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Hu YF, Luo S, Wang SQ, Chen KX, Zhong WX, Li BY, Cao LY, Chen HH, Yin YS. Exploring functional genes' correlation with ( S)-equol concentration and new daidzein racemase identification. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0000724. [PMID: 38501861 PMCID: PMC11022573 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00007-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
With its estrogenic activity, (S)-equol plays an important role in maintaining host health and preventing estrogen-related diseases. Exclusive production occurs through the transformation of soy isoflavones by intestinal bacteria, but the reasons for variations in (S)-equol production among different individuals and species remain unclear. Here, fecal samples from humans, pigs, chickens, mice, and rats were used as research objects. The concentrations of (S)-equol, along with the genetic homology and evolutionary relationships of (S)-equol production-related genes [daidzein reductase (DZNR), daidzein racemase (DDRC), dihydrodaidzein reductase (DHDR), tetrahydrodaidzein reductase (THDR)], were analyzed. Additionally, in vitro functional verification of the newly identified DDRC gene was conducted. It was found that approximately 40% of human samples contained (S)-equol, whereas 100% of samples from other species contained (S)-equol. However, there were significant variations in (S)-equol content among the different species: rats > pigs > chickens > mice > humans. The distributions of the four genes displayed species-specific patterns. High detection rates across various species were exhibited by DHDR, THDR, and DDRC. In contrast, substantial variations in detection rates among different species and individuals were observed with respect to DZNR. It appears that various types of DZNR may be associated with different concentrations of (S)-equol, which potentially correspond to the regulatory role during (S)-equol synthesis. This enhances our understanding of individual variations in (S)-equol production and their connection with functional genes in vitro. Moreover, the newly identified DDRC exhibits higher potential for (S)-equol synthesis compared to the known DDRC, providing valuable resources for advancing in vitro (S)-equol production. IMPORTANCE (S)-equol ((S)-EQ) plays a crucial role in maintaining human health, along with its known capacity to prevent and treat various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndromes, osteoporosis, diabetes, brain-related diseases, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and inflammation. However, factors affecting individual variations in (S)-EQ production and the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain elusive. This study examines the association between functional genes and (S)-EQ production, highlighting a potential correlation between the DZNR gene and (S)-EQ content. Various types of DZNR may be linked to the regulation of (S)-EQ synthesis. Furthermore, the identification of a new DDRC gene offers promising prospects for enhancing in vitro (S)-EQ production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Fei Hu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Breeding and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
- Key Laboratory of Comprehensive Utilization of Advantage Plants Resources in Hunan South, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, Hunan, China
| | - Shu Luo
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Breeding and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Sheng-Qi Wang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Breeding and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Ke-Xin Chen
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Breeding and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Wei-Xuan Zhong
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Breeding and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Bai-Yuan Li
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Breeding and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Lin-Yan Cao
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Breeding and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Hua-Hai Chen
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Breeding and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
- Key Laboratory of Comprehensive Utilization of Advantage Plants Resources in Hunan South, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, Hunan, China
| | - Ye-Shi Yin
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Breeding and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
- Key Laboratory of Comprehensive Utilization of Advantage Plants Resources in Hunan South, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, Hunan, China
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Wang Z, Li X, Azi F, Dai Y, Xu Z, Yu L, Zhou J, Dong M, Xia X. Biosynthesis of ( S)-Equol from Soy Whey by Metabolically Engineered Escherichia coli. J Agric Food Chem 2023. [PMID: 37038970 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c00439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
(S)-Equol is one of the most bioactive metabolites of the isoflavones with immense nutritional and pharmaceutical value. Soy whey is the major liquid byproduct of the soy product processing industries that is rich in nutrients and (S)-equol biosynthetic precursor daidzin. However, it is usually disposed into the sewage, causing high environmental contamination. Herein, we constructed a recombinant Escherichia coli for the biosynthesis of (S)-equol from soy whey. First, we evaluated daidzin-specific transporters and optimized the anaerobically induced Pnar in the (S)-equol biosynthesis cassette to produce (S)-equol from daidzin. Then, sucrase and α-galactosidase were co-expressed to confer sucrose, stachyose, and raffinose utilization capacity on E. coli. Meanwhile, EIIBCAglc was inactivated to eliminate the daidzin transport inhibition induced by glucose. Finally, combining these strategies and optimizing the fermentation conditions, the optimal strain produced 91.5 mg/L of (S)-equol with a yield of 0.96 mol/mol substrates in concentrated soy whey. Overall, this new strategy is an attractive route to broaden the applications of soy whey and achieve the eco-friendly production of (S)-equol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Wang
- Institute of Agro-Product Processing, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Xiaonan Li
- Institute of Agro-Product Processing, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Fidelis Azi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou 515063, China
| | - Yiqiang Dai
- Institute of Agro-Product Processing, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Zhuang Xu
- Institute of Agro-Product Processing, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Lijun Yu
- Institute of Agro-Product Processing, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Jianzhong Zhou
- Institute of Agro-Product Processing, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Mingsheng Dong
- College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Xiudong Xia
- Institute of Agro-Product Processing, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China
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Abstract
(S)-Equol is the terminal metabolite of daidzein and plays important roles in human health. However, due to anaerobic inefficiency, limited productivity in (S)-equol-producing strains often hinders (S)-equol mass production. Here, a multi-enzyme cascade system was designed to generate a higher (S)-equol titer. First, full reversibility of the (S)-equol synthesis pathway was found and a blocking reverse conversion strategy was established. As biosynthetic genes are present in the microbial genome, an effective daidzein reductase was chosen using evolutionary principles. And our analyses showed that NADPH was crucial for the pathway. In response to this, a novel NADPH pool was redesigned after analyzing a cofactor metabolism model. By adjusting synthesis pathway genes at the right expression level, the entire synthesis pathway can take place smoothly. Thus, the cascade system was optimized by regulating the gene expression intensity. Finally, after optimizing fermentation conditions, a 5 L bioreactor was used to generate a high (S)-equol production titer (3418.5 mg/L), with a conversion rate of approximately 85.9%. This study shows a feasible green process route for the production of (S)-equol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanning Deng
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Food Synthetic Biotechnology and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China.,Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China
| | - Song Gao
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Food Synthetic Biotechnology and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China.,Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China
| | - Weiping Zhang
- Bloomage Biotechnology Corporation Limited, 678 Tianchen Street, Jinan 250101, Shandong, China
| | - Tianmeng Zhang
- Bloomage Biotechnology Corporation Limited, 678 Tianchen Street, Jinan 250101, Shandong, China
| | - Ning Li
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Food Synthetic Biotechnology and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China.,Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jingwen Zhou
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education on Food Synthetic Biotechnology and School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China.,Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China.,Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Food Synthetic Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.,Bloomage Biotechnology Corporation Limited, 678 Tianchen Street, Jinan 250101, Shandong, China
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Leonard LM, Choi MS, Cross TL. Maximizing the Estrogenic Potential of Soy Isoflavones through the Gut Microbiome: Implication for Cardiometabolic Health in Postmenopausal Women. Nutrients 2022; 14:553. [PMID: 35276910 DOI: 10.3390/nu14030553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Soy isoflavones have been suggested as an alternative treatment for managing postmenopausal symptoms and promoting long-term health due to their structural similarity to mammalian estrogen and ability to bind to estrogen receptors. Among all soy isoflavones and their metabolites, (S)-equol is known for having the strongest estrogenic activity. Equol is a metabolite of the soy isoflavone daidzein produced through intestinal bacterial metabolism. However, more than half of the human population is not able to produce equol due to the lack of equol-producing bacteria in their gastrointestinal tract. The interpersonal variations in the gut microbiome complicate the interpretation of data collected from humans. Furthermore, because rodents are efficient equol-producers, translatability between rodent models and humans is challenging. Herein, we first summarized the current knowledge of the microbial conversion of daidzein to equol, its relation to health, and proposed the need for developing model systems by which equol production can be manipulated while controlling other known confounding factors. Determining the necessity of equol-producing capacity within a gut microbial community when consuming soy as a functional ingredient, and identifying strategies to maximize equol production by modulating the gut microbiome, may provide future therapeutic approaches to improve the health of postmenopausal women.
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Lee PG, Lee SH, Kim J, Kim EJ, Choi KY, Kim BG. Polymeric solvent engineering for gram/liter scale production of a water-insoluble isoflavone derivative, (S)-equol. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:6915-6921. [PMID: 29948112 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9137-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2018] [Revised: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
A potent phytoestrogen, (S)-equol, is a promising isoflavone derivative drawing our great attention owing to its various biological and clinical benefits. Through selective activation of the estrogen receptor ERβ or androgen receptor, (S)-equol reduces menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis, skin aging, hair loss, and incidence of prostate or ovarian cancers without adverse effects. Traditional biosynthesis of (S)-equol exploited non-productive natural equol-producing anaerobic bacteria that mainly belong to Coriobacteriaceae isolated from human intestine. Recently, we developed a recombinant Escherichia coli strain which could convert daidzein into (S)-equol effectively under an aerobic condition. However, the yield was limited up to about the 200 mg/L level due to unknown reasons. In this study, we identified that the bottleneck of the limited production was the low solubility of isoflavone (i.e., 2.4 mg/L) in the reaction medium. In order to solve the solubility problem without harmful effect to the whole-cell catalyst, we applied commercial hydrophilic polymers (HPs) and a polar aprotic co-solvent in the reaction medium. Among the examined water-soluble polymers, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-40k was verified as the most promising supplement which increased daidzein solubility by 40 times and (S)-equol yield up to 1.22 g/L, the highest ever reported and the first g/L level biotransformation. Furthermore, PVP-40k was verified to significantly increase the solubilities of other water-insoluble natural polyphenols in aqueous solution. We suggest that addition of both HP and polar aprotic solvent in the reaction mixture is a powerful alternative to enhance production of polyphenolic chemicals rather than screening appropriate organic solvents for whole-cell catalysis of polyphenols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pyung-Gang Lee
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.,Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Hyuk Lee
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.,Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Joonwon Kim
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.,Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Jung Kim
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Bio-MAX Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwon-Young Choi
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung-Gee Kim
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea. .,Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. .,Bioengineering Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. .,Institute of Engineering Research, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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