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Trinh TC, Falson P, Tran-Nguyen VK, Boumendjel A. Ligand-Based Drug Discovery Leveraging State-of-the-Art Machine Learning Methodologies Exemplified by Cdr1 Inhibitor Prediction. J Chem Inf Model 2025; 65:4027-4042. [PMID: 40241349 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.5c00374] [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: 04/18/2025]
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing drug discovery with unprecedented speed and efficiency. In computer-aided drug design, structure-based and ligand-based methodologies are the main driving forces for innovation. In cases where no experimental structure or high-confidence homology/AlphaFold-predicted model of the target is available in 3D, ligand-based strategies are generally preferable. Here, we aim to develop and evaluate new predictive AI models for ligand-based drug discovery. To illustrate our workflow, we propose, as an example, an ensemble classification model for Cdr1 inhibitor prediction. We leverage target-specific experimental data from different sources, various molecular feature types, and multiple state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) algorithms alongside a multi-instance 3D graph neural network (multiple conformations of a single molecule are considered). Bayesian hyperparameter tuning, stacked generalization, and soft voting are involved in our workflow. The final target-specific ensemble model benefits from the classification and screening power of those constituting it. On an external test set structurally dissimilar to the training data, its average precision is 0.755, its F1-score is 0.714, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve is 0.884, and the balanced accuracy is 0.799. It gives a low false positive rate of 0.1236 on another test set outside the training chemical space, indicating its ability to avoid false positives. The present work highlights the potential of stacking ensemble ML and offers a rigorous general workflow to build ligand-based predictive AI models for other targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pierre Falson
- Drug Resistance & Membrane Proteins Group, CNRS-Lyon 1 University Laboratory, UMR 5086, IBCP, 69367 CEDEX Lyon 07, France
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Liu K, Liu Y, Liu Y, Huang X, Jia Y, Ji L, Tian S, Chen T. Suppression of ergosterol biosynthesis by dictamnine confers resistance to gray mold on harvested fruit. Food Microbiol 2025; 127:104681. [PMID: 39667853 DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2024.104681] [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: 08/10/2024] [Revised: 10/27/2024] [Accepted: 11/12/2024] [Indexed: 12/14/2024]
Abstract
Botrytis cinerea is a major cause of postharvest rot in fresh fruits and vegetables worldwide. Consequently, the pursuit of environmentally friendly and efficient alternatives to fungicides has emerged as a hot spot of research. In this study, it was found that dictamnine (DIC, 4-methoxyfuro [2,3-β] quinoline), an active ingredient from Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz, efficiently inhibited spore germination and mycelial growth of B. cinerea, alleviated the development of lesions caused by B. cinerea on postharvest apples, kiwifruits, cherry tomatoes and strawberries in a dose-dependent manner. RNA sequencing analysis followed by Gene Ontology (GO) term enrichment revealed that functional genes related to cell membrane function were significantly enriched, while most genes associated with ergosterol biosynthesis were down-regulated. Molecular docking indicated that DIC bound to the rate-limiting enzymes BcERG1 (squalene monooxygenase) and BcERG11 (Lanosterol 14-alpha demethylase) at -7.1 and -7.2 kcal mol-1, respectively. Additionally, it was observed that the application of DIC led to a decrease in ergosterol content, which compromised membrane integrity and normal membrane potential. Interestingly, exogenous ergosterol addition partially restored the inhibitory effect of DIC on the germination of B. cinerea spores and the lesion development on apple fruit. Taken together, these results indicate the potential for utilizing DIC as a promising antifungal substitute for controlling gray mold in postharvest fruit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China; China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, 100093, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yuhan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China; China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, 100093, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yangzhi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China; China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, 100093, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xinhua Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China; China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, 100093, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yanhong Jia
- Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Tianjin, 300384, China
| | - Lizhu Ji
- Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Tianjin, 300384, China.
| | - Shiping Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China; China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, 100093, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Tong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China; China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, 100093, China.
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Wang Y, Liu S, Sheng Z, Feng Y, Wang Y, Jiang Y, Zhu L, Wu M, Yang L, Lin J. Novel cell factory for the production of 24-epi-ergosterol, an un-natural semi-synthetic precursor for the production of brassinolide in Yarrowia lipolytica. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2025; 41:98. [PMID: 40059252 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-025-04314-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2025] [Accepted: 02/27/2025] [Indexed: 03/29/2025]
Abstract
Brassinolide (BL) is the most bioactive plant growth regulator among Brassinosteroids (BRs), belonging to the sixth class of plant hormones. However, its low natural abundance limits large-scale agricultural applications. An unnatural sterol, 24-epi-ergosterol, was proposed as a semi-synthetic precursor for economic production of BL. Here, we constructed a synthetic pathway for 24-epi-ergosterol in Yarrowia lipolytica, which has abundant acetyl-CoA content and a hydrophobic intracellular environment. Initially, we introduced a mutant plant-derived Δ24(28) sterol reductase (Dwf1) into Y. lipolytica to enable 24-epi-ergosterol production. The production of 24-epi-ergosterol was subsequently enhanced by regulating sterol homeostasis, optimizing transcriptional regulators, and overexpressing key pathway genes. Next, the accumulation of 24-epi-ergosterol was further improved by increasing acetyl-CoA levels and adjusting lipid metabolism. Finally, the 24-epi-ergosterol production reached 1626.85 mg/L after optimizing the fermentation conditions and performing a fed-batch culture in a 2 L fermenter. This study represents the first successful de novo synthesis of 24-epi-ergosterol in Y. lipolytica, offering a novel approach for the industrial production of BL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanying Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Shuxian Liu
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, 315100, China
| | - Zeyu Sheng
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yun Feng
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yinmiao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yiqi Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
- Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, 315100, China.
- School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, NingboTech University, Ningbo, 315100, People's Republic of China.
- Ningbo Xinbio Biological Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd, Ningbo, 315048, China.
| | - Li Zhu
- Ningbo Xinbio Biological Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd, Ningbo, 315048, China
| | - Mianbin Wu
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Lirong Yang
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Jianping Lin
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, 315100, China
- Ningbo Xinbio Biological Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd, Ningbo, 315048, China
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
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Barraza GA, Maza JR, Kouznetsov VV, Gómez CMM. Exploring quinoline-type inhibitors of ergosterol biosynthesis: Binding mechanism investigation via molecular docking, pharmacophore mapping, and dynamics simulation approaches. Comput Biol Med 2025; 185:109524. [PMID: 39693691 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.109524] [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: 07/27/2024] [Revised: 11/11/2024] [Accepted: 12/02/2024] [Indexed: 12/20/2024]
Abstract
Drug-resistant fungal infections pose a formidable challenge in healthcare, attributed to ergosterol production as a key mechanism of resistance. It is therefore imperative to target this pathway for effective therapeutic interventions. In this study, we have analyzed the binding mode of twelve quinoline derivatives known to be effective against various Candida species, Microsporum gypseum, and Cryptococcus neoformans. Employing molecular docking techniques, pharmacological modeling, and molecular dynamics, we have delved into interactions with Erg1, Erg11, and Erg24 proteins, crucial in ergosterol biosynthesis. Our analysis unveiled critical interactions that facilitate the docking and stabilization of C-2-substituted quinoline derivatives on these proteins, highlighting their potential as regulators of ergosterol synthesis. Furthermore, complexes formed with Erg1 … 8 (MIC = 125 μg/mL) and Erg24 … 4 (MIC = 62 μg/mL) showed higher affinity and stability during the docking process, pointing to their promising role as regulatory agents of these proteins. This in silico approach provides insights into potential pathways to combat drug-resistant fungal infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo A Barraza
- Grupo de Investigación en Química Orgánica y Biomédica, Programa de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Del Atlántico, A.A.1890, Barranquilla, Colombia; Laboratorio de Transducción de Señales y Movimiento Celular, Instituto de Medicina y Biología Experimental de Cuyo (IMBECU), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina.
| | - Julio Román Maza
- Grupo de Investigación en Química Orgánica y Biomédica, Programa de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Del Atlántico, A.A.1890, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Vladimir V Kouznetsov
- Grupo de Investigación en Química Orgánica y Biomédica, Programa de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Del Atlántico, A.A.1890, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Carlos Mario Meléndez Gómez
- Grupo de Investigación en Química Orgánica y Biomédica, Programa de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Del Atlántico, A.A.1890, Barranquilla, Colombia
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Sharma S, Chaurasia S, Dinday S, Srivastava G, Singh A, Chanotiya CS, Ghosh S. High-level biosynthesis of enantiopure germacrene D in yeast. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 108:50. [PMID: 38183482 PMCID: PMC10789846 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12885-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
Germacrene D, a sesquiterpenoid compound found mainly in plant essential oils at a low level as (+) and/or (-) enantiomeric forms, is an ingredient for the fragrance industry, but a process for the sustainable supply of enantiopure germacrene D is not yet established. Here, we demonstrate metabolic engineering in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) achieving biosynthesis of enantiopure germacrene D at a high titer. To boost farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) flux for high-level germacrene D biosynthesis, a background yeast chassis (CENses5C) was developed by genomic integration of the expression cassettes for eight ergosterol pathway enzymes that sequentially converted acetyl-CoA to FPP and by replacing squalene synthase promoter with a copper-repressible promoter, which restricted FPP flux to the competing pathway. Galactose-induced expression of codon-optimized plant germacrene D synthases led to 13-30 fold higher titers of (+) or (-)-germacrene D in CENses5C than the parent strain CEN.PK2.1C. Furthermore, genomic integration of germacrene D synthases in GAL80, LPP1 and rDNA loci generated CENses8(+D) and CENses8(-D) strains, which produced 41.36 µg/ml and 728.87 µg/ml of (+) and (-)-germacrene D, respectively, without galactose supplementation. Moreover, coupling of mitochondrial citrate pool to the cytosolic acetyl-CoA, by expressing a codon-optimized ATP-citrate lyase of oleaginous yeast, resulted in 137.71 µg/ml and 815.81 µg/ml of (+) or (-)-germacrene D in CENses8(+D)* and CENses8(-D)* strains, which were 67-120 fold higher titers than in CEN.PK2.1C. In fed-batch fermentation, CENses8(+D)* and CENses8(-D)* produced 290.28 µg/ml and 2519.46 µg/ml (+) and (-)-germacrene D, respectively, the highest titers in shake-flask fermentation achieved so far. KEY POINTS: • Engineered S. cerevisiae produced enantiopure (+) and (-)-germacrene D at high titers • Engineered strain produced up to 120-fold higher germacrene D than the parental strain • Highest titers of enantiopure (+) and (-)-germacrene D achieved so far in shake-flask.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shubha Sharma
- Plant Biotechnology Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow, 226015, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Seema Chaurasia
- Plant Biotechnology Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow, 226015, India
| | - Sandeep Dinday
- Plant Biotechnology Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow, 226015, India
- School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004, India
| | - Gaurav Srivastava
- Plant Biotechnology Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow, 226015, India
| | - Anamika Singh
- Plant Biotechnology Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow, 226015, India
| | - Chandan Singh Chanotiya
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
- Phytochemistry Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow, 226015, India
| | - Sumit Ghosh
- Plant Biotechnology Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow, 226015, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India.
