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Yang B, Li C, Ren Y, Wang W, Zhang X, Han X. Construction of the Glycolysis Metabolic Pathway Inside an Artificial Cell for the Synthesis of Amino Acid and Its Reversible Deformation. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:21847-21858. [PMID: 39042264 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c06227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
The bottom-up construction of artificial cells is beneficial for understanding cell working mechanisms. The glycolysis metabolism mimicry inside artificial cells is challenging. Herein, the glycolytic pathway (Entner-Doudoroff pathway in archaea) is reconstituted inside artificial cells. The glycolytic pathway comprising glucose dehydrogenase (GDH), gluconate dehydratase (GAD), and 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate aldolase (KDGA) converts glucose molecules to pyruvate molecules. Inside artificial cells, pyruvate molecules are further converted into alanine with the help of alanine dehydrogenase (AlaDH) to build a metabolic pathway for synthesizing amino acid. On the other hand, the pyruvate molecules from glycolysis stimulate the living mitochondria to produce ATP inside artificial cells, which further trigger actin monomers to polymerize to form actin filaments. With the addition of methylcellulose inside the artificial cell, the actin filaments form adjacent to the inner lipid bilayer, deforming the artificial cell from a spherical shape to a spindle shape. The spindle-shaped artificial cell reverses to a spherical shape by depolymerizing the actin filament upon laser irradiation. The glycolytic pathway and its further extension to produce amino acids (or ATP) inside artificial cells pave the path to build functional artificial cells with more complicated metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boyu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Da-Zhi Street, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Chao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Da-Zhi Street, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Yongshuo Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Da-Zhi Street, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Weichen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Da-Zhi Street, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Xiangxiang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Da-Zhi Street, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Xiaojun Han
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Da-Zhi Street, Harbin 150001, China
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2
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Rork AM, Bala AS, Renner T. Dynamic evolution of the mTHF gene family associated with primary metabolism across life. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:432. [PMID: 38693486 PMCID: PMC11064299 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10159-8] [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: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The folate cycle of one-carbon (C1) metabolism, which plays a central role in the biosynthesis of nucleotides and amino acids, demonstrates the significance of metabolic adaptation. We investigated the evolutionary history of the methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (mTHF) gene family, one of the main drivers of the folate cycle, across life. RESULTS Through comparative genomic and phylogenetic analyses, we found that several lineages of Archaea lacked domains vital for folate cycle function such as the mTHF catalytic and NAD(P)-binding domains of FolD. Within eukaryotes, the mTHF gene family diversified rapidly. For example, several duplications have been observed in lineages including the Amoebozoa, Opisthokonta, and Viridiplantae. In a common ancestor of Opisthokonta, FolD and FTHFS underwent fusion giving rise to the gene MTHFD1, possessing the domains of both genes. CONCLUSIONS Our evolutionary reconstruction of the mTHF gene family associated with a primary metabolic pathway reveals dynamic evolution, including gene birth-and-death, gene fusion, and potential horizontal gene transfer events and/or amino acid convergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam M Rork
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA.
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, USA.
| | - Arthi S Bala
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 20007, USA
- School of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 20007, USA
| | - Tanya Renner
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA.
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3
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Ortjohann M, Schönheit P. Identification and characterization of a novel type of ketohexokinase from the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2024; 371:fnae026. [PMID: 38587824 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnae026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Ketohexokinase (KHK) catalyzes the ATP-dependent phosphorylation of fructose, forming fructose-1-phosphate and ADP. The enzyme is well studied in Eukarya, in particular in humans and other vertebrates, but homologs have not been identified in Bacteria and Archaea. Here we report the identification of a novel type of KHK from the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii (HvKHK). The encoding gene khk was identified as HVO_1812. The gene was expressed as a 90-kDa homodimeric protein, catalyzing the phosphorylation of fructose with a Vmax value of 59 U/mg and apparent KM values for ATP and fructose of 0.47 and 1.29 mM, respectively. Homologs of HvKHK were only identified in a few haloarchaea and halophilic Bacteria. The protein showed low sequence identity to characterized KHKs from Eukarya and phylogenetic analyses indicate that haloarchaeal KHKs are largely separated from eukaryal KHKs. This is the first report of the identification of KHKs in prokaryotes that form a novel cluster of sugar kinases within the ribokinase/pfkB superfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Ortjohann
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Peter Schönheit
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
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Mrnjavac N, Wimmer JLE, Brabender M, Schwander L, Martin WF. The Moon-Forming Impact and the Autotrophic Origin of Life. Chempluschem 2023; 88:e202300270. [PMID: 37812146 PMCID: PMC7615287 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202300270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
The Moon-forming impact vaporized part of Earth's mantle, and turned the rest into a magma ocean, from which carbon dioxide degassed into the atmosphere, where it stayed until water rained out to form the oceans. The rain dissolved CO2 and made it available to react with transition metal catalysts in the Earth's crust so as to ultimately generate the organic compounds that form the backbone of microbial metabolism. The Moon-forming impact was key in building a planet with the capacity to generate life in that it converted carbon on Earth into a homogeneous and accessible substrate for organic synthesis. Today all ecosystems, without exception, depend upon primary producers, organisms that fix CO2 . According to theories of autotrophic origin, it has always been that way, because autotrophic theories posit that the first forms of life generated all the molecules needed to build a cell from CO2 , forging a direct line of continuity between Earth's initial CO2 -rich atmosphere and the first microorganisms. By modern accounts these were chemolithoautotrophic archaea and bacteria that initially colonized the crust and still inhabit that environment today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Mrnjavac
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
| | - Jessica L. E. Wimmer
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
| | - Max Brabender
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
| | - Loraine Schwander
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
| | - William F. Martin
- Department of Biology Institute for Molecular Evolution Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
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Johnsen U, Ortjohann M, Reinhardt A, Turner JM, Stratton C, Weber KR, Sanchez KM, Maupin-Furlow J, Davies C, Schönheit P. Discovery of a novel transcriptional regulator of sugar catabolism in archaea. Mol Microbiol 2023; 120:224-240. [PMID: 37387308 PMCID: PMC10838023 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
The haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii degrades D-glucose via the semiphosphorylative Entner-Doudoroff pathway and D-fructose via a modified Embden-Meyerhof pathway. Here, we report the identification of GfcR, a novel type of transcriptional regulator that functions as an activator of both D-glucose and D-fructose catabolism. We find that in the presence of D-glucose, GfcR activates gluconate dehydratase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase and also acts as activator of the phosphotransferase system and of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, which are involved in uptake and degradation of D-fructose. In addition, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase are activated by GfcR in the presence of D-fructose and also during growth on D-galactose and glycerol. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicate that GfcR binds directly to promoters of regulated genes. Specific intermediates of the degradation pathways of the three hexoses and of glycerol were identified as inducer molecules of GfcR. GfcR is composed of a phosphoribosyltransferase (PRT) domain with an N-terminal helix-turn-helix motif and thus shows homology to PurR of Gram-positive bacteria that is involved in the transcriptional regulation of nucleotide biosynthesis. We propose that GfcR of H. volcanii evolved from a PRT-like enzyme to attain a function as a transcriptional regulator of central sugar catabolic pathways in archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Johnsen
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Marius Ortjohann
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Andreas Reinhardt
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Jonathan M. Turner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Caleb Stratton
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA
| | - Katherine R. Weber
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Karol M. Sanchez
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Julie Maupin-Furlow
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Christopher Davies
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA
| | - Peter Schönheit
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Kiel, Germany
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Draft Genome Sequence of Thermomicrobium sp. Strain 4228-Ro, a Thermophilic Bacterium Isolated from a Kamchatka Hot Spring. Microbiol Resour Announc 2023; 12:e0122122. [PMID: 36840594 PMCID: PMC10019275 DOI: 10.1128/mra.01221-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The genome of Thermomicrobium sp. strain 4228-Ro, an aerobic thermophilic bacterium isolated from a Kamchatka hot spring, was sequenced and analyzed. The genome assembly comprises 13 contigs with a total length of 3,068,448 bp. Genome analysis revealed the pathway of aerobic utilization of sugars, which was corroborated by growth experiments.
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Bayaraa T, Lonhienne T, Sutiono S, Melse O, Brück TB, Marcellin E, Bernhardt PV, Boden M, Harmer JR, Sieber V, Guddat LW, Schenk G. Structural and Functional Insight into the Mechanism of the Fe-S Cluster-Dependent Dehydratase from Paralcaligenes ureilyticus. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202203140. [PMID: 36385513 PMCID: PMC10107998 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202203140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Enzyme-catalyzed reaction cascades play an increasingly important role for the sustainable manufacture of diverse chemicals from renewable feedstocks. For instance, dehydratases from the ilvD/EDD superfamily have been embedded into a cascade to convert glucose via pyruvate to isobutanol, a platform chemical for the production of aviation fuels and other valuable materials. These dehydratases depend on the presence of both a Fe-S cluster and a divalent metal ion for their function. However, they also represent the rate-limiting step in the cascade. Here, catalytic parameters and the crystal structure of the dehydratase from Paralcaligenes ureilyticus (PuDHT, both in presence of Mg2+ and Mn2+ ) were investigated. Rate measurements demonstrate that the presence of stoichiometric concentrations Mn2+ promotes higher activity than Mg2+ , but at high concentrations the former inhibits the activity of PuDHT. Molecular dynamics simulations identify the position of a second binding site for the divalent metal ion. Only binding of Mn2+ (not Mg2+ ) to this site affects the ligand environment of the catalytically essential divalent metal binding site, thus providing insight into an inhibitory mechanism of Mn2+ at higher concentrations. Furthermore, in silico docking identified residues that play a role in determining substrate binding and selectivity. The combined data inform engineering approaches to design an optimal dehydratase for the cascade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tenuun Bayaraa
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Thierry Lonhienne
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Samuel Sutiono
- Chair of Chemistry of Biogenic resources, Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability, Technical University of Munich, 94315, Straubing, Germany
| | - Okke Melse
- Chair of Chemistry of Biogenic resources, Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability, Technical University of Munich, 94315, Straubing, Germany
| | - Thomas B Brück
- Werner Siemens Chair of Synthetic Biotechnology, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, 85748, Garching, Germany
| | - Esteban Marcellin
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Paul V Bernhardt
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Mikael Boden
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Jeffrey R Harmer
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Volker Sieber
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Australia.,Chair of Chemistry of Biogenic resources, Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability, Technical University of Munich, 94315, Straubing, Germany
| | - Luke W Guddat
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Gerhard Schenk
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Australia.,Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Australia.,Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Australia
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8
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Screening for Hyperthermophilic Electrotrophs for the Microbial Electrosynthesis of Organic Compounds. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10112249. [DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10112249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial electrosynthesis has recently emerged as a promising technology for the sustainable production of organic acids, bioplastics, or biofuels from electricity and CO2. However, the diversity of catalysts and metabolic pathways is limited to mainly mesophilic acetogens or methanogens. Here, eleven hyperthermophilic strains related to Archaeoglobales, Thermococcales, Aquificales, and methanogens were screened for microbial electrosynthesis. The strains were previously isolated from deep-sea hydrothermal vents, where a naturally occurring, spontaneous electrical current can serve as a source of energy for microbial metabolism. After 6 days of incubation in an electrochemical system, all strains showed current consumption, biofilm formation, and small organic molecule production relative to the control. Six selected strains were then incubated over a longer period of time. In the course of one month, a variety of metabolic intermediates of biotechnological relevance such as succinic acid and glycerol accumulated. The production rates and the promotion of specific metabolic pathways seemed to be influenced by the experimental conditions, such as the concentration of CO2 in the gas phase and electron acceptor limitation. Further work is necessary to clearly identify these effects to potentially be able to tune the microbial electrosynthesis of compounds of interest.
