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Majhi BK, Melis A. Recombinant protein synthesis and isolation of human interferon alpha-2 in cyanobacteria. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 400:130664. [PMID: 38583672 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (Synechocystis) is a unicellular photosynthetic microorganism that has been used as a model for photo-biochemical research. It comprises a potential cell factory for the generation of valuable bioactive compounds, therapeutic proteins, and possibly biofuels. Fusion constructs of recombinant proteins with the CpcA α-subunit or CpcB β-subunit of phycocyanin in Synechocystis have enabled true over-expression of several isoprenoid pathway enzymes and biopharmaceutical proteins to levels of 10-20 % of the total cellular protein. The present work employed the human interferon α-2 protein, as a study case of over-expression and downstream processing. It advanced the state of the art in the fusion constructs for protein overexpression technology by developing the bioresource for target protein separation from the fusion construct and isolation in substantially enriched or pure form. The work brings the cyanobacterial cell factory concept closer to meaningful commercial application for the photosynthetic production of useful recombinant proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bharat K Majhi
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, 111 Koshland Hall, MC-3102, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3102, USA
| | - Anastasios Melis
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, 111 Koshland Hall, MC-3102, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3102, USA.
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2
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Rautela A, Yadav I, Gangwar A, Chatterjee R, Kumar S. Photosynthetic production of α-farnesene by engineered Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 from carbon dioxide. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 396:130432. [PMID: 38346593 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are the prospective biosolar cell factories to produce a range of bioproducts through CO2 sequestration. Farnesene is a sesquiterpene with an array of applications in biofuels, pest management, cosmetics, flavours and fragrances. This is the first time a codon-optimized farnesene synthase (AFS) gene is engineered into the genomic neutral site of Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 for farnesene synthesis through its endogenous methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway, rendering UTEX AFS strain. Similarly, bottleneck gene(s) of the MEP pathway, 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (dxs) and/or fusion of isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase and farnesyl diphosphate synthase (idispA) were engineered engendering UTEX AFS::dxs, UTEX AFS::idispA and UTEX AFS::dxs::idispA strains. UTEX AFS::dxs::idispA achieves farnesene productivity of 2.57 mg/L/day, the highest among engineered cyanobacterial strains studied so far. It demonstrates farnesene production, which is 31.3-times higher than the UTEX AFS strain. Moreover, the engineered strains show similar productivity over a three-month period, stipulating the genetic stability of the strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akhil Rautela
- Biofuel Research Laboratory, School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT(BHU) Varanasi, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Indrajeet Yadav
- Biofuel Research Laboratory, School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT(BHU) Varanasi, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Agendra Gangwar
- Biofuel Research Laboratory, School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT(BHU) Varanasi, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Rishika Chatterjee
- Biofuel Research Laboratory, School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT(BHU) Varanasi, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sanjay Kumar
- Biofuel Research Laboratory, School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT(BHU) Varanasi, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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3
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Bouyahya A, Bakrim S, Chamkhi I, Taha D, El Omari N, El Mneyiy N, El Hachlafi N, El-Shazly M, Khalid A, Abdalla AN, Goh KW, Ming LC, Goh BH, Aanniz T. Bioactive substances of cyanobacteria and microalgae: Sources, metabolism, and anticancer mechanism insights. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 170:115989. [PMID: 38103309 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria and microalgae contain various phytochemicals, including bioactive components in the form of secondary metabolites, namely flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenoids, and tannins, with remarkable anticancer effects. This review highlights the recent advances in bioactive compounds, with potential anticancer activity, produced by cyanobacteria and microalgae. Previous in vitro investigations showed that many of these bioactive compounds exhibit potent effects against different human cancer types, such as leukemia and breast cancers. Multiple mechanisms implicated in the antitumor effect of these compounds were elucidated, including their ability to target cellular, subcellular, and molecular checkpoints linked to cancer development and promotion. Recent findings have highlighted various mechanisms of action of bioactive compounds produced by cyanobacteria and microalgae, including induction of autophagy and apoptosis, inhibition of telomerase and protein kinases, as well as modulation of epigenetic modifications. In vivo investigations have demonstrated a potent anti-angiogenesis effect on solid tumors, as well as a reduction in tumor volume. Some of these compounds were examined in clinical investigations for certain types of cancers, making them potent candidates/scaffolds for antitumor drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdelhakim Bouyahya
- Laboratory of Human Pathologies Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University in Rabat, 10106, Morocco.
| | - Saad Bakrim
- Geo-Bio-Environment Engineering and Innovation Laboratory, Molecular Engineering, Biotechnologies, and Innovation Team, Polydisciplinary Faculty of Taroudant, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco
| | - Imane Chamkhi
- Geo-Biodiversity and Natural Patrimony Laboratory (GeoBio), Geophysics, Natural Patrimony Research Center (GEOPAC), Scientific Institute, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco
| | - Douae Taha
- Laboratoire de Spectroscopie, Modélisation Moléculaire, Matériaux, Nanomatériaux, Eau et Environnement, CERNE2D, Faculté des Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat 10106, Morocco
| | - Nasreddine El Omari
- Laboratory of Histology, Embryology, and Cytogenetic, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat 10100, Morocco
| | - Naoual El Mneyiy
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, National Agency of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, 34025 Taouanate, Morocco
| | - Naoufal El Hachlafi
- Microbial Biotechnology and Bioactive Molecules Laboratory, Sciences and Technologies Faculty, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Imouzzer Road Fez, Fez 30003, Morocco
| | - Mohamed El-Shazly
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain-Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt; Pharmaceutical Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, The German University in Cairo, Cairo 11432, Egypt
| | - Asaad Khalid
- Substance Abuse and Toxicology Research Center, Jazan University, P.O. Box: 114, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia; Medicinal and Aromatic Plants and Traditional Medicine Research Institute, National Center for Research, P.O. Box 2404, Khartoum, Sudan.
| | - Ashraf N Abdalla
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khang Wen Goh
- Faculty of Data Science and Information Technology, INTI International University, 71800 Nilai, Malaysia
| | - Long Chiau Ming
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Sunway City 47500, Malaysia.
| | - Bey Hing Goh
- Sunway Biofunctional Molecules Discovery Centre (SBMDC), School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, 47500 Sunway City, Malaysia; College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Tarik Aanniz
- Biotechnology Laboratory (MedBiotech), Bioinova Research Center, Rabat Medical and Pharmacy School, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco
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4
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Melis A, Hidalgo Martinez DA, Betterle N. Perspectives of cyanobacterial cell factories. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2023:10.1007/s11120-023-01056-4. [PMID: 37966575 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-023-01056-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are prokaryotic photosynthetic microorganisms that can generate, in addition to biomass, useful chemicals and proteins/enzymes, essentially from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. Selected aspects of cyanobacterial production (isoprenoids and high-value proteins) and scale-up methods suitable for product generation and downstream processing are addressed in this review. The work focuses on the challenge and promise of specialty chemicals and proteins production, with isoprenoid products and biopharma proteins as study cases, and the challenges encountered in the expression of recombinant proteins/enzymes, which underline the essence of synthetic biology with these microorganisms. Progress and the current state-of-the-art in these targeted topics are emphasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasios Melis
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, MC-3102, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3102, USA.