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Padmavathi AR, Reddy GKK, Murthy PS, Nancharaiah YV. New arsenals for old armour: Biogenic nanoparticles in the battle against drug-resistant Candidaalbicans. Microb Pathog 2024; 194:106800. [PMID: 39025380 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2024.106800] [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: 04/29/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Candida albicans is a common commensal fungus and fourth most frequent causative agent of nosocomial infections including life-threatening invasive candidiasis in humans. The effectiveness of present antifungal therapies using azoles, polyenes, flucytosine and echinocandins has plateaued in managing fungal infections. The limitations of these antifungal drugs are related to polymorphic morphology, biofilm formation, emergence of drug-resistant strains and production of several virulence factors. Development of new antifungal agents, which can particularly afflict multiple cellular targets and limiting evolving resistant strains are needed. Recently, metal nanoparticles have emerged as a source of new antifungal agents for antifungal formulations. Furthermore, green nanotechnology deals with the use of biosynthetic routes that offer new avenue for synthesizing antifungal nanoparticles coupled with less toxic chemical inventory and environmental sustainability. This article reviews the recent developments on C. albicans pathogenesis, biofilm formation, drug resistance, mode of action of antifungal drugs and antifungal activities of metal nanoparticles. The antifungal efficacy and mode of action of metal nanoparticles are described in the context of prospective therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alwar Ramanujam Padmavathi
- Biofouling and Biofilm Processes Section, Water and Steam Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Kalpakkam, 603 102, India; Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400 094, India.
| | - G Kiran Kumar Reddy
- Biofouling and Biofilm Processes Section, Water and Steam Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Kalpakkam, 603 102, India; Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400 094, India
| | - P Sriyutha Murthy
- Biofouling and Biofilm Processes Section, Water and Steam Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Kalpakkam, 603 102, India; Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400 094, India
| | - Y V Nancharaiah
- Biofouling and Biofilm Processes Section, Water and Steam Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Kalpakkam, 603 102, India; Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400 094, India
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Zhou X, Hilk A, Solis NV, Pereira De Sa N, Hogan BM, Bierbaum TA, Del Poeta M, Filler SG, Burrack LS, Selmecki A. Erg251 has complex and pleiotropic effects on sterol composition, azole susceptibility, filamentation, and stress response phenotypes. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012389. [PMID: 39078851 PMCID: PMC11315318 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 08/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Ergosterol is essential for fungal cell membrane integrity and growth, and numerous antifungal drugs target ergosterol. Inactivation or modification of ergosterol biosynthetic genes can lead to changes in antifungal drug susceptibility, filamentation and stress response. Here, we found that the ergosterol biosynthesis gene ERG251 is a hotspot for point mutations during adaptation to antifungal drug stress within two distinct genetic backgrounds of Candida albicans. Heterozygous point mutations led to single allele dysfunction of ERG251 and resulted in azole tolerance in both genetic backgrounds. This is the first known example of point mutations causing azole tolerance in C. albicans. Importantly, single allele dysfunction of ERG251 in combination with recurrent chromosome aneuploidies resulted in bona fide azole resistance. Homozygous deletions of ERG251 caused increased fitness in low concentrations of fluconazole and decreased fitness in rich medium, especially at low initial cell density. Homozygous deletions of ERG251 resulted in accumulation of ergosterol intermediates consistent with the fitness defect in rich medium. Dysfunction of ERG251, together with FLC exposure, resulted in decreased accumulation of the toxic sterol (14-ɑ-methylergosta-8,24(28)-dien-3β,6α-diol) and increased accumulation of non-toxic alternative sterols. The altered sterol composition of the ERG251 mutants had pleiotropic effects on transcription, filamentation, and stress responses including cell membrane, osmotic and oxidative stress. Interestingly, while dysfunction of ERG251 resulted in azole tolerance, it also led to transcriptional upregulation of ZRT2, a membrane-bound Zinc transporter, in the presence of FLC, and overexpression of ZRT2 is sufficient to increase azole tolerance in wild-type C. albicans. Finally, in a murine model of systemic infection, homozygous deletion of ERG251 resulted in decreased virulence while the heterozygous deletion mutants maintain their pathogenicity. Overall, this study demonstrates that single allele dysfunction of ERG251 is a recurrent and effective mechanism of acquired azole tolerance. We propose that altered sterol composition resulting from ERG251 dysfunction mediates azole tolerance as well as pleiotropic effects on stress response, filamentation and virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhou
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Audrey Hilk
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Norma V. Solis
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California, United States of America
| | - Nivea Pereira De Sa
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Bode M. Hogan
- Gustavus Adolphus College, Department of Biology, Saint Peter, Minnesota, USA
| | - Tessa A. Bierbaum
- Gustavus Adolphus College, Department of Biology, Saint Peter, Minnesota, USA
| | - Maurizio Del Poeta
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
- Veterans Administration Medical Center, Northport, New York, United States of America
| | - Scott G. Filler
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California, United States of America
- David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Laura S. Burrack
- Gustavus Adolphus College, Department of Biology, Saint Peter, Minnesota, USA
| | - Anna Selmecki
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
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Kwon S, Choi Y, Kim ES, Lee KT, Bahn YS, Jung KW. Pleiotropic roles of LAMMER kinase, Lkh1 in stress responses and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1369301. [PMID: 38774630 PMCID: PMC11106425 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1369301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Dual-specificity LAMMER kinases are highly evolutionarily conserved in eukaryotes and play pivotal roles in diverse physiological processes, such as growth, differentiation, and stress responses. Although the functions of LAMMER kinase in fungal pathogens in pathogenicity and stress responses have been characterized, its role in Cryptococcus neoformans, a human fungal pathogen and a model yeast of basidiomycetes, remains elusive. In this study, we identified a LKH1 homologous gene and constructed a strain with a deleted LKH1 and a complemented strain. Similar to other fungi, the lkh1Δ mutant showed intrinsic growth defects. We observed that C. neoformans Lkh1 was involved in diverse stress responses, including oxidative stress and cell wall stress. Particularly, Lkh1 regulates DNA damage responses in Rad53-dependent and -independent manners. Furthermore, the absence of LKH1 reduced basidiospore formation. Our observations indicate that Lkh1 becomes hyperphosphorylated upon treatment with rapamycin, a TOR protein inhibitor. Notably, LKH1 deletion led to defects in melanin synthesis and capsule formation. Furthermore, we found that the deletion of LKH1 led to the avirulence of C. neoformans in a systemic cryptococcosis murine model. Taken together, Lkh1 is required for the stress response, sexual differentiation, and virulence of C. neoformans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunhak Kwon
- Advanced Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup, Jeonbuk, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeseul Choi
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eui-Seong Kim
- Korea Zoonosis Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan, Jeonbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung-Tae Lee
- Korea Zoonosis Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan, Jeonbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Sun Bahn
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwang-Woo Jung
- Advanced Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup, Jeonbuk, Republic of Korea
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Zhou X, Hilk A, Solis NV, Hogan BM, Bierbaum TA, Filler SG, Burrack LS, Selmecki A. Erg251 has complex and pleiotropic effects on azole susceptibility, filamentation, and stress response phenotypes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.06.583770. [PMID: 38496635 PMCID: PMC10942443 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.06.583770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Ergosterol is essential for fungal cell membrane integrity and growth, and numerous antifungal drugs target ergosterol. Inactivation or modification of ergosterol biosynthetic genes can lead to changes in antifungal drug susceptibility, filamentation and stress response. Here, we found that the ergosterol biosynthesis gene ERG251 is a hotspot for point mutations during adaptation to antifungal drug stress within two distinct genetic backgrounds of Candida albicans. Heterozygous point mutations led to single allele dysfunction of ERG251 and resulted in azole tolerance in both genetic backgrounds. This is the first known example of point mutations causing azole tolerance in C. albicans. Importantly, single allele dysfunction of ERG251 in combination with recurrent chromosome aneuploidies resulted in bona fide azole resistance. Homozygous deletions of ERG251 caused increased fitness in low concentrations of fluconazole and decreased fitness in rich medium, especially at low initial cell density. Dysfunction of ERG251 resulted in transcriptional upregulation of the alternate sterol biosynthesis pathway and ZRT2, a Zinc transporter. Notably, we determined that overexpression of ZRT2 is sufficient to increase azole tolerance in C. albicans. Our combined transcriptional and phenotypic analyses revealed the pleiotropic effects of ERG251 on stress responses including cell wall, osmotic and oxidative stress. Interestingly, while loss of either allele of ERG251 resulted in similar antifungal drug responses, we observed functional divergence in filamentation regulation between the two alleles of ERG251 (ERG251-A and ERG251-B) with ERG251-A exhibiting a dominant role in the SC5314 genetic background. Finally, in a murine model of systemic infection, homozygous deletion of ERG251 resulted in decreased virulence while the heterozygous deletion mutants maintain their pathogenicity. Overall, this study provides extensive genetic, transcriptional and phenotypic analysis for the effects of ERG251 on drug susceptibility, fitness, filamentation and stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhou
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Audrey Hilk
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Norma V. Solis
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
| | - Bode M. Hogan
- Gustavus Adolphus College, Department of Biology, Saint Peter, MN, USA
| | - Tessa A. Bierbaum
- Gustavus Adolphus College, Department of Biology, Saint Peter, MN, USA
| | - Scott G. Filler
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Laura S. Burrack
- Gustavus Adolphus College, Department of Biology, Saint Peter, MN, USA
| | - Anna Selmecki
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Wu C, Zhang H, Yang N, Liu N, Yang H, Xu H, Lei H. Antioxidant Dipeptides Enhance Osmotic Stress Tolerance by Regulating the Yeast Cell Wall and Membrane. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2024; 72:4339-4347. [PMID: 38351620 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c09320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the role of the yeast cell wall and membrane in enhancing osmotic tolerance by antioxidant dipeptides (ADs) including Ala-His (AH), Thr-Tyr (TY), and Phe-Cys (FC). Results revealed that ADs could improve the integrity of the cell wall by restructuring polysaccharide structures. Specifically, FC significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the leakage of nucleic acid and protein by 2.86% and 5.36%, respectively, compared to the control. In addition, membrane lipid composition played a crucial role in enhancing yeast tolerance by ADs, including the increase of cell membrane integrity and the decrease of permeability by regulating the ratio of unsaturated fatty acids. The up-regulation of gene expression associated with the cell wall integrity pathway (RLM1, SLT2, MNN9, FKS1, and CHS3) and fatty acid biosynthesis (ACC1, HFA1, OLE1, ERG1, and FAA1) further confirmed the positive impact of ADs on yeast tolerance against osmotic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caiyun Wu
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Hexin Zhang
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Nana Yang
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Na Liu
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Huirong Yang
- College of Food Science and Technology, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Huaide Xu
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Hongjie Lei
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
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11
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Gu Y, Chen S, Jiao X, Bian Q, Ye L, Yu H. Combinatorial metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for improved production of 7-dehydrocholesterol. ENGINEERING MICROBIOLOGY 2023; 3:100100. [PMID: 39628913 PMCID: PMC11610951 DOI: 10.1016/j.engmic.2023.100100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2024]
Abstract
7-Dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC), a key pharmaceutical intermediate in the production of vitamin D3, has a wide range of applications. To explore fermentative synthesis of 7-DHC, a 7-DHC-producing Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain was constructed by blocking the competitive pathway, eliminating rate-limiting steps, altering global regulation, and pathway compartmentalization. After blocking the competitive pathway by disrupting ERG5 and ERG6 and introducing DHCR24 from Gallus gallus, S. cerevisiae produced 139.72 mg/L (17.04 mg/g dry cell weight, hereafter abbreviated as DCW) 7-DHC. Subsequent alteration of global regulation by deleting ROX1 and overexpressing UPC2-1 increased 7-DHC production to 217.68 mg/L (37.56 mg/g DCW). To remove the accumulated squalene, the post-squalene pathway was strengthened by co-overexpression of P GAL1 -driven ERG11 and P GAL10 -driven ERG1, which improved 7-DHC titer and yield to 281.73 mg/L and 46.78 mg/g DCW, respectively, and reduced squalene content by 90.12%. We surmised that the sterol precursors in the plasma membrane and peroxisomes may not be accessible to the pathway enzymes, thus we re-localized DHCR24p and Erg2p-GGGGS-Erg3p to the plasma membrane and peroxisomes, boosting 7-DHC production to 357.53 mg/L (63.12 mg/g DCW). Iron supplementation further increased 7-DHC production to 370.68 mg/L in shake flasks and 1.56 g/L in fed-batch fermentation. This study demonstrates the power of global regulation and subcellular relocalization of key enzymes to improve 7-DHC synthesis in yeast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuehao Gu
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering (Education Ministry), College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Shuhui Chen
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering (Education Ministry), College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xue Jiao
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering (Education Ministry), College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Qi Bian
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering (Education Ministry), College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Lidan Ye
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering (Education Ministry), College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Hongwei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering (Education Ministry), College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
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12
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Franconi I, Rizzato C, Poma N, Tavanti A, Lupetti A. Candida parapsilosis sensu stricto Antifungal Resistance Mechanisms and Associated Epidemiology. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:798. [PMID: 37623569 PMCID: PMC10456088 DOI: 10.3390/jof9080798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Fungal diseases cause millions of deaths per year worldwide. Antifungal resistance has become a matter of great concern in public health. In recent years rates of non-albicans species have risen dramatically. Candida parapsilosis is now reported to be the second most frequent species causing candidemia in several countries in Europe, Latin America, South Africa and Asia. Rates of acquired azole resistance are reaching a worrisome threshold from multiple reports as in vitro susceptibility testing is now starting also to explore tolerance and heteroresistance to antifungal compounds. With this review, the authors seek to evaluate known antifungal resistance mechanisms and their worldwide distribution in Candida species infections with a specific focus on C. parapsilosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iacopo Franconi
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno, 37, 56127 Pisa, Italy; (I.F.); (C.R.)