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Abstract
Subcellular compartmentalization is a defining feature of all cells. In prokaryotes, compartmentalization is generally achieved via protein-based strategies. The two main classes of microbial protein compartments are bacterial microcompartments and encapsulin nanocompartments. Encapsulins self-assemble into proteinaceous shells with diameters between 24 and 42 nm and are defined by the viral HK97-fold of their shell protein. Encapsulins have the ability to encapsulate dedicated cargo proteins, including ferritin-like proteins, peroxidases, and desulfurases. Encapsulation is mediated by targeting sequences present in all cargo proteins. Encapsulins are found in many bacterial and archaeal phyla and have been suggested to play roles in iron storage, stress resistance, sulfur metabolism, and natural product biosynthesis. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that they share a common ancestor with viral capsid proteins. Many pathogens encode encapsulins, and recent evidence suggests that they may contribute toward pathogenicity. The existing information on encapsulin structure, biochemistry, biological function, and biomedical relevance is reviewed here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias W. Giessen
- Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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10
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Sybers D, Joka Bernauw A, El Masri D, Ramadan Maklad H, Charlier D, De Mey M, Bervoets I, Peeters E. Engineering transcriptional regulation in Escherichia coli using an archaeal TetR-family transcription factor. Gene 2022; 809:146010. [PMID: 34688814 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2021.146010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic biology requires well-characterized biological parts that can be combined into functional modules. One type of biological parts are transcriptional regulators and their cognate operator elements, which enable to either generate an input-specific response or are used as actuator modules. A range of regulators has already been characterized and used for orthogonal gene expression engineering, however, previous efforts have mostly focused on bacterial regulators. This work aims to design and explore the use of an archaeal TetR family regulator, FadRSa from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, in a bacterial system, namely Escherichia coli. This is a challenging objective given the fundamental difference between the bacterial and archaeal transcription machinery and the lack of a native TetR-like FadR regulatory system in E. coli. The synthetic σ70-dependent bacterial promoter proD was used as a starting point to design hybrid bacterial/archaeal promoter/operator regions, in combination with the mKate2 fluorescent reporter enabling a readout. Four variations of proD containing FadRSa binding sites were constructed and characterized. While expressional activity of the modified promoter proD was found to be severely diminished for two of the constructs, constructs in which the binding site was introduced adjacent to the -35 promoter element still displayed sufficient basal transcriptional activity and showed up to 7-fold repression upon expression of FadRSa. Addition of acyl-CoA has been shown to disrupt FadRSa binding to the DNA in vitro. However, extracellular concentrations of up to 2 mM dodecanoate, subsequently converted to acyl-CoA by the cell, did not have a significant effect on repression in the bacterial system. This work demonstrates that archaeal transcription regulators can be used to generate actuator elements for use in E. coli, although the lack of ligand response underscores the challenge of maintaining biological function when transferring parts to a phylogenetically divergent host.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Sybers
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Amber Joka Bernauw
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Diala El Masri
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hassan Ramadan Maklad
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Daniel Charlier
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marjan De Mey
- Centre for Synthetic Biology, Department of Biotechnology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Indra Bervoets
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Eveline Peeters
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium.
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Zhao L, Su C, Wang A, Wang P, Chen Z, Huang X, Chen M. Evaluation of biochar addition and circulation control strengthening measures on efficiency and microecology of food waste treatment in anaerobic reactor. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 297:113215. [PMID: 34280858 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The process of strengthening an expanded granular sludge blanket (EGSB) reactor under ammonia nitrogen stress conditions and by adopting three strengthening measures, namely, opening the circulation (OC), adding modified biochar (MB), adding modified biochar along with opening the circulation (MBOC), to treat food waste was studied. When the ammonia nitrogen concentration of influent increased to 1200 mg/L, the removal rate of COD reduced to about 75%, while the removal rate of ammonia nitrogen was about 6%. The average COD removal rate of the anaerobic reactor in the last 5 days of each operating cycle i.e. OC, MB and MBOC, was 85.51%, 84.11% and 90.03%, respectively. At the 30th day of each treatment-OC, MB and MBOC, the protease content in the sludge was 44.61, 42.47, 46.24 NH2-N (mg)/mg, respectively. and the content of coenzyme F420 was 0.244, 0.217 and 0.267 mmol/g, respectively. Proteobacteria was the most abundant phylum in the stage I (OC), reaching 34.36%. It was accounted for 16.68% and 21.38%, respectively, in the stage II (MB) and stage III (MBOC). The dominant archaea in the three stages were Methanosaeta, whose abundance was 38.98% in stage I, which increased to 64.94% and 64.01% in stage II and III, respectively. Among the active carbohydrate enzymes, the gene abundance of Glycoside transferases in the MBOC stage was the largest among the three stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijian Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Chengyuan Su
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China; University Key Laboratory of Karst Ecology and Environmental Change of Guangxi Province (Guangxi Normal University), 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China.
| | - Anliu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Pengfei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Zhuxi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Xian Huang
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China
| | - Menglin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, 15 Yucai Road, Guilin, 541004, PR China
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Wimmer JLE, Kleinermanns K, Martin WF. Pyrophosphate and Irreversibility in Evolution, or why PP i Is Not an Energy Currency and why Nature Chose Triphosphates. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:759359. [PMID: 34759911 PMCID: PMC8575175 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.759359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The possible evolutionary significance of pyrophosphate (PPi) has been discussed since the early 1960s. Lipmann suggested that PPi could have been an ancient currency or a possible environmental source of metabolic energy at origins, while Kornberg proposed that PPi vectorializes metabolism because ubiquitous pyrophosphatases render PPi forming reactions kinetically irreversible. To test those ideas, we investigated the reactions that consume phosphoanhydride bonds among the 402 reactions of the universal biosynthetic core that generates amino acids, nucleotides, and cofactors from H2, CO2, and NH3. We find that 36% of the core's phosphoanhydride hydrolyzing reactions generate PPi, while no reactions use PPi as an energy currency. The polymerization reactions that generate ~80% of cell mass - protein, RNA, and DNA synthesis - all generate PPi, while none use PPi as an energy source. In typical prokaryotic cells, aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (AARS) underlie ~80% of PPi production. We show that the irreversibility of the AARS reaction is a kinetic, not a thermodynamic effect. The data indicate that PPi is not an ancient energy currency and probably never was. Instead, PPi hydrolysis is an ancient mechanism that imparts irreversibility, as Kornberg suggested, functioning like a ratchet's pawl to vectorialize the life process toward growth. The two anhydride bonds in nucleoside triphosphates offer ATP-cleaving enzymes an option to impart either thermodynamic control (Pi formation) or kinetic control (PPi formation) upon reactions. This dual capacity explains why nature chose the triphosphate moiety of ATP as biochemistry's universal energy currency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. E. Wimmer
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Department of Biology, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Karl Kleinermanns
- Institute for Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - William F. Martin
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Department of Biology, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
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13
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Andreas MP, Giessen TW. Large-scale computational discovery and analysis of virus-derived microbial nanocompartments. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4748. [PMID: 34362927 PMCID: PMC8346489 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25071-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Encapsulins are a class of microbial protein compartments defined by the viral HK97-fold of their capsid protein, self-assembly into icosahedral shells, and dedicated cargo loading mechanism for sequestering specific enzymes. Encapsulins are often misannotated and traditional sequence-based searches yield many false positive hits in the form of phage capsids. Here, we develop an integrated search strategy to carry out a large-scale computational analysis of prokaryotic genomes with the goal of discovering an exhaustive and curated set of all HK97-fold encapsulin-like systems. We find over 6,000 encapsulin-like systems in 31 bacterial and four archaeal phyla, including two novel encapsulin families. We formulate hypotheses about their potential biological functions and biomedical relevance, which range from natural product biosynthesis and stress resistance to carbon metabolism and anaerobic hydrogen production. An evolutionary analysis of encapsulins and related HK97-type virus families shows that they share a common ancestor, and we conclude that encapsulins likely evolved from HK97-type bacteriophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Andreas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Tobias W Giessen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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14
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Wang H, Sun T, Zhao Z, Gu S, Liu Q, Wu T, Wang D, Tian C, Li J. Transcriptional Profiling of Myceliophthora thermophila on Galactose and Metabolic Engineering for Improved Galactose Utilization. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:664011. [PMID: 33995328 PMCID: PMC8113861 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.664011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Efficient biological conversion of all sugars from lignocellulosic biomass is necessary for the cost-effective production of biofuels and commodity chemicals. Galactose is one of the most abundant sugar in many hemicelluloses, and it will be important to capture this carbon for an efficient bioconversion process of plant biomass. Thermophilic fungus Myceliophthora thermophila has been used as a cell factory to produce biochemicals directly from renewable polysaccharides. In this study, we draw out the two native galactose utilization pathways, including the Leloir pathway and oxido-reductive pathway, and identify the significance and contribution of them, through transcriptional profiling analysis of M. thermophila and its mutants on galactose. We find that galactokinase was necessary for galactose transporter expression, and disruption of galK resulted in decreased galactose utilization. Through metabolic engineering, both galactokinase deletion and galactose transporter overexpression can activate internal the oxido-reductive pathway and improve the consumption rate of galactose. Finally, the heterologous galactose-degradation pathway, De Ley–Doudoroff (DLD) pathway, was successfully integrated into M. thermophila, and the consumption rate of galactose in the engineered strain was increased by 57%. Our study focuses on metabolic engineering for accelerating galactose utilization in a thermophilic fungus that will be beneficial for the rational design of fungal strains to produce biofuels and biochemicals from a variety of feedstocks with abundant galactose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanyu Wang
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China.,National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Tao Sun
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhen Zhao
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Shuying Gu
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Qian Liu
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Taju Wu
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Depei Wang
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Chaoguang Tian
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Jingen Li
- National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
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15
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Glucose Metabolism and Acetate Switch in Archaea: the Enzymes in Haloferax volcanii. J Bacteriol 2021; 203:JB.00690-20. [PMID: 33558390 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00690-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii has been proposed to degrade glucose via the semiphosphorylative Entner-Doudoroff (spED) pathway. Following our previous studies on key enzymes of this pathway, we now focus on the characterization of enzymes involved in 3-phosphoglycerate conversion to pyruvate, in anaplerosis, and in acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) formation from pyruvate. These enzymes include phosphoglycerate mutase, enolase, pyruvate kinase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, and pyruvate-ferredoxin oxidoreductase. The essential function of these enzymes were shown by transcript analyses and growth experiments with respective deletion mutants. Furthermore, we show that H. volcanii-during aerobic growth on glucose-excreted significant amounts of acetate, which was consumed in the stationary phase (acetate switch). The enzyme catalyzing the conversion of acetyl-CoA to acetate as part of the acetate overflow mechanism, an ADP-forming acetyl-CoA synthetase (ACD), was characterized. The functional involvement of ACD in acetate formation and of AMP-forming acetyl-CoA synthetases (ACSs) in activation of excreted acetate was proven by using respective deletion mutants. Together, the data provide a comprehensive analysis of enzymes of the spED pathway and of anaplerosis and report the first genetic evidence of the functional involvement of enzymes of the acetate switch in archaea.IMPORTANCE In this work, we provide a comprehensive analysis of glucose degradation via the semiphosphorylative Entner-Doudoroff pathway in the haloarchaeal model organism Haloferax volcanii The study includes transcriptional analyses, growth experiments with deletion mutants. and characterization of all enzymes involved in the conversion of 3-phosphoglycerate to acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) and in anaplerosis. Phylogenetic analyses of several enzymes indicate various lateral gene transfer events from bacteria to haloarchaea. Furthermore, we analyzed the key players involved in the acetate switch, i.e., in the formation (overflow) and subsequent consumption of acetate during aerobic growth on glucose. Together, the data provide novel aspects of glucose degradation, anaplerosis, and acetate switch in H. volcanii and thus expand our understanding of the unusual sugar metabolism in archaea.
