Electrotransformation of Clostridium thermocellum

A high-value biohythane production: Feedstocks, reactor configurations, pathways, challenges, technoeconomics and applications

In recent years, the demand for high-quality biofuels from renewable sources has become an aspirational goal to offer a clean environment by alternating the depleting fossil fuels to meet future energy needs. In this aspect, biohythane production from wastes has received extensive research interest since it contains superior fuel characteristics than the promising conventional biofuel i.e. biogas. The main aim is to promote research and potentials of biohythane production by a systematic review of scientific literature on the biohythane production pathways, substrate/microbial consortium suitability, reactor design, and influential process/operational factors. Reactor configuration also decides the product yield in addition to other key factors like waste composition, temperature, pH, retention time and loading rates. Hence, a detailed emphasis on different reactor configurations with respect to the type of feedstock has also been given. The technical challenges are highlighted towards process optimization and system scale up. Meanwhile, solutions to improve product yield, technoeconomics, applications and key policy and governance factors to build a hydrogen based society have also been discussed.

CRISPR/Cas genome editing systems in thermophiles: Current status, associated challenges, and future perspectives

Thermophiles, offering an attractive and unique platform for a broad range of applications in biofuels and environment protections, have received a significant attention and growing interest from academy and industry. However, the exploration and exploitation of thermophilic organisms have been hampered by the lack of a powerful genome manipulation tool to improve production efficiency. At current, the clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated (Cas) system has been successfully exploited as a competent, simplistic, and powerful tool for genome engineering both in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Indeed, with the significant efforts made in recent years, some thermostable Cas9 proteins have been well identified and characterized and further, some thermostable Cas9-based editing tools have been successfully established in some representative obligate thermophiles. In this regard, we reviewed the current status and its progress in CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing system towards a variety of thermophilic organisms. Despite the potentials of these progresses, multiple factors/barriers still have to be overcome and optimized for improving its editing efficiency in thermophiles. Some insights into the roles of thermostable CRISPR/Cas technologies for the metabolic engineering of thermophiles as a thermophilic microbial cell factory were also fully analyzed and discussed.

Breaking the Restriction Barriers and Applying CRISPRi as a Gene Silencing Tool in Pseudoclostridium thermosuccinogenes

Pseudoclostridium thermosuccinogenes is a thermophilic bacterium capable of producing succinate from lignocellulosic-derived sugars and has the potential to be exploited as a platform organism. However, exploitation of P. thermosuccinogenes has been limited partly due to the genetic inaccessibility and lack of genome engineering tools. In this study, we established the genetic accessibility for P. thermosuccinogenes DSM 5809. By overcoming restriction barriers, transformation efficiencies of 102 CFU/µg plasmid DNA were achieved. To this end, the plasmid DNA was methylated in vivo when transformed into an engineered E. coli HST04 strain expressing three native methylation systems of the thermophile. This protocol was used to introduce a ThermodCas9-based CRISPRi tool targeting the gene encoding malic enzyme in P. thermosuccinogenes, demonstrating the principle of gene silencing. This resulted in 75% downregulation of its expression and had an impact on the strain's fermentation profile. Although the details of the functioning of the restriction modification systems require further study, in vivo methylation can already be applied to improve transformation efficiency of P. thermosuccinogenes. Making use of the ThermodCas9-based CRISPRi, this is the first example demonstrating that genetic engineering in P. thermosuccinogenes is feasible and establishing the way for metabolic engineering of this bacterium.

Thermophilic microbial deconstruction and conversion of natural and transgenic lignocellulose

The potential to convert renewable plant biomasses into fuels and chemicals by microbial processes presents an attractive, less environmentally intense alternative to conventional routes based on fossil fuels. This would best be done with microbes that natively deconstruct lignocellulose and concomitantly form industrially relevant products, but these two physiological and metabolic features are rarely and simultaneously observed in nature. Genetic modification of both plant feedstocks and microbes can be used to increase lignocellulose deconstruction capability and generate industrially relevant products. Separate efforts on plants and microbes are ongoing, but these studies lack a focus on optimal, complementary combinations of these disparate biological systems to obtain a convergent technology. Improving genetic tools for plants have given rise to the generation of low-lignin lines that are more readily solubilized by microorganisms. Most focus on the microbiological front has involved thermophilic bacteria from the genera Caldicellulosiruptor and Clostridium, given their capacity to degrade lignocellulose and to form bio-products through metabolic engineering strategies enabled by ever-improving molecular genetics tools. Bioengineering plant properties to better fit the deconstruction capabilities of candidate consolidated bioprocessing microorganisms has potential to achieve the efficient lignocellulose deconstruction needed for industrial relevance.

Rational development of transformation in Clostridium thermocellum ATCC 27405 via complete methylome analysis and evasion of native restriction-modification systems

A major barrier to both metabolic engineering and fundamental biological studies is the lack of genetic tools in most microorganisms. One example is Clostridium thermocellum ATCC 27405^T, where genetic tools are not available to help validate decades of hypotheses. A significant barrier to DNA transformation is restriction–modification systems, which defend against foreign DNA methylated differently than the host. To determine the active restriction–modification systems in this strain, we performed complete methylome analysis via single-molecule, real-time sequencing to detect 6-methyladenine and 4-methylcytosine and the rarely used whole-genome bisulfite sequencing to detect 5-methylcytosine. Multiple active systems were identified, and corresponding DNA methyltransferases were expressed from the Escherichia coli chromosome to mimic the C. thermocellum methylome. Plasmid methylation was experimentally validated and successfully electroporated into C. thermocellum ATCC 27405. This combined approach enabled genetic modification of the C. thermocellum-type strain and acts as a blueprint for transformation of other non-model microorganisms.