| | - Cosmeri Rizzato
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno, 37, 56127 Pisa, Italy; (I.F.); (C.R.)
| | - Noemi Poma
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno, 37, 56127 Pisa, Italy; (N.P.); (A.T.)
| | - Arianna Tavanti
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno, 37, 56127 Pisa, Italy; (N.P.); (A.T.)
| | - Antonella Lupetti
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno, 37, 56127 Pisa, Italy; (I.F.); (C.R.)
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Du MM, Zhang GG, Zhu ZT, Zhao YQ, Gao B, Tao XY, Wang FQ, Wei DZ. Boosting the epoxidation of squalene to produce triterpenoids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS 2023; 16:76. [PMID: 37143155 PMCID: PMC10161426 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-023-02310-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Polycyclic triterpenoids (PTs) are common in plants, and have attracted considerable interest due to their remarkable biological activities. Currently, engineering the ergosterol synthesis pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a safe and cost-competitive way to produce triterpenoids. However, the strict regulation of ERG1 involved in the epoxidation of squalene limits the triterpenoid production. RESULTS In this study, we found that the decrease in ERG7 protein level could dramatically boost the epoxidation of squalene by improving the protein stability of ERG1. We next explored the potential factors that affected the degradation process of ERG1 and confirmed that ERG7 was involved in the degradation process of ERG1. Subsequently, expression of four different triterpene cyclases utilizing either 2,3-oxidosqualene or 2,3:22,23-dioxidosqualene as the substrate in ERG7-degraded strains showed that the degradation of ERG7 to prompt the epoxidation of squalene could significantly increase triterpenoid production. To better display the potential of the strategy, we increased the supply of 2,3-oxidosqualene, optimized flux distribution between ergosterol synthesis pathway and β-amyrin synthesis pathway, and modified the GAL-regulation system to separate the growth stage from the production stage. The best-performing strain ultimately produced 4216.6 ± 68.4 mg/L of β-amyrin in a two-stage fed-fermentation (a 47-fold improvement over the initial strain). CONCLUSIONS This study showed that deregulation of the native restriction in ergosterol pathway was an effective strategy to increase triterpenoid production in yeast, which provided a new insight into triterpenoids biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Meng Du
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, P.O.B.311, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Ge-Ge Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, P.O.B.311, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Zhan-Tao Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, P.O.B.311, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Yun-Qiu Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, P.O.B.311, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Bei Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, P.O.B.311, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Xin-Yi Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, P.O.B.311, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Feng-Qing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, P.O.B.311, Shanghai, 200237, China.
| | - Dong-Zhi Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, P.O.B.311, Shanghai, 200237, China.
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Bhattacharyya A, Sadhasivam S, Sinha M, Gupta S, Saini S, Singh H, Khurana A, Sachdeva S, Sardana K, Ghosh S. Treatment of recalcitrant cases of tinea corporis/cruris caused by T. mentagrophytes - interdigitale complex with mutations in ERG11 ERG 3, ERG4, MDR1 MFS genes & SQLE and their potential implications. Int J Dermatol 2023; 62:637-648. [PMID: 36929499 DOI: 10.1111/ijd.16622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recalcitrant dermatophyte infections are being reported from various parts of the world due to varied causes including strain variation, steroid misuse, SQLE mutations, and variable quality of itraconazole pellet formulations. The oral drug preferred in endemic areas is itraconazole, to which MIC levels remain low, and clinical failures to itraconazole reported defy a sound scientific explanation. OBJECTIVES The objective of the study was to conduct a proteomic and genomic analysis on isolates from therapeutically recalcitrant case with isolation of gene mutations and enzymatic abnormalities to explain azole failures. METHODS Trichophyton mentagrophyte interdigitale complex strains were isolated from seven clinically non-responding tinea corporis/cruris patients, who had failed a sequential course of 6 weeks of terbinafine 250 mg QD and itraconazole 100 mg BID. After AFST 1 strain, KA01 with high MIC to most drugs was characterized using whole genome sequencing, comparative proteomic profiling, and total sterol quantification. RESULTS Sterol quantification showed that the standard strain of Trichophyton mentagrophytes (MTCC-7687) had half the ergosterol content than the resistant KA01 strain. Genomic analysis revealed mutations in SQLE, ERG4, ERG11, MDR1, MFS genes, and a novel ERG3 mutation. Proteomic analysis established the aberrant expression of acetyl Co-A transferase in the resistant strain and upregulation of thioredoxin reductase and peroxiredoxin. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrate possible reasons for multidrug resistance in the prevalent strain with mutations in genes that predict terbinafine (SQLE) and azole actions (ERG4, ERG11, ERG3) apart from efflux pumps (MDR1, MFS) that can explain multidrug clinical failures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mau Sinha
- Vyome Therapeutics Limited, New Delhi, India
| | - Swati Gupta
- Vyome Therapeutics Limited, New Delhi, India
| | | | | | - Ananta Khurana
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprosy, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Soumya Sachdeva
- Saraswathi Institute of Medical Sciences, Anwarpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Kabir Sardana
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprosy, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
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15
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Zhu Y, Li J, Peng L, Meng L, Diao M, Jiang S, Li J, Xie N. High-yield production of protopanaxadiol from sugarcane molasses by metabolically engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Microb Cell Fact 2022; 21:230. [PMID: 36335407 PMCID: PMC9636795 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-01949-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ginsenosides are Panax plant-derived triterpenoid with wide applications in cardiovascular protection and immunity-boosting. However, the saponins content of Panax plants is fairly low, making it time-consuming and unsustainable by direct extraction. Protopanaxadiol (PPD) is a common precursor of dammarane-type saponins, and its sufficient supply is necessary for the efficient synthesis of ginsenoside. Results In this study, a combinational strategy was used for the construction of an efficient yeast cell factory for PPD production. Firstly, a PPD-producing strain was successfully constructed by modular engineering in Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4742 at the multi-copy sites. Then, the INO2 gene, encoding a transcriptional activator of the phospholipid biosynthesis, was fine-tuned to promote the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proliferation and improve the catalytic efficiency of ER-localized enzymes. To increase the metabolic flux of PPD, dynamic control, based on a carbon-source regulated promoter PHXT1, was introduced to repress the competition of sterols. Furthermore, the global transcription factor UPC2-1 was introduced to sterol homeostasis and up-regulate the MVA pathway, and the resulting strain BY-V achieved a PPD production of 78.13 ± 0.38 mg/g DCW (563.60 ± 1.65 mg/L). Finally, sugarcane molasses was used as an inexpensive substrate for the first time in PPD synthesis. The PPD titers reached 1.55 ± 0.02 and 15.88 ± 0.65 g/L in shake flasks and a 5-L bioreactor, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, these results were new records on PPD production. Conclusion The high-level of PPD production in this study and the successful comprehensive utilization of low-cost carbon source -sugarcane molassesindicate that the constructed yeast cell factory is an excellent candidate strain for the production of high-value-added PPD and its derivativeswith great industrial potential. Graphical Abstract ![]()
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12934-022-01949-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Zhu
- grid.256609.e0000 0001 2254 5798College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 China ,grid.418329.50000 0004 1774 8517State Key Laboratory of Non-Food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Non-Food Biorefinery, Guangxi Biomass Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, 98 Daling Road, Nanning, 530007 China
| | - Jianxiu Li
- grid.418329.50000 0004 1774 8517State Key Laboratory of Non-Food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Non-Food Biorefinery, Guangxi Biomass Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, 98 Daling Road, Nanning, 530007 China
| | - Longyun Peng
- grid.418329.50000 0004 1774 8517State Key Laboratory of Non-Food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Non-Food Biorefinery, Guangxi Biomass Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, 98 Daling Road, Nanning, 530007 China
| | - Lijun Meng
- grid.418329.50000 0004 1774 8517State Key Laboratory of Non-Food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Non-Food Biorefinery, Guangxi Biomass Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, 98 Daling Road, Nanning, 530007 China
| | - Mengxue Diao
- grid.418329.50000 0004 1774 8517State Key Laboratory of Non-Food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Non-Food Biorefinery, Guangxi Biomass Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, 98 Daling Road, Nanning, 530007 China
| | - Shuiyuan Jiang
- grid.469559.20000 0000 9677 2830Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin, 541006 China
| | - Jianbin Li
- grid.256609.e0000 0001 2254 5798College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004 China
| | - Nengzhong Xie
- grid.418329.50000 0004 1774 8517State Key Laboratory of Non-Food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Non-Food Biorefinery, Guangxi Biomass Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, 98 Daling Road, Nanning, 530007 China
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Taylor MB, Skophammer R, Warwick AR, Geck RC, Boyer JM, yEvo Students, Walson M, Large CRL, Hickey ASM, Rowley PA, Dunham MJ. yEvo: experimental evolution in high school classrooms selects for novel mutations that impact clotrimazole resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2022; 12:jkac246. [PMID: 36173330 PMCID: PMC9635649 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Antifungal resistance in pathogenic fungi is a growing global health concern. Nonpathogenic laboratory strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are an important model for studying mechanisms of antifungal resistance that are relevant to understanding the same processes in pathogenic fungi. We have developed a series of laboratory modules in which high school students used experimental evolution to study antifungal resistance by isolating azole-resistant S. cerevisiae mutants and examining the genetic basis of resistance. We have sequenced 99 clones from these experiments and found that all possessed mutations previously shown to impact azole resistance, validating our approach. We additionally found recurrent mutations in an mRNA degradation pathway and an uncharacterized mitochondrial protein (Csf1) that have possible mechanistic connections to azole resistance. The scale of replication in this initiative allowed us to identify candidate epistatic interactions, as evidenced by pairs of mutations that occur in the same clone more frequently than expected by chance (positive epistasis) or less frequently (negative epistasis). We validated one of these pairs, a negative epistatic interaction between gain-of-function mutations in the multidrug resistance transcription factors Pdr1 and Pdr3. This high school-university collaboration can serve as a model for involving members of the broader public in the scientific process to make meaningful discoveries in biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Bryce Taylor
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Program in Biology, Loras College, Dubuque, IA 52001, USA
| | | | - Alexa R Warwick
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Renee C Geck
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Josephine M Boyer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - yEvo Students
