomic, and genetic analyses of three endophytic isolates from nodules of Chamaecytisus albus, classified as Pseudomonas chlororaphis acting as antifungal agents. The efficiency of production of their diffusible and volatile antifungal compounds (VOCs) was verified in antagonistic assays with the use of soil-borne phytopathogens: B. cinerea, F. oxysporum, and S. sclerotiorum. Diffusible metabolites were identified using chromatographic and spectrometric analyses (HPTLC, GC-MS, and LC-MS/MS). The phzF, phzO, and prnC genes in the genomes of bacterial strains were confirmed by PCR. In turn, the plant growth promotion (PGP) properties (production of HCN, auxins, siderophores, and hydrolytic enzymes, phosphate solubilization) of pseudomonads were bioassayed. The data analysis showed that all tested strains have broad-range antifungal activity with varying degrees of antagonism. The most abundant bioactive compounds were phenazine derivatives: phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA), 2-hydroxy-phenazine, and diketopiperazine derivatives as well as ortho-dialkyl-aromatic acids, pyrrolnitrin, siderophores, and HCN. The results indicate that the tested P. chlororaphis isolates exhibit characteristics of biocontrol organisms; therefore, they have potential to be used in sustainable agriculture and as commercial postharvest fungicides to be used in fruits and vegetables.

Recent Developments in the Biological Activities, Bioproduction, and Applications of Pseudomonas spp. Phenazines

Phenazines are a large group of heterocyclic nitrogen-containing compounds with demonstrated insecticidal, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, and anticancer activities. These natural compounds are synthesized by several microorganisms originating from diverse habitats, including marine and terrestrial sources. The most well-studied producers belong to the Pseudomonas genus, which has been extensively investigated over the years for its ability to synthesize phenazines. This review is focused on the research performed on pseudomonads' phenazines in recent years. Their biosynthetic pathways, mechanism of regulation, production processes, bioactivities, and applications are revised in this manuscript.

Developing a CRISPR-assisted base-editing system for genome engineering of Pseudomonas chlororaphis

Pseudomonas chlororaphis is a non‐pathogenic, plant growth‐promoting rhizobacterium that secretes phenazine compounds with broad‐spectrum antibiotic activity. Currently available genome‐editing methods for P. chlororaphis are based on homologous recombination (HR)‐dependent allelic exchange, which requires both exogenous DNA repair proteins (e.g. λ‐Red–like systems) and endogenous functions (e.g. RecA) for HR and/or providing donor DNA templates. In general, these procedures are time‐consuming, laborious and inefficient. Here, we established a CRISPR‐assisted base‐editing (CBE) system based on the fusion of a rat cytidine deaminase (rAPOBEC1), enhanced‐specificity Cas9 nickase (eSpCas9pp^D10A) and uracil DNA glycosylase inhibitor (UGI). This CBE system converts C:G into T:A without DNA strands breaks or any donor DNA template. By engineering a premature STOP codon in target spacers, the hmgA and phzO genes of P. chlororaphis were successfully interrupted at high efficiency. The phzO‐inactivated strain obtained by base editing exhibited identical phenotypic features as compared with a mutant obtained by HR‐based allelic exchange. The use of this CBE system was extended to other P. chlororaphis strains (subspecies LX24 and HT66) and also to P. fluorescens 10586, with an equally high editing efficiency. The wide applicability of this CBE method will accelerate bacterial physiology research and metabolic engineering of non‐traditional bacterial hosts.

Regulation of phenazine-1-carboxamide production by quorum sensing in type strains of Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. chlororaphis and Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. piscium

Quorum sensing is a population density-dependent gene regulation mechanism. N-Acyl-l-homoserine lactone (AHL) has been identified as a signal compound in quorum sensing in gram-negative bacteria. Phenazine derivatives are bacterial secondary metabolites known for their broad-spectrum antifungal activity. Pseudomonas chlororaphis has been demonstrated to be a biocontrol strain, and most of its species can produce phenazine derivatives under AHL-mediated quorum sensing. Although P. chlororaphis is divided into four subspecies, the relationship between phenazine production and quorum sensing has not been investigated in two of the subspecies, P. chlororaphis subsp. chlororaphis and piscium. Two luxI/luxR homolog gene sets, phzI and phzR and csaI and csaR, were found in the complete genome sequences of the type strains of P. chlororaphis subsp. chlororaphis JCM 2778^T and P. chlororaphis subsp. piscium DSM 21509^T. Two major AHLs, N-(3-hydroxyhexanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone and N-(3-hydroxyoctanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone, were detected in JCM 2778 and DSM 21509 samples. PhzI synthesized all AHLs; however, CsaI could not perform AHL biosynthesis in JCM 2778 and DSM 21509. In both strains, disruption of the phzI caused complete disappearance of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) and phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN) production; however, disruption of csaI did not induce significant changes in PCA and PCN production. Phenazine derivatives produced by JCM 2778 and DSM 21509 under quorum sensing are crucial for the control of the plant pathogenic fungi, Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium graminearum, and Fusarium nirenbergiae. These results demonstrated that PhzI/PhzR quorum-sensing system play an important role in production of phenazine derivatives and biocontrol activity.

Biosynthesis and metabolic engineering of 1-hydroxyphenazine in Pseudomonas chlororaphis H18

Background

1-Hydroxyphenazine (1-OH-PHZ) is a phenazine microbial metabolite with broad-spectrum antibacterial activities against a lot of plant pathogens. However, its use is hampered by the low yield all along. Metabolic engineering of microorganisms is an increasingly powerful method for the production of valuable organisms at high levels. Pseudomonas chlororaphis is recognized as a safe and effective plant rhizosphere growth-promoting bacterium, and faster growth rate using glycerol or glucose as a renewable carbon source. Therefore, Pseudomonas chlororaphis is particularly suitable as the chassis cell for the modification and engineering of phenazines.