Function analysis of 5'-UTR of the cellulosomal xyl-doc cluster in Clostridium papyrosolvens

BACKGROUND

Anaerobic, mesophilic, and cellulolytic Clostridium papyrosolvens produces an efficient cellulolytic extracellular complex named cellulosome that hydrolyzes plant cell wall polysaccharides into simple sugars. Its genome harbors two long cellulosomal clusters: cip-cel operon encoding major cellulosome components (including scaffolding) and xyl-doc gene cluster encoding hemicellulases. Compared with works on cip-cel operon, there are much fewer studies on xyl-doc mainly due to its rare location in cellulolytic clostridia. Sequence analysis of xyl-doc revealed that it harbors a 5' untranslated region (5'-UTR) which potentially plays a role in the regulation of downstream gene expression. Here, we analyzed the function of 5'-UTR of xyl-doc cluster in C. papyrosolvens in vivo via transformation technology developed in this study.

RESULTS

In this study, we firstly developed an electrotransformation method for C. papyrosolvens DSM 2782 before the analysis of 5'-UTR of xyl-doc cluster. In the optimized condition, a field with an intensity of 7.5-9.0 kV/cm was applied to a cuvette (0.2 cm gap) containing a mixture of plasmid and late cell suspended in exponential phase to form a 5 ms pulse in a sucrose-containing buffer. Afterwards, the putative promoter and the 5'-UTR of xyl-doc cluster were determined by sequence alignment. It is indicated that xyl-doc possesses a long conservative 5'-UTR with a complex secondary structure encompassing at least two perfect stem-loops which are potential candidates for controlling the transcriptional termination. In the last step, we employed an oxygen-independent flavin-based fluorescent protein (FbFP) as a quantitative reporter to analyze promoter activity and 5'-UTR function in vivo. It revealed that 5'-UTR significantly blocked transcription of downstream genes, but corn stover can relieve its suppression.

CONCLUSIONS

In the present study, our results demonstrated that 5'-UTR of the cellulosomal xyl-doc cluster blocks the transcriptional activity of promoter. However, some substrates, such as corn stover, can relieve the effect of depression of 5'-UTR. Thus, it is speculated that 5'-UTR of xyl-doc was a putative riboswitch to regulate the expression of downstream cellulosomal genes, which is helpful to understand the complex regulation of cellulosome.

Development of an efficient host-vector system of Ruminiclostridium josui

Although Ruminiclostridium josui (formerly Clostridium josui), a strictly anaerobic mesophilic cellulolytic bacterium, is a promising candidate for biomass utilization via consolidated bioprocessing, its host-vector system has not yet been established. The existence of a restriction and modification system is a significant barrier to the transformation of R. josui. Here, we partially purified restriction endonuclease RjoI from R. josui cell extract using column chromatography. Further characterization showed that RjoI is an isoschizomer of DpnI, recognizing the sequence 5'-G^met ATC-3', where the A nucleotide is Dam-methylated. RjoI cleaved the recognition sequence between the A and T nucleotides, producing blunt ends. We then successfully introduced plasmids prepared from Escherichia coli C2925 (dam^- /dcm^- ) into R. josui by electroporation. The highest transformation efficiency of 6.6 × 10³ transformants/μg of DNA was obtained using a square-wave pulse (750 V, 1 ms). When the R. josui cel48A gene, devoid of the dockerin-encoding region, cloned into newly developed plasmid pKKM801 was introduced into R. josui, a truncated form of RjCel48A, RjCel48AΔdoc, was detected in the culture supernatant but not in the intracellular fraction. This is the first report on the establishment of fundamental technology for molecular breeding of R. josui.

Deletion of Type I glutamine synthetase deregulates nitrogen metabolism and increases ethanol production in Clostridium thermocellum

Clostridium thermocellum rapidly deconstructs cellulose and ferments resulting hydrolysis products into ethanol and other products, and is thus a promising platform organism for the development of cellulosic biofuel production via consolidated bioprocessing. While recent metabolic engineering strategies have targeted eliminating canonical fermentation products (acetate, lactate, formate, and H₂), C. thermocellum also secretes amino acids, which has limited ethanol yields in engineered strains to approximately 70% of the theoretical maximum. To investigate approaches to decrease amino acid secretion, we attempted to reduce ammonium assimilation by deleting the Type I glutamine synthetase (glnA) in an essentially wild type strain of C. thermocellum. Deletion of glnA reduced levels of secreted valine and total amino acids by 53% and 44% respectively, and increased ethanol yields by 53%. RNA-seq analysis revealed that genes encoding the RNF-complex were more highly expressed in ΔglnA and may have a role in improving NADH-availability for ethanol production. While a significant up-regulation of genes involved in nitrogen assimilation and urea uptake suggested that deletion of glnA induces a nitrogen starvation response, metabolomic analysis showed an increase in intracellular glutamine levels indicative of nitrogen-rich conditions. We propose that deletion of glnA causes deregulation of nitrogen metabolism, leading to overexpression of nitrogen metabolism genes and, in turn, elevated glutamine levels. Here we demonstrate that perturbation of nitrogen assimilation is a promising strategy to redirect flux from the production of nitrogenous compounds toward biofuels in C. thermocellum.