- Westridge School, Pasadena, CA 91105, USA
- Moscow High School, Moscow, ID 83843, USA
| | - Margaux Walson
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Christopher R L Large
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- UW Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Angela Shang-Mei Hickey
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Present address: Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Biomedical Innovations Building, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Paul A Rowley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Maitreya J Dunham
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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Xiu X, Sun Y, Wu Y, Jin K, Qu L, Liu Y, Li J, Du G, Lv X, Liu L. Modular remodeling of sterol metabolism for overproduction of 7-dehydrocholesterol in engineered yeast. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 360:127572. [PMID: 35792326 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Vitamin D3 is a fat-soluble vitamin essential for the human body, and the biosynthesis of its precursor, 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC), gains extensive attention. In this work, six genes (tHMG1, IDI1, ERG1, ERG11, ADH2, ERG7) and a transcription factor mutant UPC2G888A were overexpressed, increasing the 7-DHC titer from 1.2 to 115.3 mg/L. The CRISPR-mediated activation and repression systems were constructed and applied to the synthesis of 7-DHC, increasing the 7-DHC titer to 312.4 mg/L. Next, enzymes were compartmentalized into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the ER lumen was enlarged by overexpressing INO2. The 7-DHC titer of the finally engineered yeast reached 455.6 mg/L in a shake flask and 2870 mg/L in a 5 L bioreactor, the highest 7-DHC titer reported so far. Overall, this study achieved a highly efficient 7-DHC synthesis by remodeling the complicated sterol synthesis modules, paving the way for large-scale 7-DHC bioproduction in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Xiu
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Yi Sun
- Richen Bioengineering Co., Ltd, Nantong 226000, China
| | - Yaokang Wu
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Ke Jin
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Lisha Qu
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Yanfeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Jianghua Li
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Guocheng Du
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Xueqin Lv
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Long Liu
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Science Center for Future Foods, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
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18
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Guo H, Wang H, Chen T, Guo L, Blank LM, Ebert BE, Huo YX. Engineering Critical Amino Acid Residues of Lanosterol Synthase to Improve the Production of Triterpenoids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:2685-2696. [PMID: 35921601 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Triterpenoids are a subgroup of terpenoids and have wide applications in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. The heterologous production of various triterpenoids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as well as other microbes, has been successfully implemented as these production hosts not only produce the precursor of triterpenoids 2,3-oxidosqualene by the mevalonate pathway but also allow simple expression of plant membrane-anchored enzymes. Nevertheless, 2,3-oxidosqualene is natively converted to lanosterol catalyzed by the endogenous lanosterol synthase (Erg7p), causing low production of recombinant triterpenoids. While simple deletion of ERG7 was not effective, in this study, the critical amino acid residues of Erg7p were engineered to lower this critical enzyme activity. The engineered S. cerevisiae indeed accumulated 2,3-oxidosqualene up to 180 mg/L. Engineering triterpenoid synthesis into the ERG7-modified strain resulted in 7.3- and 3-fold increases in the titers of dammarane-type and lupane-type triterpenoids, respectively. This study presents an efficient inducer-free strategy for lowering Erg7p activity, thereby providing 2,3-oxidosqualene for the enhanced production of various triterpenoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Guo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, No. 5 South Zhongguancun Street, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Huiyang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, No. 5 South Zhongguancun Street, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Tongtong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, No. 5 South Zhongguancun Street, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Liwei Guo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, No. 5 South Zhongguancun Street, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Lars M Blank
- Institute of Applied Microbiology-iAMB, Aachen Biology and Biotechnology - ABBt, RWTH Aachen University Worringer Weg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Birgitta E Ebert
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology The University of Queensland Cnr College Rd & Cooper Rd, St Luci a, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Yi-Xin Huo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, No. 5 South Zhongguancun Street, 100081 Beijing, China
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19
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Wei W, Gao S, Yi Q, Liu A, Yu S, Zhou J. Reengineering of 7-dehydrocholesterol biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using combined pathway and organelle strategies. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:978074. [PMID: 36016783 PMCID: PMC9398459 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.978074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
7-Dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) is a widely used sterol and a precursor of several costly steroidal drugs. In this study, 7-DHC biosynthesis pathway was constructed and modified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Firstly, the biosynthesis pathway was constructed by knocking out the competitive pathway genes ERG5 and ERG6 and integrating two DHCR24 copies from Gallus gallus at both sites. Then, 7-DHC titer was improved by knocking out MOT3, which encoded a transcriptional repressor for the 7-DHC biosynthesis pathway. Next, by knocking out NEM1 and PAH1, 7-DHC accumulation was improved, and genes upregulation was verified by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Additionally, tHMG1, IDI1, ERG2, ERG3, DHCR24, POS5, and CTT1 integration into multi-copy sites was used to convert precursors to 7-DHC, and increase metabolic flux. Finally, qPCR confirmed the significant up-regulation of key genes transcriptional levels. In a 96 h shaker flask fermentation, the 7-DHC titer was 649.5 mg/L by de novo synthesis. In a 5 L bioreactor, the 7-DHC titer was 2.0 g/L, which was the highest 7-DHC titer reported to date. Our study is of great significance for the industrial production of 7-DHC and steroid development for medical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenqian Wei
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Food Synthetic Biotechnology, and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Science Center for Future Foods, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Song Gao
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Food Synthetic Biotechnology, and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Science Center for Future Foods, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Qiong Yi
- Changsha Hospital for Maternal & Child Health Care, Changsha, China
| | - Anjian Liu
- Hunan Kerey Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shaoyang, China
| | - Shiqin Yu
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Food Synthetic Biotechnology, and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Science Center for Future Foods, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
| | - Jingwen Zhou
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Food Synthetic Biotechnology, and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Science Center for Future Foods, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- Jiangsu Provisional Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
- *Correspondence: Jingwen Zhou,
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20
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Li Q, Zhu X, Zhao Y, Xie Y. The antifungal activity of o-vanillin against Aspergillus flavus via disrupting ergosterol biosynthesis and promoting oxidative stress, and an RNA-seq analysis thereof. Lebensm Wiss Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2022.113635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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21
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Kessi-Pérez EI, González A, Palacios JL, Martínez C. Yeast as a biological platform for vitamin D production: A promising alternative to help reduce vitamin D deficiency in humans. Yeast 2022; 39:482-492. [PMID: 35581681 DOI: 10.1002/yea.3708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Vitamin D is an important human hormone, known primarily to be involved in the intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphate, but it is also involved in various non-skeletal processes (molecular, cellular, immune, and neuronal). One of the main health problems nowadays is the vitamin D deficiency of the human population due to lack of sun exposure, with estimates of one billion people worldwide with vitamin D deficiency, and the consequent need for clinical intervention (i.e., prescription of pharmacological vitamin D supplements). An alternative to reduce vitamin D deficiency is to produce good dietary sources of it, a scenario in which the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae seems to be a promising alternative. This review focuses on the potential use of yeast as a biological platform to produce vitamin D, summarizing both the biology aspects of vitamin D (synthesis, ecology and evolution, metabolism, and bioequivalence) and the work done to produce it in yeast (both for vitamin D2 and for vitamin D3 ), highlighting existing challenges and potential solutions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo I Kessi-Pérez
- Centro de Estudios en Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos (CECTA), Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), Santiago, Chile.,Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), Santiago, Chile
| | - Adens González
- Centro de Estudios en Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos (CECTA), Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), Santiago, Chile
| | - José Luis Palacios
- Centro de Estudios en Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos (CECTA), Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), Santiago, Chile
| | - Claudio Martínez
- Centro de Estudios en Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos (CECTA), Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), Santiago, Chile.,Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), Santiago, Chile
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22
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Antifungal Effect of Copper Nanoparticles against Fusarium kuroshium, an Obligate Symbiont of Euwallacea kuroshio Ambrosia Beetle. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8040347. [PMID: 35448578 PMCID: PMC9032953 DOI: 10.3390/jof8040347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) have shown great antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi, making them a promising and affordable alternative to conventional fungicides. In this study, we evaluated the antifungal activity of Cu-NPs against Fusarium kuroshium, the causal agent of Fusarium dieback, and this might be the first study to do so. The Cu-NPs (at different concentrations) inhibited more than 80% of F. kuroshium growth and were even more efficient than a commercial fungicide used as a positive control (cupric hydroxide). Electron microscopy studies revealed dramatic damage caused by Cu-NPs, mainly in the hyphae surface and in the characteristic form of macroconidia. This damage was visible only 3 days post inoculation with used treatments. At a molecular level, the RNA-seq study suggested that this growth inhibition and colony morphology changes are a result of a reduced ergosterol biosynthesis caused by free cytosolic copper ions. Furthermore, transcriptional responses also revealed that the low- and high-affinity copper transporter modulation and the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) are only a few of the distinct detoxification mechanisms that, in its conjunction, F. kuroshium uses to counteract the toxicity caused by the reduced copper ion.
