Hypoxia abolishes transience of the heat-shock response in the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha

Metabolic engineering of non-conventional yeasts for construction of the advanced producers of biofuels and high-value chemicals

Non-conventional yeasts, i.e. yeasts different from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, represent heterogenous group of unicellular fungi consisting of near 1500 species. Some of these species have interesting and sometimes unique properties like ability to grow on methanol, n-alkanes, ferment pentose sugars xylose and l-arabinose, grow at high temperatures (50°С and more), overproduce riboflavin (vitamin B2) and others. These unique properties are important for development of basic science; moreover, some of them possess also significant applied interest for elaboration of new biotechnologies. Current paper represents review of the recent own results and of those of other authors in the field of non-conventional yeast study for construction of the advanced producers of biofuels (ethanol, isobutanol) from lignocellulosic sugars glucose and xylose or crude glycerol (Ogataea polymorpha, Magnusiomyces magnusii) and vitamin B2 (riboflavin) from glucose and cheese whey (Candida famata).

Pentose metabolism and conversion to biofuels and high-value chemicals in yeasts

Pentose sugars are widespread in nature and two of them, D-xylose and L-arabinose belong to the most abundant sugars being the second and third by abundance sugars in dry plant biomass (lignocellulose) and in general on planet. Therefore, it is not surprising that metabolism and bioconversion of these pentoses attract much attention. Several different pathways of D-xylose and L-arabinose catabolism in bacteria and yeasts are known. There are even more common and really ubiquitous though not so abundant pentoses, D-ribose and 2-deoxy-D-ribose, the constituents of all living cells. Thus, ribose metabolism is example of endogenous metabolism whereas metabolism of other pentoses, including xylose and L-arabinose, represents examples of the metabolism of foreign exogenous compounds which normally are not constituents of yeast cells. As a rule, pentose degradation by the wild-type strains of microorganisms does not lead to accumulation of high amounts of valuable substances; however, productive strains have been obtained by random selection and metabolic engineering. There are numerous reviews on xylose and (less) L-arabinose metabolism and conversion to high value substances; however, they mostly are devoted to bacteria or the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This review is devoted to reviewing pentose metabolism and bioconversion mostly in non-conventional yeasts, which naturally metabolize xylose. Pentose metabolism in the recombinant strains of S. cerevisiae is also considered for comparison. The available data on ribose, xylose, L-arabinose transport, metabolism, regulation of these processes, interaction with glucose catabolism and construction of the productive strains of high-value chemicals or pentose (ribose) itself are described. In addition, genome studies of the natural xylose metabolizing yeasts and available tools for their molecular research are reviewed. Metabolism of other pentoses (2-deoxyribose, D-arabinose, lyxose) is briefly reviewed.

Construction of advanced producers of first- and second-generation ethanol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and selected species of non-conventional yeasts (Scheffersomyces stipitis, Ogataea polymorpha)

This review summarizes progress in the construction of efficient yeast ethanol producers from glucose/sucrose and lignocellulose. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the major industrial producer of first-generation ethanol. The different approaches to increase ethanol yield and productivity from glucose in S. cerevisiae are described. Construction of the producers of second-generation ethanol is described for S. cerevisiae, one of the best natural xylose fermenters, Scheffersomyces stipitis and the most thermotolerant yeast known Ogataea polymorpha. Each of these organisms has some advantages and drawbacks. S. cerevisiae is the primary industrial ethanol producer and is the most ethanol tolerant natural yeast known and, however, cannot metabolize xylose. S. stipitis can effectively ferment both glucose and xylose and, however, has low ethanol tolerance and requires oxygen for growth. O. polymorpha grows and ferments at high temperatures and, however, produces very low amounts of ethanol from xylose. Review describes how the mentioned drawbacks could be overcome.

Overexpression of the genes PDC1 and ADH1 activates glycerol conversion to ethanol in the thermotolerant yeast Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha

Conversion of byproduct from biodiesel production glycerol to high-value compounds is of great importance. Ethanol is considered a promising product of glycerol bioconversion. The methylotrophic thermotolerant yeast Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha is of great interest for this purpose as the glycerol byproduct contains methanol and heavy metals as contaminants, and this yeast utilizes methanol and is relatively resistant to heavy metals. Besides, O. polymorpha shows robust growth on glycerol and produces ethanol from various carbon sources. The thermotolerance of this yeast is an additional advantage, allowing increased fermentation temperature to 45-48 °C, leading to increased rate of the fermentation process and a fall in the cost of distillation. The wild-type strain of O. polymorpha produces insignificant amounts of ethanol from glycerol (0.8 g/l). Overexpression of PDC1 coding for pyruvate decarboxylase enhanced ethanol production up to 3.1 g/l, whereas simultaneous overexpression of PDC1 and ADH1 (coding for alcohol dehydrogenase) led to further increase in ethanol production from glycerol. Moreover, the increased temperature of fermentation up to 45 °C stimulated the production of ethanol from glycerol used as the only carbon source up to 5.0 g/l, which exceeds the data obtained by methylotrophic yeast strains reported so far. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Looking beyond Saccharomyces: the potential of non-conventional yeast species for desirable traits in bioethanol fermentation

Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used for millennia in the production of food and beverages and is by far the most studied yeast species. Currently, it is also the most used microorganism in the production of first-generation bioethanol from sugar or starch crops. Second-generation bioethanol, on the other hand, is produced from lignocellulosic feedstocks that are pretreated and hydrolyzed to obtain monomeric sugars, mainly D-glucose, D-xylose and L-arabinose. Recently, S. cerevisiae recombinant strains capable of fermenting pentose sugars have been generated. However, the pretreatment of the biomass results in hydrolysates with high osmolarity and high concentrations of inhibitors. These compounds negatively influence the fermentation process. Therefore, robust strains with high stress tolerance are required. Up to now, more than 2000 yeast species have been described and some of these could provide a solution to these limitations because of their high tolerance to the most predominant stress conditions present in a second-generation bioethanol reactor. In this review, we will summarize what is known about the non-conventional yeast species showing unusual tolerance to these stresses, namely Zygosaccharomyces rouxii (osmotolerance), Kluyveromyces marxianus and Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha (thermotolerance), Dekkera bruxellensis (ethanol tolerance), Pichia kudriavzevii (furan derivatives tolerance) and Z. bailii (acetic acid tolerance).

Biomarkers to evaluate the effects of temperature and methanol on recombinant Pichia pastoris

Pichia pastoris is methylotrophic yeast used as an efficient expression system for heterologous protein production. In order to evaluate the effects of temperature (10 and 30 °C) and methanol (1 and 3% (v/v)) on genetically-modified Pichia pastoris, different biomarkers were evaluated: Heat stress (HSF-1 and Hsp70), oxidative stress (OGG1 and TBARS) and antioxidant (GLR). Three yeast cultures were performed: 3X = 3% methanol-10 °C, 4X = 3% methanol-30 °C, and 5X = 1% methanol-10°C. The expression level of HIF-1α, HSF-1, HSP-70 and HSP-90 biomarkers were measured by Western blot and in situ detection was performed by immunocytochemistry. Ours results show that at 3% methanol −30 °C there is an increase of mitochondrial OGG1 (mtOGG1), Glutathione Reductase (GLR) and TBARS. In addition, there was a cytosolic expression of HSF-1 and HSP-70, which indicates a deprotection against nucleolar fragmentation (apoptosis). On the other hand, at 3% methanol −10 °C and 1% and at methanol −10 °C conditions there was nuclear expression of OGG1, lower levels of TBARS and lower expression of GLR, cytosolic expression of HSF-1 and nuclear expression HSP-70. In conclusion, our results suggest that 3% methanol-30 °C is a condition that induces a strong oxidative stress and risk factors of apoptosis in modified-genetically P. pastoris.

HSF-1, HIF-1 and HSP90 expression on recombinant Pichia pastoris under fed-batch fermentation

Pichia pastoris is a methylotrophic yeast used as an efficient expression system for heterologous protein production as compared to other expression systems. Considering that every cell must respond to environmental changes to survive and differentiate, determination of endogenous protein related to heat stress responses and hypoxia, it would necessary to establish the temperature and methanol concentration conditions for optimal growth. The aim of this study is characterize the culture conditions through the putative biomarkers in different conditions of temperature and methanol concentration. Three yeast cultures were performed: 3X = 3% methanol −10 °C, 4X = 3% methanol −30 °C, and 5X = 1% methanol −10 °C. The expression level of HIF-1α, HSF-1, HSP-70 and HSP-90 biomarkers were measured by Western blot and in situ detection was performed by immunocytochemistry. The western blot results of HIF-1α and HSP-90 did not indicate statistically significant in the culture conditions studied. Respect to biomarkers location, HIF-1α and HSP-90 presented differences between cultures. In conclusion, the results suggest the cultures in a hypoxic condition produce a high density and yeast cells smaller. Beside the high density would not necessary related with a high production of recombinant proteins in modified-genetically P. pastoris.