Results

In this study, enzyme PhzS (monooxygenase) was heterologously expressed in a phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) generating strain Pseudomonas chlororaphis H18, and 1-hydroxyphenazine was isolated, characterized in the genetically modified strain. Next, the yield of 1-hydroxyphenazine was systematically engineered by the strategies including (1) semi-rational design remodeling of crucial protein PhzS, (2) blocking intermediate PCA consumption branch pathway, (3) enhancing the precursor pool, (4) engineering regulatory genes, etc. Finally, the titer of 1-hydroxyphenazine reached 3.6 g/L in 5 L fermenter in 54 h.

Conclusions

The 1-OH-PHZ production of Pseudomonas chlororaphis H18 was greatly improved through systematically engineering strategies, which is the highest, reported to date. This work provides a promising platform for 1-hydroxyphenazine engineering and production.

Graphical Abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12934-021-01731-y.

Genetic engineering of Pseudomonas chlororaphis Lzh-T5 to enhance production of trans-2,3-dihydro-3-hydroxyanthranilic acid

Trans-2,3-dihydro-3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (DHHA) is a cyclic β-amino acid used for the synthesis of non-natural peptides and chiral materials. And it is an intermediate product of phenazine production in Pseudomonas spp. Lzh-T5 is a P. chlororaphis strain isolated from tomato rhizosphere found in China. It can synthesize three antifungal phenazine compounds. Disruption the phzF gene of P. chlororaphis Lzh-T5 results in DHHA accumulation. Several strategies were used to improve production of DHHA: enhancing the shikimate pathway by overexpression, knocking out negative regulatory genes, and adding metal ions to the medium. In this study, three regulatory genes (psrA, pykF, and rpeA) were disrupted in the genome of P. chlororaphis Lzh-T5, yielding 5.52 g/L of DHHA. When six key genes selected from the shikimate, pentose phosphate, and gluconeogenesis pathways were overexpressed, the yield of DHHA increased to 7.89 g/L. Lastly, a different concentration of Fe3+ was added to the medium for DHHA fermentation. This genetically engineered strain increased the DHHA production to 10.45 g/L. According to our result, P. chlororaphis Lzh-T5 could be modified as a microbial factory to produce DHHA. This study laid a good foundation for the future industrial production and application of DHHA.

Characterization and Engineering of Pseudomonas chlororaphis LX24 with High Production of 2-Hydroxyphenazine

The take-all disease of wheat is one of the most serious diseases in the field of food security in the world. There is no effective biological pesticide to prevent the take-all disease of wheat. 2-Hydroxyphenazine (2-OH-PHZ) was reported to possess a better inhibitory effect on the take-all disease of wheat than phenazine-1-carboxylic acid, which was registered as "Shenqinmycin" in China in 2011. The aim of this study was to construct a 2-OH-PHZ high-producing strain by strain screening, genome sequencing, genetic engineering, and fermentation optimization. First, the metabolites of the previously screened new phenazine-producing Pseudomonas sp. strain were identified, and the taxonomic status of the new Pseudomonas sp. strain was confirmed through 16S rRNA and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Then, the new Pseudomonas sp. strain was named Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aurantiaca LX24, which is a new subspecies of P. chlororaphis that can synthesize 2-OH-PHZ. Next, the draft genome of strain LX24 was determined, and clusters of orthologous group (COG) analysis, KEGG analysis, and gene ontology (GO) analysis of strain LX24 were performed. Furthermore, the production of 2-OH-PHZ increased to 351.7 from 158.6 mg/L by deletion of the phenazine synthesis negative regulatory genes rpeA and rsmE in strain LX24. Finally, the 2-OH-PHZ production of strain LX24 reached 677.1 mg/L after fermentation optimization, which is the highest production through microbial fermentation reported to date. This work provides a reference for the efficient production of other pesticides and antibiotics.

Profiling of antimicrobial metabolites of plant growth promoting Pseudomonas spp. isolated from different plant hosts

In this study, nine strains of Pseudomonas au rantiaca and P. chlororaphis, and two isolates of Pseudomonas sp.: At1RP4 and RS-1, were characterized for the in-vitro production of secondary metabolites in LB, DMB, and King's B media, and of the genes responsible for the production of antagonistic metabolites. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence, isolates At1RP4 and RS-1 were identified as strains of P. aeruginosa and P. fluorescens. Five phenazine derivatives comprising phenazine, phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA), 2-hydroxyphenazine-1-carboxylic acid (2-OH-Phz-1-COOH), phenazine-1,6-dicarboxylic acid (Phz-1,6-di-COOH), and 2-hydroxyphenazine (2-OH-Phz) were produced by all strains in all three culture media including DMB, King's B and LB. However, 2,8-dihydroxyphenazine, 6-methylphenazine-1-carboxylic acid, pyrrolnitrin, and the ortho-dialkyl-aromatic acids, were produced by the P. aurantiaca and P. chlororaphis strains. In addition, all strains produced 2-acetamidophenol, pyochelin, and diketopiperazine derivatives in variable amounts in all three culture media used. Highest levels of quorum-sensing signal molecules including PQS, 2-Octyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)-quinolone, and hexahydro-quinoxaline-1,4-dioxide were recorded for P. aeruginosa At1RP4. Moreover, all strains produced volatile hydrogen cyanide (0.95-6.68 µg/L) and the phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid (0.42-13.9 µM). Production of extracellular lipase and protease was recorded in all pseudomonads, whereas, cellulase production and phosphate solubilization were variable. Genes for hydrogen cyanide and phenazine-1-carboxylic acid were detected in all eleven strains while the gene for pyrrolnitrin biosynthesis was amplified in P. aurantiaca and P. chlororaphis strains. Comparative metabolomic analysis provided detailed insights about the strain-specific metabolites in pseudomonads, and their pseudo-relative quantification in different bacterial growth media to be used as single-strain biofertilizer and biocontrol inoculums.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-020-02585-8.