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23
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Gu Y, Jiao X, Ye L, Yu H. Metabolic engineering strategies for de novo biosynthesis of sterols and steroids in yeast. BIORESOUR BIOPROCESS 2021; 8:110. [PMID: 38650187 PMCID: PMC10992410 DOI: 10.1186/s40643-021-00460-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Steroidal compounds are of great interest in the pharmaceutical field, with steroidal drugs as the second largest category of medicine in the world. Advances in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering have enabled de novo biosynthesis of sterols and steroids in yeast, which is a green and safe production route for these valuable steroidal compounds. In this review, we summarize the metabolic engineering strategies developed and employed for improving the de novo biosynthesis of sterols and steroids in yeast based on the regulation mechanisms, and introduce the recent progresses in de novo synthesis of some typical sterols and steroids in yeast. The remaining challenges and future perspectives are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuehao Gu
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering (Education Ministry), College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Xue Jiao
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Lidan Ye
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering (Education Ministry), College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
| | - Hongwei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering (Education Ministry), College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
- Institute of Bioengineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
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24
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Abrantes PMDS, Fisher R, Bouic PJD, McArthur CP, Fielding BC, Africa CWJ. HPLC-MS identification and expression of Candida drug-resistance proteins from African HIV-infected patients. AIMS Microbiol 2021; 7:320-335. [PMID: 34708175 PMCID: PMC8500794 DOI: 10.3934/microbiol.2021020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of this study was to elucidate the proteomic mechanisms of drug resistance in HIV-infected African patients. Cell membrane fractions from forty oral Candida isolates isolated from African HIV-positive patients were analysed using HPLC-MS with the aim of identifying proteins associated with their pathogenicity and drug resistance. Heat shock proteins that mediate the fungicidal activity of salivary peptides were found in all tested Candida fractions, with pH-responsive proteins associated with increased pathogenicity only being present in the three most commonly isolated species. ABC multidrug transporter efflux pumps and estrogen binding proteins were only found in C. albicans fractions, while ergosterol biosynthesis proteins were identified in four species. The combination of various adherence, invasion, upregulation and efflux pump mechanisms appear to be instrumental for the Candida host colonization and drug resistance emergence in HIV-infected individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M D S Abrantes
- Maternal Endogenous Infections Studies (MEnIS) Research Laboratories, Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
| | - Randall Fisher
- Separated Sector Cyclotron Laboratory, iThemba LABS, Radiation Biophysics Division, National Research Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Carole P McArthur
- Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, MO 64108, USA
| | - Burtram C Fielding
- Molecular Biology and Virology Laboratory, Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
| | - Charlene W J Africa
- Maternal Endogenous Infections Studies (MEnIS) Research Laboratories, Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
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25
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Investigation of Antifungal Mechanisms of Thymol in the Human Fungal Pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26113476. [PMID: 34200464 PMCID: PMC8201179 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26113476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to lifespan extension and changes in global climate, the increase in mycoses caused by primary and opportunistic fungal pathogens is now a global concern. Despite increasing attention, limited options are available for the treatment of systematic and invasive mycoses, owing to the evolutionary similarity between humans and fungi. Although plants produce a diversity of chemicals to protect themselves from pathogens, the molecular targets and modes of action of these plant-derived chemicals have not been well characterized. Using a reverse genetics approach, the present study revealed that thymol, a monoterpene alcohol from Thymus vulgaris L., (Lamiaceae), exhibits antifungal activity against Cryptococcus neoformans by regulating multiple signaling pathways including calcineurin, unfolded protein response, and HOG (high-osmolarity glycerol) MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathways. Thymol treatment reduced the intracellular concentration of Ca2+ by controlling the expression levels of calcium transporter genes in a calcineurin-dependent manner. We demonstrated that thymol decreased N-glycosylation by regulating the expression levels of genes involved in glycan-mediated post-translational modifications. Furthermore, thymol treatment reduced endogenous ergosterol content by decreasing the expression of ergosterol biosynthesis genes in a HOG MAPK pathway-dependent manner. Collectively, this study sheds light on the antifungal mechanisms of thymol against C. neoformans.
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26
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Watchaputi K, Somboon P, Phromma-in N, Ratanakhanokchai K, Soontorngun N. Actin cytoskeletal inhibitor 19,20-epoxycytochalasin Q sensitizes yeast cells lacking ERG6 through actin-targeting and secondarily through disruption of lipid homeostasis. Sci Rep 2021; 11:7779. [PMID: 33833332 PMCID: PMC8032726 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-87342-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Repetitive uses of antifungals result in a worldwide crisis of drug resistance; therefore, natural fungicides with minimal side-effects are currently sought after. This study aimed to investigate antifungal property of 19, 20-epoxycytochalasin Q (ECQ), derived from medicinal mushroom Xylaria sp. BCC 1067 of tropical forests. In a model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ECQ is more toxic in the erg6∆ strain, which has previously been shown to allow higher uptake of many hydrophilic toxins. We selected one pathway to study the effects of ECQ at very high levels on transcription: the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway, which is unlikely to be the primary target of ECQ. Ergosterol serves many functions that cholesterol does in human cells. ECQ's transcriptional effects were correlated with altered sterol and triacylglycerol levels. In the ECQ-treated Δerg6 strain, which presumably takes up far more ECQ than the wild-type strain, there was cell rupture. Increased actin aggregation and lipid droplets assembly were also found in the erg6∆ mutant. Thereby, ECQ is suggested to sensitize yeast cells lacking ERG6 through actin-targeting and consequently but not primarily led to disruption of lipid homeostasis. Investigation of cytochalasins may provide valuable insight with potential biopharmaceutical applications in treatments of fungal infection, cancer or metabolic disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwanrutai Watchaputi
- grid.412151.20000 0000 8921 9789Division of Biochemical Technology, School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Bangkok, 10150 Thailand
| | - Pichayada Somboon
- grid.419784.70000 0001 0816 7508Division of Fermentation Technology, Faculty of Food Industry, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), Bangkok, 10520 Thailand
| | - Nipatthra Phromma-in
- grid.412151.20000 0000 8921 9789Division of Biochemical Technology, School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Bangkok, 10150 Thailand
| | - Khanok Ratanakhanokchai
- grid.412151.20000 0000 8921 9789Division of Biochemical Technology, School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Bangkok, 10150 Thailand
| | - Nitnipa Soontorngun
- grid.412151.20000 0000 8921 9789Division of Biochemical Technology, School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Bangkok, 10150 Thailand
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Sayari M, van der Nest MA, Steenkamp ET, Rahimlou S, Hammerbacher A, Wingfield BD. Characterization of the Ergosterol Biosynthesis Pathway in Ceratocystidaceae. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:237. [PMID: 33809900 PMCID: PMC8004197 DOI: 10.3390/jof7030237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Terpenes represent the biggest group of natural compounds on earth. This large class of organic hydrocarbons is distributed among all cellular organisms, including fungi. The different classes of terpenes produced by fungi are mono, sesqui, di- and triterpenes, although triterpene ergosterol is the main sterol identified in cell membranes of these organisms. The availability of genomic data from members in the Ceratocystidaceae enabled the detection and characterization of the genes encoding the enzymes in the mevalonate and ergosterol biosynthetic pathways. Using a bioinformatics approach, fungal orthologs of sterol biosynthesis genes in nine different species of the Ceratocystidaceae were identified. Ergosterol and some of the intermediates in the pathway were also detected in seven species (Ceratocystis manginecans, C. adiposa, Huntiella moniliformis, Thielaviopsis punctulata, Bretziella fagacearum, Endoconidiophora polonica and Davidsoniella virescens), using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The average ergosterol content differed among different genera of Ceratocystidaceae. We also identified all possible terpene related genes and possible biosynthetic clusters in the genomes used in this study. We found a highly conserved terpene biosynthesis gene cluster containing some genes encoding ergosterol biosynthesis enzymes in the analysed genomes. An additional possible terpene gene cluster was also identified in all of the Ceratocystidaceae. We also evaluated the sensitivity of the Ceratocystidaceae to a triazole fungicide that inhibits ergosterol synthesis. The results showed that different members of this family behave differently when exposed to different concentrations of triazole tebuconazole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Sayari
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa; (M.A.v.d.N.); (E.T.S.); (A.H.); (B.D.W.)
- Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba, 222 Agriculture Building, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Magrieta A. van der Nest
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa; (M.A.v.d.N.); (E.T.S.); (A.H.); (B.D.W.)
- Biotechnology Platform, Agricultural Research Council (ARC), Onderstepoort Campus, Pretoria 0110, South Africa
| | - Emma T. Steenkamp
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa; (M.A.v.d.N.); (E.T.S.); (A.H.); (B.D.W.)
| | - Saleh Rahimlou
- Department of Mycology and Microbiology, University of Tartu, 14A Ravila, 50411 Tartu, Estonia;
| | - Almuth Hammerbacher
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa; (M.A.v.d.N.); (E.T.S.); (A.H.); (B.D.W.)
| | - Brenda D. Wingfield
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa; (M.A.v.d.N.); (E.T.S.); (A.H.); (B.D.W.)
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Liu M, Lin YC, Guo JJ, Du MM, Tao X, Gao B, Zhao M, Ma Y, Wang FQ, Wei DZ. High-Level Production of Sesquiterpene Patchoulol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:158-172. [PMID: 33395273 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Patchoulol is a tricyclic sesquiterpene widely used in perfumes and cosmetics. Herein, comprehensive engineering strategies were employed to construct an efficient yeast strain for patchoulol production. First, a platform strain was constructed via pathway modification. Second, three off-pathway genes were deleted, which led to significant physiological changes in yeast. Further, strengthening of the ergosterol pathway, enhancement of the energy supply, and a decrease in intracellular reactive oxygen species were implemented to improve the physiological status of yeast, demonstrating a new promotive relationship between ergosterol biosynthesis and synthesis of patchoulol. Moreover, patchoulol synthase was improved through protein modification and Mg2+ addition, reaching a final titer of 141.5 mg/L in a shake flask. Finally, a two-stage fermentation with dodecane addition was employed to achieve the highest production (1632.0 mg/L, 87.0 mg/g dry cell weight, 233.1 mg/L/d) ever reported for patchoulol in a 5 L bioreactor. This work lays a foundation for green and efficient patchoulol production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Yang-Chen Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Jiao-Jiao Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Meng-Meng Du
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Xinyi Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Bei Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Ming Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Yushu Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Feng-Qing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Dong-Zhi Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Newworld Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
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Fernandes CM, Poeta MD. Fungal sphingolipids: role in the regulation of virulence and potential as targets for future antifungal therapies. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2020; 18:1083-1092. [PMID: 32673125 PMCID: PMC7657966 DOI: 10.1080/14787210.2020.1792288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The antifungal therapy currently available includes three major classes of drugs: polyenes, azoles and echinocandins. However, the clinical use of these compounds faces several challenges: while polyenes are toxic to the host, antifungal resistance to azoles and echinocandins has been reported. AREAS COVERED Fungal sphingolipids (SL) play a pivotal role in growth, morphogenesis and virulence. In addition, fungi possess unique enzymes involved in SL synthesis, leading to the production of lipids which are absent or differ structurally from the mammalian counterparts. In this review, we address the enzymatic reactions involved in the SL synthesis and their relevance to the fungal pathogenesis, highlighting their potential as targets for novel drugs and the inhibitors described so far. EXPERT OPINION The pharmacological inhibition of fungal serine palmitoyltransferase depends on the development of specific drugs, as myriocin also targets the mammalian enzyme. Inhibitors of ceramide synthase might constitute potent antifungals, by depleting the pool of complex SL and leading to the accumulation of the toxic intermediates. Acylhydrazones and aureobasidin A, which inhibit GlcCer and IPC synthesis, are not toxic to the host and effectively treat invasive mycoses, emerging as promising new classes of antifungal drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maurizio Del Poeta
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, NY, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, NY, USA
- Veterans Administration Medical Center, Northport, NY, USA
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30
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Comprehensive analysis of the dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum transcriptional profile reveals dynamic metabolic modulation. Biochem J 2020; 477:873-885. [PMID: 32022226 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20190868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The environmental challenges imposed onto fungal pathogens require a dynamic metabolic modulation, which relies on activation or repression of critical factors and is essential for the establishment and perpetuation of host infection. Wherefore, to overcome the different host microenvironments, pathogens not only depend on virulence factors but also on metabolic flexibility, which ensures their dynamic response to stress conditions in the host. Here, we evaluate Trichophyton rubrum interaction with keratin from a metabolic perspective. We present information about gene modulation of the dermatophyte during early infection stage after shifting from glucose- to keratin-containing culture media, in relation to its use of glucose as the carbon source. Analyzing T. rubrum transcriptome using high-throughput RNA-sequencing technology, we identified the modulation of essential genes related to nitrogen, fatty acid, ergosterol, and carbohydrate metabolisms, among a myriad of other genes necessary for the growth of T. rubrum in keratinized tissues. Our results provide reliable and critical strategies for adaptation to keratin and confirm that the urea-degrading activity associated with the reduction in disulfide bonds and proteolytic activity facilitated keratin degradation. The global modulation orchestrates the responses that support virulence and the proper adaptation to keratin compared with glucose as the carbon source. The gene expression profiling of the host-pathogen interaction highlights candidate genes involved in fungal adaptation and survival and elucidates the machinery required for the establishment of the initial stages of infection.