Cellulosic ethanol production via consolidated bioprocessing by a novel thermophilic anaerobic bacterium isolated from a Himalayan hot spring

BACKGROUND

Cellulose-degrading thermophilic anaerobic bacterium as a suitable host for consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) has been proposed as an economically suited platform for the production of second-generation biofuels. To recognize the overall objective of CBP, fermentation using co-culture of different cellulolytic and sugar-fermenting thermophilic anaerobic bacteria has been widely studied as an approach to achieving improved ethanol production. We assessed monoculture and co-culture fermentation of novel thermophilic anaerobic bacterium for ethanol production from real substrates under controlled conditions.

RESULTS

In this study, Clostridium sp. DBT-IOC-C19, a cellulose-degrading thermophilic anaerobic bacterium, was isolated from the cellulolytic enrichment cultures obtained from a Himalayan hot spring. Strain DBT-IOC-C19 exhibited a broad substrate spectrum and presented single-step conversion of various cellulosic and hemicellulosic substrates to ethanol, acetate, and lactate with ethanol being the major fermentation product. Additionally, the effect of varying cellulose concentrations on the fermentation performance of the strain was studied, indicating a maximum cellulose utilization ability of 10 g L^-1 cellulose. Avicel degradation kinetics of the strain DBT-IOC-C19 displayed 94.6% degradation at 5 g L^-1 and 82.74% degradation at 10 g L^-1 avicel concentration within 96 h of fermentation. In a comparative study with Clostridium thermocellum DSM 1313, the ethanol and total product concentrations were higher by the newly isolated strain on pretreated rice straw at an equivalent substrate loading. Three different co-culture combinations were used on various substrates that presented two-fold yield improvement than the monoculture during batch fermentation.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated the direct fermentation ability of the novel thermophilic anaerobic bacteria on various cellulosic and hemicellulosic substrates into ethanol without the aid of any exogenous enzymes, representing CBP-based fermentation approach. Here, the broad substrate utilization spectrum of isolated cellulolytic thermophilic anaerobic bacterium was shown to be of potential utility. We demonstrated that the co-culture strategy involving novel strains is efficient in improving ethanol production from real substrate.

Promiscuous plasmid replication in thermophiles: Use of a novel hyperthermophilic replicon for genetic manipulation of Clostridium thermocellum at its optimum growth temperature

Clostridium thermocellum is a leading candidate for the consolidated bioprocessing of lignocellulosic biomass for the production of fuels and chemicals. A limitation to the engineering of this strain is the availability of stable replicating plasmid vectors for homologous and heterologous expression of genes that provide improved and/or novel pathways for fuel production. Current vectors relay on replicons from mesophilic bacteria and are not stable at the optimum growth temperature of C. thermocellum. To develop more thermostable genetic tools for C. thermocellum, we constructed vectors based on the hyperthermophilic Caldicellulosiruptor bescii replicon pBAS2. Autonomously replicating shuttle vectors based on pBAS2 reproducibly transformed C. thermocellum at 60 °C and were maintained in multiple copy. Promoters, selectable markers and plasmid replication proteins from C. bescii were functional in C. thermocellum. Phylogenetic analyses of the proteins contained on pBAS2 revealed that the replication initiation protein RepL is unique among thermophiles. These results suggest that pBAS2 may be a broadly useful replicon for other thermophilic Firmicutes.

Genetic engineering of Clostridium thermocellum DSM1313 for enhanced ethanol production

Background

The twin problem of shortage in fossil fuel and increase in environmental pollution can be partly addressed by blending of ethanol with transport fuel. Increasing the ethanol production for this purpose without affecting the food security of the countries would require the use of cellulosic plant materials as substrate. Clostridium thermocellum is an anaerobic thermophilic bacterium with cellulolytic property and the ability to produce ethanol. But its application as biocatalyst for ethanol production is limited because pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase, which diverts pyruvate to ethanol production pathway, has low affinity to the substrate. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to genetically modify C. thermocellum for enhancing its ethanol production capacity by transferring pyruvate carboxylase (pdc) and alcohol dehydrogenase (adh) genes of the homoethanol pathway from Zymomonas mobilis.

Results

The pdc and adh genes from Z. mobilis were cloned in pNW33N, and transformed to Clostridium thermocellum DSM 1313 by electroporation to generate recombinant CTH-pdc, CTH-adh and CTH-pdc-adh strains that carried heterologous pdc, adh, and both genes, respectively. The plasmids were stably maintained in the recombinant strains. Though both pdc and adh were functional in C. thermocellum, the presence of adh severely limited the growth of the recombinant strains, irrespective of the presence or absence of the pdc gene. The recombinant CTH-pdc strain showed two-fold increase in pyruvate carboxylase activity and ethanol production when compared with the wild type strain.

Conclusions

Pyruvate decarboxylase gene of the homoethanol pathway from Z mobilis was functional in recombinant C. thermocellum strain and enhanced its ability to produced ethanol. Strain improvement and bioprocess optimizations may further increase the ethanol production from this recombinant strain.