Metabolic Engineering of Pseudomonas chlororaphis Qlu-1 for the Enhanced Production of Phenazine-1-carboxamide

Phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA), the primary active ingredient of Shenqinmycin, was awarded the China Pesticide Certificate in 2011 due to its excellent antibacterial action. Phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN) is a derivative of PCA, which is modified by the phzH gene, and its anti-bacterial effect is better than that of PCA. At present, PCN can be produced via Pseudomonas fermentation using an opportunistic pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Qlu-1 is an environmentally friendly strain of Pseudomonas chlororaphis that can produce phenazine derivatives. We replaced the phzO gene with the phzH gene from P. aeruginosa to achieve PCN accumulation. Different strategies were used to enhance PCN production: knocking out of negative regulatory factors, enhancing the shikimate pathway by gene overexpression and gene knocking, and using fed-batch fermentation. Finally, an engineered strain of P. chlororaphis was produced, which produced 11.45 g/L PCN. This achievement indicates that Qlu-1 could be modified as a potential microbial cell factory for PCN production by metabolic engineering.

Pseudomonas spp. as cell factories (MCFs) for value-added products: from rational design to industrial applications

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in microbial biotechnology for the production of value-added compounds from renewable resources. Pseudomonas species have been proposed as a suitable workhorse for high-value secondary metabolite production because of their unique characteristics for fast growth on sustainable carbon sources, a clear inherited background, versatile intrinsic metabolism with diverse enzymatic capacities, and their robustness in an extreme environment. It has also been demonstrated that metabolically engineered Pseudomonas strains can produce several industrially valuable aromatic chemicals and natural products such as phenazines, polyhydroxyalkanoates, rhamnolipids, and insecticidal proteins from renewable feedstocks with remarkably high yields suitable for commercial application. In this review, we summarize cell factory construction in Pseudomonas for the biosynthesis of native and non-native bioactive compounds in P. putida, P. chlororaphis, P. aeruginosa, as well as pharmaceutical proteins production by P. fluorescens. Additionally, some novel strategies together with metabolic engineering strategies in order to improve the biosynthetic abilities of Pseudomonas as an ideal chassis are discussed. Finally, we proposed emerging opportunities, challenges, and essential strategies to enable the successful development of Pseudomonas as versatile microbial cell factories for the bioproduction of diverse bioactive compounds.

Designing an Artificial Pathway for the Biosynthesis of a Novel Phenazine N-Oxide in Pseudomonas chlororaphis HT66

Aromatic N-oxides are valuable due to their versatile chemical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural applications. Natural phenazine N-oxides possess potent biological activities and can be applied in many ways; however, few N-oxides have been identified. Herein, we developed a microbial system to synthesize phenazine N-oxides via an artificial pathway. First, the N-monooxygenase NaphzNO1 was predicted and screened in Nocardiopsis sp. 13-12-13 through a product comparison and gene sequencing. Subsequently, according to similarities in the chemical structures of substrates, an artificial pathway for the synthesis of a phenazine N-oxide in Pseudomonas chlororaphis HT66 was designed and established using three heterologous enzymes, a monooxygenase (PhzS) from P. aeruginosa PAO1, a monooxygenase (PhzO) from P. chlororaphis GP72, and the N-monooxygenase NaphzNO1. A novel phenazine derivative, 1-hydroxyphenazine N'10-oxide, was obtained in an engineered strain, P. chlororaphis HT66-SN. The phenazine N-monooxygenase NaphzNO1 was identified by metabolically engineering the phenazine-producing platform P. chlororaphis HT66. Moreover, the function of NaphzNO1, which can catalyze the conversion of 1-hydroxyphenazine but not that of 2-hydroxyphenazine, was confirmed in vitro. Additionally, 1-hydroxyphenazine N'10-oxide demonstrated substantial cytotoxic activity against two human cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and HT-29. Furthermore, the highest microbial production of 1-hydroxyphenazine N'10-oxide to date was achieved at 143.4 mg/L in the metabolically engineered strain P3-SN. These findings demonstrate that P. chlororaphis HT66 has the potential to be engineered as a platform for phenazine-modifying gene identification and derivative production. The present study also provides a promising alternative for the sustainable synthesis of aromatic N-oxides with unique chemical structures by N-monooxygenase.

Engineering of glycerol utilization in Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72 for enhancing phenazine-1-carboxylic acid production

Glycerol is a by-product of biodiesel, and it has a great application prospect to be transformed to synthesize high value-added compounds. Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72 isolated from the green pepper rhizosphere is a plant growth promoting rhizobacteria that can utilize amount of glycerol to synthesize phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA). PCA has been commercially registered as "Shenqinmycin" in China due to its characteristics of preventing pepper blight and rice sheath blight. The aim of this study was to engineer glycerol utilization pathway in P. chlororaphis GP72. First, the two genes glpF and glpK from the glycerol metabolism pathway were overexpressed in GP72ANO separately. Then, the two genes were co-expressed in GP72ANO, improving PCA production from 729.4 mg/L to 993.4 mg/L at 36 h. Moreover, the shunt pathway was blocked to enhance glycerol utilization, resulting in 1493.3 mg/L PCA production. Additionally, we confirmed the inhibition of glpR on glycerol metabolism pathway in P. chlororaphis GP72. This study provides a good example for improving the utilization of glycerol to synthesize high value-added compounds in Pseudomonas.

