Dongsoo Yang

CRISPR/Cas9-coupled recombineering for metabolic engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum

Genome engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum, an important industrial microorganism for amino acids production, currently relies on random mutagenesis and inefficient double crossover events. Here we report a rapid genome engineering strategy to scarlessly knock out one or more genes in C. glutamicum in sequential and iterative manner. Recombinase RecT is used to incorporate synthetic single-stranded oligodeoxyribonucleotides into the genome and CRISPR/Cas9 to counter-select negative mutants. We completed the system by engineering the respective plasmids harboring CRISPR/Cas9 and RecT for efficient curing such that multiple gene targets can be done iteratively and final strains will be free of plasmids. To demonstrate the system, seven different mutants were constructed within two weeks to study the combinatorial deletion effects of three different genes on the production of γ-aminobutyric acid, an industrially relevant chemical of much interest. This genome engineering strategy will expedite metabolic engineering of C. glutamicum.

STABILITY OF THE LIPASE IMMOBILIZED ON DEAE-SEPHADEX FOR CONTINUOUS LIPID HYDROLYSIS IN ORGANIC SOLVENT

SummaryContinuous hydrolysis reaction was carried out in glass-column by using lipase fromCandida rugosa immobilized on DEAE-Sephadex A50. Substrate olive oil dissolved in hydrophobic organic solvent (isooctane) was supplied into the reactor with a concurrent stream of aqueous buffer. Stability of the immobilized enzyme was greatly increased in higher substrate concentration. Glyccrol added in the aqueous stream showed stabilizing effect against the organic solvent; half life was extended from 220 hrs to 450 hrs by 15% glycerol supplemented at 30°C.

Systems Metabolic Engineering of Escherichia coli.

Systems metabolic engineering, which recently emerged as metabolic engineering integrated with systems biology, synthetic biology, and evolutionary engineering, allows engineering of microorganisms on a systemic level for the production of valuable chemicals far beyond its native capabilities. Here, we review the strategies for systems metabolic engineering and particularly its applications in Escherichia coli. First, we cover the various tools developed for genetic manipulation in E. coli to increase the production titers of desired chemicals. Next, we detail the strategies for systems metabolic engineering in E. coli, covering the engineering of the native metabolism, the expansion of metabolism with synthetic pathways, and the process engineering aspects undertaken to achieve higher production titers of desired chemicals. Finally, we examine a couple of notable products as case studies produced in E. coli strains developed by systems metabolic engineering. The large portfolio of chemical products successfully produced by engineered E. coli listed here demonstrates the sheer capacity of what can be envisioned and achieved with respect to microbial production of chemicals. Systems metabolic engineering is no longer in its infancy; it is now widely employed and is also positioned to further embrace next-generation interdisciplinary principles and innovation for its upgrade. Systems metabolic engineering will play increasingly important roles in developing industrial strains including E. coli that are capable of efficiently producing natural and nonnatural chemicals and materials from renewable nonfood biomass.

Metabolic Engineering of Microorganisms for the Production of Natural Compounds

Natural products have been attracting much interest around the world for their diverse applications, especially in drug and food industries. Plants have been a major source of many different natural products. However, plants are affected by weather and environmental conditions and their successful extraction is rather limited. Chemical synthesis is inefficient due to the complexity of their chemical structures involving enantioselectivity and regioselectivity. For these reasons, an alternative means of overproducing valuable natural products using microorganisms has emerged. In recent years, various metabolic engineering strategies have been developed for the production of natural products by microorganisms. Here, the strategies taken to produce natural products are reviewed. For convenience, natural products are classified into four main categories: terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, polyketides, and alkaloids. For each product category, the strategies for establishing and rewiring the metabolic network for heterologous natural product biosynthesis, systems approaches undertaken to optimize production hosts, and the strategies for fermentation optimization are reviewed. Taken together, metabolic engineering has enabled microorganisms to serve as a prominent platform for natural compounds production. This article examines both the conventional and novel strategies of metabolic engineering, providing general strategies for complex natural compound production through the development of robust microbial‐cell factories.