Restriction modification system analysis and development of in vivo methylation for the transformation of Clostridium cellulovorans

Clostridium cellulovorans, a cellulolytic bacterium producing butyric and acetic acids as main fermentation products, is a promising host for biofuel production from cellulose. However, the transformation method of C. cellulovorans was not available, hindering its genetic engineering. To overcome this problem, its restriction modification (RM) systems were analyzed and a novel in vivo methylation was established for its successful transformation in the present study. Specifically, two RM systems, Cce743I and Cce743II, were determined. R. Cce743I has the same specificity as LlaJI, recognizing 5'-GACGC-3' and 5'-GCGTC-3', while M. Cce743I methylates the external cytosine in the strand (5'-GACG(m)C-3'). R. Cce743II, has the same specificity as LlaI, recognizing 5'-CCAGG-3' and 5'-CCTGG-3', while M. Cce743II methylates the external cytosine of both strands. An in vivo methylation system, expressing M. Cce743I and M. Cce743II from C. cellulovorans in Escherichia coli, was then established to protect plasmids used in electrotransformation. Transformants expressing an aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase (adhE2), which converted butyryl-CoA to n-butanol and acetyl-CoA to ethanol, were obtained. For the first time, an effective transformation method was developed for metabolic engineering of C. cellulovorans for biofuel production directly from cellulose.

Elimination of formate production in Clostridium thermocellum

The ability of Clostridium thermocellum to rapidly degrade cellulose and ferment resulting hydrolysis products into ethanol makes it a promising platform organism for cellulosic biofuel production via consolidated bioprocessing. Currently, however, ethanol yield is far below theoretical maximum due to branched product pathways that divert carbon and electrons towards formate, H₂, lactate, acetate, and secreted amino acids. To redirect carbon and electron flux away from formate, genes encoding pyruvate:formate lyase (pflB) and PFL-activating enzyme (pflA) were deleted. Formate production in the resulting Δpfl strain was eliminated and acetate production decreased by 50 % on both complex and defined medium. The growth rate of the Δpfl strain decreased by 2.9-fold on defined medium and biphasic growth was observed on complex medium. Supplementation of defined medium with 2 mM formate restored Δpfl growth rate to 80 % of the parent strain. The role of pfl in metabolic engineering strategies and C₁ metabolism is discussed.

The emergence of Clostridium thermocellum as a high utility candidate for consolidated bioprocessing applications

First isolated in 1926, Clostridium thermocellum has recently received increased attention as a high utility candidate for use in consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) applications. These applications, which seek to process lignocellulosic biomass directly into useful products such as ethanol, are gaining traction as economically feasible routes toward the production of fuel and other high value chemical compounds as the shortcomings of fossil fuels become evident. This review evaluates C. thermocellum's role in this transitory process by highlighting recent discoveries relating to its genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic responses to varying biomass sources, with a special emphasis placed on providing an overview of its unique, multivariate enzyme cellulosome complex and the role that this structure performs during biomass degradation. Both naturally evolved and genetically engineered strains are examined in light of their unique attributes and responses to various biomass treatment conditions, and the genetic tools that have been employed for their creation are presented. Several future routes for potential industrial usage are presented, and it is concluded that, although there have been many advances to significantly improve C. thermocellum's amenability to industrial use, several hurdles still remain to be overcome as this unique organism enjoys increased attention within the scientific community.

Thermophilic biohydrogen production: how far are we?

Apart from being applied as an energy carrier, hydrogen is in increasing demand as a commodity. Currently, the majority of hydrogen (H₂) is produced from fossil fuels, but from an environmental perspective, sustainable H₂ production should be considered. One of the possible ways of hydrogen production is through fermentation, in particular, at elevated temperature, i.e. thermophilic biohydrogen production. This short review recapitulates the current status in thermophilic biohydrogen production through fermentation of commercially viable substrates produced from readily available renewable resources, such as agricultural residues. The route to commercially viable biohydrogen production is a multidisciplinary enterprise. Microbiological studies have pointed out certain desirable physiological characteristics in H₂-producing microorganisms. More process-oriented research has identified best applicable reactor types and cultivation conditions. Techno-economic and life cycle analyses have identified key process bottlenecks with respect to economic feasibility and its environmental impact. The review has further identified current limitations and gaps in the knowledge, and also deliberates directions for future research and development of thermophilic biohydrogen production.

A targetron system for gene targeting in thermophiles and its application in Clostridium thermocellum

Background

Targetrons are gene targeting vectors derived from mobile group II introns. They consist of an autocatalytic intron RNA (a “ribozyme”) and an intron-encoded reverse transcriptase, which use their combined activities to achieve highly efficient site-specific DNA integration with readily programmable DNA target specificity.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Here, we used a mobile group II intron from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus to construct a thermotargetron for gene targeting in thermophiles. After determining its DNA targeting rules by intron mobility assays in Escherichia coli at elevated temperatures, we used this thermotargetron in Clostridium thermocellum, a thermophile employed in biofuels production, to disrupt six different chromosomal genes (cipA, hfat, hyd, ldh, pta, and pyrF). High integration efficiencies (67–100% without selection) were achieved, enabling detection of disruptants by colony PCR screening of a small number of transformants. Because the thermotargetron functions at high temperatures that promote DNA melting, it can recognize DNA target sequences almost entirely by base pairing of the intron RNA with less contribution from the intron-encoded protein than for mesophilic targetrons. This feature increases the number of potential targetron-insertion sites, while only moderately decreasing DNA target specificity. Phenotypic analysis showed that thermotargetron disruption of the genes encoding lactate dehydrogenase (ldh; Clo1313_1160) and phosphotransacetylase (pta; Clo1313_1185) increased ethanol production in C. thermocellum by decreasing carbon flux toward lactate and acetate.

Conclusions/Significance

Thermotargetron provides a new, rapid method for gene targeting and genetic engineering of C. thermocellum, an industrially important microbe, and should be readily adaptable for gene targeting in other thermophiles.

