scholarly journals Methane monooxygenases: central enzymes in methanotrophy with promising biotechnological applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
May L. K. Khider ◽  
Trygve Brautaset ◽  
Marta Irla
Keyword(s):  
Animal Feed ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Anthropogenic Pollution ◽  
Functional Expression ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Microbial Cell Factories ◽  
Cell Factories ◽  
Food Market

AbstractWorldwide, the use of methane is limited to generating power, electricity, heating, and for production of chemicals. We believe this valuable gas can be employed more widely. Here we review the possibility of using methane as a feedstock for biotechnological processes based on the application of synthetic methanotrophs. Methane monooxygenase (MMO) enables aerobic methanotrophs to utilize methane as a sole carbon and energy source, in contrast to industrial microorganisms that grow on carbon sources, such as sugar cane, which directly compete with the food market. However, naturally occurring methanotrophs have proven to be difficult to manipulate genetically and their current industrial use is limited to generating animal feed biomass. Shifting the focus from genetic engineering of methanotrophs, towards introducing metabolic pathways for methane utilization in familiar industrial microorganisms, may lead to construction of efficient and economically feasible microbial cell factories. The applications of a technology for MMO production are not limited to methane-based industrial synthesis of fuels and value-added products, but are also of interest in bioremediation where mitigating anthropogenic pollution is an increasingly relevant issue. Published research on successful functional expression of MMO does not exist, but several attempts provide promising future perspectives and a few recent patents indicate that there is an ongoing research in this field. Combining the knowledge on genetics and metabolism of methanotrophy with tools for functional heterologous expression of MMO-encoding genes in non-methanotrophic bacterial species, is a key step for construction of synthetic methanotrophs that holds a great biotechnological potential.

scholarly journals Organic Wastes as Feedstocks for Non-Conventional Yeast-Based Bioprocesses

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diem T. Hoang Do ◽  
Chrispian W. Theron ◽  
Patrick Fickers
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Organic Wastes ◽  
Cell Factory ◽  
Microbial Cell Factories ◽  
Cell Factories ◽  
Alternative Feedstocks ◽  
Global Population ◽  
By Products

Non-conventional yeasts are efficient cell factories for the synthesis of value-added compounds such as recombinant proteins, intracellular metabolites, and/or metabolic by-products. Most bioprocess, however, are still designed to use pure, ideal sugars, especially glucose. In the quest for the development of more sustainable processes amid concerns over the future availability of resources for the ever-growing global population, the utilization of organic wastes or industrial by-products as feedstocks to support cell growth is a crucial approach. Indeed, vast amounts of industrial and commercial waste simultaneously represent an environmental burden and an important reservoir for recyclable or reusable material. These alternative feedstocks can provide microbial cell factories with the required metabolic building blocks and energy to synthesize value-added compounds, further representing a potential means of reduction of process costs as well. This review highlights recent strategies in this regard, encompassing knowledge on catabolic pathways and metabolic engineering solutions developed to endow cells with the required metabolic capabilities, and the connection of these to the synthesis of value-added compounds. This review focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on Yarrowia lipolytica as a yeast cell factory, owing to its broad range of naturally metabolizable carbon sources, together with its popularity as a non-conventional yeast.

Metabolic engineering of glycosylated polyketide biosynthesis

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramesh Prasad Pandey ◽  
Prakash Parajuli ◽  
Jae Kyung Sohng
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Metabolic Engineering ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Chemical Diversity ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Microbial Cell Factories ◽  
Cell Factories ◽  
Modification Method ◽  
Post Modification ◽  
Microbial Biosynthesis

Microbial cell factories are extensively used for the biosynthesis of value-added chemicals, biopharmaceuticals, and biofuels. Microbial biosynthesis is also realistic for the production of heterologous molecules including complex natural products of plant and microbial origin. Glycosylation is a well-known post-modification method to engineer sugar-functionalized natural products. It is of particular interest to chemical biologists to increase chemical diversity of molecules. Employing the state-of-the-art systems and synthetic biology tools, a range of small to complex glycosylated natural products have been produced from microbes using a simple and sustainable fermentation approach. In this context, this review covers recent notable metabolic engineering approaches used for the biosynthesis of glycosylated plant and microbial polyketides in different microorganisms. This review article is broadly divided into two major parts. The first part is focused on the biosynthesis of glycosylated plant polyketides in prokaryotes and yeast cells, while the second part is focused on the generation of glycosylated microbial polyketides in actinomycetes.

scholarly journals Engineering Microbes to Bio-Upcycle Polyethylene Terephthalate

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lakshika Dissanayake ◽  
Lahiru N. Jayakody
Keyword(s):  
Polyethylene Terephthalate ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Chemical Recycling ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Microbial Cell Factories ◽  
Cell Factories ◽  
Value Added Products