| | - Diego Alberto Hidalgo Martinez
- Department of Biology, Healthcare and the Environment, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nico Betterle
- SoLELab, Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, 37134, Verona, Italy
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5
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Satta A, Esquirol L, Ebert BE. Current Metabolic Engineering Strategies for Photosynthetic Bioproduction in Cyanobacteria. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11020455. [PMID: 36838420 PMCID: PMC9964548 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms capable of using solar energy to convert CO2 and H2O into O2 and energy-rich organic compounds, thus enabling sustainable production of a wide range of bio-products. More and more strains of cyanobacteria are identified that show great promise as cell platforms for the generation of bioproducts. However, strain development is still required to optimize their biosynthesis and increase titers for industrial applications. This review describes the most well-known, newest and most promising strains available to the community and gives an overview of current cyanobacterial biotechnology and the latest innovative strategies used for engineering cyanobacteria. We summarize advanced synthetic biology tools for modulating gene expression and their use in metabolic pathway engineering to increase the production of value-added compounds, such as terpenoids, fatty acids and sugars, to provide a go-to source for scientists starting research in cyanobacterial metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Satta
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- Department of Biology, University of Padua, 35100 Padua, Italy
| | - Lygie Esquirol
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers, Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Natha, QLD 4111, Australia
| | - Birgitta E. Ebert
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- Correspondence:
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6
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Lai MJ, Tsai JC, Lan EI. CRISPRi-enhanced direct photosynthetic conversion of carbon dioxide to succinic acid by metabolically engineered cyanobacteria. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 366:128131. [PMID: 36252759 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.128131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Engineering photoautotrophic microorganisms to directly convert carbon dioxide into platform chemicals is an attractive approach for chemical sustainability and carbon mitigation. Here, an engineered cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 was developed to produce succinic acid directly from ambient carbon dioxide. Inhibition of succinate dehydrogenase and glycogen synthase by CRIPSR interference increased carbon flux towards succinic acid. Dual inhibition of these two genes led to an 82 % increase in titer. The resulting strain produced 4.8 g/L of succinic acid in a 28-days cultivation. However, cells after the 28-days cultivation became non-viable and cannot continue production. This issue was addressed by re-inoculation with fresh cells into the production medium. This strategy enabled continuous succinic acid accumulation, reaching a final titer of 8.9 g/L. This study provides a sustainable route to succinic acid directly from carbon dioxide and a potential method to overcome the low titer limitation of cyanobacterial-based bioproduction for practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin J Lai
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 1001 Daxue Road, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan
| | - Jemmy C Tsai
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 1001 Daxue Road, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan
| | - Ethan I Lan
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 1001 Daxue Road, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan.
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7
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Rautela A, Kumar S. Engineering plant family TPS into cyanobacterial host for terpenoids production. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2022; 41:1791-1803. [PMID: 35789422 PMCID: PMC9253243 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-022-02892-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Terpenoids are synthesized naturally by plants as secondary metabolites, and are diverse and complex in structure with multiple applications in bioenergy, food, cosmetics, and medicine. This makes the production of terpenoids such as isoprene, β-phellandrene, farnesene, amorphadiene, and squalene valuable, owing to which their industrial demand cannot be fulfilled exclusively by plant sources. They are synthesized via the Methylerythritol phosphate pathway (MEP) and the Mevalonate pathway (MVA), both existing in plants. The advent of genetic engineering and the latest accomplishments in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering allow microbial synthesis of terpenoids. Cyanobacteria manifest to be the promising hosts for this, utilizing sunlight and CO2. Cyanobacteria possess MEP pathway to generate precursors for terpenoid synthesis. The terpenoid synthesis can be amplified by overexpressing the MEP pathway and engineering MVA pathway genes. According to the desired terpenoid, terpene synthases unique to the plant kingdom must be incorporated in cyanobacteria. Engineering an organism to be used as a cell factory comes with drawbacks such as hampered cell growth and disturbance in metabolic flux. This review set forth a comparison between MEP and MVA pathways, strategies to overexpress these pathways with their challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akhil Rautela
- School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT (BHU), Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sanjay Kumar
- School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT (BHU), Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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8
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Ayakar S, Yadav VG. Continuous
ex situ
recovery of volatile monoterpenoids produced by genetically engineered
Escherichia coli. CAN J CHEM ENG 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/cjce.24486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sonal Ayakar
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering The University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Vikramaditya G. Yadav
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering The University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
- School of Biomedical Engineering The University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
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9
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Shinde S, Singapuri S, Jiang Z, Long B, Wilcox D, Klatt C, Jones JA, Yuan JS, Wang X. Thermodynamics contributes to high limonene productivity in cyanobacteria. Metab Eng Commun 2022; 14:e00193. [PMID: 35145855 PMCID: PMC8801761 DOI: 10.1016/j.mec.2022.e00193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Terpenoids are a large group of secondary metabolites with broad industrial applications. Engineering cyanobacteria is an attractive route for the sustainable production of commodity terpenoids. Currently, a major obstacle lies in the low productivity attained in engineered cyanobacterial strains. Traditional metabolic engineering to improve pathway kinetics has led to limited success in enhancing terpenoid productivity. In this study, we reveal thermodynamics as the main determinant for high limonene productivity in cyanobacteria. Through overexpressing the primary sigma factor, a higher photosynthetic rate was achieved in an engineered strain of Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. Computational modeling and wet lab analyses showed an increased flux toward both native carbon sink glycogen synthesis and the non-native limonene synthesis from photosynthate output. On the other hand, comparative proteomics showed decreased expression of terpene pathway enzymes, revealing their limited role in determining terpene flux. Lastly, growth optimization by enhancing photosynthesis has led to a limonene titer of 19 mg/L in 7 days with a maximum productivity of 4.3 mg/L/day. This study highlights the importance of enhancing photosynthesis and substrate input for the high productivity of secondary metabolic pathways, providing a new strategy for future terpenoid engineering in phototrophs. Pathway enzyme engineering marginally increases cyanobacterial terpene production. Sigma factor overexpression improves photosynthetic efficiency in cyanobacteria. Enhanced photosynthesis results in high limonene production in cyanobacteria. Enhanced photosynthesis provides high thermodynamic driving force for terpenes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shrameeta Shinde
- Department of Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA
| | - Sonali Singapuri
- Department of Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA
| | - Zhenxiong Jiang
- Department of Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA
| | - Bin Long
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Innovation Hub, Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Danielle Wilcox
- Department of Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA
| | - Camille Klatt
- Department of Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA
| | - J. Andrew Jones
- Department of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA
| | - Joshua S. Yuan
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Innovation Hub, Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA
- Corresponding author.