Mevalonate production by engineered acetogen biocatalyst during continuous fermentation of syngas or CO₂/H₂ blend

Naturally mevalonate-resistant acetogen Clostridium sp. MT1243 produced only 425 mM acetate during syngas fermentation. Using Clostridium sp. MT1243 we engineered biocatalyst selectively producing mevalonate from synthesis gas or CO₂/H₂ blend. Acetate production and spore formation were eliminated from Clostridium sp. MT1243 using Cre-lox66/lox71-system. Cell energy released via elimination of phosphotransacetylase, acetate kinase and early stage sporulation genes powered mevalonate accumulation in fermentation broth due to expression of synthetic thiolase, HMG-synthase, and HMG-reductase, three copies of each, integrated using Tn7-approach. Recombinants produced 145 mM mevalonate in five independent single-step fermentation runs 25 days each in five repeats using syngas blend 60% CO and 40% H₂ (v/v) (p < 0.005). Mevalonate production was 97 mM if only CO₂/H₂ blend was fed instead of syngas (p < 0.005). Mevalonate from CO₂/H₂ blend might serve as a commercial route to mitigate global warming in proportion to CO₂ fermentation scale worldwide.

Engineering of a functional thermostable kanamycin resistance marker for use in Moorella thermoacetica ATCC39073

A transformation system for Moorella thermoacetica ATCC39073 was developed using thermostable kanamycin resistant gene (kanR) derived from the plasmid pJH1 that Streptococcus faecalis harbored. When kanR with its native promoter was introduced into uracil auxotrophic mutant of M. thermoacetica ATCC39073 together with a gene to complement the uracil auxotrophy as a selection marker, it did not give kanamycin resistance due to poor transcription level of kanR. However, the use of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase promoter cloned from M. thermoacetica ATCC39073 significantly improved transcription level of kanR and resulted in the cell growth in the presence of more than 150 μg mL(-1) kanamycin. It was also demonstrated that kanR with G3PD promoter can be used as a selection marker for transformation of wild-type strain of M. thermoacetica ATCC39073.

Atypical glycolysis in Clostridium thermocellum

Cofactor specificities of glycolytic enzymes in Clostridium thermocellum were studied with cellobiose-grown cells from batch cultures. Intracellular glucose was phosphorylated by glucokinase using GTP rather than ATP. Although phosphofructokinase typically uses ATP as a phosphoryl donor, we found only pyrophosphate (PPi)-linked activity. Phosphoglycerate kinase used both GDP and ADP as phosphoryl acceptors. In agreement with the absence of a pyruvate kinase sequence in the C. thermocellum genome, no activity of this enzyme could be detected. Also, the annotated pyruvate phosphate dikinase (ppdk) is not crucial for the generation of pyruvate from phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), as deletion of the ppdk gene did not substantially change cellobiose fermentation. Instead pyruvate formation is likely to proceed via a malate shunt with GDP-linked PEP carboxykinase, NADH-linked malate dehydrogenase, and NADP-linked malic enzyme. High activities of these enzymes were detected in extracts of cellobiose-grown cells. Our results thus show that GTP is consumed while both GTP and ATP are produced in glycolysis of C. thermocellum. The requirement for PPi in this pathway can be satisfied only to a small extent by biosynthetic reactions, in contrast to what is generally assumed for a PPi-dependent glycolysis in anaerobic heterotrophs. Metabolic network analysis showed that most of the required PPi must be generated via ATP or GTP hydrolysis exclusive of that which happens during biosynthesis. Experimental proof for the necessity of an alternative mechanism of PPi generation was obtained by studying the glycolysis in washed-cell suspensions in which biosynthesis was absent. Under these conditions, cells still fermented cellobiose to ethanol.

Isolation of thermophilic acetogens and transformation of them with the pyrF and kan(r) genes

The application of microbial catalysts to syngas from the gasification of lignocellulosic biomass is gaining interest. Acetogens, a group of anaerobic bacteria, can grow autotrophically on gaseous substrates such as hydrogen and carbon dioxide or syngas and produce acetate via the acetyl-CoA pathway. Here, we report the isolation from a soil sample of two thermophilic acetogen strains, Y72 and Y73, that are closely related to Moorella sp. HUC22-1 and M. thermoacetica ATCC39073. The optimal growth temperature and pH for the strains were 60 °C and 6.0-6.5. Uracil auxotrophy was induced in them by replacing the orotate monophosphate decarboxylase gene (pyrF) with the kanamycin resistant marker (kan(r)). The transformants were isolated by supplementation of the basal medium with 300 mg/L of kanamycin. The transformation efficiency of strains Y72 and Y73 was 20-fold higher than that of strain ATCC39073. Hence these strains are considered possible hosts for thermophilic syngas fermentation.

Expression of amplified synthetic ethanol pathway integrated using Tn7-tool and powered at the expense of eliminated pta, ack, spo0A and spo0J during continuous syngas or CO2 /H2 blend fermentation

AIMS

To engineer acetogen biocatalyst selectively overproducing ethanol from synthesis gas or CO2 /H2 as the only liquid carbonaceous product.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Ethanol-resistant mutant originally capable of producing only acetate from CO2 /CO was engineered to eliminate acetate production and spore formation using our proprietary Cre-lox66/lox71-system. Bi-functional aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase was inserted into the chromosome of the engineered mutant using Tn7-based approach. Recombinants with three or six copies of the inserted gene produced 525 mmol l(-1) and 1018 mmol l(-1) of ethanol, respectively, in five independent single-step fermentation runs 25 days each (P < 0.005) in five independent repeats using syngas blend 60% CO and 40% H2 . Ethanol production was 64% if only CO2 + H2 blend was used compared with syngas blend (P < 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Elimination of genes unnecessary for syngas fermentation can boost artificial integrated pathway performance.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Cell energy released via elimination of phosphotransacetylase, acetate kinase and early-stage sporulation genes boosted ethanol production. Deletion of sporulation genes added theft-proof feature to the engineered biocatalyst. Production of ethanol from CO2 /H2 blend might be utilized as a tool to mitigate global warming proportional to CO2 fermentation scale.