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16
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Tästensen JB, Johnsen U, Reinhardt A, Ortjohann M, Schönheit P. D-galactose catabolism in archaea: operation of the DeLey-Doudoroff pathway in Haloferax volcanii. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2021; 367:5736015. [PMID: 32055827 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnaa029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii was found to grow on D-galactose as carbon and energy source. Here we report a comprehensive analysis of D-galactose catabolism in H. volcanii. Genome analyses indicated a cluster of genes encoding putative enzymes of the DeLey-Doudoroff pathway for D-galactose degradation including galactose dehydrogenase, galactonate dehydratase, 2-keto-3-deoxygalactonate kinase and 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogalactonate (KDPGal) aldolase. The recombinant galactose dehydrogenase and galactonate dehydratase showed high specificity for D-galactose and galactonate, respectively, whereas KDPGal aldolase was promiscuous in utilizing KDPGal and also the C4 epimer 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate as substrates. Growth studies with knock-out mutants indicated the functional involvement of galactose dehydrogenase, galactonate dehydratase and KDPGal aldolase in D-galactose degradation. Further, the transcriptional regulator GacR was identified, which was characterized as an activator of genes of the DeLey-Doudoroff pathway. Finally, genes were identified encoding components of an ABC transporter and a knock-out mutant of the substrate binding protein indicated the functional involvement of this transporter in D-galactose uptake. This is the first report of D-galactose degradation via the DeLey-Doudoroff pathway in the domain of archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia-Beate Tästensen
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9; D-24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Ulrike Johnsen
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9; D-24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Andreas Reinhardt
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9; D-24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Marius Ortjohann
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9; D-24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Peter Schönheit
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9; D-24118 Kiel, Germany
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17
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Abstract
Metabolic engineering is crucial in the development of production strains for platform chemicals, pharmaceuticals and biomaterials from renewable resources. The central carbon metabolism (CCM) of heterotrophs plays an essential role in the conversion of biomass to the cellular building blocks required for growth. Yet, engineering the CCM ultimately aims toward a maximization of flux toward products of interest. The most abundant dissimilative carbohydrate pathways amongst prokaryotes (and eukaryotes) are the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) and the Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathways, which build the basics for heterotrophic metabolic chassis strains. Although the EMP is regarded as the textbook example of a carbohydrate pathway owing to its central role in production strains like Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Bacillus subtilis, it is either modified, complemented or even replaced by alternative carbohydrate pathways in different organisms. The ED pathway also plays key roles in biotechnological relevant bacteria, like Zymomonas mobilis and Pseudomonas putida, and its importance was recently discovered in photoautotrophs and marine microorganisms. In contrast to the EMP, the ED pathway and its variations are not evolutionary optimized for high ATP production and it differs in key principles such as protein cost, energetics and thermodynamics, which can be exploited in the construction of unique metabolic designs. Single ED pathway enzymes and complete ED pathway modules have been used to rewire carbon metabolisms in production strains and for the construction of cell-free enzymatic pathways. This review focuses on the differences of the ED and EMP pathways including their variations and discusses the use of alternative pathway strategies for in vivo and cell-free metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Kopp
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Anwar Sunna
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.,Biomolecular Discovery Research Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
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18
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Jaffe AL, Castelle CJ, Matheus Carnevali PB, Gribaldo S, Banfield JF. The rise of diversity in metabolic platforms across the Candidate Phyla Radiation. BMC Biol 2020; 18:69. [PMID: 32560683 PMCID: PMC7304191 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00804-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A unifying feature of the bacterial Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) is a limited and highly variable repertoire of biosynthetic capabilities. However, the distribution of metabolic traits across the CPR and the evolutionary processes underlying them are incompletely resolved. RESULTS Here, we selected ~ 1000 genomes of CPR bacteria from diverse environments to construct a robust internal phylogeny that was consistent across two unlinked marker sets. Mapping of glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and pyruvate metabolism onto the tree showed that some components of these pathways are sparsely distributed and that similarity between metabolic platforms is only partially predicted by phylogenetic relationships. To evaluate the extent to which gene loss and lateral gene transfer have shaped trait distribution, we analyzed the patchiness of gene presence in a phylogenetic context, examined the phylogenetic depth of clades with shared traits, and compared the reference tree topology with those of specific metabolic proteins. While the central glycolytic pathway in CPR is widely conserved and has likely been shaped primarily by vertical transmission, there is evidence for both gene loss and transfer especially in steps that convert glucose into fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and glycerate 3P into pyruvate. Additionally, the distribution of Group 3 and Group 4-related NiFe hydrogenases is patchy and suggests multiple events of ancient gene transfer. CONCLUSIONS We infer that patterns of gene gain and loss in CPR, including acquisition of accessory traits in independent transfer events, could have been driven by shifts in host-derived resources and led to sparse but varied genetic inventories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander L Jaffe
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Cindy J Castelle
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Simonetta Gribaldo
- Department of Microbiology, Unit Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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19
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Rawat M, Maupin-Furlow JA. Redox and Thiols in Archaea. Antioxidants (Basel) 2020; 9:antiox9050381. [PMID: 32380716 PMCID: PMC7278568 DOI: 10.3390/antiox9050381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Low molecular weight (LMW) thiols have many functions in bacteria and eukarya, ranging from redox homeostasis to acting as cofactors in numerous reactions, including detoxification of xenobiotic compounds. The LMW thiol, glutathione (GSH), is found in eukaryotes and many species of bacteria. Analogues of GSH include the structurally different LMW thiols: bacillithiol, mycothiol, ergothioneine, and coenzyme A. Many advances have been made in understanding the diverse and multiple functions of GSH and GSH analogues in bacteria but much less is known about distribution and functions of GSH and its analogues in archaea, which constitute the third domain of life, occupying many niches, including those in extreme environments. Archaea are able to use many energy sources and have many unique metabolic reactions and as a result are major contributors to geochemical cycles. As LMW thiols are major players in cells, this review explores the distribution of thiols and their biochemistry in archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamta Rawat
- Biology Department, California State University, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
- Correspondence: (M.R.); (J.A.M.-F.)
| | - Julie A. Maupin-Furlow
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Correspondence: (M.R.); (J.A.M.-F.)
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20
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Zhao Z, Xian M, Liu M, Zhao G. Biochemical routes for uptake and conversion of xylose by microorganisms. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2020; 13:21. [PMID: 32021652 PMCID: PMC6995148 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-020-1662-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Xylose is a major component of lignocellulose and the second most abundant sugar present in nature. Efficient utilization of xylose is required for the development of economically viable processes to produce biofuels and chemicals from biomass. However, there are still some bottlenecks in the bioconversion of xylose, including the fact that some microorganisms cannot assimilate xylose naturally and that the uptake and metabolism of xylose are inhibited by glucose, which is usually present with xylose in lignocellulose hydrolysate. To overcome these issues, numerous efforts have been made to discover, characterize, and engineer the transporters and enzymes involved in xylose utilization to relieve glucose inhibition and to develop recombinant microorganisms to produce fuels and chemicals from xylose. Here we describe a recent advancement focusing on xylose-utilizing pathways, biosynthesis of chemicals from xylose, and engineering strategies used to improve the conversion efficiency of xylose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Biobased Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Mo Xian
- CAS Key Laboratory of Biobased Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101 China
| | - Min Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Biobased Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101 China
| | - Guang Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Biobased Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101 China
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21
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Genome- and Community-Level Interaction Insights into Carbon Utilization and Element Cycling Functions of Hydrothermarchaeota in Hydrothermal Sediment. mSystems 2020; 5:5/1/e00795-19. [PMID: 31911466 PMCID: PMC6946796 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00795-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Hydrothermal vents release reduced compounds and small organic carbon compounds into the surrounding seawater, providing essential substrates for microbial growth and bioenergy transformations. Despite the wide distribution of the marine benthic group E archaea (referred to as Hydrothermarchaeota) in the hydrothermal environment, little is known about their genomic repertoires and biogeochemical significance. Here, we studied four highly complete (>80%) metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from a black smoker chimney and the surrounding sulfur-rich sediments on the South Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge and publicly available data sets (the Integrated Microbial Genomes system of the U.S. Department of Energy-Joint Genome Institute and NCBI SRA data sets). Genomic analysis suggested a wide carbon metabolic diversity of Hydrothermarchaeota members, including the utilization of proteins, lactate, and acetate; the anaerobic degradation of aromatics; the oxidation of C1 compounds (CO, formate, and formaldehyde); the utilization of methyl compounds; CO2 incorporation by the tetrahydromethanopterin-based Wood-Ljungdahl pathway; and participation in the type III ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase-based Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle. These microbes also potentially oxidize sulfur, arsenic, and hydrogen and engage in anaerobic respiration based on sulfate reduction and denitrification. Among the 140 MAGs reconstructed from the black smoker chimney microbial community (including Hydrothermarchaeota MAGs), community-level metabolic predictions suggested a redundancy of carbon utilization and element cycling functions and interactive syntrophic and sequential utilization of substrates. These processes might make various carbon and energy sources widely accessible to the microorganisms. Further, the analysis suggested that Hydrothermarchaeota members contained important functional components obtained from the community via lateral gene transfer, becoming a distinctive clade. This might serve as a niche-adaptive strategy for metabolizing heavy metals, C1 compounds, and reduced sulfur compounds. Collectively, the analysis provides comprehensive metabolic insights into the Hydrothermarchaeota IMPORTANCE This study provides comprehensive metabolic insights into the Hydrothermarchaeota from comparative genomics, evolution, and community-level perspectives. Members of the Hydrothermarchaeota synergistically participate in a wide range of carbon-utilizing and element cycling processes with other microorganisms in the community. We expand the current understanding of community interactions within the hydrothermal sediment and chimney, suggesting that microbial interactions based on sequential substrate metabolism are essential to nutrient and element cycling.
