Assembly of highly standardized gene fragments for high-level production of porphyrins in E. coli

High-yield porphyrin production through metabolic engineering and biocatalysis

Porphyrins and their derivatives find extensive applications in medicine, food, energy and materials. In this study, we produced porphyrin compounds by combining Rhodobacter sphaeroides as an efficient cell factory with enzymatic catalysis. Genome-wide CRISPRi-based screening in R. sphaeroides identifies hemN as a target for improved coproporphyrin III (CPIII) production, and exploiting phosphorylation of PrrA further improves the production of bioactive CPIII to 16.5 g L-1 by fed-batch fermentation. Subsequent screening and engineering high-activity metal chelatases and coproheme decarboxylase results in the synthesis of various metalloporphyrins, including heme and the anti-tumor agent zincphyrin. After pilot-scale fermentation (200 L) and setting up the purification process for CPIII (purity >95%), we scaled up the production of heme and zincphyrin through enzymatic catalysis in a 5-L bioreactor, with CPIII achieving respective enzyme conversion rates of 63% and 98% and yielding 10.8 g L-1 and 21.3 g L-1, respectively. Our strategy offers a solution for high-yield bioproduction of heme and other valuable porphyrins with substantial industrial and medical applications.

Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for the production of (R)-α-lipoic acid

OBJECTIVE

To increase the production of (R)-α-lipoic acid directly from octanoic acid using engineered Escherichia coli with the regeneration of S-adenosylmethionine.

RESULTS

The biosynthesis of (R)-α-lipoic acid (LA) in E. coli BL21(DE3) is improved by co-expression of lipoate-protein ligase A (LplA) from E. coli MG1655 and lipoate synthase (LipA) from Vibrio vulnificus. The engineered strain produces 20.99 µg l^-1 of LA in shake flask cultures. The titers of LA are increased to 169.28 µg l^-1 after the optimization of the medium components and fermentation conditions. We find that the [4Fe-4S] cluster is important for the activity of LipA and co-expression of iscSUA promotes the regeneration of the [4Fe-4S] cluster and leads to the highest LA titer of 589.30 µg l^-1.

CONCLUSION

The method described here can be widely applied for the biosynthesis of (R)-α-lipoic acid and other metabolites.

Recent advances in microbial production of high-value compounds in the tetrapyrrole biosynthesis pathway

Tetrapyrroles are essential metabolic components produced by almost all organisms, and they participate in various fundamental biological processes. Tetrapyrroles are used as pharmaceuticals, food additives, and nutraceuticals, as well as in agricultural applications. However, their production is limited by their low extraction yields from natural resources and by the complex reaction steps involved in their chemical synthesis. Through advances in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology strategies, microbial cell factories were developed as an alternative method for tetrapyrrole production. Herein, we review recent developments in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology strategies that promote the microbial production of high-value compounds in the tetrapyrrole biosynthesis pathway (e.g., 5-aminolevulinic acid, heme, bilins, chlorophyll, and vitamin B₁₂). Furthermore, outstanding challenges to the microbial production of tetrapyrrole compounds, as well as their possible solutions, are discussed.

Differential gene content and gene expression for bacterial evolution and speciation of Shewanella in terms of biosynthesis of heme and heme-requiring proteins

Background

Most species of Shewanella harbor two ferrochelatase paralogues for the biosynthesis of c-type cytochromes, which are crucial for their respiratory versatility. In our previous study of the Shewanella loihica PV-4 strain, we found that the disruption of hemH1 but not hemH2 resulted in a significant accumulation of extracellular protoporphyrin IX (PPIX), but it is different in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Hence, the function and transcriptional regulation of two ferrochelatase genes, hemH1 and hemH2, are investigated in S. oneidensis MR-1.