Microbial Synthesis of Antibacterial Phenazine-1,6-dicarboxylic Acid and the Role of PhzG in Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72AN

Pseudomonas chlororaphis have been demonstrated to be environmentally friendly biocontrol strains, and most of them can produce phenazine compounds. Phenazine-1,6-dicarboxylic acid (PDC), with a potential antibacterial activity, is generally found in Streptomyces but not in Pseudomonas. The present study aimed to explore the feasibility of PDC synthesis and the function of PhzG in Pseudomonas. A PDC producer was constructed by replacing phzG in P. chlororaphis with lphzG from Streptomyces lomondensis. Through gene deletion, common start codon changing, gene silence, and in vitro assay, our result revealed that the yield of PDC in P. chlororaphis is associated with the relative expression of phzG to phzA and phzB. In addition, it is found that PDC can be spontaneously synthesized without PhzG. This study provides an efficient way for PDC production and promotes a better understanding of PhzG function in PDC biosynthesis. Moreover, this study gives an alternative opportunity for developing new antibacterial biopesticides.

Enhanced Production of 2-Hydroxyphenazine from Glycerol by a Two-Stage Fermentation Strategy in Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72AN

2-Hydroxyphenazine (2-OH-PHZ) is an effective biocontrol antibiotic secreted by Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72AN and is transformed from phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA). PCA is the main component of the recently registered biopesticide "Shenqinmycin". Previous research showed that 2-OH-PHZ was better in controlling wheat take-all disease than PCA; however, 2-OH-PHZ production was low under natural conditions. Herein, we confirmed that PCA induced reactive oxygen species in its host P. chlororaphis GP72AN and that the addition of DTT improved PCA production by 1.8-fold, whereas the supplementation of K₃[Fe(CN)₆] and H₂O₂ increased the conversion rate of PCA to 2-OH-PHZ. Finally, a two-stage fermentation strategy combining the addition of DTT at 12 h and H₂O₂ at 24 h enhanced 2-OH-PHZ production. Taken together, the two-stage fermentation strategy was designed to enhance 2-OH-PHZ production for the first time, and it provided a valuable reference for the fermentation of other antibiotics.

Metabolic engineering strategies for enhanced shikimate biosynthesis: current scenario and future developments

Shikimic acid is an important intermediate for the manufacture of the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) and many other pharmaceutical compounds. Much of its existing supply is obtained from the seeds of Chinese star anise (Illicium verum). Nevertheless, plants cannot supply a stable source of affordable shikimate along with laborious and cost-expensive extraction and purification process. Microbial biosynthesis of shikimate through metabolic engineering and synthetic biology approaches represents a sustainable, cost-efficient, and environmentally friendly route than plant-based methods. Metabolic engineering allows elevated shikimate production titer by inactivating the competing pathways, increasing intracellular level of key precursors, and overexpressing rate-limiting enzymes. The development of synthetic and systems biology-based novel technologies have revealed a new roadmap for the construction of high shikimate-producing strains. This review elaborates the enhanced biosynthesis of shikimate by utilizing an array of traditional metabolic engineering along with novel advanced technologies. The first part of the review is focused on the mechanistic pathway for shikimate production, use of recombinant and engineered strains, improving metabolic flux through the shikimate pathway, chemically inducible chromosomal evolution, and bioprocess engineering strategies. The second part discusses a variety of industrially pertinent compounds derived from shikimate with special reference to aromatic amino acids and phenazine compound, and main engineering strategies for their production in diverse bacterial strains. Towards the end, the work is wrapped up with concluding remarks and future considerations.

Enhanced biosynthesis of phenazine-1-carboxamide by engineered Pseudomonas chlororaphis HT66

BACKGROUND

Phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN), a phenazine derivative, is strongly antagonistic to fungal phytopathogens. The high PCN biocontrol activity fascinated researcher's attention in isolating and identifying novel bacterial strains combined with engineering strategies to target PCN as a lead molecule. The chemical route for phenazines biosynthesis employs toxic chemicals and display low productivities, require harsh reaction conditions, and generate toxic by-products. Phenazine biosynthesis using some natural phenazine-producers represent remarkable advantages of non-toxicity and possibly high yield in environmentally-friendlier settings.

RESULTS

A biocontrol bacterium with antagonistic activity towards fungal plant pathogens, designated as strain HT66, was isolated from the rice rhizosphere. The strain HT66 was identified as Pseudomonas chlororaphis based on the colony morphology, gas chromatography of cellular fatty acids and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The secondary metabolite produced by HT66 strain was purified and identified as PCN through mass spectrometry, and ¹H, ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum. The yield of PCN by wild-type strain HT66 was 424.87 mg/L at 24 h. The inactivation of psrA and rpeA increased PCN production by 1.66- and 3.06-fold, respectively, which suggests that psrA and rpeA are PCN biosynthesis repressors. qRT-PCR analysis showed that the expression of phzI, phzR, and phzE was markedly increased in the psrA and rpeA double mutant than in psrA or rpeA mutant. However, the transcription level of rpeA and rpeB in strain HT66ΔpsrA increased by 3.52- and 11.58-folds, respectively. The reduced psrA expression in HT66ΔrpeA strain evidenced a complex regulation mechanism for PCN production in HT66.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the results evidence that P. chlororaphis HT66 could be modified as a potential cell factory for industrial-scale biosynthesis of PCN and other phenazine derivatives by metabolic engineering strategies.