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10
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Zhang X, Betterle N, Hidalgo Martinez D, Melis A. Recombinant Protein Stability in Cyanobacteria. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:810-825. [PMID: 33684287 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The living cell possesses extraordinary molecular and biochemical mechanisms by which to recognize and efficiently remove foreign, damaged, or denatured proteins. This essential function has been a barrier to the overexpression of recombinant proteins in most expression systems. A notable exception is the overexpression in E. coli of recombinant proteins, most of which, however, end-up as "inclusion bodies", i.e., cytoplasmic aggregates of proteins that are inaccessible to the cell's proteasome. "Fusion constructs as protein overexpression vectors" proved to be unparalleled in their ability to cause substantial accumulation of recombinant proteins from plants, animals, and bacteria, as soluble proteins in unicellular cyanobacteria. Recombinant protein levels in the range of 10-20% of the total cellular protein can be achieved. The present work investigated this unique property in the context of recombinant protein stability in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 by developing and applying an in vivo cellular tobacco etch virus cleavage system with the objective of separating the target heterologous proteins from their fusion leader sequences. The work provides new insights about the overexpression, cellular stability, and exploitation of transgenes with commercial interest, highly expressed in a cyanobacterial biofactory. The results support the notion that eukaryotic plant- and animal-origin recombinant proteins are unstable, when free in the cyanobacterial cytosol but stable when in a fusion configuration with a highly expressed cyanobacterial native or heterologous protein. Included in this analysis are recombinant proteins of the plant isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway (isoprene synthase, β-phellandrene synthase, geranyl diphosphate synthase), the human interferon protein, as well as prokaryotic proteins (tetanus toxin fragment C and the antibiotic resistance genes kanamycin and chloramphenicol). The future success of synthetic biology approaches with cyanobacteria and other systems would require overexpression of pathway enzymes to attain product volume, and the work reported in this paper sets the foundation for such recombinant pathway enzyme overexpression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianan Zhang
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
| | - Nico Betterle
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
| | - Diego Hidalgo Martinez
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
| | - Anastasios Melis
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
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11
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Genetic, Genomics, and Responses to Stresses in Cyanobacteria: Biotechnological Implications. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12040500. [PMID: 33805386 PMCID: PMC8066212 DOI: 10.3390/genes12040500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are widely-diverse, environmentally crucial photosynthetic prokaryotes of great interests for basic and applied science. Work to date has focused mostly on the three non-nitrogen fixing unicellular species Synechocystis PCC 6803, Synechococcus PCC 7942, and Synechococcus PCC 7002, which have been selected for their genetic and physiological interests summarized in this review. Extensive "omics" data sets have been generated, and genome-scale models (GSM) have been developed for the rational engineering of these cyanobacteria for biotechnological purposes. We presently discuss what should be done to improve our understanding of the genotype-phenotype relationships of these models and generate robust and predictive models of their metabolism. Furthermore, we also emphasize that because Synechocystis PCC 6803, Synechococcus PCC 7942, and Synechococcus PCC 7002 represent only a limited part of the wide biodiversity of cyanobacteria, other species distantly related to these three models, should be studied. Finally, we highlight the need to strengthen the communication between academic researchers, who know well cyanobacteria and can engineer them for biotechnological purposes, but have a limited access to large photobioreactors, and industrial partners who attempt to use natural or engineered cyanobacteria to produce interesting chemicals at reasonable costs, but may lack knowledge on cyanobacterial physiology and metabolism.
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12
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Rodrigues JS, Lindberg P. Metabolic engineering of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 for improved bisabolene production. Metab Eng Commun 2020; 12:e00159. [PMID: 33489752 PMCID: PMC7809396 DOI: 10.1016/j.mec.2020.e00159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Terpenoids are a wide class of organic compounds with industrial relevance. The natural ability of cyanobacteria to produce terpenoids via the methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway makes these organisms appealing candidates for the generation of light-driven cell factories for green chemistry. Here we address the improvement of the production of (E)-α-bisabolene, a valuable biofuel feedstock, in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 via sequential heterologous expression of bottleneck enzymes of the native pathway. Expression of the bisabolene synthase is sufficient to complete the biosynthetic pathway of bisabolene. Expression of a farnesyl-pyrophosphate synthase from Escherichia coli did not influence production of bisabolene, while enhancement of the MEP pathway via additional overexpression of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXS) and IPP/DMAPP isomerase (IDI) significantly increased production per cell. However, in the absence of a carbon sink, the overexpression of DXS and IDI leads to significant growth impairment. The final engineered strain reached a volumetric titre of 9 mg L−1 culture of bisabolene after growing for 12 days. When the cultures were grown in a high cell density (HCD) system, we observed an increase in the volumetric titres by one order of magnitude for all producing-strains. The strain with improved MEP pathway presented an increase twice as much as the remaining engineered strains, yielding more than 180 mg L−1 culture after 10 days of cultivation. Furthermore, the overexpression of these two MEP enzymes prevented the previously reported decrease in the bisabolene specific titres when grown in HCD conditions, where primary metabolism is usually favoured. We conclude that fine-tuning of the cyanobacterial terpenoid pathway is crucial for the generation of microbial platforms for terpenoid production on industrial-scale. Overexpressing two bottleneck enzymes from MEP pathway doubles bisabolene titres. Enhancing MEP pathway in the absence of a proper carbon sink compromised growth. Growth of bisabolene-producing strains in HDC system increased titres by 10-fold. Improving MEP pathway prevents decrease in specific titres of cells grown in HDC. The best producing strain reached 180 mg L−1 bisabolene after 10 days growth in HDC.