Result

In the present study, deletion of either hemH1 or hemH2 in S. oneidensis MR-1 did not lead to overproduction of extracellular protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) as previously described in the hemH1 mutants of S. loihica PV-4. Moreover, supplement of exogenous hemins made it possible to generate the hemH1 and hemH2 double mutant in MR-1, but not in PV-4. Under aerobic condition, exogenous hemins were required for the growth of MR-1ΔhemH1ΔhemH2, which also overproduced extracellular PPIX. These results suggest that heme is essential for aerobic growth of Shewanella species and MR-1 could also uptake hemin for biosynthesis of essential cytochrome(s) and respiration. Besides, the exogenous hemin mediated CymA cytochrome maturation and the cellular KatB catalase activity. Both hemH paralogues were transcribed in wild-type MR-1, and the hemH2 transcription was remarkably up-regulated in MR-1ΔhemH1 mutant to compensate for the loss of hemH1. The periplasmic glutathione peroxidase gene pgpD, located in the same operon with hemH2, and a large gene cluster coding for iron, heme (hemin) uptake systems are absent in the PV-4 genome.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that the genetic divergence in gene content and gene expression between these Shewanella species, accounting for the phenotypic difference described here, might be due to their speciation and adaptation to the specific habitats (iron-rich deep-sea vent versus iron-poor freshwater) in which they evolved and the generated mutants could potentially be utilized for commercial production of PPIX.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12866-019-1549-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highly Efficient Single-Pot Scarless Golden Gate Assembly

Golden Gate assembly is one of the most widely used DNA assembly methods due to its robustness and modularity. However, despite its popularity, the need for BsaI-free parts, the introduction of scars between junctions, as well as the lack of a comprehensive study on the linkers hinders its more widespread use. Here, we first developed a novel sequencing scheme to test the efficiency and specificity of 96 linkers of 4-bp length and experimentally verified these linkers and their effects on Golden Gate assembly efficiency and specificity. We then used this sequencing data to generate 200 distinct linker sets that can be used by the community to perform efficient Golden Gate assemblies of different sizes and complexity. We also present a single-pot scarless Golden Gate assembly and BsaI removal scheme and its accompanying assembly design software to perform point mutations and Golden Gate assembly. This assembly scheme enables scarless assembly without compromising efficiency by choosing optimized linkers near assembly junctions.

Biosynthesis of organic photosensitizer Zn-porphyrin by diphtheria toxin repressor (DtxR)-mediated global upregulation of engineered heme biosynthesis pathway in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Zn-porphyrin is a promising organic photosensitizer in various fields including solar cells, interface and biomedical research, but the biosynthesis study has been limited, probably due to the difficulty of understanding complex biosynthesis pathways. In this study, we developed a Corynebacterium glutamicum platform strain for the biosynthesis of Zn-coproporphyrin III (Zn-CP III), in which the heme biosynthesis pathway was efficiently upregulated. The pathway was activated and reinforced by strong promoter-induced expression of hemA^M (encoding mutated glutamyl-tRNA reductase) and hemL (encoding glutamate-1-semialdehyde aminotransferase) genes. This engineered strain produced 33.54 ± 3.44 mg/l of Zn-CP III, while the control strain produced none. For efficient global regulation of the complex pathway, the dtxR gene encoding the transcriptional regulator diphtheria toxin repressor (DtxR) was first overexpressed in C. glutamicum with hemA^M and hemL genes, and its combinatorial expression was improved by using effective genetic tools. This engineered strain biosynthesized 68.31 ± 2.15 mg/l of Zn-CP III. Finally, fed-batch fermentation allowed for the production of 132.09 mg/l of Zn-CP III. This titer represents the highest in bacterial production of Zn-CP III reported to date, to our knowledge. This study demonstrates that engineered C. glutamicum can be a robust biotechnological model for the production of photosensitizer Zn-porphyrin.

Scarless assembly of unphosphorylated DNA fragments with a simplified DATEL method

Efficient assembly of multiple DNA fragments is a pivotal technology for synthetic biology. A scarless and sequence-independent DNA assembly method (DATEL) using thermal exonucleases has been developed recently. Here, we present a simplified DATEL (sDATEL) for efficient assembly of unphosphorylated DNA fragments with low cost. The sDATEL method is only dependent on Taq DNA polymerase and Taq DNA ligase. After optimizing the committed parameters of the reaction system such as pH and the concentration of Mg²⁺ and NAD+, the assembly efficiency was increased by 32-fold. To further improve the assembly capacity, the number of thermal cycles was optimized, resulting in successful assembly 4 unphosphorylated DNA fragments with an accuracy of 75%. sDATEL could be a desirable method for routine manual and automated assembly.