4-Hydroxybenzoic acid-a versatile platform intermediate for value-added compounds

4-Hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA) has recently emerged as a promising intermediate for several value-added bioproducts with potential biotechnological applications in food, cosmetics, pharmacy, fungicides, etc. Over the past years, a variety of biosynthetic techniques have been developed for producing the 4-HBA and 4-HBA-based products. At this juncture, synthetic biology and metabolic engineering approaches enabled the biosynthesis of 4-HBA to address the increasing demand for high-value bioproducts. This review summarizes the biosynthesis of a variety of industrially pertinent compounds such as resveratrol, muconic acid, gastrodin, xiamenmycin, and vanillyl alcohol using 4-HBA as the starting feedstock. Moreover, potential research activities with a close-up look at the future perspectives to produce new compounds using 4-HBA have also been discussed.

Identification, synthesis and regulatory function of the N-acylated homoserine lactone signals produced by Pseudomonas chlororaphis HT66

BACKGROUND

Pseudomonas chlororaphis HT66 isolated from the rice rhizosphere is an important plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria that produce phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN) in high yield. Phenazine production is regulated by a quorum sensing (QS) system that involves the N-acylated homoserine lactones (AHLs)-a prevalent type of QS molecule.

RESULTS

Three QS signals were detected by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), which identified to be N-(3-hydroxy hexanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3-OH-C6-HSL), N-(3-hydroxy octanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3-OH-C8-HSL) and N-(3-hydroxy decanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3-OH-C10-HSL). The signal types and methods of synthesis were different from that in other phenazine-producing Pseudomonas strains. By non-scar deletion and heterologous expression techniques, the biosynthesis of the AHL-signals was confirmed to be only catalyzed by PhzI, while other AHLs synthases i.e., CsaI and HdtS were not involved in strain HT66. In comparison to wild-type HT66, PCN production was 2.3-folds improved by over-expression of phzI, however, phzI or phzR mutant did not produce PCN. The cell growth of HT66∆phzI mutant was significantly decreased, and the biofilm formation in phzI or phzR inactivated strains of HT66 decreased to various extents.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the results demonstrate that PhzI-PhzR system plays a critical role in numerous biological processes including phenazine production.

Identification of biphenyl 2, 3-dioxygenase and its catabolic role for phenazine degradation in Sphingobium yanoikuyae B1

Phenazines are important nitrogen-containing secondary metabolites that display a range of biological functionalities. However, these compounds have shown lethal effects on humans and, the fate of phenazine in the ecosystem remains uncertain. In this study, we investigated that Sphingobium yanoikuyae B1 could utilize phenazine as a sole carbon source for growth. Intermediate produced during phenazine degradation was purified and identified as 1, 2-dihydrogen 1, 2-dihydroxy phenazine. Biphenyl 2, 3-dioxygenase was determined to be the initial dioxygenase for phenazine degradation through gene cloning and whole cell transformation techniques. Phenazine was converted to 1, 2-dihydrogen 1, 2-dihydroxy phenazine through hydrogenation and hydroxylation, which then transformed to 2-hydroxy phenazine through spontaneous dehydration. ThebphA1fA2f, were evidenced to be the only genes encoding the initial dioxygenase for phenazine degradation. BphB (dihydrodiol dehydrogenase) and BphC (2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase) did not exhibit any 1, 2-dihydrogen 1, 2-dihydroxy phenazine and 1, 2-dihydroxy phenazine degradation capability, suggesting no contribution in phenazine degradation. Phylogenetic analysis of the dioxygenases demonstrated enormous biodegradation potential in strain B1. In conclusion, this study opens up new possibilities in better understanding the phenazine degradation in the environment.

Engineering Pseudomonas for phenazine biosynthesis, regulation, and biotechnological applications: a review

Pseudomonas strains are increasingly attracting considerable attention as a valuable bacterial host both for basic and applied research. It has been considered as a promising candidate to produce a variety of bioactive secondary metabolites, particularly phenazines. Apart from the biotechnological perspective, these aromatic compounds have the notable potential to inhibit plant-pathogenic fungi and thus are useful in controlling plant diseases. Nevertheless, phenazines production is quite low by the wild-type strains that necessitated its yield improvement for large-scale agricultural applications. Metabolic engineering approaches with the advent of plentiful information provided by systems-level genomic and transcriptomic analyses enabled the development of new biological agents functioning as potential cell factories for producing the desired level of value-added bioproducts. This study presents an up-to-date overview of recombinant Pseudomonas strains as the preferred choice of host organisms for the biosynthesis of natural phenazines. The biosynthetic pathway and regulatory mechanism involved in the phenazine biosynthesis are comprehensively discussed. Finally, a summary of biological functionalities and biotechnological applications of the phenazines is also provided.

Developing genome-reduced Pseudomonas chlororaphis strains for the production of secondary metabolites

BACKGROUND

The current chassis organisms or various types of cell factories have considerable advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is necessary to develop various chassis for an efficient production of different bioproducts from renewable resources. In this context, synthetic biology offers unique potentialities to produce value-added products of interests. Microbial genome reduction and modification are important strategies for constructing cellular chassis and cell factories. Many genome-reduced strains from Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Corynebacterium glutamicum and Streptomyces, have been widely used for the production of amino acids, organic acids, and some enzymes. Some Pseudomonas strains could serve as good candidates for ideal chassis cells since they grow fast and can produce many valuable metabolites with low nutritional requirements and strong environmental adaptability. Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72 is a non-pathogenic plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium that possesses capacities of tolerating various environmental stresses and synthesizing many kinds of bioactive compounds with high yield. These include phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) and 2-hydroxyphenazine (2-OH-PHZ), which exhibit strong bacteriostatic and antifungal activity toward some microbial pathogens.