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Affiliation(s)
- João S Rodrigues
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Pia Lindberg
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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13
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Metabolic Engineering and Synthetic Biology of Cyanobacteria for Carbon Capture and Utilization. BIOTECHNOL BIOPROC E 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s12257-019-0447-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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14
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Shaw C, Brooke C, Hawley E, Connolly MP, Garcia JA, Harmon-Smith M, Shapiro N, Barton M, Tringe SG, Glavina del Rio T, Culley DE, Castenholz R, Hess M. Phototrophic Co-cultures From Extreme Environments: Community Structure and Potential Value for Fundamental and Applied Research. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:572131. [PMID: 33240229 PMCID: PMC7677454 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.572131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are found in most illuminated environments and are key players in global carbon and nitrogen cycling. Although significant efforts have been made to advance our understanding of this important phylum, still little is known about how members of the cyanobacteria affect and respond to changes in complex biological systems. This lack of knowledge is in part due to our dependence on pure cultures when determining the metabolism and function of a microorganism. We took advantage of the Culture Collection of Microorganisms from Extreme Environments (CCMEE), a collection of more than 1,000 publicly available photosynthetic co-cultures maintained at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and assessed via 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing if samples readily available from public culture collection could be used in the future to generate new insights into the role of microbial communities in global and local carbon and nitrogen cycling. Results from this work support the existing notion that culture depositories in general hold the potential to advance fundamental and applied research. Although it remains to be seen if co-cultures can be used at large scale to infer roles of individual organisms, samples that are publicly available from existing co-cultures depositories, such as the CCMEE, might be an economical starting point for such studies. Access to archived biological samples, without the need for costly field work, might in some circumstances be one of the few remaining ways to advance the field and to generate new insights into the biology of ecosystems that are not easily accessible. The current COVID-19 pandemic, which makes sampling expeditions almost impossible without putting the health of the participating scientists on the line, is a very timely example.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Shaw
- Systems Microbiology and Natural Products Laboratory, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Charles Brooke
- Systems Microbiology and Natural Products Laboratory, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | | | - Morgan P. Connolly
- Microbiology Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Javier A. Garcia
- Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | | | - Nicole Shapiro
- Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Michael Barton
- Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Susannah G. Tringe
- Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | | | | | | | - Matthias Hess
- Systems Microbiology and Natural Products Laboratory, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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15
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Ng I, Keskin BB, Tan S. A Critical Review of Genome Editing and Synthetic Biology Applications in Metabolic Engineering of Microalgae and Cyanobacteria. Biotechnol J 2020; 15:e1900228. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.201900228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- I‐Son Ng
- Department of Chemical EngineeringNational Cheng Kung University Tainan 701 Taiwan
| | - Batuhan Birol Keskin
- Department of Chemical EngineeringNational Cheng Kung University Tainan 701 Taiwan
| | - Shih‐I Tan
- Department of Chemical EngineeringNational Cheng Kung University Tainan 701 Taiwan
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16
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Betterle N, Hidalgo Martinez D, Melis A. Cyanobacterial Production of Biopharmaceutical and Biotherapeutic Proteins. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:237. [PMID: 32194609 PMCID: PMC7062967 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Efforts to express human therapeutic proteins in photosynthetic organisms have been described in the literature. Regarding microalgae, most of the research entailed a heterologous transformation of the chloroplast, but transformant cells failed to accumulate the desired recombinant proteins in high quantity. The present work provides methods and DNA construct formulations for over-expressing in photosynthetic cyanobacteria, at the protein level, human-origin bio-pharmaceutical and bio-therapeutic proteins. Proof-of-concept evidence is provided for the design and reduction to practice of "fusion constructs as protein overexpression vectors" for the generation of the bio-therapeutic protein interferon alpha-2 (IFN). IFN is a member of the Type I interferon cytokine family, well-known for its antiviral and anti-proliferative functions. Fusion construct formulations enabled accumulation of IFN up to 12% of total cellular protein in soluble form. In addition, the work reports on the isolation and purification of the fusion IFN protein and preliminary verification of its antiviral activity. Combining the expression and purification protocols developed here, it is possible to produce fairly large quantities of interferon in these photosynthetic microorganisms, generated from sunlight, CO2, and H2O.
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17
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Mavroudakis L, Valsami EA, Grafanaki S, Andreadaki TP, Ghanotakis DF, Pergantis SA. The effect of nitrogen starvation on membrane lipids of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 investigated by using easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2019; 1861:183027. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2019.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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18
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Moser S, Pichler H. Identifying and engineering the ideal microbial terpenoid production host. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:5501-5516. [PMID: 31129740 PMCID: PMC6597603 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-09892-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
More than 70,000 different terpenoid structures are known so far; many of them offer highly interesting applications as pharmaceuticals, flavors and fragrances, or biofuels. Extraction of these compounds from their natural sources or chemical synthesis is—in many cases—technically challenging with low or moderate yields while wasting valuable resources. Microbial production of terpenoids offers a sustainable and environment-friendly alternative starting from simple carbon sources and, frequently, safeguards high product specificity. Here, we provide an overview on employing recombinant bacteria and yeasts for heterologous de novo production of terpenoids. Currently, Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are the two best-established production hosts for terpenoids. An increasing number of studies have been successful in engineering alternative microorganisms for terpenoid biosynthesis, which we intend to highlight in this review. Moreover, we discuss the specific engineering challenges as well as recent advances for microbial production of different classes of terpenoids. Rationalizing the current stages of development for different terpenoid production hosts as well as future prospects shall provide a valuable decision basis for the selection and engineering of the cell factory(ies) for industrial production of terpenoid target molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Moser
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib GmbH), Petersgasse 14, 8010, Graz, Austria
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, NAWI Graz, BioTechMed Graz, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 14/2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Harald Pichler
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib GmbH), Petersgasse 14, 8010, Graz, Austria.
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, NAWI Graz, BioTechMed Graz, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 14/2, 8010, Graz, Austria.
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19
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Betterle N, Melis A. Photosynthetic generation of heterologous terpenoids in cyanobacteria. Biotechnol Bioeng 2019; 116:2041-2051. [DOI: 10.1002/bit.26988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nico Betterle
- Department of Plant and Microbial BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeley California
| | - Anastasios Melis
- Department of Plant and Microbial BiologyUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeley California
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20
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Stepwise increase in the production of 13R-manoyl oxide through metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biochem Eng J 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2019.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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21
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Chen H, Li T, Wang Q. Ten years of algal biofuel and bioproducts: gains and pains. PLANTA 2019; 249:195-219. [PMID: 30603791 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-018-3066-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
It has been proposed that future efforts should focus on basic studies, biotechnology studies and synthetic biology studies related to algal biofuels and various high-value bioproducts for the economically viable production of algal biof uels. In recognition of diminishing fossil fuel reserves and the worsening environment, microalgal biofuel has been proposed as a renewable energy source with great potential. Algal biofuel thus became one of the hottest topics in renewable energy research in the new century, especially over the past decade. Between 2007 and 2017, research related to microalgal biofuels experienced a dramatic, three-stage development, rising, growing exponentially, and then declining rapidly due to overheating of the subject. However, biofuel-driven algal biotechnology and bioproducts research has been thriving since 2010. To clarify the gains (and pains) of the past decade and detail prospects for the future, this review summarizes the extensive scientific progress and substantial technical advances in algal biofuel over the past decade, covering basic biology, applied research, as well as the production of value-added natural products. Even after 10 years of hard work and billions of dollars in investments, its unacceptably high cost remains the ultimate bottleneck for the industrialization of algal biofuel. To maximize the total research benefits, both economically and socially, it has been proposed that future efforts should focus on basic studies to characterize oilgae, on biotechnology studies into various high-value bioproducts. Moreover, the development of synthetic biology provides new possibilities for the economically viable production of biofuels via the directional manufacture of microalgal bioproducts in algal cell factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Chen
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 South Donghu Rd., Wuhan, 430072, Hubei Province, China
- Donghu Experimental Station of Lake Ecosystems, State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology of China, Institute of Hydrobiology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China
| | - Tianpei Li
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 South Donghu Rd., Wuhan, 430072, Hubei Province, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 South Donghu Rd., Wuhan, 430072, Hubei Province, China.
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China.
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22
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Ko SC, Lee HJ, Choi SY, Choi JI, Woo HM. Bio-solar cell factories for photosynthetic isoprenoids production. PLANTA 2019; 249:181-193. [PMID: 30078076 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-018-2969-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthetic production of isoprenoids in cyanobacteria is considered in terms of metabolic engineering and biological importance. Metabolic engineering of photosynthetic bacteria (cyanobacteria) has been performed to construct bio-solar cell factories that convert carbon dioxide to various value-added chemicals. Isoprenoids, which are found in nature and range from essential cell components to defensive molecules, have great value in cosmetics, pharmaceutics, and biofuels. In this review, we summarize the recent engineering of cyanobacteria for photosynthetic isoprenoids production as well as carbon molar basis comparisons with heterotrophic isoprenoids production in engineered Escherichia coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Cheon Ko
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jeong Lee
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Young Choi
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Il Choi
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Chonnam National University, 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Han Min Woo
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.