Repurposing type III polyketide synthase as a malonyl-CoA biosensor for metabolic engineering in bacteria

Significance Malonyl-CoA is an important metabolite for the production of many natural products. Here, we repurposed a type III polyketide synthase RppA capable of producing red-colored flaviolin as a malonyl-CoA biosensor in Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas putida, and Corynebacterium glutamicum. Strains with enhanced malonyl-CoA accumulation could easily be identified by colorimetric screening of a library. Gene knockdown targets enabling increased malonyl-CoA accumulation were identified and applied for production of two polyketide (6-methylsalicylic acid and aloesone) and two phenylpropanoid (resveratrol and naringenin) compounds. Without extensive metabolic engineering, 6-methylsalicylic acid could be produced to the highest titer reported for E. coli and also naringenin and resveratrol to high concentrations. Furthermore, microbial production of aloesone was demonstrated. Malonyl-CoA is an important central metabolite for the production of diverse valuable chemicals including natural products, but its intracellular availability is often limited due to the competition with essential cellular metabolism. Several malonyl-CoA biosensors have been developed for high-throughput screening of targets increasing the malonyl-CoA pool. However, they are limited for use only in Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae and require multiple signal transduction steps. Here we report development of a colorimetric malonyl-CoA biosensor applicable in three industrially important bacteria: E. coli, Pseudomonas putida, and Corynebacterium glutamicum. RppA, a type III polyketide synthase producing red-colored flaviolin, was repurposed as a malonyl-CoA biosensor in E. coli. Strains with enhanced malonyl-CoA accumulation were identifiable by the colorimetric screening of cells showing increased red color. Other type III polyketide synthases could also be repurposed as malonyl-CoA biosensors. For target screening, a 1,858 synthetic small regulatory RNA library was constructed and applied to find 14 knockdown gene targets that generally enhanced malonyl-CoA level in E. coli. These knockdown targets were applied to produce two polyketide (6-methylsalicylic acid and aloesone) and two phenylpropanoid (resveratrol and naringenin) compounds. Knocking down these genes alone or in combination, and also in multiple different E. coli strains for two polyketide cases, allowed rapid development of engineered strains capable of enhanced production of 6-methylsalicylic acid, aloesone, resveratrol, and naringenin to 440.3, 30.9, 51.8, and 103.8 mg/L, respectively. The malonyl-CoA biosensor developed here is a simple tool generally applicable to metabolic engineering of microorganisms to achieve enhanced production of malonyl-CoA–derived chemicals.

Systems metabolic engineering as an enabling technology in accomplishing sustainable development goals

With pressing issues arising in recent years, the United Nations proposed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an agenda urging international cooperations for sustainable development. In this perspective, we examine the roles of systems metabolic engineering (SysME) and its contribution to improving the quality of life and protecting our environment, presenting how this field of study offers resolutions to the SDGs with relevant examples. We conclude with offering our opinion on the current state of SysME and the direction it should move forward in the generations to come, explicitly focusing on addressing the SDGs.

Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for the production of indirubin from glucose

Indirubin is an indole alkaloid that can be used to treat various diseases including granulocytic leukemia, cancer, and Alzheimers disease. Microbial production of indirubin has so far been achieved by supplementation of rather expensive substrates such as indole or tryptophan. Here, we report the development of metabolically engineered Escherichia coli strain capable of producing indirubin directly from glucose. First, the Methylophaga aminisulfidivorans flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) and E. coli tryptophanase (TnaA) were introduced into E. coli in order to complete the biosynthetic pathway from tryptophan to indirubin. Further engineering was performed through rational strategies including disruption of the regulatory repressor gene trpR and removal of feedback inhibitions on AroG and TrpE. Then, combinatorial approach was employed by systematically screening eight genes involved in the common aromatic amino acid pathway. Moreover, availability of the aromatic precursor substrates, phosphoenolpyruvate and erythrose-4-phosphate, was enhanced by inactivating the pykF (pyruvate kinase I) and pykA (pyruvate kinase II) genes, and by overexpressing the tktA gene (encoding transketolase), respectively. Fed-batch fermentation of the final engineered strain led to production of 0.056 g/L of indirubin directly from glucose. The metabolic engineering and synthetic biology strategies reported here thus allows microbial fermentative production of indirubin from glucose.