A genetic system for Clostridium ljungdahlii: a chassis for autotrophic production of biocommodities and a model homoacetogen

Methods for genetic manipulation of Clostridium ljungdahlii are of interest because of the potential for production of fuels and other biocommodities from carbon dioxide via microbial electrosynthesis or more traditional modes of autotrophy with hydrogen or carbon monoxide as the electron donor. Furthermore, acetogenesis plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. Gene deletion strategies required for physiological studies of C. ljungdahlii have not previously been demonstrated. An electroporation procedure for introducing plasmids was optimized, and four different replicative origins for plasmid propagation in C. ljungdahlii were identified. Chromosomal gene deletion via double-crossover homologous recombination with a suicide vector was demonstrated initially with deletion of the gene for FliA, a putative sigma factor involved in flagellar biogenesis and motility in C. ljungdahlii. Deletion of fliA yielded a strain that lacked flagella and was not motile. To evaluate the potential utility of gene deletions for functional genomic studies and to redirect carbon and electron flow, the genes for the putative bifunctional aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenases, adhE1 and adhE2, were deleted individually or together. Deletion of adhE1, but not adhE2, diminished ethanol production with a corresponding carbon recovery in acetate. The double deletion mutant had a phenotype similar to that of the adhE1-deficient strain. Expression of adhE1 in trans partially restored the capacity for ethanol production. These results demonstrate the feasibility of genetic investigations of acetogen physiology and the potential for genetic manipulation of C. ljungdahlii to optimize autotrophic biocommodity production.

Proteomic analysis of Clostridium thermocellum core metabolism: relative protein expression profiles and growth phase-dependent changes in protein expression

Background

Clostridium thermocellum produces H₂ and ethanol, as well as CO₂, acetate, formate, and lactate, directly from cellulosic biomass. It is therefore an attractive model for biofuel production via consolidated bioprocessing. Optimization of end-product yields and titres is crucial for making biofuel production economically feasible. Relative protein expression profiles may provide targets for metabolic engineering, while understanding changes in protein expression and metabolism in response to carbon limitation, pH, and growth phase may aid in reactor optimization. We performed shotgun 2D-HPLC-MS/MS on closed-batch cellobiose-grown exponential phase C. thermocellum cell-free extracts to determine relative protein expression profiles of core metabolic proteins involved carbohydrate utilization, energy conservation, and end-product synthesis. iTRAQ (isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation) based protein quantitation was used to determine changes in core metabolic proteins in response to growth phase.

Results

Relative abundance profiles revealed differential levels of putative enzymes capable of catalyzing parallel pathways. The majority of proteins involved in pyruvate catabolism and end-product synthesis were detected with high abundance, with the exception of aldehyde dehydrogenase, ferredoxin-dependent Ech-type [NiFe]-hydrogenase, and RNF-type NADH:ferredoxin oxidoreductase. Using 4-plex 2D-HPLC-MS/MS, 24% of the 144 core metabolism proteins detected demonstrated moderate changes in expression during transition from exponential to stationary phase. Notably, proteins involved in pyruvate synthesis decreased in stationary phase, whereas proteins involved in glycogen metabolism, pyruvate catabolism, and end-product synthesis increased in stationary phase. Several proteins that may directly dictate end-product synthesis patterns, including pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductases, alcohol dehydrogenases, and a putative bifurcating hydrogenase, demonstrated differential expression during transition from exponential to stationary phase.

Conclusions

Relative expression profiles demonstrate which proteins are likely utilized in carbohydrate utilization and end-product synthesis and suggest that H₂ synthesis occurs via bifurcating hydrogenases while ethanol synthesis is predominantly catalyzed by a bifunctional aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase. Differences in expression profiles of core metabolic proteins in response to growth phase may dictate carbon and electron flux towards energy storage compounds and end-products. Combined knowledge of relative protein expression levels and their changes in response to physiological conditions may aid in targeted metabolic engineering strategies and optimization of fermentation conditions for improvement of biofuels production.

Increased expression of β-glucosidase A in Clostridium thermocellum 27405 significantly increases cellulase activity

β-glucosidase A (bglA) in Clostridium thermocellum 27405 was increased by expression from shuttle vector pIBglA in attempts to increase cellulase activity and ethanol titer by lowering the end product inhibition of cellulase. Through a modified electrotransformation protocol C. thermocellum transformant (+MCbglA) harbouring pIBglA was produced. The β-glucosidase activity of +MCbglA was 2.3- and 1.6-fold greater than wild-type (WT) during late log and stationary phases of growth. Similarly, total cellulase activity of +MCbglA was shown to be 1.7-, 2.3- and 1.6-fold greater than WT during, log, late log and stationary phases of growth. However, there was no significant correlation found between increased cellulase activity and increased ethanol titers for +MCbglA compared with the WT. C. thermocellum has industrial potential for consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) to make a more cost effective production of biofuels; however, the hydrolysis rate of the strain is still hindered by end product inhibition. We successfully increased total cellulase activity by increased expression of bglA and thereby increased the productivity of C. thermocellum during the hydrolysis stage in CBP. Our work also lends insights into the complex metabolism of C. thermocellum for future improvement of this strain.