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23
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Lin PC, Pakrasi HB. Engineering cyanobacteria for production of terpenoids. PLANTA 2019; 249:145-154. [PMID: 30465115 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-018-3047-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
This review summarizes recent advances in cyanobacterial terpenoid production. The challenges and opportunities of improving terpenoid production by cyanobacteria are discussed. Terpenoids are a diverse group of natural products with a variety of commercial applications. With recent advances in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, microbial terpenoid synthesis is being viewed as a feasible approach for industrial production. Among different microbial hosts, cyanobacteria have the potential of sustainable production of terpenoids using light and CO2. Terpene synthases and the precursor pathways have been expressed in cyanobacteria for enhanced production of various terpene hydrocarbons, including isoprene, limonene, β-phellandrene, and farnesene. However, the productivities need to be further improved for commercial production. Many barriers remain to be overcome in order to efficiently convert CO2 to terpenoids. In this review, we will summarize recent efforts on photosynthetic production of terpenoids and discuss the challenges and opportunities of engineering cyanobacteria for terpenoid bioproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Cheng Lin
- Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Himadri B Pakrasi
- Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA.
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA.
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24
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Tetali SD. Terpenes and isoprenoids: a wealth of compounds for global use. PLANTA 2019; 249:1-8. [PMID: 30467631 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-018-3056-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/17/2018] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Role of terpenes and isoprenoids has been pivotal in the survival and evolution of higher plants in various ecoregions. These products find application in the pharmaceutical, flavor fragrance, and biofuel industries. Fitness of plants in a wide range of environmental conditions entailed (i) evolution of secondary metabolic pathways enabling utilization of photosynthate for the synthesis of a variety of biomolecules, thereby facilitating diverse eco-interactive functions, and (ii) evolution of structural features for the sequestration of such compounds away from the mainstream primary metabolism to prevent autotoxicity. This review summarizes features and applications of terpene and isoprenoid compounds, comprising the largest class of secondary metabolites. Many of these terpene and isoprenoid biomolecules happen to be high-value bioproducts. They are essential components of all living organisms that are chemically highly variant. They are constituents of primary (quinones, chlorophylls, carotenoids, steroids) as well as secondary metabolism compounds with roles in signal transduction, reproduction, communication, climatic acclimation, defense mechanisms and more. They comprise single to several hundreds of repetitive five-carbon units of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and its isomer dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP). In plants, there are two pathways that lead to the synthesis of terpene and isoprenoid precursors, the cytosolic mevalonic acid (MVA) pathway and the plastidic methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway. The diversity of terpenoids can be attributed to differential enzyme and substrate specificities and to secondary modifications acquired by terpene synthases. The biological role of secondary metabolites has been recognized as pivotal in the survival and evolution of higher plants. Terpenes and isoprenoids find application in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, synthetic chemistry, flavor fragrance, and possibly biofuel industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarada D Tetali
- Department of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, C. R. Prof. CR Rao Rd., CUC, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, 500046, Telangana, India.
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25
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Vavitsas K, Fabris M, Vickers CE. Terpenoid Metabolic Engineering in Photosynthetic Microorganisms. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:E520. [PMID: 30360565 PMCID: PMC6266707 DOI: 10.3390/genes9110520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Revised: 10/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Terpenoids are a group of natural products that have a variety of roles, both essential and non-essential, in metabolism and in biotic and abiotic interactions, as well as commercial applications such as pharmaceuticals, food additives, and chemical feedstocks. Economic viability for commercial applications is commonly not achievable by using natural source organisms or chemical synthesis. Engineered bio-production in suitable heterologous hosts is often required to achieve commercial viability. However, our poor understanding of regulatory mechanisms and other biochemical processes makes obtaining efficient conversion yields from feedstocks challenging. Moreover, production from carbon dioxide via photosynthesis would significantly increase the environmental and potentially the economic credentials of these processes by disintermediating biomass feedstocks. In this paper, we briefly review terpenoid metabolism, outline some recent advances in terpenoid metabolic engineering, and discuss why photosynthetic unicellular organisms-such as algae and cyanobacteria-might be preferred production platforms for the expression of some of the more challenging terpenoid pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Vavitsas
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
- CSIRO Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, GPO Box 2583, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
| | - Michele Fabris
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
- CSIRO Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, GPO Box 2583, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
| | - Claudia E Vickers
- Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
- CSIRO Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, GPO Box 2583, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
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26
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Formighieri C, Melis A. Cyanobacterial production of plant essential oils. PLANTA 2018; 248:933-946. [PMID: 29974209 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-018-2948-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Synechocystis (a cyanobacterium) was employed as an alternative host for the production of plant essential oil constituents. β-Phellandrene synthase (PHLS) genes from different plants, when expressed in Synechocystis, enabled synthesis of variable monoterpene hydrocarbon blends, converting Synechocystis into a cell factory that photosynthesized and released useful products. Monoterpene synthases are secondary metabolism enzymes that catalyze the generation of essential oil constituents in terrestrial plants. Essential oils, including monoterpene hydrocarbons, are of interest for their commercial application and value. Therefore, heterologous expression of monoterpene synthases for high-capacity essential oil production in photosynthetic microorganism transformants is of current interest. In the present work, the cyanobacterium Synechocystsis PCC 6803 was employed as an alternative host for the production of plant essential oil constituents. As a case study, β-phellandrene synthase (PHLS) genes from different plants were heterologously expressed in Synechocystis. Genomic integration of individual PHLS-encoding sequences endowed Synechocystis with constitutive monoterpene hydrocarbons generation, occurring concomitant with photosynthesis and cell growth. Specifically, the β-phellandrene synthase from Lavandula angustifolia (lavender), Solanum lycopersicum (tomato), Pinus banksiana (pine), Picea sitchensis (Sitka spruce) and Abies grandis (grand fir) were active in Synechocystis transformants but, instead of a single product, they generated a blend of terpene hydrocarbons comprising β-phellandrene, α-phellandrene, β-myrcene, β-pinene, and δ-carene with variable percentage ratios ranging from < 10 to > 90% in different product combinations and proportions. Our results suggested that PHLS enzyme conformation and function depends on the cytosolic environment in which they reside, with the biochemical properties of the latter causing catalytic deviations from the products naturally observed in the corresponding gene-encoding plants, giving rise to the terpene hydrocarbon blends described in this work. These findings may have commercial application in the generation of designer essential oil blends and will further assist the development of heterologous cyanobacterial platforms for the generation of desired monoterpene hydrocarbon products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Formighieri
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3102, USA
| | - Anastasios Melis
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3102, USA.