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22
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Lindner SN, Aslan S, Müller A, Hoffart E, Behrens P, Edlich-Muth C, Blombach B, Bar-Even A. A synthetic glycerol assimilation pathway demonstrates biochemical constraints of cellular metabolism. FEBS J 2019; 287:160-172. [PMID: 31436884 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The engineering of synthetic metabolic routes can provide valuable lessons on the roles of different biochemical constraints in shaping pathway activity. In this study, we designed and engineered a novel glycerol assimilation pathway in Escherichia coli. While the synthetic pathway was based only on well-characterized endogenous reactions, we were not able to establish robust growth using standard concentrations of glycerol. Long-term evolution failed to improve growth via the pathway, indicating that this limitation was not regulatory but rather relates to fundamental aspects of cellular metabolism. We show that the activity of the synthetic pathway is fully controlled by three key physicochemical constraints: thermodynamics, kinetics and metabolite toxicity. Overcoming a thermodynamic barrier at the beginning of the pathway requires high glycerol concentrations. A kinetic barrier leads to a Monod-like growth dependency on substrate concentration, but with a very high substrate saturation constant. Finally, the flat thermodynamic profile of the pathway enforces a pseudoequilibrium between glycerol and the reactive intermediate dihydroxyacetone, which inhibits growth when the feedstock concentration surpasses 1000 mm. Overall, this study serves to demonstrate the use of synthetic biology to elucidate key design principles of cellular metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen N Lindner
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Selçuk Aslan
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Alexandra Müller
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Eugenia Hoffart
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Patrick Behrens
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | | | - Bastian Blombach
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Germany.,Microbial Biotechnology, TUM Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability, Technical University of Munich, Straubing, Germany
| | - Arren Bar-Even
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
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23
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Schormann N, Hayden KL, Lee P, Banerjee S, Chattopadhyay D. An overview of structure, function, and regulation of pyruvate kinases. Protein Sci 2019; 28:1771-1784. [PMID: 31342570 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In the last step of glycolysis Pyruvate kinase catalyzes the irreversible conversion of ADP and phosphoenolpyruvate to ATP and pyruvic acid, both crucial for cellular metabolism. Thus pyruvate kinase plays a key role in controlling the metabolic flux and ATP production. The hallmark of the activity of different pyruvate kinases is their tight modulation by a variety of mechanisms including the use of a large number of physiological allosteric effectors in addition to their homotropic regulation by phosphoenolpyruvate. Binding of effectors signals precise and orchestrated movements in selected areas of the protein structure that alter the catalytic action of these evolutionarily conserved enzymes with remarkably conserved architecture and sequences. While the diverse nature of the allosteric effectors has been discussed in the literature, the structural basis of their regulatory effects is still not well understood because of the lack of data representing conformations in various activation states. Results of recent studies on pyruvate kinases of different families suggest that members of evolutionarily related families follow somewhat conserved allosteric strategies but evolutionarily distant members adopt different strategies. Here we review the structure and allosteric properties of pyruvate kinases of different families for which structural data are available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Schormann
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Katherine L Hayden
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Paul Lee
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Surajit Banerjee
- Northeastern Collaborative Access Team and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Argonne, Illinois
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24
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A critical comparison of cellular and cell-free bioproduction systems. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2019; 60:221-229. [PMID: 31207555 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Conversion of biological feedstocks into value-added chemicals is mostly performed via microbial fermentation. An emerging alternative approach is the use of cell-free systems, consisting of purified enzymes and cofactors. Unfortunately, the in vivo and in vitro research communities rarely interact, which leads to oversimplifications and exaggerations that do not permit fair comparison of the two strategies and impede synergistic interactions. Here, we provide a comprehensive account for the advantages and drawbacks associated with each strategy, and further discuss recent research efforts that aim to breach the limits of cellular and cell-free production. We also explore emerging hybrid solutions that integrate the benefits of both worlds and could expand the boundaries of biosynthesis.
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25
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Santiago-Martínez MG, Marín-Hernández Á, Gallardo-Pérez JC, Yoval-Sánchez B, Feregrino-Mondragón RD, Rodríguez-Zavala JS, Pardo JP, Moreno-Sánchez R, Jasso-Chávez R. FruBPase II and ADP-PFK1 are involved in the modulation of carbon flow in the metabolism of carbohydrates in Methanosarcina acetivorans. Arch Biochem Biophys 2019; 669:39-49. [PMID: 31128085 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2019.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
To enhance our understanding of the control of archaeal carbon central metabolism, a detailed analysis of the regulation mechanisms of both fructose1,6-bisphosphatase (FruBPase) and ADP-phosphofructokinase-1 (ADP-PFK1) was carried out in the methanogen Methanosarcina acetivorans. No correlations were found among the transcript levels of the MA_1152 and MA_3563 (frubpase type II and pfk1) genes, the FruBPase and ADP-PFK1 activities, and their protein contents. The kinetics of the recombinant FruBPase II and ADP-PFK1 were hyperbolic and showed simple mixed-type inhibition by AMP and ATP, respectively. Under physiological metabolite concentrations, the FruBPase II and ADP-PFK1 activities were strongly modulated by their inhibitors. To assess whether these enzymes were also regulated by a phosphorylation/dephosphorylation process, the recombinant enzymes and cytosolic-enriched fractions were incubated in the presence of commercial protein phosphatase or protein kinase. De-phosphorylation of ADP-PFK1 slightly decreased its activity (i.e. Vmax) and did not change its kinetic parameters and oligomeric state. Thus, the data indicated a predominant metabolic regulation of both FruBPase and ADP-PFK1 activities by adenine nucleotides and suggested high degrees of control on the respective pathway fluxes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Belem Yoval-Sánchez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | | | | | - J Pablo Pardo
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Rafael Moreno-Sánchez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ricardo Jasso-Chávez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
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Johnsen U, Reinhardt A, Landan G, Tria FDK, Turner JM, Davies C, Schönheit P. New views on an old enzyme: allosteric regulation and evolution of archaeal pyruvate kinases. FEBS J 2019; 286:2471-2489. [PMID: 30945446 DOI: 10.1111/febs.14837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Pyruvate kinases (PKs) synthesize ATP as the final step of glycolysis in the three domains of life. PKs from most bacteria and eukarya are allosteric enzymes that are activated by sugar phosphates; for example, the feed-forward regulator fructose-1,6-bisphosphate, or AMP as a sensor of energy charge. Archaea utilize unusual glycolytic pathways, but the allosteric properties of PKs from these species are largely unknown. Here, we present an analysis of 24 PKs from most archaeal clades with respect to allosteric properties, together with phylogenetic analyses constructed using a novel mode of rooting protein trees. We find that PKs from many Thermoproteales, an order of crenarchaeota, are allosterically activated by 3-phosphoglycerate (3PG). We also identify five conserved amino acids that form the binding pocket for 3PG. 3PG is generated via an irreversible reaction in the modified glycolytic pathway of these archaea and therefore functions as a feed-forward regulator. We also show that PKs from hyperthermophilic Methanococcales, an order of euryarchaeota, are activated by AMP. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that 3PG-activated PKs form an evolutionary lineage that is distinct from that of sugar-phosphate activated PKs, and that sugar phosphate-activated PKs originated as AMP-regulated PKs in hyperthermophilic Methanococcales. Since the phospho group of sugar phosphates and 3PG overlap in the allosteric site, our data indicate that the allostery in PKs first started from a progenitor phosphate-binding site that evolved in two spatially distinct directions: one direction generated the canonical site that responds to sugar phosphates and the other gave rise to the 3PG site present in Thermoproteales. Overall, our data suggest an intimate connection between the allosteric properties and evolution of PKs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Johnsen
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Germany
| | - Andreas Reinhardt
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Germany
| | - Giddy Landan
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Germany
| | - Fernando D K Tria
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Germany
| | - Jonathan M Turner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Christopher Davies
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Peter Schönheit
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Germany
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Haferkamp P, Tjaden B, Shen L, Bräsen C, Kouril T, Siebers B. The Carbon Switch at the Level of Pyruvate and Phosphoenolpyruvate in Sulfolobus solfataricus P2. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:757. [PMID: 31031731 PMCID: PMC6474364 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Sulfolobus solfataricus P2 grows on different carbohydrates as well as alcohols, peptides and amino acids. Carbohydrates such as D-glucose or D-galactose are degraded via the modified, branched Entner–Doudoroff (ED) pathway whereas growth on peptides requires the Embden–Meyerhof–Parnas (EMP) pathway for gluconeogenesis. As for most hyperthermophilic Archaea an important control point is established at the level of triosephophate conversion, however, the regulation at the level of pyruvate/phosphoenolpyruvate conversion was not tackled so far. Here we describe the cloning, expression, purification and characterization of the pyruvate kinase (PK, SSO0981) and the phosphoenolpyruvate synthetase (PEPS, SSO0883) of Sul. solfataricus. The PK showed only catabolic activity [catalytic efficiency (PEP): 627.95 mM-1s-1, 70°C] with phosphoenolpyruvate as substrate and ADP as phosphate acceptor and was allosterically inhibited by ATP and isocitrate (Ki 0.8 mM). The PEPS was reversible, however, exhibited preferred activity in the gluconeogenic direction [catalytic efficiency (pyruvate): 1.04 mM-1s-1, 70°C] and showed some inhibition by AMP and α-ketoglutarate. The gene SSO2829 annotated as PEPS/pyruvate:phosphate dikinase (PPDK) revealed neither PEPS nor PPDK activity. Our studies suggest that the energy charge of the cell as well as the availability of building blocks in the citric acid cycle and the carbon/nitrogen balance plays a major role in the Sul. solfataricus carbon switch. The comparison of regulatory features of well-studied hyperthermophilic Archaea reveals a close link and sophisticated coordination between the respective sugar kinases and the kinetic and regulatory properties of the enzymes at the level of PEP-pyruvate conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Haferkamp
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry, Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Britta Tjaden
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry, Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Lu Shen
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry, Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Christopher Bräsen
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry, Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Theresa Kouril
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry, Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Bettina Siebers
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry, Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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Lü H, Li J, Huang Y, Zhang M, Zhang S, Wu J. Genome-wide identification, expression and functional analysis of the phosphofructokinase gene family in Chinese white pear (Pyrus bretschneideri). Gene 2019; 702:133-142. [PMID: 30904717 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2019.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Phosphofructokinase plays an essential role in sugar metabolism in plants. Plants possess two types of phosphofructokinase proteins for phosphorylation of fructose-6-phosphate, the pyrophosphate-dependent fructose-6-phosphate phosphotransferase (PFP), and the ATP-dependent phosphofructokinase (PFK). Until now, the gene evolution, expression patterns, and functions of phosphofructokinase proteins were unknown in pear. In this report, 14 phosphofructokinase genes were identified in pear. The phylogenetic tree indicated that the phosphofructokinase gene family could be grouped into two subfamilies, with 10 genes belonging to the PbPFK subfamily, and 4 genes belonging to the PbPFP subfamily. Conserved motifs and exon numbers of the phosphofructokinase were found in pear and other six species. The evolution analysis indicated that WGD/Segmental and dispersed duplications were the main duplication models for the phosphofructokinase genes expansion in pear and other six species. Analysis of cis-regulatory element sequences of all phosphofructokinase genes identified light regulation and the MYB binding site in the promoter of all pear phosphofructokinase genes, suggesting that phosphofructokinase might could be regulated by light and MYB transcription factors (TFs). Gene expression patterns revealed that PbPFP1 showed similar pattern with sorbitol contents, suggesting important contributions to sugar accumulation during fruit development. Further functional analysis indicated that the phosphofructokinase gene PbPFP1 was localized on plasma membrane compartment, indicating that PbPFP1 had function in plasma membrane. Transient transformation of PbPFP1 in pear fruits led to significant increases of fructose and sorbitol compared to controls. Overall, our study provides important insights into the gene expression patterns and important potential functions of phosphofructokinase for sugar accumulation in pear fruits, which will help to enrich understanding of sugar-related bio-pathways and lay the molecular basis for fruit quality improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmei Lü
- Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Jiaming Li
- Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Yuhua Huang
- Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Mingyue Zhang
- Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Shaoling Zhang
- Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Jun Wu
- Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
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29
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Ng CY, Wang L, Chowdhury A, Maranas CD. Pareto Optimality Explanation of the Glycolytic Alternatives in Nature. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2633. [PMID: 30796263 PMCID: PMC6384925 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-38836-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The Entner-Doudoroff (ED) and Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) glycolytic pathways are largely conserved across glycolytic species in nature. Is this a coincidence, convergent evolution or there exists a driving force towards either of the two pathway designs? We addressed this question by first employing a variant of the optStoic algorithm to exhaustively identify over 11,916 possible routes between glucose and pyruvate at different pre-determined stoichiometric yields of ATP. Subsequently, we analyzed the thermodynamic feasibility of all the pathways at physiological metabolite concentrations and quantified the protein cost of the feasible solutions. Pareto optimality analysis between energy efficiency and protein cost reveals that the naturally evolved ED and EMP pathways are indeed among the most protein cost-efficient pathways in their respective ATP yield categories and remain thermodynamically feasible across a wide range of ATP/ADP ratios and pathway intermediate metabolite concentration ranges. In contrast, pathways with higher ATP yield (>2) while feasible, are bound within stringent and often extreme operability ranges of cofactor and intermediate metabolite concentrations. The preponderance of EMP and ED is thus consistent with not only optimally balancing energy yield vs. enzyme cost but also with ensuring operability for wide metabolite concentration ranges and ATP/ADP ratios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiam Yu Ng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Lin Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Anupam Chowdhury
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Costas D Maranas
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
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Abstract
Organisms display astonishing levels of cell and molecular diversity, including genome size, shape, and architecture. In this chapter, we review how the genome can be viewed as both a structural and an informational unit of biological diversity and explicitly define our intended meaning of genetic information. A brief overview of the characteristic features of bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic cell types and viruses sets the stage for a review of the differences in organization, size, and packaging strategies of their genomes. We include a detailed review of genetic elements found outside the primary chromosomal structures, as these provide insights into how genomes are sometimes viewed as incomplete informational entities. Lastly, we reassess the definition of the genome in light of recent advancements in our understanding of the diversity of genomic structures and the mechanisms by which genetic information is expressed within the cell. Collectively, these topics comprise a good introduction to genome biology for the newcomer to the field and provide a valuable reference for those developing new statistical or computation methods in genomics. This review also prepares the reader for anticipated transformations in thinking as the field of genome biology progresses.
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31
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Shimizu K, Matsuoka Y. Regulation of glycolytic flux and overflow metabolism depending on the source of energy generation for energy demand. Biotechnol Adv 2018; 37:284-305. [PMID: 30576718 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Overflow metabolism is a common phenomenon observed at higher glycolytic flux in many bacteria, yeast (known as Crabtree effect), and mammalian cells including cancer cells (known as Warburg effect). This phenomenon has recently been characterized as the trade-offs between protein costs and enzyme efficiencies based on coarse-graining approaches. Moreover, it has been recognized that the glycolytic flux increases as the source of energy generation changes from energetically efficient respiration to inefficient respiro-fermentative or fermentative metabolism causing overflow metabolism. It is highly desired to clarify the metabolic regulation mechanisms behind such phenomena. Metabolic fluxes are located on top of the hierarchical regulation systems, and represent the outcome of the integrated response of all levels of cellular regulation systems. In the present article, we discuss about the different levels of regulation systems for the modulation of fluxes depending on the growth rate, growth condition such as oxygen limitation that alters the metabolism towards fermentation, and genetic perturbation affecting the source of energy generation from respiration to respiro-fermentative metabolism in relation to overflow metabolism. The intracellular metabolite of the upper glycolysis such as fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) plays an important role not only for flux sensing, but also for the regulation of the respiratory activity either directly or indirectly (via transcription factors) at higher growth rate. The glycolytic flux regulation is backed up (enhanced) by unphosphorylated EIIA and HPr of the phosphotransferase system (PTS) components, together with the sugar-phosphate stress regulation, where the transcriptional regulation is further modulated by post-transcriptional regulation via the degradation of mRNA (stability of mRNA) in Escherichia coli. Moreover, the channeling may also play some role in modulating the glycolytic cascade reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuyuki Shimizu
- Kyushu Institute of Technology, Iizuka, Fukuoka 820-8502, Japan; Institute of Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Tsuruoka, Yamagata 997-0017, Japan.
| | - Yu Matsuoka
- Kyushu Institute of Technology, Iizuka, Fukuoka 820-8502, Japan
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32
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Wang CY, Li Y, Gao ZW, Liu LC, Wu YC, Zhang MY, Zhang TY, Zhang YX. Reconstruction and analysis of carbon metabolic pathway of Ketogulonicigenium vulgare SPU B805 by genome and transcriptome. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17838. [PMID: 30546118 PMCID: PMC6293013 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36038-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Ketogulonicigenium vulgare has been widely used in vitamin C two-step fermentation. Four K. vulgare strains (WSH-001, Y25, Hbe602 and SKV) have been completely genome-sequenced, however, less attention was paid to elucidate the reason for the differences in 2-KGA yield on genetic level. Here, a novel K. vulgare SPU B805 with higher 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (2-KGA) yield, was genome-sequenced to confirm harboring one circular chromosome with plasmid free. Comparative genome analyses showed that the absence of plasmid 2 was an important factor for its high 2-KGA productivity. The amino acid biosynthetic pathways in strain SPU B805 are much more complete than those in other K. vulgare strains. Meanwhile, strain SPU B805 harbored a complete PPP and TCA route, as well as a disabled EMP and ED pathway, same as to strain SKV, whereas strain WSH-001, Y25 and Hbe602 harbored complete PPP, ED, TCA pathway and a nonfunctional EMP pathway. The transcriptome of strain SPU B805 validated the carbon metabolism in cytoplasm mainly through the PPP pathway due to its higher transcriptional levels. This is the first time to elucidate the underlying mechanism for the difference in 2-KGA yield, and it is of great significance for strain improvement in the industrial fermentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cai-Yun Wang
- School of Life Science and Biopharmaceutics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Ye Li
- School of Life Science and Biopharmaceutics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China.,Northeast Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd, Shenyang, 110026, People's Republic of China
| | - Zi-Wei Gao
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan
| | - Li-Cheng Liu
- School of Life Science and Biopharmaceutics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Ying-Cai Wu
- School of Life Science and Biopharmaceutics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Meng-Yue Zhang
- School of Life Science and Biopharmaceutics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Tian-Yuan Zhang
- School of Life Science and Biopharmaceutics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Yi-Xuan Zhang
- School of Life Science and Biopharmaceutics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China.
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33
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Jinich A, Flamholz A, Ren H, Kim SJ, Sanchez-Lengeling B, Cotton CAR, Noor E, Aspuru-Guzik A, Bar-Even A. Quantum chemistry reveals thermodynamic principles of redox biochemistry. PLoS Comput Biol 2018; 14:e1006471. [PMID: 30356318 PMCID: PMC6218094 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Revised: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Thermodynamics dictates the structure and function of metabolism. Redox reactions drive cellular energy and material flow. Hence, accurately quantifying the thermodynamics of redox reactions should reveal design principles that shape cellular metabolism. However, only few redox potentials have been measured, and mostly with inconsistent experimental setups. Here, we develop a quantum chemistry approach to calculate redox potentials of biochemical reactions and demonstrate our method predicts experimentally measured potentials with unparalleled accuracy. We then calculate the potentials of all redox pairs that can be generated from biochemically relevant compounds and highlight fundamental trends in redox biochemistry. We further address the question of why NAD/NADP are used as primary electron carriers, demonstrating how their physiological potential range fits the reactions of central metabolism and minimizes the concentration of reactive carbonyls. The use of quantum chemistry can revolutionize our understanding of biochemical phenomena by enabling fast and accurate calculation of thermodynamic values. Redox reactions define the energetic constraints within which life can exist. However, measurements of reduction potentials are scarce and unstandardized, and current prediction methods fall short of desired accuracy and coverage. Here, we harness quantum chemistry tools to enable the high-throughput prediction of reduction potentials with unparalleled accuracy. We calculate the reduction potentials of all redox pairs that can be generated using known biochemical compounds. This high-resolution dataset enables us to uncover global trends in metabolism, including the differences between and within oxidoreductase groups. We further demonstrate that the redox potential of NAD(P) optimally satisfies two constraints: reversibly reducing and oxidizing the vast majority of redox reactions in central metabolism while keeping the concentration of reactive carbonyl intermediates in check.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Jinich
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Weill Department of Medicine, Weill-Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Avi Flamholz
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Haniu Ren
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Sung-Jin Kim
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Sanchez-Lengeling
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | | | - Elad Noor
- Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Alán Aspuru-Guzik
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Vector Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Biologically-Inspired Solar Energy Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Arren Bar-Even
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Yang H, Wang J, Lv Z, Tian J, Peng Y, Peng X, Xu X, Song Q, Lv B, Chen Z, Sun Z, Wang Z. Metatranscriptome analysis of the intestinal microorganisms in Pardosa pseudoannulata in response to cadmium stress. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2018; 159:1-9. [PMID: 29730401 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.04.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) generates a variety of physiological and ecological toxicity to spiders. However, little is known about the effects of Cd on symbiotic bacteria of spiders. Metatranscriptomics is increasing our knowledge of microorganisms in environment. To better understand the impact of Cd on the symbiotic bacteria of spiders, we generated and compared the metatranscriptomes of the intestinal microorganisms of Pardosa pseudoannulata with and without Cd stress. The community structure of intestinal microorganisms in P. pseudoannulata was composed of 4 kingdoms, namely bacteria, viruses, eukaryotes and archaea, including 46 phyla, 97 classes, 184 orders, 339 families, 470 genera, and 598 species. The abundance of eukaryotes, bacteria and viruses was decreased by 0.14%, 1.22% and 2.52% respectively while the archaea was increased by 99.16% when under Cd stress. We identified 1519 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 770 up-regulated and 749 down-regulated genes. The results of KEGG annotation revealed that the expression of genes that are involved in the carbon metabolism, protein and amino acid metabolism and synthesis, glucose metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, and glutathione metabolism were influenced by Cd. Collectively, these findings showed that Cd significantly impacted the community structure and expression of related functional genes of intestinal microorganisms in P. pseudoannulata.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huilin Yang
- College of Orient Science & Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China; College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China.
| | - Juan Wang
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China.
| | - Zhiyue Lv
- Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
| | - Jianxiang Tian
- College of Continuing Education, Hunan Agricultural University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China.
| | - Yuande Peng
- Institute of Bast Fiber Crops, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changsha, Hunan 410205, China.
| | - Xianjin Peng
- College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410006, Hunan, China.
| | - Xiang Xu
- College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410006, Hunan, China.
| | - Qisheng Song
- Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
| | - Bo Lv
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China.
| | - Zhaoyang Chen
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China.
| | - Zhiying Sun
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China.
| | - Zhi Wang
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, No. 1 Nongda Road, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China; College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410006, Hunan, China.