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31
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Bhattacharya S, Sae-Tia S, Fries BC. Candidiasis and Mechanisms of Antifungal Resistance. Antibiotics (Basel) 2020; 9:antibiotics9060312. [PMID: 32526921 PMCID: PMC7345657 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics9060312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 258] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Candidiasis can be present as a cutaneous, mucosal or deep-seated organ infection, which is caused by more than 20 types of Candida sp., with C. albicans being the most common. These are pathogenic yeast and are usually present in the normal microbiome. High-risk individuals are patients of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), organ transplant, and diabetes. During infection, pathogens can adhere to complement receptors and various extracellular matrix proteins in the oral and vaginal cavity. Oral and vaginal Candidiasis results from the overgrowth of Candida sp. in the hosts, causing penetration of the oral and vaginal tissues. Symptoms include white patches in the mouth, tongue, throat, and itchiness or burning of genitalia. Diagnosis involves visual examination, microscopic analysis, or culturing. These infections are treated with a variety of antifungals that target different biosynthetic pathways of the pathogen. For example, echinochandins target cell wall biosynthesis, while allylamines, azoles, and morpholines target ergosterol biosynthesis, and 5-Flucytosine (5FC) targets nucleic acid biosynthesis. Azoles are commonly used in therapeutics, however, because of its fungistatic nature, Candida sp. evolve azole resistance. Besides azoles, Candida sp. also acquire resistance to polyenes, echinochandins, and 5FC. This review discusses, in detail, the drug resistance mechanisms adapted by Candida sp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somanon Bhattacharya
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, NY 11794, USA; (S.S.-T.); (B.C.F.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Sutthichai Sae-Tia
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, NY 11794, USA; (S.S.-T.); (B.C.F.)
| | - Bettina C. Fries
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, NY 11794, USA; (S.S.-T.); (B.C.F.)
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, NY 11794, USA
- Veterans Administration Medical Center, Northport, New York, NY 11768, USA
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Chu LL, Montecillo JAV, Bae H. Recent Advances in the Metabolic Engineering of Yeasts for Ginsenoside Biosynthesis. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:139. [PMID: 32158753 PMCID: PMC7052115 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Ginsenosides are a group of glycosylated triterpenes isolated from Panax species. Ginsenosides are promising candidates for the prevention and treatment of cancer as well as food additives. However, owing to a lack of efficient approaches for ginsenoside production from plants and chemical synthesis, ginsenosides may not yet have reached their full potential as medicinal resources. In recent years, an alternative approach for ginsenoside production has been developed using the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and non-conventional yeasts such as Yarrowia lipolytica and Pichia pastoris. In this review, various metabolic engineering strategies, including heterologous gene expression, balancing, and increasing metabolic flux, and enzyme engineering, have been described as recent advanced engineering techniques for improving ginsenoside production. Furthermore, the usefulness of a systems approach and fermentation strategy has been presented. Finally, the present challenges and future research direction for industrial cell factories have been discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luan Luong Chu
- Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan-si, South Korea
| | | | - Hanhong Bae
- Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan-si, South Korea
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Ranganathan PR, Nawada N, Narayanan AK, Rao DKV. Triglyceride deficiency and diacylglycerol kinase1 activity lead to the upregulation of mevalonate pathway in yeast: A study for the development of potential yeast platform for improved production of triterpenoid. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2020; 1865:158661. [PMID: 32058036 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2020.158661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Besides energy storage and membrane biogenesis, lipids are known for their numerous biological functions. The two essential lipids, diacylglycerol (DG) and phosphatidic acid (PA), are shown to be associated with cell signalling processes. In this study, we examined whether triglyceride-deficient yeast mutants (tgΔ), dga1Δ and dga1Δlro1Δ, may play an important role in mevalonate (MEV) pathway regulation. Our metabolite analyses revealed that tgΔ cells showed high levels of squalene (SQ) and ergosterol (ERG), which are key indicators of MEV pathway activity. In addition, gene expression studies indicated that the MEV pathway genes in tgΔ cells were significantly upregulated. Interestingly, tgΔ cells exhibited high diacylglycerol kinase1 (DGK1) expression. Furthermore, DGK1 overexpression in WT and tgΔ phenotypes causes a substantial elevation in SQ and ERG levels, and we also found a significant increase in transcript levels of MEV pathway genes, confirming the new role of DGK1 in MEV pathway regulation. This suggests that high DG phosphorylation activity increases the PA pool that may induce the upregulation of MEV pathway in tgΔ cells. The induced MEV pathway is one of the key strategies in the field of synthetic biology for improved production of terpenoids in yeast. Thus, to examine whether increased endogenous MEV pathway flux can be redirected to triterpenoid, β-Amyrin synthase gene was heterologously expressed in DGK1 overexpressing tgΔ cells that led to significant production of β-Amyrin, a natural triterpenoid. In conclusion, our findings provide a novel strategy to increase MEV pathway precursors by modulating endogenous signal lipids for improved production of terpenoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poornima Ramani Ranganathan
- Biochemistry Laboratory, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, Research Center, Allalasandra, GKVK (post), Bangalore 560065, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Sector 19, Kamla Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201 002, India
| | - Niveditha Nawada
- Biochemistry Laboratory, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, Research Center, Allalasandra, GKVK (post), Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Ananth Krishna Narayanan
- Biochemistry Laboratory, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, Research Center, Allalasandra, GKVK (post), Bangalore 560065, India
| | - D K Venkata Rao
- Biochemistry Laboratory, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, Research Center, Allalasandra, GKVK (post), Bangalore 560065, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Sector 19, Kamla Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201 002, India.
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Csáky Z, Garaiová M, Kodedová M, Valachovič M, Sychrová H, Hapala I. Squalene lipotoxicity in a lipid droplet‐less yeast mutant is linked to plasma membrane dysfunction. Yeast 2020; 37:45-62. [DOI: 10.1002/yea.3454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Revised: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Zsófia Csáky
- Department of Membrane Biochemistry Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Centre of Biosciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences Bratislava Slovakia
| | - Martina Garaiová
- Department of Membrane Biochemistry Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Centre of Biosciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences Bratislava Slovakia
| | - Marie Kodedová
- Department of Membrane Transport, Division BIOCEV Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech Republic
| | - Martin Valachovič
- Department of Membrane Biochemistry Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Centre of Biosciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences Bratislava Slovakia
| | - Hana Sychrová
- Department of Membrane Transport, Division BIOCEV Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech Republic
| | - Ivan Hapala
- Department of Membrane Biochemistry Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Centre of Biosciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences Bratislava Slovakia
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Wang R, Ma P, Li C, Xiao L, Liang Z, Dong J. Combining transcriptomics and metabolomics to reveal the underlying molecular mechanism of ergosterol biosynthesis during the fruiting process of Flammulina velutipes. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:999. [PMID: 31856715 PMCID: PMC6924009 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6370-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Flammulina velutipes has been recognized as a useful basidiomycete with nutritional and medicinal values. Ergosterol, one of the main sterols of F. velutipes is an important precursor of novel anticancer and anti-HIV drugs. Therefore, many studies have focused on the biosynthesis of ergosterol and have attempted to upregulate its content in multiple organisms. Great progress has been made in understanding the regulation of ergosterol biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, this molecular mechanism in F. velutipes remains largely uncharacterized. Results In this study, nine cDNA libraries, prepared from mycelia, young fruiting bodies and mature fruiting bodies of F. velutipes (three replicate sets for each stage), were sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq™ 4000 platform, resulting in at least 6.63 Gb of clean reads from each library. We studied the changes in genes and metabolites in the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway of F. velutipes during the development of fruiting bodies. A total of 13 genes (6 upregulated and 7 downregulated) were differentially expressed during the development from mycelia to young fruiting bodies (T1), while only 1 gene (1 downregulated) was differentially expressed during the development from young fruiting bodies to mature fruiting bodies (T2). A total of 7 metabolites (3 increased and 4 reduced) were found to have changed in content during T1, and 4 metabolites (4 increased) were found to be different during T2. A conjoint analysis of the genome-wide connection network revealed that the metabolites that were more likely to be regulated were primarily in the post-squalene pathway. Conclusions This study provides useful information for understanding the regulation of ergosterol biosynthesis and the regulatory relationship between metabolites and genes in the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway during the development of fruiting bodies in F. velutipes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruihong Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Pengda Ma
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Chen Li
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Lingang Xiao
- Shaanxi Zhongxing Gaoke Biological Technology Co., Ltd, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Zongsuo Liang
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.,College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Juane Dong
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
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Sun Y, Niu Y, Huang H, He B, Ma L, Tu Y, Tran VT, Zeng B, Hu Z. Mevalonate Diphosphate Decarboxylase MVD/Erg19 Is Required for Ergosterol Biosynthesis, Growth, Sporulation and Stress Tolerance in Aspergillus oryzae. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1074. [PMID: 31156588 PMCID: PMC6532591 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase (MVD; EC 4.1.1.33) is a key enzyme of the mevalonic acid (MVA) pathway. In fungi, the MVA pathway functions as upstream of ergosterol biosynthesis, and MVD is also known as Erg19. Previously, we have identified Aoerg19 in Aspergillus oryzae using bioinformatic analysis. In this study, we showed that AoErg19 function is conserved using phylogenetic analysis and yeast complementation assay. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) indicated that Aoerg19 expression changed in different growth stages and under different forms of abiotic stress. Subcellular localization analysis showed that AoErg19 was located in the vacuole. Overexpression of Aoerg19 decreased the ergosterol content in A. oryzae, which may due to the feedback-mediated downregulation of Aoerg8. Consistent with the decrease in ergosterol content, both Aoerg19 overexpression and RNAi strains of A. oryzae are sensitive to abiotic stressors, including ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitor, temperature, salt and ethanol. Thus, we have identified the function of AoErg19 in A. oryzae, which may assist in genetic modification of MVA and the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunlong Sun
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Bioprocess Engineering and Co-Innovation Center for In-vitro Diagnostic Reagents and Devices of Jiangxi Province, College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Yali Niu
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Bioprocess Engineering and Co-Innovation Center for In-vitro Diagnostic Reagents and Devices of Jiangxi Province, College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Hui Huang
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Bioprocess Engineering and Co-Innovation Center for In-vitro Diagnostic Reagents and Devices of Jiangxi Province, College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Bin He
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Bioprocess Engineering and Co-Innovation Center for In-vitro Diagnostic Reagents and Devices of Jiangxi Province, College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Long Ma
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Bioprocess Engineering and Co-Innovation Center for In-vitro Diagnostic Reagents and Devices of Jiangxi Province, College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Yayi Tu
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Bioprocess Engineering and Co-Innovation Center for In-vitro Diagnostic Reagents and Devices of Jiangxi Province, College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Van-Tuan Tran
- National Key Laboratory of Enzyme - Protein Technology, VNU University of Science, Hanoi, Vietnam.,Faculty of Biology, VNU University of Science, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Bin Zeng
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Bioprocess Engineering and Co-Innovation Center for In-vitro Diagnostic Reagents and Devices of Jiangxi Province, College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Zhihong Hu
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Bioprocess Engineering and Co-Innovation Center for In-vitro Diagnostic Reagents and Devices of Jiangxi Province, College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
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Improving lupeol production in yeast by recruiting pathway genes from different organisms. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2992. [PMID: 30816209 PMCID: PMC6395594 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39497-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Lupeol is a pentacyclic triterpene that shows a variety of pharmacological properties. Compared to engineering the production of sesquiterpenes and diterpenes, it is much more challenging to engineer the biosynthesis of triterpenes in microbial platforms. This study showed our efforts on engineering the triterpene pathway in Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells by recruiting the codon-optimized three lupeol pathway genes from different organisms. By comparing their activities with their respective counterparts, the squalene synthase from Thermosynechococcus elongates (tSQS), the squalene epoxidase from Rattus norvegicus (rSE) and the lupeol synthase from Olea europaea (OeLUP) were introduced into E. coli BL21(DE3), a break-through from zero was observed for lupeol biosynthesis in a prokaryotic host. We also assessed the lupeol pathway under two different yeast backgrounds-WAT11 and EPY300, and have found that the engineered strains based on EPY300, named ECHHOe, processed the best lupeol-producing ability with the maximum lupeol titer being 200.1 mg l−1 at 30 °C in a 72 h-flask culture, which so far was the highest amount of lupeol obtained by a microbial system and provides a basis for further industrial application of lupeol in the future.