Methylation by a unique α-class N4-cytosine methyltransferase is required for DNA transformation of Caldicellulosiruptor bescii DSM6725

Thermophilic microorganisms capable of using complex substrates offer special advantages for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to biofuels and bioproducts. Members of the gram-positive bacterial genus Caldicellulosiruptor are anaerobic thermophiles with optimum growth temperatures between 65°C and 78°C and are the most thermophilic cellulolytic organisms known. In fact, they efficiently use biomass non-pretreated as their sole carbon source and in successive rounds of application digest 70% of total switchgrass substrate. The ability to genetically manipulate these organisms is a prerequisite to engineering them for use in conversion of these complex substrates to products of interest as well as identifying gene products critical for their ability to utilize non-pretreated biomass. Here, we report the first example of DNA transformation of a member of this genus, C. bescii. We show that restriction of DNA is a major barrier to transformation (in this case apparently absolute) and that methylation with an endogenous unique α-class N4-Cytosine methyltransferase is required for transformation of DNA isolated from E. coli. The use of modified DNA leads to the development of an efficient and reproducible method for DNA transformation and the combined frequencies of transformation and recombination allow marker replacement between non-replicating plasmids and chromosomal genes providing the basis for rapid and efficient methods of genetic manipulation.

Dcm methylation is detrimental to plasmid transformation in Clostridium thermocellum

BACKGROUND

Industrial production of biofuels and other products by cellulolytic microorganisms is of interest but hindered by the nascent state of genetic tools. Although a genetic system for Clostridium thermocellum DSM1313 has recently been developed, available methods achieve relatively low efficiency and similar plasmids can transform C. thermocellum at dramatically different efficiencies.

RESULTS

We report an increase in transformation efficiency of C. thermocellum for a variety of plasmids by using DNA that has been methylated by Escherichia coli Dam but not Dcm methylases. When isolated from a dam+dcm+E. coli strain, pAMG206 transforms C. thermocellum 100-fold better than the similar plasmid pAMG205, which contains an additional Dcm methylation site in the pyrF gene. Upon removal of Dcm methylation, transformation with pAMG206 showed a four- to seven-fold increase in efficiency; however, transformation efficiency of pAMG205 increased 500-fold. Removal of the Dcm methylation site from the pAMG205 pyrF gene via silent mutation resulted in increased transformation efficiencies equivalent to that of pAMG206. Upon proper methylation, transformation efficiency of plasmids bearing the pMK3 and pB6A origins of replication increased ca. three orders of magnitude.

CONCLUSIONS

E. coli Dcm methylation decreases transformation efficiency in C. thermocellum DSM1313. The use of properly methylated plasmid DNA should facilitate genetic manipulation of this industrially relevant bacterium.

High ethanol titers from cellulose by using metabolically engineered thermophilic, anaerobic microbes

This work describes novel genetic tools for use in Clostridium thermocellum that allow creation of unmarked mutations while using a replicating plasmid. The strategy employed counter-selections developed from the native C. thermocellum hpt gene and the Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum tdk gene and was used to delete the genes for both lactate dehydrogenase (Ldh) and phosphotransacetylase (Pta). The Δldh Δpta mutant was evolved for 2,000 h, resulting in a stable strain with 40:1 ethanol selectivity and a 4.2-fold increase in ethanol yield over the wild-type strain. Ethanol production from cellulose was investigated with an engineered coculture of organic acid-deficient engineered strains of both C. thermocellum and T. saccharolyticum. Fermentation of 92 g/liter Avicel by this coculture resulted in 38 g/liter ethanol, with acetic and lactic acids below detection limits, in 146 h. These results demonstrate that ethanol production by thermophilic, cellulolytic microbes is amenable to substantial improvement by metabolic engineering.

Metabolic engineering of Clostridium cellulolyticum for production of isobutanol from cellulose

Producing biofuels directly from cellulose, known as consolidated bioprocessing, is believed to reduce costs substantially compared to a process in which cellulose degradation and fermentation to fuel are accomplished in separate steps. Here we present a metabolic engineering example for the development of a Clostridium cellulolyticum strain for isobutanol synthesis directly from cellulose. This strategy exploits the host's natural cellulolytic activity and the amino acid biosynthesis pathway and diverts its 2-keto acid intermediates toward alcohol synthesis. Specifically, we have demonstrated the first production of isobutanol to approximately 660 mg/liter from crystalline cellulose by using this microorganism.

Genetic tool development underpins recent advances in thermophilic whole-cell biocatalysts

The environmental value of sustainably producing bioproducts from biomass is now widely appreciated, with a primary target being the economic production of fuels such as bioethanol from lignocellulose. The application of thermophilic prokaryotes is a rapidly developing niche in this field, driven by their known catabolic versatility with lignocellulose-derived carbohydrates. Fundamental to the success of this work has been the development of reliable genetic and molecular systems. These technical tools are now available to assist in the development of other (hyper)thermophilic strains with diverse phenotypes such as hemicellulolytic and cellulolytic properties, branched chain alcohol production and other 'valuable bioproduct' synthetic capabilities. Here we present an insight into the historical limitations, recent developments and current status of a number of genetic systems for thermophiles. We also highlight the value of reliable genetic methods for increasing our knowledge of thermophile physiology. We argue that the development of robust genetic systems is paramount in the evolution of future thermophilic based bioprocesses and make suggestions for future approaches and genetic targets that will facilitate this process.