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27
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Betterle N, Melis A. Heterologous Leader Sequences in Fusion Constructs Enhance Expression of Geranyl Diphosphate Synthase and Yield of β-Phellandrene Production in Cyanobacteria ( Synechocystis). ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:912-921. [PMID: 29397685 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Fusion constructs as protein overexpression vectors proved to be critical in the heterologous expression of terpene synthases in cyanobacteria. The concept was recently applied to the heterologous overexpression of the β-phellandrene synthase (β- PHLS) from plants, fused to the highly expressed endogenous cpcB gene encoding the β-subunit of phycocyanin. Overexpressed CpcB*PHLS fusion proteins enhanced the heterologous yield of C10H16 β-phellandrene hydrocarbons production in Synechocystis. This work extended the concept of fusion constructs as protein overexpression vectors by showing that highly expressed heterologous genes could also serve as leader sequences for protein overexpression in cyanobacteria. Examined are the kanamycin nptI and chloramphenicol cmR resistance cassettes, both of which are overexpressed in Synechocystis. Evidence showed a dual purpose of the nptI gene, as a leader sequence fused to a heterologous geranyl-diphosphate synthase ( GPPS), promoting its expression, while at the same time serving as a selectable marker for the screening of transformants. The work further showed that enhanced GPPS expression increased the yield of β-phellandrene in Synechocystis transformants harboring the β- PHLS gene. Moreover, the research evaluated the expression efficacy of a DNA fragment comprising 87 nucleotides from the 5' end of the cmR gene in fusion with the GPPS gene. This short fusion construct substantially increased the intracellular geranyl-diphosphate synthase level, suggesting that "short-stretch" cmR leader sequences can be used to drive a higher expression level of heterologous biosynthetic genes, while avoiding undesirable internal recombinations, as these sequences are shorter than the threshold of 200 bp, commonly assumed to be the threshold of high efficiency recombinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico Betterle
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
| | - Anastasios Melis
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
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28
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Tailoring cyanobacterial cell factory for improved industrial properties. Biotechnol Adv 2018; 36:430-442. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Revised: 01/07/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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29
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Stensjö K, Vavitsas K, Tyystjärvi T. Harnessing transcription for bioproduction in cyanobacteria. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2018; 162:148-155. [PMID: 28762505 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.12606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Revised: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Sustainable production of biofuels and other valuable compounds is one of our future challenges. One tempting possibility is to use photosynthetic cyanobacteria as production factories. Currently, tools for genetic engineering of cyanobacteria are not good enough to exploit the full potential of cyanobacteria. A wide variety of expression systems will be required to adjust both the expression of heterologous enzyme(s) and metabolic routes to the best possible balance, allowing the optimal production of a particular substance. In bacteria, transcription, especially the initiation of transcription, has a central role in adjusting gene expression and thus also metabolic fluxes of cells according to environmental cues. Here we summarize the recent progress in developing tools for efficient cyanofactories, focusing especially on transcriptional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Stensjö
- Department of Chemistry-Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Box 523, 75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Konstantinos Vavitsas
- Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Taina Tyystjärvi
- Molecular Plant Biology, Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
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30
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Loeschcke A, Dienst D, Wewer V, Hage-Hülsmann J, Dietsch M, Kranz-Finger S, Hüren V, Metzger S, Urlacher VB, Gigolashvili T, Kopriva S, Axmann IM, Drepper T, Jaeger KE. The photosynthetic bacteria Rhodobacter capsulatus and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 as new hosts for cyclic plant triterpene biosynthesis. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0189816. [PMID: 29281679 PMCID: PMC5744966 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclic triterpenes constitute one of the most diverse groups of plant natural products. Besides the intriguing biochemistry of their biosynthetic pathways, plant triterpenes exhibit versatile bioactivities, including antimicrobial effects against plant and human pathogens. While prokaryotes have been extensively used for the heterologous production of other classes of terpenes, the synthesis of cyclic triterpenes, which inherently includes the two-step catalytic formation of the universal linear precursor 2,3-oxidosqualene, is still a major challenge. We thus explored the suitability of the metabolically versatile photosynthetic α-proteobacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus SB1003 and cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 as alternative hosts for biosynthesis of cyclic plant triterpenes. Therefore, 2,3-oxidosqualene production was implemented and subsequently combined with different cyclization reactions catalyzed by the representative oxidosqualene cyclases CAS1 (cycloartenol synthase), LUP1 (lupeol synthase), THAS1 (thalianol synthase) and MRN1 (marneral synthase) derived from model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. While successful accumulation of 2,3-oxidosqualene could be detected by LC-MS analysis in both hosts, cyclase expression resulted in differential production profiles. CAS1 catalyzed conversion to only cycloartenol, but expression of LUP1 yielded lupeol and a triterpenoid matching an oxidation product of lupeol, in both hosts. In contrast, THAS1 expression did not lead to cyclic product formation in either host, whereas MRN1-dependent production of marnerol and hydroxymarnerol was observed in Synechocystis but not in R. capsulatus. Our findings thus indicate that 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclization in heterologous phototrophic bacteria is basically feasible but efficient conversion depends on both the respective cyclase enzyme and individual host properties. Therefore, photosynthetic α-proteo- and cyanobacteria are promising alternative candidates for providing new bacterial access to the broad class of triterpenes for biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Loeschcke
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
| | - Dennis Dienst
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
- Institute for Synthetic Microbiology, Department of Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Vera Wewer
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
- MS Platform, Department of Biology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jennifer Hage-Hülsmann
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
| | - Maximilian Dietsch
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
- Institute for Synthetic Microbiology, Department of Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sarah Kranz-Finger
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
- Institute of Biochemistry II, Department of Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Vanessa Hüren
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
- Institute for Synthetic Microbiology, Department of Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sabine Metzger
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
- MS Platform, Department of Biology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Vlada B. Urlacher
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
- Institute of Biochemistry II, Department of Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Tamara Gigolashvili
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
- Botanical Institute, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Stanislav Kopriva
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
- Botanical Institute, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ilka M. Axmann
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
- Institute for Synthetic Microbiology, Department of Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- * E-mail: (IMA); (TD)
| | - Thomas Drepper
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
- * E-mail: (IMA); (TD)
| | - Karl-Erich Jaeger