RESULTS

We depleted 685 kb (10.3% of the genomic sequence) from the chromosome of P. chlororaphis GP72(rpeA-) by a markerless deletion method, which included five secondary metabolic gene clusters and 17 strain-specific regions (525 non-essential genes). Then we characterized the 22 multiple-deletion series (MDS) strains. Growth characteristics, production of phenazines and morphologies were changed greatly in mutants with large-fragment deletions. Some of the genome-reduced P. chlororaphis mutants exhibited more productivity than the parental strain GP72(rpeA-). For example, strain MDS22 had 4.4 times higher production of 2-OH-PHZ (99.1 mg/L) than strain GP72(rpeA-), and the specific 2-OH-PHZ production rate (mmol/g/h) increased 11.5-fold. Also and MDS10 had the highest phenazine production (852.0 mg/L) among all the studied strains with a relatively high specific total phenazine production rate (0.0056 g/g/h).

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, P. chlororaphis strains with reduced genome performed better in production of secondary metabolites than the parent strain. The newly developed mutants can be used for the further genetic manipulation to construct chassis cells with the less complex metabolic network, better regulation and more efficient productivity for diverse biotechnological applications.

Genetic engineering of Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72 for the enhanced production of 2-Hydroxyphenazine

Background

The biocontrol strain Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72 isolated from the green pepper rhizosphere synthesizes three antifungal phenazine compounds, 2-Hydroxyphenazine (2-OH-PHZ), 2-hydroxy-phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (2-OH-PCA) and phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA). PCA has been a commercialized antifungal pesticide registered as “Shenqinmycin” in China since 2011. It is found that 2-OH-PHZ shows stronger fungistatic and bacteriostatic activity to some pathogens than PCA. 2-OH-PHZ could be developed as a potential antifungal pesticide. But the yield of 2-OH-PHZ generally is quite low, such as P. chlororaphis GP72, the production of 2-OH-PHZ by the wide-type strain is only 4.5 mg/L, it is necessary to enhance the yield of 2-OH-PHZ for its application in agriculture.

Results

Different strategies were used to improve the yield of 2-OH-PHZ: knocking out the negative regulatory genes, enhancing the shikimate pathway, deleting the competing pathways of 2-OH-PHZ synthesis based on chorismate, and improving the activity of PhzO which catalyzes the conversion of PCA to 2-OH-PHZ, although the last two strategies did not give us satisfactory results. In this study, four negative regulatory genes (pykF, rpeA, rsmE and lon) were firstly knocked out of the strain GP72 genome stepwise. The yield of 2-OH-PHZ improved more than 60 folds and increased from 4.5 to about 300 mg/L. Then six key genes (ppsA, tktA, phzC, aroB, aroD and aroE) selected from the gluconeogenesis, pentose phosphate and shikimate pathways which used to enhance the shikimate pathway were overexpressed to improve the production of 2-OH-PHZ. At last a genetically engineered strain that increased the 2-OH-PHZ production by 99-fold to 450.4 mg/L was obtained.

Conclusions

The 2-OH-PHZ production of P. chlororaphis GP72 was greatly improved through disruption of four negative regulatory genes and overexpression of six key genes, and it is shown that P. chlororaphis GP72 could be modified as a potential cell factory to produce 2-OH-PHZ and other phenazine biopesticides by genetic and metabolic engineering.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12934-016-0529-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis reveals potential factors associated with the enhancement of phenazine-1-carboxamide production in Pseudomonas chlororaphis P3

Phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN), a phenazine derivative, is strongly antagonistic to fungal phytopathogens. Pseudomonas chlororaphis HT66 is a PCN-producing, non-pathogenic biocontrol strain, and we obtained the mutant P. chlororaphis P3, which produces 4.7 times more PCN than the wild-type HT66 strain. To reveal the cause of PCN production enhancement in P3 and find potential factors related to PCN biosynthesis, an iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis was used to study the expression changes between the two strains. Of the 452 differentially expressed proteins, most were functionally mapped into PCN biosynthesis pathway or other related metabolisms. The upregulation of proteins, including PhzA/B, PhzD, PhzF, PhzG, and PhzH, involved in PCN biosynthesis was in agreement with the efficient production of PCN in P3. A number of proteins that function primarily in energy production, amino acid metabolism, and secondary metabolism played important roles in PCN biosynthesis. Notably, proteins involved in the uptake and conversion of phosphate, inorganic nitrogen sources, and iron improved the PCN production. Furthermore, the type VI secretion system may participate in the secretion or/and indirect biosynthetic regulation of PCN in P. chlororaphis. This study provides valuable clues to better understand the biosynthesis, excretion and regulation of PCN in Pseudomonas and also provides potential gene targets for further engineering high-yield strains.

Identification of the Lomofungin Biosynthesis Gene Cluster and Associated Flavin-Dependent Monooxygenase Gene in Streptomyces lomondensis S015

Streptomyces lomondensis S015 synthesizes the broad-spectrum phenazine antibiotic lomofungin. Whole genome sequencing of this strain revealed a genomic locus consisting of 23 open reading frames that includes the core phenazine biosynthesis gene cluster lphzGFEDCB. lomo10, encoding a putative flavin-dependent monooxygenase, was also identified in this locus. Inactivation of lomo10 by in-frame partial deletion resulted in the biosynthesis of a new phenazine metabolite, 1-carbomethoxy-6-formyl-4,9-dihydroxy-phenazine, along with the absence of lomofungin. This result suggests that lomo10 is responsible for the hydroxylation of lomofungin at its C-7 position. This is the first description of a phenazine hydroxylation gene in Streptomyces, and the results of this study lay the foundation for further investigation of phenazine metabolite biosynthesis in Streptomyces.