Physiological characteristics of the extreme thermophile Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus: an efficient hydrogen cell factory

Global concerns about climate changes and their association with the use of fossil fuels have accelerated research on biological fuel production. Biological hydrogen production from hemicellulose-containing waste is considered one of the promising avenues. A major economical issue for such a process, however, is the low substrate conversion efficiency. Interestingly, the extreme thermophilic bacterium Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus can produce hydrogen from carbohydrate-rich substrates at yields close to the theoretical maximum of the dark fermentation process (i.e., 4 mol H2/mol hexose). The organism is able to ferment an array of mono-, di- and polysaccharides, and is relatively tolerant to high partial hydrogen pressures, making it a promising candidate for exploitation in a biohydrogen process. The behaviour of this Gram-positive bacterium bears all hallmarks of being adapted to an environment sparse in free sugars, which is further reflected in its low volumetric hydrogen productivity and low osmotolerance. These two properties need to be improved by at least a factor of 10 and 5, respectively, for a cost-effective industrial process. In this review, the physiological characteristics of C. saccharolyticus are analyzed in view of the requirements for an efficient hydrogen cell factory. A special emphasis is put on the tight regulation of hydrogen production in C. saccharolyticus by both redox and energy metabolism. Suggestions for strategies to overcome the current challenges facing the potential use of the organism in hydrogen production are also discussed.

Deletion of the Cel48S cellulase from Clostridium thermocellum

Clostridium thermocellum is a thermophilic anaerobic bacterium that rapidly solubilizes cellulose with the aid of a multienzyme cellulosome complex. Creation of knockout mutants for Cel48S (also known as CelS, S(S), and S8), the most abundant cellulosome subunit, was undertaken to gain insight into its role in enzymatic and microbial cellulose solubilization. Cultures of the Cel48S deletion mutant (S mutant) were able to completely solubilize 10 g/L crystalline cellulose. The cellulose hydrolysis rate of the S mutant strain was 60% lower than the parent strain, with the S mutant strain also exhibiting a 40% reduction in cell yield. The cellulosome produced by the S mutant strain was purified by affinity digestion, characterized enzymatically, and found to have a 35% lower specific activity on Avicel. The composition of the purified cellulosome was analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry with APEX quantification and no significant changes in abundance were observed in any of the major (>1% of cellulosomal protein) enzymatic subunits. Although most cellulolytic bacteria have one family 48 cellulase, C. thermocellum has two, Cel48S and Cel48Y. Cellulose solubilization by a Cel48S and Cel48Y double knockout was essentially the same as that of the Cel48S single knockout. Our results indicate that solubilization of crystalline cellulose by C. thermocellum can proceed to completion without expression of a family 48 cellulase.

Ultrasound-mediated DNA transformation in thermophilic gram-positive anaerobes

Background

Thermophilic, Gram-positive, anaerobic bacteria (TGPAs) are generally recalcitrant to chemical and electrotransformation due to their special cell-wall structure and the low intrinsic permeability of plasma membranes.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Here we established for any Gram-positive or thermophiles an ultrasound-based sonoporation as a simple, rapid, and minimally invasive method to genetically transform TGPAs. We showed that by applying a 40 kHz ultrasound frequency over a 20-second exposure, Texas red-conjugated dextran was delivered with 27% efficiency into Thermoanaerobacter sp. X514, a TGPA that can utilize both pentose and hexose for ethanol production. Experiments that delivered plasmids showed that host-cell viability and plasmid DNA integrity were not compromised. Via sonoporation, shuttle vectors pHL015 harboring a jellyfish gfp gene and pIKM2 encoding a Clostridium thermocellum β-1,4-glucanase gene were delivered into X514 with an efficiency of 6×10² transformants/µg of methylated DNA. Delivery into X514 cells was confirmed via detecting the kanamycin-resistance gene for pIKM2, while confirmation of pHL015 was detected by visualization of fluorescence signals of secondary host-cells following a plasmid-rescue experiment. Furthermore, the foreign β-1,4-glucanase gene was functionally expressed in X514, converting the host into a prototypic thermophilic consolidated bioprocessing organism that is not only ethanologenic but cellulolytic.

Conclusions/Significance

In this study, we developed an ultrasound-based sonoporation method in TGPAs. This new DNA-delivery method could significantly improve the throughput in developing genetic systems for TGPAs, many of which are of industrial interest yet remain difficult to manipulate genetically.

Development of pyrF-based genetic system for targeted gene deletion in Clostridium thermocellum and creation of a pta mutant

We report development of a genetic system for making targeted gene knockouts in Clostridium thermocellum, a thermophilic anaerobic bacterium that rapidly solubilizes cellulose. A toxic uracil analog, 5-fluoroorotic acid (5-FOA), was used to select for deletion of the pyrF gene. The ΔpyrF strain is a uracil auxotroph that could be restored to a prototroph via ectopic expression of pyrF from a plasmid, providing a positive genetic selection. Furthermore, 5-FOA was used to select against plasmid-expressed pyrF, creating a negative selection for plasmid loss. This technology was used to delete a gene involved in organic acid production, namely pta, which encodes the enzyme phosphotransacetylase. The C. thermocellum Δpta strain did not produce acetate. These results are the first examples of targeted homologous recombination and metabolic engineering in C. thermocellum, a microbe that holds an exciting and promising future in the biofuel industry and development of sustainable energy resources.