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is globally the largest produced aromatic polyester with an annual production exceeding 50 million metric tons. PET can be mechanically and chemically recycled; however, the extra costs in chemical recycling are not justified when converting PET back to the original polymer, which leads to less than 30% of PET produced annually to be recycled. Hence, waste PET massively contributes to plastic pollution and damaging the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The global energy and environmental concerns with PET highlight a clear need for technologies in PET “upcycling,” the creation of higher-value products from reclaimed PET. Several microbes that degrade PET and corresponding PET hydrolase enzymes have been successfully identified. The characterization and engineering of these enzymes to selectively depolymerize PET into original monomers such as terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol have been successful. Synthetic microbiology and metabolic engineering approaches enable the development of efficient microbial cell factories to convert PET-derived monomers into value-added products. In this mini-review, we present the recent progress of engineering microbes to produce higher-value chemical building blocks from waste PET using a wholly biological and a hybrid chemocatalytic–biological strategy. We also highlight the potent metabolic pathways to bio-upcycle PET into high-value biotransformed molecules. The new synthetic microbes will help establish the circular materials economy, alleviate the adverse energy and environmental impacts of PET, and provide market incentives for PET reclamation.

scholarly journals De novo Biosynthesis of Tyrosol Acetate and Hydroxytyrosol Acetate from Glucose in Engineered Escherichia Coli

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daoyi Guo ◽  
Xiao Fu ◽  
Yue Sun ◽  
Xun Li ◽  
Hong Pan
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Virgin Olive Oil ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Acetate Production ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Microbial Cell Factories ◽  
Cell Factories ◽  
Alcohol Acetyltransferase ◽  
First Time

Abstract Background: Tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol derived from virgin olive oil and olives extract, have wide applications both as functional food components and as nutraceuticals. However, they have low bioavailability due to their low absorption and high metabolism in human liver and small intestine. Acetylation of tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol can effectively improve their bioavailability and thus increase their potential use in the food and cosmeceutical industries. There is no report on the bioproductin of tyrosol acetate and hydroxytyrosol acetate so far. Thus, it is of great significance to develop microbial cell factories for achieving tyrosol acetate or hydroxytyrosol acetate biosynthesis.Results: In this study, two de novo biosynthetic pathways for the production of tyrosol acetate and hydroxytyrosol acetate were constructed in Escherichia coli. First, an engineered E. coli that allows production of tyrosol from simple carbon sources was established. Four aldehyde reductases were compared, and it was found that yeaE is the best aldehyde reductase for tyrosol accumulation. Subsequently, the pathway was extended for tyrosol acetate production by further overexpression of alcohol acetyltransferase ATF1 for the conversion of tyrosol to tyrosol acetate. Finally, the pathway was further extended for hydroxytyrosol acetate production by overexpression of 4-hydroxyphenylacetate 3-hydroxylase HpaBC.Conclusion: We have successfully established the artificial biosynthetic pathway of tyrosol acetate and hydroxytyrosol acetate from fermentable sugars and demonstrated for the first time the direct fermentative production of tyrosol acetate and hydroxytyrosol acetate from glucose in engineered E. coli

scholarly journals High value-added products derived from crude glycerol via microbial fermentation using Yarrowia clade yeast

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Rakicka-Pustułka ◽  
Joanna Miedzianka ◽  
Dominika Jama ◽  
Sylwia Kawalec ◽  
Kamila Liman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Content ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crude Glycerol ◽  
Animal Feed ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Microbial Fermentation ◽  
Waste Glycerol ◽  
High Consumption ◽  
Value Added Products

Abstract Background Contemporary biotechnology focuses on many problems related to the functioning of developed societies. Many of these problems are related to health, especially with the rapidly rising numbers of people suffering from civilization diseases, such as obesity or diabetes. One factor contributing to the development of these diseases is the high consumption of sucrose. A very promising substitute for this sugar has emerged: the polyhydroxy alcohols, characterized by low caloric value and sufficient sweetness to replace table sugar in food production. Results In the current study, yeast belonging to the Yarrowia clade were tested for erythritol, mannitol and arabitol production using crude glycerol from the biodiesel and soap industries as carbon sources. Out of the 13 tested species, Yarrowia divulgata and Candida oslonensis turned out to be particularly efficient polyol producers. Both species produced large amounts of these compounds from both soap-derived glycerol (59.8–62.7 g dm−3) and biodiesel-derived glycerol (76.8–79.5 g dm−3). However, it is equally important that the protein and lipid content of the biomass (around 30% protein and 12% lipid) obtained after the processes is high enough to use this yeast in the production of animal feed. Conclusions The use of waste glycerol for the production of polyols as well as utilization of the biomass obtained after the process for the production of feed are part of the development of modern waste-free technologies.

scholarly journals Microfactories-Bioproduction of Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals by using Microbes

2021 ◽  
pp. 44-53
Author(s):  
Attiya Rasool
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Recombinant Dna ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Chemical Production ◽  
Recombinant Dna Technology ◽  
Fine Chemical ◽  
Chemical Structures ◽  
Microbial Cell Factories ◽  
Cell Factories

