Direct production of commodity chemicals from lignocellulose using Myceliophthora thermophila

2020 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. 416-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingen Li ◽  
Liangcai Lin ◽  
Tao Sun ◽  
Jing Xu ◽  
Jingxiao Ji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Myceliophthora Thermophila ◽  
Direct Production ◽  
Commodity Chemicals

scholarly journals Upgrading of efficient and scalable CRISPR–Cas-mediated technology for genetic engineering in thermophilic fungus Myceliophthora thermophila

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Liu ◽  
Yongli Zhang ◽  
Fangya Li ◽  
Jingen Li ◽  
Wenliang Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Engineering ◽  
Genome Editing ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Thermophilic Fungus ◽  
Marker Genes ◽  
Thermophilic Fungi ◽  
Myceliophthora Thermophila ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
Direct Production ◽  
Marker Recycling

Abstract Background Thermophilic filamentous fungus Myceliophthora thermophila has great capacity for biomass degradation and is an attractive system for direct production of enzymes and chemicals from plant biomass. Its industrial importance inspired us to develop genome editing tools to speed up the genetic engineering of this fungus. First-generation CRISPR–Cas9 technology was developed in 2017 and, since then, some progress has been made in thermophilic fungi genetic engineering, but a number of limitations remain. They include the need for complex independent expression cassettes for targeting multiplex genomic loci and the limited number of available selectable marker genes. Results In this study, we developed an Acidaminococcus sp. Cas12a-based CRISPR system for efficient multiplex genome editing, using a single-array approach in M. thermophila. These CRISPR–Cas12a cassettes worked well for simultaneous multiple gene deletions/insertions. We also developed a new simple approach for marker recycling that relied on the novel cleavage activity of the CRISPR–Cas12a system to make DNA breaks in selected markers. We demonstrated its performance by targeting nine genes involved in the cellulase production pathway in M. thermophila via three transformation rounds, using two selectable markers neo and bar. We obtained the nonuple mutant M9 in which protein productivity and lignocellulase activity were 9.0- and 18.5-fold higher than in the wild type. We conducted a parallel investigation using our transient CRISPR–Cas9 system and found the two technologies were complementary. Together we called them CRISPR–Cas-assisted marker recycling technology (Camr technology). Conclusions Our study described new approaches (Camr technology) that allow easy and efficient marker recycling and iterative stacking of traits in the same thermophilic fungus strain either, using the newly established CRISPR–Cas12a system or the established CRISPR–Cas9 system. This Camr technology will be a versatile and efficient tool for engineering, theoretically, an unlimited number of genes in fungi. We expect this advance to accelerate biotechnology-oriented engineering processes in fungi.

Directed Evolution of P450 Fatty Acid Decarboxylases via High-Throughput Screening Towards Improved Catalytic Activity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huifang Xu ◽  
Weinan Liang ◽  
Linlin Ning ◽  
Yuanyuan Jiang ◽  
Wenxia Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Catalytic Activity ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Directed Evolution ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Colorimetric Detection ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
Random Mutagenesis ◽  
Direct Production ◽  
Consumption Activity

P450 fatty acid decarboxylases (FADCs) have recently been attracting considerable attention owing to their one-step direct production of industrially important 1-alkenes from biologically abundant feedstock free fatty acids under mild conditions. However, attempts to improve the catalytic activity of FADCs have met with little success. Protein engineering has been limited to selected residues and small mutant libraries due to lack of an effective high-throughput screening (HTS) method. Here, we devise a catalase-deficient <i>Escherichia coli</i> host strain and report an HTS approach based on colorimetric detection of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>-consumption activity of FADCs. Directed evolution enabled by this method has led to effective identification for the first time of improved FADC variants for medium-chain 1-alkene production from both DNA shuffling and random mutagenesis libraries. Advantageously, this screening method can be extended to other enzymes that stoichiometrically utilize H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> as co-substrate.

Renewable Diesel Blendstocks and Biopriviliged Chemicals Distilled from Algal Biocrude Oil Converted via Hydrothermal Liquefaction

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan-Ting (Grace) Chen ◽  
Zhenwei Wu ◽  
Buchun Si ◽  
Yuanhui Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Oxidation Stability ◽  
Ash Content ◽  
Hydrothermal Liquefaction ◽  
Fractional Distillation ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
Steam Temperature ◽  
Renewable Diesel ◽  
Commodity Chemicals ◽  
Biocrude Oil ◽  
Specification Analysis