Methylotrophic yeasts near Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha: a proposal of Ogataea angusta comb. nov. and Candida parapolymorpha sp. nov

Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha and related yeasts were studied to clarify their taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships. The molecular analyses based on ribosomal DNA sequences revealed that (1) ATCC 14755, type strain of Pichia angusta, is phylogenetically distinguished from the majority of O. polymorpha strains including ATCC 34438(T) (=NRRL Y-5445(T)=CBS 4732(T)), type of the species; (2) Ogataea thermophila is conspecific to O. polymorpha; and (3) two of the strains, ATCC 26012 and ATCC 58401, are a novel Candida species closely related to O. polymorpha. The conclusions were also supported by physiological characteristics and other taxonomic features of these strains. Therefore, we propose here two novel species, Ogataea angusta comb. nov. (ATCC 14755(T)=CBS 7073(T)=NRRL Y-2214(T)) and Candida parapolymorpha sp. nov. (ATCC 26012(T)=NRRL Y-7560(T)), and conclude that O. thermophila is a synonym of O. polymorpha.

Enhanced production of ethanol from glycerol by engineered Hansenula polymorpha expressing pyruvate decarboxylase and aldehyde dehydrogenase genes from Zymomonas mobilis

To improve production of ethanol from glycerol, the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha was engineered to express the pdc and adhB genes encoding pyruvate decarboxylase and aldehyde dehydrogenase II from Zymomonas mobilis, respectively, under the control of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) promoter. The ethanol yield was 3.3-fold higher (2.74 g l(-1)) in the engineered yeast compared with the parent strain (0.83 g l(-1)). Further engineering to stimulate glycerol utilization in the recombinant strain via expression of dhaD and dhaKLM genes from Klebsiella pneumoniae encoding glycerol dehydrogenase and dehydroxyacetone kinase, respectively, resulted in a 3.7-fold increase (3.1 g l(-1)) in ethanol yield.

In the yeast heat shock response, Hsf1-directed induction of Hsp90 facilitates the activation of the Slt2 (Mpk1) mitogen-activated protein kinase required for cell integrity

Yeast is rendered temperature sensitive with loss of the C-terminal (CT) domain of heat shock transcription factor (Hsf1). This domain loss was found to abrogate heat stimulation of Slt2 (Mpk1), the mitogen-activated protein kinase that directs the reinforced cell integrity gene expression needed for high-temperature growth. In Hsf1 CT domain-deficient cells, Slt2 still undergoes Mkk1/2-directed dual-Thr/Tyr phosphorylation in response to the heat stimulation of cell integrity pathway signaling, but the low Hsp90 expression level suppresses any corresponding increase in Slt2 kinase activity due to Slt2 being a "client" of the Hsp90 chaperone. A non-Hsf1-directed Hsp90 overexpression restored the heat induction of Slt2 activity in these cells, as well as both Slt2-dependent (Rlm1, Swi4) and Slt2-independent (MBF) transcriptional activities. Their high-temperature growth was also rescued, not just by this Hsp90 overexpression but by osmotic stabilization, by the expression of a Slt2-independent form of the Rlm1 transcriptional regulator of cell integrity genes, and by a multicopy SLT2 gene vector. In providing the elevated Hsp90 needed for an efficient activation of Slt2, heat activation of Hsf1 indirectly facilitates (Slt2-directed) heat activation of yet another transcription factor (Rlm1). This provides an explanation as to why, in earlier transcript analysis compared to chromatin immunoprecipitation studies, many more genes of yeast displayed an Hsf1-dependent transcriptional activation by heat than bound Hsf1 directly. The levels of Hsp90 expression affecting transcription factor regulation by Hsp90 client protein kinases also provides a mechanistic model for how heat shock factor can influence the expression of several non-hsp genes in higher organisms.

Effect of anaerobic and stationary phase growth conditions on the heat shock and oxidative stress responses in Escherichia coli K-12

The natural living style of Escherichia coli occurs in the gastrointestinal tract, where most of its existence is spent under anaerobic conditions and in stationary phase of growth. Here we report on the heat shock response of E. coli K-12 cells growing in the presence or absence of oxygen. An rpoH mutant (impaired in the synthesis of the sigma(32) transcriptional factor) exhibited an increased sensitivity to heat shock but only in the exponential phase of aerobic growth, suggesting that in anaerobic growth conditions, and in aerobic stationary phase, sigma(32)-independent mechanisms are playing a prime role in protecting cells from heat stress. Our results demonstrated that sigma(S) is not involved in this protection system. Studies on the kinetics of synthesis of Heat shock proteins (Hsp) after an abrupt rise in temperature demonstrated that in the absence of oxygen, the synthesis of Hsp is triggered faster and is sustained for a longer period of time compared to aerobic growth conditions. Finally, the heated cells in the exponential phase of aerobic growth displayed a high concentration of oxidatively damaged proteins in the presence of 4 mM H(2)O(2), in sharp contrast to cultures of stationary phase or anaerobic growth.