A variety of organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and plants, produce secondary metabolites, also known as natural products. Natural products have been a prolific source and an inspiration for numerous medical agents with widely divergent chemical structures and biological activities, including antimicrobial, immunosuppressive, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activities, many of which have been developed as treatments and have potential therapeutic applications for human diseases. Aside from natural products, the recent development of recombinant DNA technology has sparked the development of a wide array of biopharmaceutical products, such as recombinant proteins, offering significant advances in treating a broad spectrum of medical illnesses and conditions. Fine chemicals that are physiologically active, such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, nutritional supplements, flavoring agents as well as additives for foods, feed, and fertilizer are produced by enzymatically or through microbial fermentation. The identification of enzymes that catalyze the target reaction makes possible to synthesis of the desired fine chemical. The genes encoding these enzymes are then introduced into suitable microbial hosts that are cultured with inexpensive, naturally abundant carbon sources, and other nutrients. Metabolic engineering create efficient microbial cell factories for producing chemicals at higher yields. In the present review, we summarize recent studies on bio-based fine chemical production and assess the potential of synthetic bioengineering for further improvement their productivity.

scholarly journals PCR & Go: A Pre-installed Expression Chassis for Facile Integration of Multi-Gene Biosynthetic Pathways

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingming Qi ◽  
Bei Zhang ◽  
Lihong Jiang ◽  
Saijuan Xu ◽  
Chang Dong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Efficiency ◽  
Functional Expression ◽  
Single Step ◽  
Yeast Genome ◽  
Biosynthetic Pathways ◽  
Microbial Cell Factories ◽  
Cell Factories ◽  
Plasmid Library ◽  
Yeast Chromosome ◽  
Β Carotene

The introduction of multi-gene metabolic pathways is generally the first step for the construction of microbial cell factories and plays an essential role in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. Here, we developed a “PCR & Go” system for facile integration and assembly of multi-gene pathways into the chromosome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The core component of the “PCR & Go” system was an expression chassis, where eight promoter/terminator pairs were pre-installed into the yeast chromosome and PCR amplified gene fragments could be inserted directly for functional expression. In combination with the CRISPR/Cas9 system and a gRNA plasmid library, the β-carotene (three genes), zeaxanthin (four genes), and astaxanthin (five genes) biosynthetic pathways were integrated and assembled into the yeast genome with an efficiency of ~93, ~85, and 69%, respectively, using PCR amplified gene fragments with ~40 bp homology arms in a single step. Therefore, the “PCR & Go” system can be used for fast construction of yeast cell factories harboring multi-gene pathways with high efficiency and flexibility.

scholarly journals Metabolic Engineering Escherichia coli for the Production of Lycopene

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (14) ◽  
pp. 3136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaobao Wang ◽  
JingXin Sun ◽  
Qun Yang ◽  
Jianming Yang
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Metabolic Engineering ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Operation Technique ◽  
Mva Pathway ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Microbial Cell Factories ◽  
Cell Factories ◽  
Lycopene Production

Lycopene, a potent antioxidant, has been widely used in the fields of pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics. However, the production of lycopene extracted from natural sources is far from meeting the demand. Consequently, synthetic biology and metabolic engineering have been employed to develop microbial cell factories for lycopene production. Due to the advantages of rapid growth, complete genetic background, and a reliable genetic operation technique, Escherichia coli has become the preferred host cell for microbial biochemicals production. In this review, the recent advances in biological lycopene production using engineered E. coli strains are summarized: First, modification of the endogenous MEP pathway and introduction of the heterogeneous MVA pathway for lycopene production are outlined. Second, the common challenges and strategies for lycopene biosynthesis are also presented, such as the optimization of other metabolic pathways, modulation of regulatory networks, and optimization of auxiliary carbon sources and the fermentation process. Finally, the future prospects for the improvement of lycopene biosynthesis are also discussed.

scholarly journals Engineering of microbial cells for L-valine production: challenges and opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Gao ◽  
Philibert Tuyishime ◽  
Xian Zhang ◽  
Taowei Yang ◽  
Meijuan Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Feed ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Feed Additive ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
Microbial Cell Factories ◽  
Cell Factories ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Metabolic Imbalance ◽  
Valine Biosynthesis

AbstractL-valine is an essential amino acid that has wide and expanding applications with a suspected growing market demand. Its applicability ranges from animal feed additive, ingredient in cosmetic and special nutrients in pharmaceutical and agriculture fields. Currently, fermentation with the aid of model organisms, is a major method for the production of L-valine. However, achieving the optimal production has often been limited because of the metabolic imbalance in recombinant strains. In this review, the constrains in L-valine biosynthesis are discussed first. Then, we summarize the current advances in engineering of microbial cell factories that have been developed to address and overcome major challenges in the L-valine production process. Future prospects for enhancing the current L-valine production strategies are also discussed.

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