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38
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Ni J, Zhang G, Qin L, Li J, Li C. Simultaneously down-regulation of multiplex branch pathways using CRISPRi and fermentation optimization for enhancing β-amyrin production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2019; 4:79-85. [PMID: 30949594 PMCID: PMC6428687 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2019.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2018] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The production of β-amyrin in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is still low due to the inability of effectively regulating the endogenous metabolic pathway for competitive synthesis of β-amyrin precursors. In this study, we focused on two branches of β-amyrin synthetics pathway that consume β-amyrin precursors (2,3-oxidosqualene and cytosolic acetyl-CoA) and regulated related genes (ADH1, ADH4, ADH5, ADH6, CIT2, MLS2 and ERG7). We developed a CRISPRi method by constructing a multi-gRNA plasmid to down-regulate the seven genes simultaneously, which is reported for the first time in S. cerevisiae. The average transcription inhibition efficiency of the seven genes reached as high as 75.5%. Furthermore, by optimizing the fermentation condition (including pH, inoculum size, initial glucose concentration and feed of glucose or ethanol) and increasing extracellular transportation via supplying methyl-β-cyclodextrin, β-amyrin concentration of engineered strain SGibSdCg increased by 44.3% compared with the parent strain SGib, achieving 156.7 mg/L which was the highest concentration of β-amyrin reported in yeast. The one-step down-regulation of multiple genes using CRISPRi showed high efficiency and promising future in improving the yields of natural products. One step down-regulation of seven genes using CRISPRi was successfully realized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Highest reported yield of β-amyrin had obtained, which is 44.2% higher than initial strain. Exportation of intracellular β-amyrin was boosted by adding methyl-β-cyclodextrin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangping Ni
- Institute for Synthetic Biosystem, Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, 5 ZhongGuanCunNan Road, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Genlin Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory for Green Processing of Chemical Engineering of Xinjiang Bingtuan, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China
| | - Lei Qin
- Institute for Synthetic Biosystem, Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, 5 ZhongGuanCunNan Road, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Jun Li
- Institute for Synthetic Biosystem, Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, 5 ZhongGuanCunNan Road, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Chun Li
- Institute for Synthetic Biosystem, Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, 5 ZhongGuanCunNan Road, Beijing 100081, China
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Ko SC, Lee HJ, Choi SY, Choi JI, Woo HM. Bio-solar cell factories for photosynthetic isoprenoids production. PLANTA 2019; 249:181-193. [PMID: 30078076 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-018-2969-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthetic production of isoprenoids in cyanobacteria is considered in terms of metabolic engineering and biological importance. Metabolic engineering of photosynthetic bacteria (cyanobacteria) has been performed to construct bio-solar cell factories that convert carbon dioxide to various value-added chemicals. Isoprenoids, which are found in nature and range from essential cell components to defensive molecules, have great value in cosmetics, pharmaceutics, and biofuels. In this review, we summarize the recent engineering of cyanobacteria for photosynthetic isoprenoids production as well as carbon molar basis comparisons with heterotrophic isoprenoids production in engineered Escherichia coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Cheon Ko
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jeong Lee
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Young Choi
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Il Choi
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Chonnam National University, 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Han Min Woo
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.
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40
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Zhao F, Bai P, Nan W, Li D, Zhang C, Lu C, Qi H, Lu W. A modular engineering strategy for high‐level production of protopanaxadiol from ethanol by
Saccharomyces cerevisiae. AIChE J 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/aic.16502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fanglong Zhao
- Dept. of Biological EngineeringSchool of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University Tianjin P.R. China
| | - Peng Bai
- Dept. of Biological EngineeringSchool of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University Tianjin P.R. China
| | - Weihua Nan
- Dept. of Biological EngineeringSchool of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University Tianjin P.R. China
| | - Dashuai Li
- Dept. of Biological EngineeringSchool of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University Tianjin P.R. China
| | - Chuanbo Zhang
- Dept. of Biological EngineeringSchool of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University Tianjin P.R. China
| | - Chunzhe Lu
- Dept. of Biological EngineeringSchool of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University Tianjin P.R. China
| | - Haishan Qi
- Dept. of Biological EngineeringSchool of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University Tianjin P.R. China
| | - Wenyu Lu
- Dept. of Biological EngineeringSchool of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University Tianjin P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of System BioengineeringTianjin University, Ministry of Education Tianjin P.R. China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and EngineeringTianjin University, SynBio Res Platform Tianjin P.R. China
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Qiao J, Luo Z, Cui S, Zhao H, Tang Q, Mo C, Ma X, Ding Z. Modification of isoprene synthesis to enable production of curcurbitadienol synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 46:147-157. [PMID: 30535727 DOI: 10.1007/s10295-018-2116-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Cucurbitane-type triterpenoids such as mogrosides and cucurbitacins that are present in the plants of Cucurbitaceae are widely used in Asian traditional medicine. Cucurbitadienol is the skeleton of cucurbitane-type triterpenoids. As an alternative production strategy, we developed baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a microbial host for the eventual transformation of cucurbitadienol. The synthetic pathway of cucurbitadienol was constructed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by introducing the cucurbitadienol synthase gene from different plants, resulting in 7.80 mg cucurbitadienol from 1 L of fermentation broth. Improving supplies of isoprenoid precursors was then investigated for increasing cucurbitadienol production. Cucurbitadienol production increased to 21.47 mg/L through the overexpression of a global regulatory factor (UPC2) gene of triterpenoid synthase. In addition, knockout of the ERG7 gene increased cucurbitadienol production from 21.47 to 61.80 mg/L. Finally, fed-batch fermentation was performed, and 63.00 mg/L cucurbitadienol was produced. This work is an important step towards the total biosynthesis of valuable cucurbitane-type triterpenoids and demonstrates the potential for developing a sustainable and secure yeast biomanufacturing platform for triterpenoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Qiao
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Zuliang Luo
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Shengrong Cui
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Huan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China
| | - Qi Tang
- National and Local Union Engineering Research Center of Veterinary Herbal Medicine Resources and Initiative and Hunan Co-Innovation Center for Utilization of Botanical Functional Ingredients, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China
| | - Changming Mo
- Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, Nanning, 530023, China
| | - Xiaojun Ma
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China.
| | - Zimian Ding
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China.