Comparative genomic analysis and phenazine production of Pseudomonas chlororaphis, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium

Pseudomonas chlororaphis HT66, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium that produces phenazine-1-carboxamide with high yield, was compared with three genomic sequenced P. chlororaphis strains, GP72, 30–84 and O6. The genome sizes of four strains vary from 6.66 to 7.30 Mb. Comparisons of predicted coding sequences indicated 4833 conserved genes in 5869–6455 protein-encoding genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the four strains are closely related to each other. Its competitive colonization indicates that P. chlororaphis can adapt well to its environment. No virulence or virulence-related factor was found in P. chlororaphis. All of the four strains could synthesize antimicrobial metabolites including different phenazines and insecticidal protein FitD. Some genes related to the regulation of phenazine biosynthesis were detected among the four strains. It was shown that P. chlororaphis is a safe PGPR in agricultural application and could also be used to produce some phenazine antibiotics with high-yield.

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The comparative genomic analysis showed that P. chlororaphis strains have 80% conserved genes.

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Its competitive colonization indicates that P. chlororaphis can adapt well to its environment.

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P. chlororaphis can synthesize different phenazine compounds and insecticidal proteins.

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The plant growth-promoting activities and lack of virulence factor make P. chlororaphis suitable for applications.

Potential of Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aurantiaca Strain Pcho10 as a Biocontrol Agent Against Fusarium graminearum

To develop an effective biocontrol strategy for management of Fusarium head blight on wheat caused by Fusarium graminearum, the bacterial biocontrol agent Pcho10 was selected from more than 1,476 wheat-head-associated bacterial strains according to its antagonistic activity in vitro. This strain was subsequently characterized as Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aurantiaca based on 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis, assays of the BIOLOG microbial identification system, and unique pigment production. The major antifungal metabolite produced by Pcho10 was further identified as phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN) on the basis of nuclear magnetic resonance data. The core PCN biosynthesis gene cluster in Pcho10 was cloned and sequenced. PCN showed strong inhibitory activity against F. graminearum conidial germination, mycelial growth, and deoxynivalenol production. Tests both under growth chamber conditions and in field trials showed that Pcho10 well colonized on the wheat head and effectively controlled the disease caused by F. graminearum. Results of this study indicate that P. chlororaphis subsp. aurantiaca Pcho10 has high potential to be developed as a biocontrol agent against F. graminearum. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the use of P. chlororaphis for the management of Fusarium head blight.

Reaction kinetics for the biocatalytic conversion of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid to 2-hydroxyphenazine

The phenazine derivative 2-hydroxyphenazine (2-OH-PHZ) plays an important role in the biocontrol of plant diseases, and exhibits stronger bacteriostatic and fungistatic activity than phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) toward some pathogens. PhzO has been shown to be responsible for the conversion of PCA to 2-OH-PHZ, however the kinetics of the reaction have not been systematically studied. Further, the yield of 2-OH-PHZ in fermentation culture is quite low and enhancement in our understanding of the reaction kinetics may contribute to improvements in large-scale, high-yield production of 2-OH-PHZ for biological control and other applications. In this study we confirmed previous reports that free PCA is converted to 2-hydroxy-phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (2-OH-PCA) by the action of a single enzyme PhzO, and particularly demonstrate that this reaction is dependent on NADP(H) and Fe3+. Fe3+ enhanced the conversion from PCA to 2-OH-PHZ and 28°C was a optimum temperature for the conversion. However, PCA added in excess to the culture inhibited the production of 2-OH-PHZ. 2-OH-PCA was extracted and purified from the broth, and it was confirmed that the decarboxylation of 2-OH-PCA could occur without the involvement of any enzyme. A kinetic analysis of the conversion of 2-OH-PCA to 2-OH-PHZ in the absence of enzyme and under different temperatures and pHs in vitro, revealed that the conversion followed first-order reaction kinetics. In the fermentation, the concentration of 2-OH-PCA increased to about 90 mg/L within a red precipitate fraction, as compared to 37 mg/L within the supernatant. The results of this study elucidate the reaction kinetics involved in the biosynthesis of 2-OH-PHZ and provide insights into in vitro methods to enhance yields of 2-OH-PHZ.

The requirement for the LysR-type regulator PtrA for Pseudomonas chlororaphis PA23 biocontrol revealed through proteomic and phenotypic analysis

BACKGROUND

Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain PA23 is a biocontrol agent capable of suppressing the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. This bacterium produces the antibiotics phenazine and pyrrolnitrin together with other metabolites believed to contribute to biocontrol. A mutant no longer capable of inhibiting fungal growth was identified harboring a transposon insertion in a gene encoding a LysR-type transcriptional regulator (LTTR), designated ptrA (Pseudomonas transcriptional regulator). Isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) based protein analysis was used to reveal changes in protein expression patterns in the ptrA mutant compared to the PA23 wild type.

RESULTS

Relative abundance profiles showed 59 differentially-expressed proteins in the ptrA mutant, which could be classified into 16 clusters of orthologous groups (COGs) based on their predicted functions. The largest COG category was the unknown function group, suggesting that many yet-to-be identified proteins are involved in the loss of fungal activity. In the secondary metabolite biosynthesis, transport and catabolism COG, seven proteins associated with phenazine biosynthesis and chitinase production were downregulated in the mutant. Phenotypic assays confirmed the loss of phenazines and chitinase activity. Upregulated proteins included a lipoprotein involved in iron transport, a flagellin and hook-associated protein and four proteins categorized into the translation, ribosome structure and biogenesis COG. Phenotypic analysis revealed that the mutant exhibited increased siderophore production and flagellar motility and an altered growth profile, supporting the proteomic findings.

CONCLUSION

PtrA is a novel LTTR that is essential for PA23 fungal antagonism. Differential protein expression was observed across 16 COG categories suggesting PtrA is functioning as a global transcriptional regulator. Changes in protein expression were confirmed by phenotypic assays that showed reduced phenazine and chitinase expression, elevated flagellar motility and siderophore production, as well as early entrance into log phase growth.