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-1), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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Chaves JE, Rueda-Romero P, Kirst H, Melis A. Engineering Isoprene Synthase Expression and Activity in Cyanobacteria. ACS Synth Biol 2017; 6:2281-2292. [PMID: 28858481 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Efforts to heterologously produce quantities of isoprene hydrocarbons (C5H8) renewably from CO2 and H2O through the photosynthesis of cyanobacteria face barriers, including low levels of recombinant enzyme accumulation compounded by their slow innate catalytic activity. The present work sought to alleviate the "expression level" barrier upon placing the isoprene synthase (IspS) enzyme in different fusion configurations with the cpcB protein, the highly expressed β-subunit of phycocyanin. Different cpcB*IspS fusion constructs were made, distinguished by the absence or presence of linker amino acids between the two proteins. Composition of linker amino acids was variable with lengths of 7, 10, 16, and 65 amino acids designed to test for optimal activity of the IspS through spatial positioning between the cpcB and IspS. Results showed that fusion constructs with the highly expressed cpcB gene, as the leader sequence, improved transgene expression in the range of 61 to 275-fold over what was measured with the unfused IspS control. However, the specific activity of the IspS enzyme was attenuated in all fusion transformants, possibly because of allosteric effects exerted by the leader cpcB fusion protein. This inhibition varied depending on the nature of the linker amino acids between the cpcB and IspS proteins. In terms of isoprene production, the results further showed a trade-off between specific activity and transgenic enzyme accumulation. For example, the cpcB*L7*IspS strain showed only about 10% the isoprene synthase specific-activity of the unfused cpcB-IspS control, but it accumulated 254-fold more IspS enzyme. The latter more than countered the slower specific activity and made the cpcB*L7*IspS transformant the best isoprene producing strain in this work. Isoprene to biomass yield ratios improved from 0.2 mg g-1 in the unfused cpcB-IspS control to 5.4 mg g-1 in the cpcB*L7*IspS strain, a 27-fold improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie E. Chaves
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
| | - Paloma Rueda-Romero
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
| | - Henning Kirst
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
| | - Anastasios Melis
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, United States
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32
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Karuppiah V, Ranaghan KE, Leferink NGH, Johannissen LO, Shanmugam M, Ní Cheallaigh A, Bennett NJ, Kearsey LJ, Takano E, Gardiner JM, van der Kamp MW, Hay S, Mulholland AJ, Leys D, Scrutton NS. Structural Basis of Catalysis in the Bacterial Monoterpene Synthases Linalool Synthase and 1,8-Cineole Synthase. ACS Catal 2017; 7:6268-6282. [PMID: 28966840 PMCID: PMC5617326 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.7b01924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Revised: 08/04/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Terpenoids form the largest and stereochemically most diverse class of natural products, and there is considerable interest in producing these by biocatalysis with whole cells or purified enzymes, and by metabolic engineering. The monoterpenes are an important class of terpenes and are industrially important as flavors and fragrances. We report here structures for the recently discovered Streptomyces clavuligerus monoterpene synthases linalool synthase (bLinS) and 1,8-cineole synthase (bCinS), and we show that these are active biocatalysts for monoterpene production using biocatalysis and metabolic engineering platforms. In metabolically engineered monoterpene-producing E. coli strains, use of bLinS leads to 300-fold higher linalool production compared with the corresponding plant monoterpene synthase. With bCinS, 1,8-cineole is produced with 96% purity compared to 67% from plant species. Structures of bLinS and bCinS, and their complexes with fluorinated substrate analogues, show that these bacterial monoterpene synthases are similar to previously characterized sesquiterpene synthases. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that these monoterpene synthases do not undergo large-scale conformational changes during the reaction cycle, making them attractive targets for structured-based protein engineering to expand the catalytic scope of these enzymes toward alternative monoterpene scaffolds. Comparison of the bLinS and bCinS structures indicates how their active sites steer reactive carbocation intermediates to the desired acyclic linalool (bLinS) or bicyclic 1,8-cineole (bCinS) products. The work reported here provides the analysis of structures for this important class of monoterpene synthase. This should now guide exploitation of the bacterial enzymes as gateway biocatalysts for the production of other monoterpenes and monoterpenoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijaykumar Karuppiah
- BBSRC/EPSRC
Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Specialty
Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K.
| | - Kara E. Ranaghan
- Centre
for Computational Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.
| | - Nicole G. H. Leferink
- BBSRC/EPSRC
Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Specialty
Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K.
| | - Linus O. Johannissen
- BBSRC/EPSRC
Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Specialty
Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K.
| | - Muralidharan Shanmugam
- BBSRC/EPSRC
Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Specialty
Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K.
| | - Aisling Ní Cheallaigh
- BBSRC/EPSRC
Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Specialty
Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K.
| | - Nathan J. Bennett
- BBSRC/EPSRC
Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Specialty
Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K.
| | - Lewis J. Kearsey
- BBSRC/EPSRC
Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Specialty
Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K.
| | - Eriko Takano
- BBSRC/EPSRC
Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Specialty
Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K.
| | - John M. Gardiner
- BBSRC/EPSRC
Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Specialty
Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K.
| | - Marc W. van der Kamp
- Centre
for Computational Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.
| | - Sam Hay
- BBSRC/EPSRC
Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Specialty
Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K.
| | - Adrian J. Mulholland
- Centre
for Computational Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, U.K.
| | - David Leys
- BBSRC/EPSRC
Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Specialty
Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K.
| | - Nigel S. Scrutton
- BBSRC/EPSRC
Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre for Fine and Specialty
Chemicals (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K.
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33
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Choi SY, Wang JY, Kwak HS, Lee SM, Um Y, Kim Y, Sim SJ, Choi JI, Woo HM. Improvement of Squalene Production from CO 2 in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 by Metabolic Engineering and Scalable Production in a Photobioreactor. ACS Synth Biol 2017; 6:1289-1295. [PMID: 28365988 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The push-and-pull strategy for metabolic engineering was successfully demonstrated in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, a model photosynthetic bacterium, to produce squalene from CO2. Squalene synthase (SQS) was fused to either a key enzyme (farnesyl diphosphate synthase) of the methylerythritol phosphate pathway or the β-subunit of phycocyanin (CpcB1). Engineered cyanobacteria with expression of a fusion CpcB1-SQS protein showed a squalene production level (7.16 ± 0.05 mg/L/OD730) that was increased by 1.8-fold compared to that of the control strain expressing SQS alone. To increase squalene production further, the gene dosage for CpcB1·SQS protein expression was increased and the fusion protein was expressed under a strong promoter, yielding 11.98 ± 0.49 mg/L/OD730 of squalene, representing a 3.1-fold increase compared to the control. Subsequently, the best squalene producer was cultivated in a scalable photobioreactor (6 L) with light optimization, which produced 7.08 ± 0.5 mg/L/OD730 squalene (equivalent to 79.2 mg per g dry cell weight). Further optimization for photobioprocessing and strain development will promote the construction of a solar-to-chemical platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sun Young Choi
- Clean
Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Young Wang
- Clean
Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Sun-Mi Lee
- Clean
Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Youngsoon Um
- Clean
Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Yunje Kim
- Clean
Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Jong-il Choi
- Department
of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Chonnam National University, 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Han Min Woo
- Department
of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066
Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
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Woo HM. Solar-to-chemical and solar-to-fuel production from CO 2 by metabolically engineered microorganisms. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2017; 45:1-7. [PMID: 28088091 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2016.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2016] [Revised: 11/16/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Recent development of carbon capture utilization (CCU) for reduction of greenhouse gas emission are reviewed. In the case of CO2 utilization, I describe development of solar-to-chemical and solar-to-fuel technology that refers to the use of solar energy to convert CO2 to desired chemicals and fuels. Photoautotrophic cyanobacterial platforms have been extensively developed on this principle, producing a diverse range of alcohols, organic acids, and isoprenoids directly from CO2. Recent breakthroughs in the metabolic engineering of cyanobacteria were reviewed. In addition, adoption of the light harvesting mechanisms from nature, photovoltaics-derived water splitting technologies have recently been integrated with microbial biotechnology to produce desired chemicals. Studies on the integration of electrode material with next-generation microbes are showcased for alternative solar-to-chemical and solar-to-fuel platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Min Woo