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Bhattacharya S, Esquivel BD, White TC. Overexpression or Deletion of Ergosterol Biosynthesis Genes Alters Doubling Time, Response to Stress Agents, and Drug Susceptibility in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. mBio 2018; 9:e01291-18. [PMID: 30042199 PMCID: PMC6058291 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01291-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ergosterol (ERG) is a critical sterol in the cell membranes of fungi, and its biosynthesis is tightly regulated by 25 known enzymes along the ERG production pathway. The effects of changes in expression of each ERG biosynthesis enzyme in Saccharomyces cerevisiae were analyzed by the use of gene deletion or plasmid-borne overexpression constructs. The strains overexpressing the ERG pathway genes were examined for changes in doubling time and responses to a variety of stress agents. In addition, ERG gene overexpression strains and ERG gene deletion strains were tested for alterations in antifungal drug susceptibility. The data show that disruptions in ergosterol biosynthesis regulation can affect a diverse set of cellular processes and can cause numerous phenotypic effects. Some of the phenotypes observed include dramatic increases in doubling times, respiratory deficiencies on glycerol media, cell wall insufficiencies on Congo red media, and disrupted ion homeostasis under iron or calcium starvation conditions. Overexpression or deletion of specific enzymes in the ERG pathway causes altered susceptibilities to a variety of classes of antifungal ergosterol inhibitors, including fluconazole, fenpropimorph, lovastatin, nystatin, amphotericin B, and terbinafine. This analysis of the effect of perturbations to the ERG pathway caused by systematic overexpression of each of the ERG pathway genes contributes significantly to the understanding of the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway and its relationship to stress response and basic biological processes. The data indicate that precise regulation of ERG genes is essential for cellular homeostasis and identify several ERG genes that could be exploited in future antifungal development efforts.IMPORTANCE A common target of antifungal drug treatment is the fungal ergosterol biosynthesis pathway. This report helps to identify ergosterol biosynthesis enzymes that have not previously been appreciated as drug targets. The effects of overexpression of each of the 25 ERG genes in S. cerevisiae were analyzed in the presence of six stress agents that target essential cellular processes (cell wall biosynthesis, protein translation, respiration, osmotic/ionic stress, and iron and calcium homeostasis), as well as six antifungal inhibitors that target ergosterol biosynthesis. The importance of identifying cell perturbations caused by gene overexpression or deletion is emphasized by the prevalence of gene expression alterations in many pathogenic and drug-resistant clinical isolates. Genes whose altered expression causes the most extensive phenotypic alterations in the presence of stressors or inhibitors have the potential to be drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somanon Bhattacharya
- School of the Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - Brooke D Esquivel
- School of the Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - Theodore C White
- School of the Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
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Guo XJ, Xiao WH, Wang Y, Yao MD, Zeng BX, Liu H, Zhao GR, Yuan YJ. Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for 7-dehydrocholesterol overproduction. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2018; 11:192. [PMID: 30026807 PMCID: PMC6047132 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-018-1194-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND 7-Dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) has attracted increasing attentions due to its great medical value and the enlarging market demand of its ultraviolet-catalyzed product vitamin D3. Microbial production of 7-DHC from simple carbon has been recognized as an attractive complement to the traditional sources. Even though our previous work realized 7-DHC biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the current productivity of 7-DHC is still too low to satisfy the demand of following industrialization. As increasing the compatibility between heterologous pathway and host cell is crucial to realize microbial overproduction of natural products with complex structure and relative long pathway, in this study, combined efforts in tuning the heterologous Δ24-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR24) and manipulating host cell were applied to promote 7-DHC accumulation. RESULTS In order to decouple 7-DHC production with cell growth, inducible GAL promoters was employed to control 7-DHC synthesis. Meanwhile, the precursor pool was increased via overexpressing all the mevalonate (MVA) pathway genes (ERG10, ERG13, tHMG1, ERG12, ERG8, ERG19, IDI1, ERG20). Through screening DHCR24s from eleven tested sources, it was found that DHCR24 from Gallus gallus (Gg_DHCR24) achieved the highest 7-DHC production. Then 7-DHC accumulation was increased by 27.5% through stepwise fine-tuning the transcription level of Gg_DHCR24 in terms of altering its induction strategy, integration position, and the used promoter. By blocking the competitive path (ΔERG6) and supplementing another copy of Gg_DHCR24 in locus ERG6, 7-DHC accumulation was further enhanced by 1.07-fold. Afterward, 7-DHC production was improved by 48.3% (to 250.8 mg/L) by means of deleting NEM1 that was involved in lipids metabolism. Eventually, 7-DHC production reached to 1.07 g/L in 5-L bioreactor, which is the highest reported microbial titer as yet known. CONCLUSIONS Combined engineering of the pathway and the host cell was adopted in this study to boost 7-DHC output in the yeast. 7-DHC titer was stepwise improved by 26.9-fold compared with the starting strain. This work not only opens large opportunities to realize downstream de novo synthesis of other steroids, but also highlights the importance of the combinatorial engineering of heterologous pathway and host to obtain microbial overproduction of many other natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Jing Guo
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical & Engineering, Tianjin University, No. 92, Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
| | - Wen-Hai Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical & Engineering, Tianjin University, No. 92, Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
| | - Ying Wang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical & Engineering, Tianjin University, No. 92, Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
| | - Ming-Dong Yao
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical & Engineering, Tianjin University, No. 92, Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
| | - Bo-Xuan Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical & Engineering, Tianjin University, No. 92, Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
| | - Hong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical & Engineering, Tianjin University, No. 92, Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
| | - Guang-Rong Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical & Engineering, Tianjin University, No. 92, Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
| | - Ying-Jin Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical & Engineering, Tianjin University, No. 92, Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
- SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 People’s Republic of China
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Miras-Moreno B, Almagro L, Pedreño MA, Sabater-Jara AB. Effect of terbinafine on the biosynthetic pathway of isoprenoid compounds in carrot suspension cultured cells. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2018; 37:1011-1019. [PMID: 29680944 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-018-2287-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Terbinafine induced a significant increase of squalene production. Terbinafine increased the expression levels of squalene synthase. Cyclodextrins did not work as elicitors due to the gene expression levels obtained. Plant sterols are essential components of membrane lipids, which contributing to their fluidity and permeability. Besides their cholesterol-lowering properties, they also have anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and anticancer activities. Squalene, which is phytosterol precursor, is widely used in medicine, foods and cosmetics due to its anti-tumor, antioxidant and anti-aging activities. Nowadays, vegetable oils constitute the main sources of phytosterols and squalene, but their isolation and purification involve complex extraction protocols and high costs. In this work, Daucus carota cell cultures were used to evaluate the effect of cyclodextrins and terbinafine on the production and accumulation of squalene and phytosterols as well as the expression levels of squalene synthase and cycloartenol synthase genes. D. carota cell cultures were able to produce high levels of extracellular being phytosterols in the presence of cyclodextrins (12 mg/L), these compounds able to increase both the secretion and accumulation of phytosterols in the culture medium. Moreover, terbinafine induced a significant increase in intracellular squalene production, as seen after 168 h of treatment (497.0 ± 23.5 µg g dry weight-1) while its extracellular production only increased in the presence of cyclodextrins.The analysis of sqs and cas gene expression revealed that cyclodextrins did not induce genes encoding enzymes involved in the phytosterol biosynthetic pathway since the expression levels of sqs and cas genes in cyclodextrin-treated cells were lower than in control cells. The results, therefore, suggest that cyclodextrins were only able to release phytosterols from the cells to the extracellular medium, thus contributing to their acumulation. To sum up, D. carota cell cultures treated with cyclodextrins or terbinafine were able to produce high levels of phytosterols and squalene, respectively, and, therefore, these suspension-cultured cells of carrot constitute an alternative biotechnological system, which is at the same time more sustainable, economic and ecological for the production of these bioactive compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Begoña Miras-Moreno
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Lorena Almagro
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain
| | - María Angeles Pedreño
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Ana Belén Sabater-Jara
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain
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Upregulating the mevalonate pathway and repressing sterol synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae enhances the production of triterpenes. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:6923-6934. [PMID: 29948122 PMCID: PMC6096838 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9154-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Revised: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 06/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Pentacyclic triterpenes are diverse plant secondary metabolites derived from the mevalonate (MVA) pathway. Many of these molecules are potentially valuable, particularly as pharmaceuticals, and research has focused on their production in simpler and more amenable heterologous systems such as the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have developed a new heterologous platform for the production of pentacyclic triterpenes in S. cerevisiae based on a combinatorial engineering strategy involving the overexpression of MVA pathway genes, the knockout of negative regulators, and the suppression of a competing pathway. Accordingly, we overexpressed S. cerevisiae ERG13, encoding 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) synthase, and a truncated and deregulated variant of the rate-limiting enzyme HMG-CoA reductase 1 (tHMGR). In the same engineering step, we deleted the ROX1 gene, encoding a negative regulator of the MVA pathway and sterol biosynthesis, resulting in a push-and-pull strategy to enhance metabolic flux through the system. In a second step, we redirected this enhanced metabolic flux from late sterol biosynthesis to the production of 2,3-oxidosqualene, the direct precursor of pentacyclic triterpenes. In yeast cells transformed with a newly isolated sequence encoding lupeol synthase from the Russian dandelion (Taraxacum koksaghyz), we increased the yield of pentacyclic triterpenes by 127-fold and detected not only high levels of lupeol but also a second valuable pentacyclic triterpene product, β-amyrin.
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High-level recombinant production of squalene using selected Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 45:239-251. [DOI: 10.1007/s10295-018-2018-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
For recombinant production of squalene, which is a triterpenoid compound with increasing industrial applications, in microorganisms generally recognized as safe, we screened Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains to determine their suitability. A strong strain dependence was observed in squalene productivity among Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains upon overexpression of genes important for isoprenoid biosynthesis. In particular, a high level of squalene production (400 ± 45 mg/L) was obtained in shake flasks with the Y2805 strain overexpressing genes encoding a bacterial farnesyl diphosphate synthase (ispA) and a truncated form of hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (tHMG1). Partial inhibition of squalene epoxidase by terbinafine further increased squalene production by up to 1.9-fold (756 ± 36 mg/L). Furthermore, squalene production of 2011 ± 75 or 1026 ± 37 mg/L was obtained from 5-L fed-batch fermentations in the presence or absence of terbinafine supplementation, respectively. These results suggest that the Y2805 strain has potential as a new alternative source of squalene production.
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Ma BX, Ke X, Tang XL, Zheng RC, Zheng YG. Rate-limiting steps in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ergosterol pathway: towards improved ergosta-5,7-dien-3β-ol accumulation by metabolic engineering. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 34:55. [PMID: 29594560 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-018-2440-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ergosterol is the predominant nature sterol constituent of plasma membrane in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Herein, the biosynthetic pathway of ergosterol was proposed to be metabolically engineered for the efficient production of ergosta-5,7-dien-3β-ol, which is the precursor of vitamin D4. By target disruption of erg5, involved in the end-steps of post-squalene formation, predominantly accumulated ergosta-5,7-dien-3β-ol (4.12 mg/g dry cell weight). Moreover, the rate-limiting enzymes of ergosta-5,7-dien-3β-ol biosynthesis were characterized. Overexpression of Hmg1p led to a significant accumulation of squalene, and induction of Erg1p/Erg11p expression raised the yield of both total sterols and ergosta-5,7-dien-3β-ol with no obvious changes in growth behavior. Furthermore, the transcription factor allele upc2-1 was overexpressed to explore the effect of combined induction of rate-limiting enzymes. Compared with an obviously enhanced yield of ergosterol in the wild-type strain, decreases of both the ergosta-5,7-dienol levels and the total sterol yield were found in Δerg5-upc2-1, probably due to the unbalanced NADH/NAD+ ratio observed in the erg5 knockouts, suggesting the whole-cell redox homeostasis was also vital for end-product biosynthesis. The data obtained in this study can be used as reference values for the production of sterol-related intermediates involved in the post-squalene biosynthetic pathway in food-grade S. cerevisiae strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin-Xiang Ma
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
| | - Xia Ke
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Ling Tang
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
| | - Ren-Chao Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu-Guo Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China. .,Engineering Research Center of Bioconversion and Biopurification of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.
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Enhancement of ergosterol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae in batch and fed-batch fermentation processes using n -dodecane as oxygen-vector. Biochem Eng J 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2017.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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49
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Zhang DH, Jiang LX, Li N, Yu X, Zhao P, Li T, Xu JW. Overexpression of the Squalene Epoxidase Gene Alone and in Combination with the 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Gene Increases Ganoderic Acid Production in Ganoderma lingzhi. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2017; 65:4683-4690. [PMID: 28530827 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.7b00629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The squalene epoxidase (SE) gene from the biosynthetic pathway of ganoderic acid (GA) was cloned and overexpressed in Ganoderma lingzhi. The strain that overexpressed the SE produced approximately 2 times more GA molecules than the wild-type (WT) strain. Moreover, SE overexpression upregulated lanosterol synthase gene expression in the biosynthetic pathway. These results indicated that SE stimulates GA accumulation. Then, the SE and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMGR) genes were simultaneously overexpressed in G. lingzhi. Compared with the individual overexpression of SE or HMGR, the combined overexpression of the two genes further enhanced individual GA production. The overexpressing strain produced maximum GA-T, GA-S, GA-Mk, and GA-Me contents of 90.4 ± 7.5, 35.9 ± 5.4, 6.2 ± 0.5, and 61.8 ± 5.8 μg/100 mg dry weight, respectively. These values were 5.9, 4.5, 2.4, and 5.8 times higher than those produced by the WT strain. This is the first example of the successful manipulation of multiple biosynthetic genes to improve GA content in G. lingzhi.
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Affiliation(s)
- De-Huai Zhang
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology , Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Lu-Xi Jiang
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology , Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Na Li
- Faculty of Science, Kunming University of Science and Technology , Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Xuya Yu
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology , Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Peng Zhao
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology , Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Tao Li
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology , Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Jun-Wei Xu
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology , Kunming, 650500, China
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50
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Evolutionary engineering reveals divergent paths when yeast is adapted to different acidic environments. Metab Eng 2017; 39:19-28. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2016.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Revised: 10/01/2016] [Accepted: 10/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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