Complete Genome Sequence of the Sugar Cane Endophyte Pseudomonas aurantiaca PB-St2, a Disease-Suppressive Bacterium with Antifungal Activity toward the Plant Pathogen Colletotrichum falcatum

The endophytic bacterium Pseudomonas aurantiaca PB-St2 exhibits antifungal activity and represents a biocontrol agent to suppress red rot disease of sugar cane. Here, we report the completely sequenced 6.6-Mb genome of P. aurantiaca PB-St2. The sequence contains a repertoire of biosynthetic genes for secondary metabolites that putatively contribute to its antagonistic activity and its plant-microbe interactions.

OxyR, an important oxidative stress regulator to phenazines production and hydrogen peroxide resistance in Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72

Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72 is an important plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) with a wide-spectrum antibiotic activity toward several soil-borne pathogens. The adaption of this strain to different environmental oxidative stress and redox phenazine pigment by the predicted regulator OxyR were investigated. The deletion of oxyR led to a significant reduction of the viability, production of three phenazine derivatives and resistance to hydrogen peroxide and paraquat on the KB agar plates. However, the mutant ΔoxyR grew better with shorter delay. In addition, the mutant ΔoxyR showed an increased resistance to hydrogen peroxide, which occurred at the concentration varying from 1.0mM to 5.0mM in the KB broth, as compared with the wild type. In addition, the biofilm formation ability was obviously enhanced and influenced by the different oxidants in the mutant. Quantitative RT-PCR experiments indicated that the expression of katG, ahpC, ahpD and phzE were increased in the oxyR mutant background in response to hydrogen peroxide. katG was mainly responsible for the enhanced resistance to hydrogen peroxide. The loss of oxyR is suggested to benefit the hydrogen peroxide inducible gene expression. Thus, OxyR is an important global regulator that regulates multiple pathways to enhance the survival of P. chlororaphis GP72 exposed to different oxidative stresses.

Comparative genomic analysis of four representative plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in Pseudomonas

Background

Some Pseudomonas strains function as predominant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Within this group, Pseudomonas chlororaphis and Pseudomonas fluorescens are non-pathogenic biocontrol agents, and some Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas stutzeri strains are PGPR. P. chlororaphis GP72 is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium with a fully sequenced genome. We conducted a genomic analysis comparing GP72 with three other pseudomonad PGPR: P. fluorescens Pf-5, P. aeruginosa M18, and the nitrogen-fixing strain P. stutzeri A1501. Our aim was to identify the similarities and differences among these strains using a comparative genomic approach to clarify the mechanisms of plant growth-promoting activity.

Results

The genome sizes of GP72, Pf-5, M18, and A1501 ranged from 4.6 to 7.1 M, and the number of protein-coding genes varied among the four species. Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COGs) analysis assigned functions to predicted proteins. The COGs distributions were similar among the four species. However, the percentage of genes encoding transposases and their inactivated derivatives (COG L) was 1.33% of the total genes with COGs classifications in A1501, 0.21% in GP72, 0.02% in Pf-5, and 0.11% in M18. A phylogenetic analysis indicated that GP72 and Pf-5 were the most closely related strains, consistent with the genome alignment results. Comparisons of predicted coding sequences (CDSs) between GP72 and Pf-5 revealed 3544 conserved genes. There were fewer conserved genes when GP72 CDSs were compared with those of A1501 and M18. Comparisons among the four Pseudomonas species revealed 603 conserved genes in GP72, illustrating common plant growth-promoting traits shared among these PGPR. Conserved genes were related to catabolism, transport of plant-derived compounds, stress resistance, and rhizosphere colonization. Some strain-specific CDSs were related to different kinds of biocontrol activities or plant growth promotion. The GP72 genome contained the cus operon (related to heavy metal resistance) and a gene cluster involved in type IV pilus biosynthesis, which confers adhesion ability.

Conclusions

Comparative genomic analysis of four representative PGPR revealed some conserved regions, indicating common characteristics (metabolism of plant-derived compounds, heavy metal resistance, and rhizosphere colonization) among these pseudomonad PGPR. Genomic regions specific to each strain provide clues to its lifestyle, ecological adaptation, and physiological role in the rhizosphere.

Differential regulation of phenazine biosynthesis by RpeA and RpeB in Pseudomonas chlororaphis 30-84

RpeA is a two-component sensor protein that negatively controls biosynthesis of phenazines, which are required for biological control activity by Pseudomonas chlororaphis 30-84. In this study, we identified the cognate response regulator RpeB and investigated how RpeA and RpeB interact with the PhzR/PhzI quorum sensing system and other known regulatory genes to control phenazine production. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that, in contrast with an rpeA mutant, expression of the phenazine biosynthetic genes as well as the pip and phzR genes were significantly reduced in an rpeB mutant, suggesting positive control of phenazines by RpeB. Complementation assays showed that overexpression of pip in trans rescued phenazine production in an rpeB mutant, whereas multiple copies of rpeB genes were unable to restore phenazine production in a pip or phzR mutant. These results indicate that RpeA and RpeB differentially regulate phenazine production and act upstream of Pip and PhzR in the phenazine regulatory network. The differential regulatory functions for RpeA and RpeB also affected the capacity of 30-84 for fungal inhibition. Based on these results, a model is proposed to illustrate the relationship of RpeA/RpeB to other regulatory genes controlling phenazine biosynthesis in P. chlororaphis 30-84, a regulatory hierarchy that may be conserved in other pseudomonads and may play a role in stress response.

Genome sequence of Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72, a root-colonizing biocontrol strain

Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72 is a root-colonizing biocontrol strain isolated from a green pepper rhizosphere. It can produce several secondary metabolites to suppress phytopathogens. Here we present a 6.6-Mb assembly of its genome, which is the first genome sequence of the P. chlororaphis group and may provide insights into its antifungal activities.