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
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35
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Heterologous synthesis of geranyllinalool, a diterpenol plant product, in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2017; 101:2791-2800. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-016-8081-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/18/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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36
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Xie M, Wang W, Zhang W, Chen L, Lu X. Versatility of hydrocarbon production in cyanobacteria. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2016; 101:905-919. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-016-8064-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2016] [Revised: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/10/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Chaves JE, Romero PR, Kirst H, Melis A. Role of isopentenyl-diphosphate isomerase in heterologous cyanobacterial (Synechocystis) isoprene production. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2016; 130:517-527. [PMID: 27412351 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-016-0293-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Accepted: 07/05/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Heterologous production of isoprene (C5H8) hydrocarbons in cyanobacteria, emanating from sunlight, CO2, and water, is now attracting increasing attention. The concept entails application of an isoprene synthase transgene from terrestrial plants, heterologously expressed in cyanobacteria, aiming to reprogram carbon flux in the terpenoid biosynthetic pathway toward formation and spontaneous release of this volatile chemical from the cell and liquid culture. However, flux manipulations and carbon-partitioning reactions between isoprene (the product) and native terpenoid biosynthesis for cellular needs are not yet optimized for isoprene yield. The primary reactant for isoprene biosynthesis is dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), whereas both DMAPP and its isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) isomer are needed for cellular terpenoid biosynthesis. The present work addressed the function of an isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) isomerase in cyanobacteria and its role in carbon partitioning between IPP and DMAPP, both of which serve, in variable ratios, as reactants for the synthesis of different cellular terpenoids. The work was approached upon the heterologous expression in Synechocystis of the "isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase" gene (FNI) from Streptococcus pneumoniae, using isoprene production as a "reporter process" for substrate partitioning between DMAPP and IPP. It is shown that transgenic expression of the FNI gene in Synechocystis resulted in a 250 % increase in the "reporter isoprene" rate and yield, suggesting that the FNI isomerase shifted the endogenous DMAPP-IPP steady-state pool size toward DMAPP, thereby enhancing rates and yield of isoprene production. The work provides insight into the significance and functional role of the IPP isomerase in these photosynthetic microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie E Chaves
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, 111 Koshland Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3102, USA
| | - Paloma Rueda Romero
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, 111 Koshland Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3102, USA
| | - Henning Kirst
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, 111 Koshland Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3102, USA
| | - Anastasios Melis
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, 111 Koshland Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3102, USA.
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Al-Haj L, Lui YT, Abed RMM, Gomaa MA, Purton S. Cyanobacteria as Chassis for Industrial Biotechnology: Progress and Prospects. Life (Basel) 2016; 6:life6040042. [PMID: 27916886 PMCID: PMC5198077 DOI: 10.3390/life6040042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Revised: 11/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria hold significant potential as industrial biotechnology (IB) platforms for the production of a wide variety of bio-products ranging from biofuels such as hydrogen, alcohols and isoprenoids, to high-value bioactive and recombinant proteins. Underpinning this technology, are the recent advances in cyanobacterial “omics” research, the development of improved genetic engineering tools for key species, and the emerging field of cyanobacterial synthetic biology. These approaches enabled the development of elaborate metabolic engineering programs aimed at creating designer strains tailored for different IB applications. In this review, we provide an overview of the current status of the fields of cyanobacterial omics and genetic engineering with specific focus on the current molecular tools and technologies that have been developed in the past five years. The paper concludes by giving insights on future commercial applications of cyanobacteria and highlights the challenges that need to be addressed in order to make cyanobacterial industrial biotechnology more feasible in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lamya Al-Haj
- Biology Department, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud, P.O. Box 36, Muscat 123, Oman.
| | - Yuen Tin Lui
- Institute of Structural & Molecular Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Raeid M M Abed
- Biology Department, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud, P.O. Box 36, Muscat 123, Oman.
| | - Mohamed A Gomaa
- Biology Department, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud, P.O. Box 36, Muscat 123, Oman.
| | - Saul Purton
- Institute of Structural & Molecular Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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Choi SY, Lee HJ, Choi J, Kim J, Sim SJ, Um Y, Kim Y, Lee TS, Keasling JD, Woo HM. Photosynthetic conversion of CO2 to farnesyl diphosphate-derived phytochemicals (amorpha-4,11-diene and squalene) by engineered cyanobacteria. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2016; 9:202. [PMID: 27688805 PMCID: PMC5034544 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-016-0617-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 09/16/2016] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Metabolic engineering of cyanobacteria has enabled photosynthetic conversion of CO2 to value-added chemicals as bio-solar cell factories. However, the production levels of isoprenoids in engineered cyanobacteria were quite low, compared to other microbial hosts. Therefore, modular optimization of multiple gene expressions for metabolic engineering of cyanobacteria is required for the production of farnesyl diphosphate-derived isoprenoids from CO2. RESULTS Here, we engineered Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 with modular metabolic pathways consisting of the methylerythritol phosphate pathway enzymes and the amorphadiene synthase for production of amorpha-4,11-diene, resulting in significantly increased levels (23-fold) of amorpha-4,11-diene (19.8 mg/L) in the best strain relative to a parental strain. Replacing amorphadiene synthase with squalene synthase led to the synthesis of a high amount of squalene (4.98 mg/L/OD730). Overexpression of farnesyl diphosphate synthase is the most critical factor for the significant production, whereas overexpression of 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate reductase is detrimental to the cell growth and the production. Additionally, the cyanobacterial growth inhibition was alleviated by expressing a terpene synthase in S. elongatus PCC 7942 strain with the optimized MEP pathway only (SeHL33). CONCLUSIONS This is the first demonstration of photosynthetic production of amorpha-4,11-diene from CO2 in cyanobacteria and production of squalene in S. elongatus PCC 7942. Our optimized modular OverMEP strain (SeHL33) with either co-expression of ADS or SQS demonstrated the highest production levels of amorpha-4,11-diene and squalene, which could expand the list of farnesyl diphosphate-derived isoprenoids from CO2 as bio-solar cell factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sun Young Choi
- Clean Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792 Republic of Korea
- Green School (Graduate School of Energy and Environment), Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841 Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jeong Lee
- Clean Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792 Republic of Korea
| | - Jaeyeon Choi
- Clean Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792 Republic of Korea
| | - Jiye Kim
- Clean Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792 Republic of Korea
- Department of Chemistry, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841 Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Jun Sim
- Green School (Graduate School of Energy and Environment), Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841 Republic of Korea
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841 Republic of Korea
| | - Youngsoon Um
- Clean Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792 Republic of Korea
| | - Yunje Kim
- Clean Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792 Republic of Korea
| | - Taek Soon Lee
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, 5885 Hollis Street, Emeryville, CA 94608 USA
- Biological Systems & Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Jay D. Keasling
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, 5885 Hollis Street, Emeryville, CA 94608 USA
- Biological Systems & Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Han Min Woo
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, 16419 Republic of Korea
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