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35
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Zaitsev V, Johnsen U, Reher M, Ortjohann M, Taylor GL, Danson MJ, Schönheit P, Crennell SJ. Insights into the Substrate Specificity of Archaeal Entner-Doudoroff Aldolases: The Structures of Picrophilus torridus 2-Keto-3-deoxygluconate Aldolase and Sulfolobus solfataricus 2-Keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate Aldolase in Complex with 2-Keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate. Biochemistry 2018; 57:3797-3806. [PMID: 29812914 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The thermoacidophilic archaea Picrophilus torridus and Sulfolobus solfataricus catabolize glucose via a nonphosphorylative Entner-Doudoroff pathway and a branched Entner-Doudoroff pathway, respectively. Key enzymes for these Entner-Doudoroff pathways are the aldolases, 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate aldolase (KDG-aldolase) and 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate aldolase [KD(P)G-aldolase]. KDG-aldolase from P. torridus (Pt-KDG-aldolase) is highly specific for the nonphosphorylated substrate, 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate (KDG), whereas KD(P)G-aldolase from S. solfataricus [Ss-KD(P)G-aldolase] is an enzyme that catalyzes the cleavage of both KDG and 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate (KDPG), with a preference for KDPG. The structural basis for the high specificity of Pt-KDG-aldolase for KDG as compared to the more promiscuous Ss-KD(P)G-aldolase has not been analyzed before. In this work, we report the elucidation of the structure of Ss-KD(P)G-aldolase in complex with KDPG at 2.35 Å and that of KDG-aldolase from P. torridus at 2.50 Å resolution. By superimposition of the active sites of the two enzymes, and subsequent site-directed mutagenesis studies, a network of four amino acids, namely, Arg106, Tyr132, Arg237, and Ser241, was identified in Ss-KD(P)G-aldolase that interact with the negatively charged phosphate group of KDPG, thereby increasing the affinity of the enzyme for KDPG. This KDPG-binding network is absent in Pt-KDG-aldolase, which explains the low catalytic efficiency of KDPG cleavage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viatcheslav Zaitsev
- Biomolecular Sciences , University of St Andrews , St Andrews , Fife KY16 9ST , U.K
| | - Ulrike Johnsen
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie , Christian-Albrechts-Universität , D-24118 Kiel , Germany
| | - Matthias Reher
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie , Christian-Albrechts-Universität , D-24118 Kiel , Germany
| | - Marius Ortjohann
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie , Christian-Albrechts-Universität , D-24118 Kiel , Germany
| | - Garry L Taylor
- Biomolecular Sciences , University of St Andrews , St Andrews , Fife KY16 9ST , U.K
| | - Michael J Danson
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry , University of Bath , Bath BA2 7AY , U.K
| | - Peter Schönheit
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie , Christian-Albrechts-Universität , D-24118 Kiel , Germany
| | - Susan J Crennell
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry , University of Bath , Bath BA2 7AY , U.K
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36
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Reischl B, Ergal İ, Rittmann SKMR. Metabolic reconstruction and experimental verification of glucose utilization in Desulfurococcus amylolyticus DSM 16532. Folia Microbiol (Praha) 2018; 63:713-723. [PMID: 29797222 PMCID: PMC6182646 DOI: 10.1007/s12223-018-0612-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Desulfurococcus amylolyticus DSM 16532 is an anaerobic and hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon known to grow on a variety of different carbon sources, including monosaccharides and polysaccharides. Furthermore, D. amylolyticus is one of the few archaea that are known to be able to grow on cellulose. Here, we present the metabolic reconstruction of D. amylolyticus’ central carbon metabolism. Based on the published genome, the metabolic reconstruction was completed by integrating complementary information available from the KEGG, BRENDA, UniProt, NCBI, and PFAM databases, as well as from available literature. The genomic analysis of D. amylolyticus revealed genes for both the classical and the archaeal version of the Embden-Meyerhof pathway. The metabolic reconstruction highlighted gaps in carbon dioxide-fixation pathways. No complete carbon dioxide-fixation pathway such as the reductive citrate cycle or the dicarboxylate-4-hydroxybutyrate cycle could be identified. However, the metabolic reconstruction indicated that D. amylolyticus harbors all genes necessary for glucose metabolization. Closed batch experimental verification of glucose utilization by D. amylolyticus was performed in chemically defined medium. The findings from in silico analyses and from growth experiments are discussed with respect to physiological features of hyperthermophilic organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Reischl
- Archaea Physiology & Biotechnology Group, Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Division, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Universität Wien, Althanstraße 14, 1090, Wien, Austria
| | - İpek Ergal
- Archaea Physiology & Biotechnology Group, Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Division, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Universität Wien, Althanstraße 14, 1090, Wien, Austria
| | - Simon K-M R Rittmann
- Archaea Physiology & Biotechnology Group, Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Division, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Universität Wien, Althanstraße 14, 1090, Wien, Austria.
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Tästensen JB, Schönheit P. Two distinct glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenases in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis in the archaeon Haloferax volcanii. FEBS Lett 2018; 592:1524-1534. [PMID: 29572819 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Revised: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii degrades glucose via the semiphosphorylative Entner-Doudoroff pathway and can also grow on gluconeogenic substrates. Here, the enzymes catalysing the conversion of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (GAP) to 3-phosphoglycerate were analysed. The genome contains the genes gapI and gapII encoding two putative GAP dehydrogenases, and pgk encoding phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK). We show that gapI is functionally involved in sugar catabolism, whereas gapII is involved in gluconeogenesis. For pgk, an amphibolic function is indicated. This is the first report of the functional involvement of a phosphorylating glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and PGK in sugar catabolism in archaea. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the catabolic gapI from H. volcanii is acquired from bacteria via lateral genetransfer, whereas the anabolic gapII as well as pgk are of archaeal origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia-Beate Tästensen
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Germany
| | - Peter Schönheit
- Institut für Allgemeine Mikrobiologie, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Germany
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Quehenberger J, Shen L, Albers SV, Siebers B, Spadiut O. Sulfolobus - A Potential Key Organism in Future Biotechnology. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:2474. [PMID: 29312184 PMCID: PMC5733018 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Extremophilic organisms represent a potentially valuable resource for the development of novel bioprocesses. They can act as a source for stable enzymes and unique biomaterials. Extremophiles are capable of carrying out microbial processes and biotransformations under extremely hostile conditions. Extreme thermoacidophilic members of the well-characterized genus Sulfolobus are outstanding in their ability to thrive at both high temperatures and low pH. This review gives an overview of the biological system Sulfolobus including its central carbon metabolism and the development of tools for its genetic manipulation. We highlight findings of commercial relevance and focus on potential industrial applications. Finally, the current state of bioreactor cultivations is summarized and we discuss the use of Sulfolobus species in biorefinery applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Quehenberger
- Research Division Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Technical Chemistry, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lu Shen
- Department of Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry – Biofilm Centre, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II-Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Bettina Siebers
- Department of Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry – Biofilm Centre, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Oliver Spadiut
- Research Division Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Technical Chemistry, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
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Yassin AF, Langenberg S, Huntemann M, Clum A, Pillay M, Palaniappan K, Varghese N, Mikhailova N, Mukherjee S, Reddy TBK, Daum C, Shapiro N, Ivanova N, Woyke T, Kyrpides NC. Draft genome sequence of Actinotignum schaalii DSM 15541T: Genetic insights into the lifestyle, cell fitness and virulence. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0188914. [PMID: 29216246 PMCID: PMC5720513 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The permanent draft genome sequence of Actinotignum schaalii DSM 15541T is presented. The annotated genome includes 2,130,987 bp, with 1777 protein-coding and 58 rRNA-coding genes. Genome sequence analysis revealed absence of genes encoding for: components of the PTS systems, enzymes of the TCA cycle, glyoxylate shunt and gluconeogensis. Genomic data revealed that A. schaalii is able to oxidize carbohydrates via glycolysis, the nonoxidative pentose phosphate and the Entner-Doudoroff pathways. Besides, the genome harbors genes encoding for enzymes involved in the conversion of pyruvate to lactate, acetate and ethanol, which are found to be the end products of carbohydrate fermentation. The genome contained the gene encoding Type I fatty acid synthase required for de novo FAS biosynthesis. The plsY and plsX genes encoding the acyltransferases necessary for phosphatidic acid biosynthesis were absent from the genome. The genome harbors genes encoding enzymes responsible for isoprene biosynthesis via the mevalonate (MVA) pathway. Genes encoding enzymes that confer resistance to reactive oxygen species (ROS) were identified. In addition, A. schaalii harbors genes that protect the genome against viral infections. These include restriction-modification (RM) systems, type II toxin-antitoxin (TA), CRISPR-Cas and abortive infection system. A. schaalii genome also encodes several virulence factors that contribute to adhesion and internalization of this pathogen such as the tad genes encoding proteins required for pili assembly, the nanI gene encoding exo-alpha-sialidase, genes encoding heat shock proteins and genes encoding type VII secretion system. These features are consistent with anaerobic and pathogenic lifestyles. Finally, resistance to ciprofloxacin occurs by mutation in chromosomal genes that encode the subunits of DNA-gyrase (GyrA) and topisomerase IV (ParC) enzymes, while resistant to metronidazole was due to the frxA gene, which encodes NADPH-flavin oxidoreductase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atteyet F. Yassin
- Institut für medizinische Mikrobiologie und Immunologie der Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Stefan Langenberg
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde/Chirurgie, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marcel Huntemann
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Alicia Clum
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Manoj Pillay
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Krishnaveni Palaniappan
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Neha Varghese
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde/Chirurgie, Bonn, Germany
| | - Natalia Mikhailova
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Supratim Mukherjee
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - T. B. K. Reddy
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Chris Daum
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Nicole Shapiro
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Natalia Ivanova
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Tanja Woyke
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Nikos C. Kyrpides
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