This study aims to produce renewable diesel and biopriviliged chemicals from microalgae that can thrive in wastewater environment. <i>Spirulina</i> (SP) was converted into biocrude oil at 300ºC for a 30-minute reaction time via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). Next, fractional distillation was used to separate SP-derived biocrude oil into different distillates. It was found that 62% of the viscous SP-derived biocrude oil can be separated into liquids at about 270ºC (steam temperature of the distillation). Physicochemical characterizations, including density, viscosity, acidity, elemental compositions, higher heating values and chemical compositions, were carried out with the distillates separated from SP-derived biocrude oil. These analyses showed that 15% distillates could be used as renewable diesel because they have similar heating values (43-46 MJ/kg) and carbon numbers (ranging from C8 to C18) to petroleum diesel. The Van Krevelan diagram of the distillates suggests that deoxygenation was effectively achieved by fractional distillation. In addition, GC-MS analysis indicates that some distillates contain biopriviliged chemicals like aromatics, phenols and fatty nitriles that can be used as commodity chemicals. An algal biorefinery roadmap was proposed based on the analyses of different distillates from the SP-derived biocrude oil. Finally, the fuel specification analysis was conducted with the drop-in renewable diesel, which was prepared with 10 vol.% (HTL10) distillates and 90 vol.% petroleum diesel. According to the fuel specification analysis, HTL10 exhibited a qualified lubricity (<520 µm), acidity (<0.3 mg KOH/g) and oxidation stability (>6 hr), as well as a comparable net heat of combustion (1% lower), ash content (29% lower) and viscosity (17% lower) to those of petroleum diesel. Ultimately, it is expected that this study can provide insights for potential application of algal biocrude oil converted via HTL.

Determination of non-metallic inclusions in metal alloys by spark atomic emission spectrometry (review)

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (12) ◽  
pp. 5-19
Author(s):  
D. N. Bock ◽  
V. A. Labusov
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Line ◽  
Internal Standard ◽  
Detection Limits ◽  
Radiation Detectors ◽  
Metal Alloys ◽  
Emission Spectrometry ◽  
Direct Production ◽  
Metallic Inclusions ◽  
Dissolved Form

A review of publications regarding detection of non-metallic inclusions in metal alloys using optical emission spectrometry with single-spark spectrum registration is presented. The main advantage of the method - an extremely short time of measurement (~1 min) – makes it useful for the purposes of direct production control. A spark-induced impact on a non-metallic inclusion results in a sharp increase (flashes) in the intensities of spectral lines of the elements that comprise the inclusion because their content in the metal matrix is usually rather small. The intensity distribution of the spectral line of the element obtained from several thousand of single-spark spectra consists of two parts: i) the Gaussian function corresponding to the content of the element in a dissolved form, and ii) an asymmetric additive in the region of high intensity values ??attributed to inclusions. Their quantitative determination is based on the assumption that the intensity of the spectral line in the single-spark spectrum is proportional to the content of the element in the matter ablated by the spark. Thus, according to the calibration dependence constructed using samples with a certified total element content, it is possible not only to determine the proportions of the dissolved and undissolved element, but also the dimensions of the individual inclusions. However, determination of the sizes is limited to a range of 1 – 20 µm. Moreover, only Al-containing inclusions can be determined quantitatively nowadays. Difficulties occur both with elements hardly dissolved in steels (O, Ca, Mg, S), and with the elements which exhibit rather high content in the dissolved form (Si, Mn). It is also still impossible to determine carbides and nitrides in steels using C and N lines. The use of time-resolved spectrometry can reduce the detection limits for inclusions containing Si and, possibly, Mn. The use of the internal standard in determination of the inclusions can also lower the detection limits, but may distort the results. Substitution of photomultipliers by solid-state linear radiation detectors provided development of more reliable internal standard, based on the background value in the vicinity of the spectral line. Verification of the results is difficult in the lack of standard samples of composition of the inclusions. Future studies can expand the range of inclusions to be determined by this method.

Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from Endophytic Fungi

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (11) ◽  
pp. 1836-1854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Ancheeva ◽  
Georgios Daletos ◽  
Peter Proksch
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Endophytic Fungi ◽  
Host Plants ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Cytotoxic Agents ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Plant Metabolites ◽  
Direct Production ◽  
Bioactive Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Fungal Genes

Background: Endophytes represent a complex community of microorganisms colonizing asymptomatically internal tissues of higher plants. Several reports have shown that endophytes enhance the fitness of their host plants by direct production of bioactive secondary metabolites, which are involved in protecting the host against herbivores and pathogenic microbes. In addition, it is increasingly apparent that endophytes are able to biosynthesize medicinally important “phytochemicals”, originally believed to be produced only by their host plants. Objective: The present review provides an overview of secondary metabolites from endophytic fungi with pronounced biological activities covering the literature between 2010 and 2017. Special focus is given on studies aiming at exploration of the mode of action of these metabolites towards the discovery of leads from endophytic fungi. Moreover, this review critically evaluates the potential of endophytic fungi as alternative sources of bioactive “plant metabolites”. Results: Over the past few years, several promising lead structures from endophytic fungi have been described in the literature. In this review, 65 metabolites are outlined with pronounced biological activities, primarily as antimicrobial and cytotoxic agents. Some of these metabolites have shown to be highly selective or to possess novel mechanisms of action, which hold great promises as potential drug candidates. Conclusion: Endophytes represent an inexhaustible reservoir of pharmacologically important compounds. Moreover, endophytic fungi could be exploited for the sustainable production of bioactive “plant metabolites” in the future. Towards this aim, further insights into the dynamic endophyte - host plant interactions and origin of endophytic fungal genes would be of utmost importance.

scholarly journals Dissecting cellobiose metabolic pathway and its application in biorefinery through consolidated bioprocessing in Myceliophthora thermophila

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingen Li ◽  
Shuying Gu ◽  
Zhen Zhao ◽  
Bingchen Chen ