Synthetic biology promotes the capture of CO2 to produce fatty acid derivatives in microbial cell factories

Environmental problems such as greenhouse effect, the consumption of fossil energy, and the increase of human demand for energy are becoming more and more serious, which force researcher to turn their attention to the reduction of CO2 and the development of renewable energy. Unsafety, easy to lead to secondary environmental pollution, cost inefficiency, and other problems limit the development of conventional CO2 capture technology. In recent years, many microorganisms have attracted much attention to capture CO2 and synthesize valuable products directly. Fatty acid derivatives (e.g., fatty acid esters, fatty alcohols, and aliphatic hydrocarbons), which can be used as a kind of environmentally friendly and renewable biofuels, are sustainable substitutes for fossil energy. In this review, conventional CO2 capture techniques pathways, microbial CO2 concentration mechanisms and fixation pathways were introduced. Then, the metabolic pathway and progress of direct production of fatty acid derivatives from CO2 in microbial cell factories were discussed. The synthetic biology means used to design engineering microorganisms and optimize their metabolic pathways were depicted, with final discussion on the potential of optoelectronic-microbial integrated capture and production systems.

Spatial lipidomics of eight edible nuts by desorption electrospray ionization with ion mobility mass spectrometry imaging

Nuts have long been known for their health benefits which are mainly contributed by their lipid components. However, the spatial distribution of lipids in nuts has not been firmly established. In this study, desorption electrospray ionization combined with ion mobility and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry in positive and negative ion modes was applied to visualize spatially the lipids in eight edible nuts, namely almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, peach seeds, bitter almonds, and Chinese dwarf cherry seeds. The glycerophospholipids were first imaged in nuts in the negative ion mode, while the glycerolipids and phosphatidylcholines were mainly detected in the positive ion mode. In total 87 characterized components, including 47 glycerophospholipids, 24 glycerolipids, eight alkyl phenolic acids, three fatty acid acyl metabolites, four oligosaccharides, and amygdalin, were visualized in the eight nuts, and the collision cross-sectional values of these components were obtained. The outer shell of the nut cotyledon concentrated more abundant components than the center, while for the hydrolyzed glycerophospholipids, the reverse was observed. The results provide a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the location of the diverse metabolite profiles in nuts and of their relationship to their respective health benefits.

Unexpected AChE inhibitory activity of (2E)α,β-unsaturated fatty acids

A small library of (E) α,β-unsaturated fatty acids was prepared, and 20 different saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids differing in chain length were subjected to Ellman's assays to determine their ability to act as inhibitors for AChE or BChE. While the compounds were only very weak inhibitors of BChE, seven molecules were inhibitors of AChE holding IC₅₀ = 4.3-12.8 M with three of them as significant inhibitors of this enzyme. The results have shown trans 2-mono-unsaturated fatty acids are better inhibitors for AChE than their saturated analogs. Furthermore, the screening results indicate that the chain length is crucial for obtaining an inhibitory efficacy. The best results were obtained for (2E) eicosenoic acid (14) showing inhibition constants K_i = 1.51 ± 0.09 M and K_i' = 7.15 ± 0.55 M. All tested compounds were mixed-type inhibitors with a dominating competitive part. Molecular modelling calculations indicate a different binding mode of active/inactive compounds for the enzymes AChE and BChE.

A Novel Antifouling Defense Strategy from Red Seaweed: Exocytosis and Deposition of Fatty Acid Derivatives at the Cell Wall Surface

We investigated the organelles involved in the biosynthesis of fatty acid (FA) derivatives in the cortical cells of Laurencia translucida (Rhodophyta) and the effect of these compounds as antifouling (AF) agents. A bluish autofluorescence (with emission at 500 nm) within L. translucida cortical cells was observed above the thallus surface via laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). A hexanic extract (HE) from L. translucida was split into two isolated fractions called hydrocarbon (HC) and lipid (LI), which were subjected to HPLC coupled to a fluorescence detector, and the same autofluorescence pattern as observed by LSCM analyses (emission at 500 nm) was revealed in the LI fraction. These fractions were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which revealed that docosane is the primary constituent of HC, and hexadecanoic acid and cholesterol trimethylsilyl ether are the primary components of LI. Nile red (NR) labeling (lipid fluorochrome) presented a similar cellular localization to that of the autofluorescent molecules. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM) revealed vesicle transport processes involving small electron-lucent vesicles, from vacuoles to the inner cell wall. Both fractions (HC and LI) inhibited micro-fouling [HC, lower minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 0.1 µg ml(-1); LI, lower MIC value of 10 µg ml(-1)]. The results suggested that L. translucida cortical cells can produce FA derivatives (e.g. HCs and FAs) and secrete them to the thallus surface, providing a unique and novel protective mechanism against microfouling colonization in red algae.

Mucus permeating thiolated self-emulsifying drug delivery systems

CONTEXT

Mucus represents a critical obstacle for self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) targeting the epithelial membrane site.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was the development of a novel SEDDS to overcome the mucus barrier.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two novel conjugates N-dodecyl-4-mercaptobutanimidamide (thiobutylamidine-dodecylamine, TBA-D) and 2-mercapto-N-octylacetamide (thioglycolicacid-octylamine, TGA-O) were synthesized, incorporated into SEDDS and analyzed for stability, cytotoxicity and physico-chemical characteristics using dynamic light scattering. Mucus interaction studies were performed using in vitro assays based on multiple particle tracking, rotational silicone tubes and rheology.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

TBA-D was synthesized using dodecylamine and iminothiolane as thiol precursor (yield=55 ± 5%). TGA-O was obtained via crosslinking of octylamine with SATA ((2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl) 2-acetylsulfanylacetate) (yield=70 ± 6%). The chemical structure of target compounds was confirmed via NMR analysis. The thiol-conjugates were incorporated in an amount of 3% (m/m) into SEDDS (Cremophor EL 30%, Capmul MCM 30%, Captex 355 30% and propylene glycol 10%), namely thiolated SEDDS leading to a droplet size around 50 nm and zeta potential close to 0 mV. Thiolated SEDDS with an effective diffusion coefficient 〈Deff〉 of up to 0.871 ± 0.122 cm(2) s(-1) × 10(-9) were obtained. Rotational silicone studies show increased permeation of the thiolated SEDDS A in comparison with unthiolated control. Rheological studies confirmed the mucolytic activity of the thiol-conjugates which differed only by 3% from DTT (dithiothreitol) serving as positive control.

CONCLUSION

Low molecular weight thiol-conjugates were identified to improve the mucus permeation, leading to highly efficient mucus permeating SEDDS, which were superior to conventional SEDDS and might thus be a new carrier for lipophilic drug delivery.

Engineering the fatty acid metabolic pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for advanced biofuel production

Fatty acid-derived fuels and chemicals have attracted a great deal of attention in recent decades, due to their following properties of high compatibility to gasoline-based fuels and existing infrastructure for their direct utilization, storage and distribution. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the ideal biofuel producing candidate, based on the wealth of available genetic information and versatile tools designed to manipulate its metabolic pathways. Engineering the fatty acid metabolic pathways in S. cerevisiae is an effective strategy to increase its fatty acid biosynthesis and provide more pathway precursors for production of targeted products. This review summarizes the recent progress in metabolic engineering of yeast cells for fatty acids and fatty acid derivatives production, including the regulation of acetyl-CoA biosynthesis, NADPH production, fatty acid elongation, and the accumulation of activated precursors of fatty acids for converting enzymes. By introducing specific enzymes in the engineered strains, a powerful platform with a scalable, controllable and economic route for advanced biofuel production has been established.

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Recent progress in metabolic engineering for enhanced fatty acid production.

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Regulation of acetyl-CoA, NADPH pathway for fatty acid synthesis.

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Regulation of elongation and catabolic pathway to strength fatty acid synthesis.

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Enhanced production of activated precursors for fatty acid derivatives production.