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Figueiredo AS, Kouril T, Esser D, Haferkamp P, Wieloch P, Schomburg D, Ruoff P, Siebers B, Schaber J. Systems biology of the modified branched Entner-Doudoroff pathway in Sulfolobus solfataricus. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0180331. [PMID: 28692669 PMCID: PMC5503249 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Sulfolobus solfataricus is a thermoacidophilic Archaeon that thrives in terrestrial hot springs (solfatares) with optimal growth at 80°C and pH 2–4. It catabolizes specific carbon sources, such as D-glucose, to pyruvate via the modified Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway. This pathway has two parallel branches, the semi-phosphorylative and the non-phosphorylative. However, the strategy of S.solfataricus to endure in such an extreme environment in terms of robustness and adaptation is not yet completely understood. Here, we present the first dynamic mathematical model of the ED pathway parameterized with quantitative experimental data. These data consist of enzyme activities of the branched pathway at 70°C and 80°C and of metabolomics data at the same temperatures for the wild type and for a metabolic engineered knockout of the semi-phosphorylative branch. We use the validated model to address two questions: 1. Is this system more robust to perturbations at its optimal growth temperature? 2. Is the ED robust to deletion and perturbations? We employed a systems biology approach to answer these questions and to gain further knowledge on the emergent properties of this biological system. Specifically, we applied deterministic and stochastic approaches to study the sensitivity and robustness of the system, respectively. The mathematical model we present here, shows that: 1. Steady state metabolite concentrations of the ED pathway are consistently more robust to stochastic internal perturbations at 80°C than at 70°C; 2. These metabolite concentrations are highly robust when faced with the knockout of either branch. Connected with this observation, these two branches show different properties at the level of metabolite production and flux control. These new results reveal how enzyme kinetics and metabolomics synergizes with mathematical modelling to unveil new systemic properties of the ED pathway in S.solfataricus in terms of its adaptation and robustness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Sofia Figueiredo
- Institute for Experimental Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Theresa Kouril
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry (MEB), Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research (CWE), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Dominik Esser
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry (MEB), Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research (CWE), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Patrick Haferkamp
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry (MEB), Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research (CWE), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Patricia Wieloch
- Bioinformatics & Biochemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Dietmar Schomburg
- Bioinformatics & Biochemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Peter Ruoff
- Center for Organelle Research (CORE), University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Bettina Siebers
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry (MEB), Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research (CWE), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Jörg Schaber
- Institute for Experimental Internal Medicine, Medical Faculty Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
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41
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Littlechild JA. Improving the 'tool box' for robust industrial enzymes. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2017; 44:711-720. [PMID: 28401315 PMCID: PMC5408032 DOI: 10.1007/s10295-017-1920-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2016] [Accepted: 02/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The speed of sequencing of microbial genomes and metagenomes is providing an ever increasing resource for the identification of new robust biocatalysts with industrial applications for many different aspects of industrial biotechnology. Using 'natures catalysts' provides a sustainable approach to chemical synthesis of fine chemicals, general chemicals such as surfactants and new consumer-based materials such as biodegradable plastics. This provides a sustainable and 'green chemistry' route to chemical synthesis which generates no toxic waste and is environmentally friendly. In addition, enzymes can play important roles in other applications such as carbon dioxide capture, breakdown of food and other waste streams to provide a route to the concept of a 'circular economy' where nothing is wasted. The use of improved bioinformatic approaches and the development of new rapid enzyme activity screening methodology can provide an endless resource for new robust industrial biocatalysts.This mini-review will discuss several recent case studies where industrial enzymes of 'high priority' have been identified and characterised. It will highlight specific hydrolase enzymes and recent case studies which have been carried out within our group in Exeter.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Littlechild
- Henry Wellcome Building for Biocatalysis, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.
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42
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Speijer D. Alternating terminal electron-acceptors at the basis of symbiogenesis: How oxygen ignited eukaryotic evolution. Bioessays 2017; 39. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201600174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dave Speijer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry; Academic Medical Centre (AMC); University of Amsterdam; Amsterdam The Netherlands
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43
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Quijada JV, Schmitt ND, Salisbury JP, Auclair JR, Agar JN. Heavy Sugar and Heavy Water Create Tunable Intact Protein Mass Increases for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry in Any Feed and Organism. Anal Chem 2016; 88:11139-11146. [PMID: 27744677 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b03234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Stable isotope labeling techniques for quantitative top-down proteomics face unique challenges. These include unpredictable mass shifts following isotope labeling, which impedes analysis of unknown proteins and complex mixtures and exponentially greater susceptibility to incomplete isotope incorporation, manifesting as broadening of labeled intact protein peaks. Like popular bottom-up isotope labeling techniques, most top-down labeling methods are restricted to defined media/feed as well as amino acid auxotrophic organisms. We present a labeling method optimized for top-down proteomics that overcomes these challenges. We demonstrated this method through the spiking of 13C-sugar or 2H-water into standard laboratory feedstocks, resulting in tunable intact protein mass increases (TIPMI). After mixing of labeled and unlabeled samples, direct comparison of light and heavy peaks allowed for the relative quantitation of intact proteins in three popular model organisms, including prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms and an animal. This internal standard method proved to be more accurate than label-free quantitation in our hands. Advantages over top-down SILAC include working equally well in nutrient-rich media, conceivably expanding applicability to any organism and all classes of biomolecules, not requiring high-resolving power MS for quantitation and being relatively inexpensive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeniffer V Quijada
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States.,Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Nicholas D Schmitt
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States.,Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Joseph P Salisbury
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States.,Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Jared R Auclair
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States.,Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Jeffrey N Agar
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States.,Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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44
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Gonzalez JE, Antoniewicz MR. Tracing metabolism from lignocellulosic biomass and gaseous substrates to products with stable-isotopes. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2016; 43:86-95. [PMID: 27780112 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2016.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2016] [Revised: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Engineered microbes offer a practical and sustainable alternative to traditional industrial approaches. To increase the economic feasibility of biological processes, microbial isolates are engineered to take up inexpensive feedstocks (including lignocellulosic biomass, syngas, methane, and carbon dioxide), and convert them into substrates of central metabolism and further into value-added products. To trace the metabolism of these feedstocks into products, isotopic tracers are applied together with isotopomer analysis techniques such as 13C-metabolic flux analysis to provide a detailed picture of pathway utilization. Flux data is then integrated with kinetic models and constraint-based approaches to identify metabolic bottlenecks, propose novel metabolic engineering strategies, and improve process performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline E Gonzalez
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Metabolic Engineering and Systems Biology Laboratory, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Maciek R Antoniewicz
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Metabolic Engineering and Systems Biology Laboratory, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
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45
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Key Enzymes of the Semiphosphorylative Entner-Doudoroff Pathway in the Haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii: Characterization of Glucose Dehydrogenase, Gluconate Dehydratase, and 2-Keto-3-Deoxy-6-Phosphogluconate Aldolase. J Bacteriol 2016; 198:2251-62. [PMID: 27297879 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00286-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii has been proposed to degrade glucose via the semiphosphorylative Entner-Doudoroff (spED) pathway. So far, the key enzymes of this pathway, glucose dehydrogenase (GDH), gluconate dehydratase (GAD), and 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate (KDPG) aldolase (KDPGA), have not been characterized, and their functional involvement in glucose degradation has not been demonstrated. Here we report that the genes HVO_1083 and HVO_0950 encode GDH and KDPGA, respectively. The recombinant enzymes show high specificity for glucose and KDPG and did not convert the corresponding C4 epimers galactose and 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogalactonate at significant rates. Growth studies of knockout mutants indicate the functional involvement of both GDH and KDPGA in glucose degradation. GAD was purified from H. volcanii, and the encoding gene, gad, was identified as HVO_1488. GAD catalyzed the specific dehydration of gluconate and did not utilize galactonate at significant rates. A knockout mutant of GAD lost the ability to grow on glucose, indicating the essential involvement of GAD in glucose degradation. However, following a prolonged incubation period, growth of the Δgad mutant on glucose was recovered. Evidence is presented that under these conditions, GAD was functionally replaced by xylonate dehydratase (XAD), which uses both xylonate and gluconate as substrates. Together, the characterization of key enzymes and analyses of the respective knockout mutants present conclusive evidence for the in vivo operation of the spED pathway for glucose degradation in H. volcanii IMPORTANCE The work presented here describes the identification and characterization of the key enzymes glucose dehydrogenase, gluconate dehydratase, and 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate aldolase and their encoding genes of the proposed semiphosphorylative Entner-Doudoroff pathway in the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii The functional involvement of the three enzymes was proven by analyses of the corresponding knockout mutants. These results provide evidence for the in vivo operation of the semiphosphorylative Entner-Doudoroff pathway in haloarchaea and thus expand our understanding of the unusual sugar degradation pathways in the domain Archaea.
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46
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Goyal N, Zhou Z, Karimi IA. Metabolic processes of Methanococcus maripaludis and potential applications. Microb Cell Fact 2016; 15:107. [PMID: 27286964 PMCID: PMC4902934 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-016-0500-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Methanococcus maripaludis is a rapidly growing, fully sequenced, genetically tractable model organism among hydrogenotrophic methanogens. It has the ability to convert CO2 and H2 into a useful cleaner energy fuel (CH4). In fact, this conversion enhances in the presence of free nitrogen as the sole nitrogen source due to prolonged cell growth. Given the global importance of GHG emissions and climate change, diazotrophy can be attractive for carbon capture and utilization applications from appropriately treated flue gases, where surplus hydrogen is available from renewable electricity sources. In addition, M. maripaludis can be engineered to produce other useful products such as terpenoids, hydrogen, methanol, etc. M. maripaludis with its unique abilities has the potential to be a workhorse like Escherichia coli and S. cerevisiae for fundamental and experimental biotechnology studies. More than 100 experimental studies have explored different specific aspects of the biochemistry and genetics of CO2 and N2 fixation by M. maripaludis. Its genome-scale metabolic model (iMM518) also exists to study genetic perturbations and complex biological interactions. However, a comprehensive review describing its cell structure, metabolic processes, and methanogenesis is still lacking in the literature. This review fills this crucial gap. Specifically, it integrates distributed information from the literature to provide a complete and detailed view for metabolic processes such as acetyl-CoA synthesis, pyruvate synthesis, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, reductive tricarboxylic acid (RTCA) cycle, non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (NOPPP), nitrogen metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and nucleotide biosynthesis. It discusses energy production via methanogenesis and its relation to metabolism. Furthermore, it reviews taxonomy, cell structure, culture/storage conditions, molecular biology tools, genome-scale models, and potential industrial and environmental applications. Through the discussion, it develops new insights and hypotheses from experimental and modeling observations, and identifies opportunities for further research and applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nishu Goyal
- />Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, Singapore, 117585 Singapore
| | - Zhi Zhou
- />School of Civil Engineering and Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University, 550 Stadium Mall Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA
| | - Iftekhar A. Karimi
- />Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, Singapore, 117585 Singapore
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47
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Gavrilov SN, Stracke C, Jensen K, Menzel P, Kallnik V, Slesarev A, Sokolova T, Zayulina K, Bräsen C, Bonch-Osmolovskaya EA, Peng X, Kublanov IV, Siebers B. Isolation and Characterization of the First Xylanolytic Hyperthermophilic Euryarchaeon Thermococcus sp. Strain 2319x1 and Its Unusual Multidomain Glycosidase. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:552. [PMID: 27199905 PMCID: PMC4853606 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2015] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Enzymes from (hyper)thermophiles “Thermozymes” offer a great potential for biotechnological applications. Thermophilic adaptation does not only provide stability toward high temperature but is also often accompanied by a higher resistance to other harsh physicochemical conditions, which are also frequently employed in industrial processes, such as the presence of, e.g., denaturing agents as well as low or high pH of the medium. In order to find new thermostable, xylan degrading hydrolases with potential for biotechnological application we used an in situ enrichment strategy incubating Hungate tubes with xylan as the energy substrate in a hot vent located in the tidal zone of Kunashir Island (Kuril archipelago). Using this approach a hyperthermophilic euryarchaeon, designated Thermococcus sp. strain 2319x1, growing on xylan as sole energy and carbon source was isolated. The organism grows optimally at 85°C and pH 7.0 on a variety of natural polysaccharides including xylan, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), amorphous cellulose (AMC), xyloglucan, and chitin. The protein fraction extracted from the cells surface with Tween 80 exhibited endoxylanase, endoglucanase and xyloglucanase activities. The genome of Thermococcus sp. strain 2319x1 was sequenced and assembled into one circular chromosome. Within the newly sequenced genome, a gene, encoding a novel type of glycosidase (143 kDa) with a unique five-domain structure, was identified. It consists of three glycoside hydrolase (GH) domains and two carbohydrate-binding modules (CBM) with the domain order GH5-12-12-CBM2-2 (N- to C-terminal direction). The full length protein, as well as truncated versions, were heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli and their activity was analyzed. The full length multidomain glycosidase (MDG) was able to hydrolyze various polysaccharides, with the highest activity for barley β-glucan (β- 1,3/1,4-glucoside), followed by that for CMC (β-1,4-glucoside), cellooligosaccharides and galactomannan. The results reported here indicate that the modular MDG structure with multiple glycosidase and carbohydrate-binding domains not only extends the substrate spectrum, but also seems to allow the degradation of partially soluble and insoluble polymers in a processive manner. This report highlights the great potential in a multi-pronged approach consisting of a combined in situ enrichment, (comparative) genomics, and biochemistry strategy for the screening for novel enzymes of biotechnological relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey N Gavrilov
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow, Russia
| | - Christina Stracke
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry, Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University Duisburg-Essen Essen, Germany
| | | | - Peter Menzel
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Verena Kallnik
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry, Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University Duisburg-Essen Essen, Germany
| | - Alexei Slesarev
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of SciencesMoscow, Russia; Fidelity Systems, Inc., GaithersburgMD, USA
| | - Tatyana Sokolova
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow, Russia
| | - Kseniya Zayulina
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow, Russia
| | - Christopher Bräsen
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry, Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University Duisburg-Essen Essen, Germany
| | | | - Xu Peng
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ilya V Kublanov
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow, Russia
| | - Bettina Siebers
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry, Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University Duisburg-Essen Essen, Germany
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The Entner-Doudoroff pathway is an overlooked glycolytic route in cyanobacteria and plants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:5441-6. [PMID: 27114545 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1521916113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Glucose degradation pathways are central for energy and carbon metabolism throughout all domains of life. They provide ATP, NAD(P)H, and biosynthetic precursors for amino acids, nucleotides, and fatty acids. It is general knowledge that cyanobacteria and plants oxidize carbohydrates via glycolysis [the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway] and the oxidative pentose phosphate (OPP) pathway. However, we found that both possess a third, previously overlooked pathway of glucose breakdown: the Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway. Its key enzyme, 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate-6-phosphate (KDPG) aldolase, is widespread in cyanobacteria, moss, fern, algae, and plants and is even more common among cyanobacteria than phosphofructokinase (PFK), the key enzyme of the EMP pathway. Active KDPG aldolases from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis and the plant barley (Hordeum vulgare) were biochemically characterized in vitro. KDPG, a metabolite unique to the ED pathway, was detected in both in vivo, indicating an active ED pathway. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that photosynthetic eukaryotes acquired KDPG aldolase from the cyanobacterial ancestors of plastids via endosymbiotic gene transfer. Several Synechocystis mutants in which key enzymes of all three glucose degradation pathways were knocked out indicate that the ED pathway is physiologically significant, especially under mixotrophic conditions (light and glucose) and under autotrophic conditions in a day/night cycle, which is probably the most common condition encountered in nature. The ED pathway has lower protein costs and ATP yields than the EMP pathway, in line with the observation that oxygenic photosynthesizers are nutrient-limited, rather than ATP-limited. Furthermore, the ED pathway does not generate futile cycles in organisms that fix CO2 via the Calvin-Benson cycle.
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Vavourakis CD, Ghai R, Rodriguez-Valera F, Sorokin DY, Tringe SG, Hugenholtz P, Muyzer G. Metagenomic Insights into the Uncultured Diversity and Physiology of Microbes in Four Hypersaline Soda Lake Brines. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:211. [PMID: 26941731 PMCID: PMC4766312 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Soda lakes are salt lakes with a naturally alkaline pH due to evaporative concentration of sodium carbonates in the absence of major divalent cations. Hypersaline soda brines harbor microbial communities with a high species- and strain-level archaeal diversity and a large proportion of still uncultured poly-extremophiles compared to neutral brines of similar salinities. We present the first "metagenomic snapshots" of microbial communities thriving in the brines of four shallow soda lakes from the Kulunda Steppe (Altai, Russia) covering a salinity range from 170 to 400 g/L. Both amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA fragments and direct metagenomic sequencing showed that the top-level taxa abundance was linked to the ambient salinity: Bacteroidetes, Alpha-, and Gamma-proteobacteria were dominant below a salinity of 250 g/L, Euryarchaeota at higher salinities. Within these taxa, amplicon sequences related to Halorubrum, Natrinema, Gracilimonas, purple non-sulfur bacteria (Rhizobiales, Rhodobacter, and Rhodobaca) and chemolithotrophic sulfur oxidizers (Thioalkalivibrio) were highly abundant. Twenty-four draft population genomes from novel members and ecotypes within the Nanohaloarchaea, Halobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were reconstructed to explore their metabolic features, environmental abundance and strategies for osmotic adaptation. The Halobacteria- and Bacteroidetes-related draft genomes belong to putative aerobic heterotrophs, likely with the capacity to ferment sugars in the absence of oxygen. Members from both taxonomic groups are likely involved in primary organic carbon degradation, since some of the reconstructed genomes encode the ability to hydrolyze recalcitrant substrates, such as cellulose and chitin. Putative sodium-pumping rhodopsins were found in both a Flavobacteriaceae- and a Chitinophagaceae-related draft genome. The predicted proteomes of both the latter and a Rhodothermaceae-related draft genome were indicative of a "salt-in" strategy of osmotic adaptation. The primary catabolic and respiratory pathways shared among all available reference genomes of Nanohaloarchaea and our novel genome reconstructions remain incomplete, but point to a primarily fermentative lifestyle. Encoded xenorhodopsins found in most drafts suggest that light plays an important role in the ecology of Nanohaloarchaea. Putative encoded halolysins and laccase-like oxidases might indicate the potential for extracellular degradation of proteins and peptides, and phenolic or aromatic compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte D. Vavourakis
- Microbial Systems Ecology, Department of Aquatic Microbiology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of AmsterdamAmsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Rohit Ghai
- Evolutionary Genomics Group, Departamento de Producción Vegetal y Microbiología, Universidad Miguel HernándezSan Juan de Alicante, Spain
- Department of Aquatic Microbial Ecology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of HydrobiologyČeské Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Francisco Rodriguez-Valera
- Evolutionary Genomics Group, Departamento de Producción Vegetal y Microbiología, Universidad Miguel HernándezSan Juan de Alicante, Spain
| | - Dimitry Y. Sorokin
- Research Centre of Biotechnology, Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of SciencesMoscow, Russia
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of TechnologyDelft, Netherlands
| | | | - Philip Hugenholtz
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Gerard Muyzer
- Microbial Systems Ecology, Department of Aquatic Microbiology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of AmsterdamAmsterdam, Netherlands
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Pineda E, Vázquez C, Encalada R, Nozaki T, Sato E, Hanadate Y, Néquiz M, Olivos-García A, Moreno-Sánchez R, Saavedra E. Roles of acetyl-CoA synthetase (ADP-forming) and acetate kinase (PPi-forming) in ATP and PPi supply in Entamoeba histolytica. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2016; 1860:1163-72. [PMID: 26922831 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2016.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Revised: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 02/21/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acetate is an end-product of the PPi-dependent fermentative glycolysis in Entamoeba histolytica; it is synthesized from acetyl-CoA by ADP-forming acetyl-CoA synthetase (ACS) with net ATP synthesis or from acetyl-phosphate by a unique PPi-forming acetate kinase (AcK). The relevance of these enzymes to the parasite ATP and PPi supply, respectively, are analyzed here. METHODS The recombinant enzymes were kinetically characterized and their physiological roles were analyzed by transcriptional gene silencing and further metabolic analyses in amoebae. RESULTS Recombinant ACS showed higher catalytic efficiencies (Vmax/Km) for acetate formation than for acetyl-CoA formation and high acetyl-CoA levels were found in trophozoites. Gradual ACS gene silencing (49-93%) significantly decreased the acetate flux without affecting the levels of glycolytic metabolites and ATP in trophozoites. However, amoebae lacking ACS activity were unable to reestablish the acetyl-CoA/CoA ratio after an oxidative stress challenge. Recombinant AcK showed activity only in the acetate formation direction; however, its substrate acetyl-phosphate was undetected in axenic parasites. AcK gene silencing did not affect acetate production in the parasites but promoted a slight decrease (10-20%) in the hexose phosphates and PPi levels. CONCLUSIONS These results indicated that the main role of ACS in the parasite energy metabolism is not ATP production but to recycle CoA for glycolysis to proceed under aerobic conditions. AcK does not contribute to acetate production but might be marginally involved in PPi and hexosephosphate homeostasis. SIGNIFICANCE The previous, long-standing hypothesis that these enzymes importantly contribute to ATP and PPi supply in amoebae can now be ruled out.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Pineda
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez. Mexico D.F. 14080, Mexico
| | - Citlali Vázquez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez. Mexico D.F. 14080, Mexico
| | - Rusely Encalada
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez. Mexico D.F. 14080, Mexico
| | - Tomoyoshi Nozaki
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases. Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
| | - Emi Sato
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases. Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
| | - Yuki Hanadate
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases. Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
| | - Mario Néquiz
- Departamento de Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Mexico D.F. 04510, Mexico
| | - Alfonso Olivos-García
- Departamento de Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Mexico D.F. 04510, Mexico
| | - Rafael Moreno-Sánchez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez. Mexico D.F. 14080, Mexico
| | - Emma Saavedra
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez. Mexico D.F. 14080, Mexico.
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