Twin-primer non-enzymatic DNA assembly: an efficient and accurate multi-part DNA assembly method

DNA assembly forms the cornerstone of modern synthetic biology. Despite the numerous available methods, scarless multi-fragment assembly of large plasmids remains challenging. Furthermore, the upcoming wave in molecular biological automation demands a rethinking of how we perform DNA assembly. To streamline automation workflow and minimize operator intervention, a non-enzymatic assembly method is highly desirable. Here, we report the optimization and operationalization of a process called Twin-Primer Assembly (TPA), which is a method to assemble polymerase chain reaction-amplified fragments into a plasmid without the use of enzymes. TPA is capable of assembling a 7 kb plasmid from 10 fragments at ∼80% fidelity and a 31 kb plasmid from five fragments at ∼50% fidelity. TPA cloning is scarless and sequence independent. Even without the use of enzymes, the performance of TPA is on par with some of the best in vitro assembly methods currently available. TPA should be an invaluable addition to a synthetic biologist's toolbox.

Registry in a tube: multiplexed pools of retrievable parts for genetic design space exploration

Genetic designs can consist of dozens of genes and hundreds of genetic parts. After evaluating a design, it is desirable to implement changes without the cost and burden of starting the construction process from scratch. Here, we report a two-step process where a large design space is divided into deep pools of composite parts, from which individuals are retrieved and assembled to build a final construct. The pools are built via multiplexed assembly and sequenced using next-generation sequencing. Each pool consists of ∼20 Mb of up to 5000 unique and sequence-verified composite parts that are barcoded for retrieval by PCR. This approach is applied to a 16-gene nitrogen fixation pathway, which is broken into pools containing a total of 55 848 composite parts (71.0 Mb). The pools encompass an enormous design space (1043 possible 23 kb constructs), from which an algorithm-guided 192-member 4.5 Mb library is built. Next, all 1030 possible genetic circuits based on 10 repressors (NOR/NOT gates) are encoded in pools where each repressor is fused to all permutations of input promoters. These demonstrate that multiplexing can be applied to encompass entire design spaces from which individuals can be accessed and evaluated.

DATEL: A Scarless and Sequence-Independent DNA Assembly Method Using Thermostable Exonucleases and Ligase

DNA assembly is a pivotal technique in synthetic biology. Here, we report a scarless and sequence-independent DNA assembly method using thermal exonucleases (Taq and Pfu DNA polymerases) and Taq DNA ligase (DATEL). Under the optimized conditions, DATEL allows rapid assembly of 2-10 DNA fragments (1-2 h) with high accuracy (between 74 and 100%). Owing to the simple operation system with denaturation-annealing-cleavage-ligation temperature cycles in one tube, DATEL is expected to be a desirable choice for both manual and automated high-throughput assembly of DNA fragments, which will greatly facilitate the rapid progress of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering.

Accurate DNA Assembly and Genome Engineering with Optimized Uracil Excision Cloning

Simple and reliable DNA editing by uracil excision (a.k.a. USER cloning) has been described by several research groups, but the optimal design of cohesive DNA ends for multigene assembly remains elusive. Here, we use two model constructs based on expression of gfp and a four-gene pathway that produces β-carotene to optimize assembly junctions and the uracil excision protocol. By combining uracil excision cloning with a genomic integration technology, we demonstrate that up to six DNA fragments can be assembled in a one-tube reaction for direct genome integration with high accuracy, greatly facilitating the advanced engineering of robust cell factories.

Microbial Synthesis of the Forskolin Precursor Manoyl Oxide in an Enantiomerically Pure Form

Forskolin is a promising medicinal compound belonging to a plethora of specialized plant metabolites that constitute a rich source of bioactive high-value compounds. A major obstacle for exploitation of plant metabolites is that they often are produced in small amounts and in plants difficult to cultivate. This may result in insufficient and unreliable supply leading to fluctuating and high sales prices. Hence, substantial efforts and resources have been invested in developing sustainable and reliable supply routes based on microbial cell factories. Here, we report microbial synthesis of (13R)-manoyl oxide, a proposed intermediate in the biosynthesis of forskolin and other medically important labdane-type terpenoids. Process optimization enabled synthesis of enantiomerically pure (13R)-manoyl oxide as the sole metabolite, providing a pure compound in just two steps with a yield of 10 mg/liter. The work presented here demonstrates the value of a standardized bioengineering pipeline and the large potential of microbial cell factories as sources for sustainable synthesis of complex biochemicals.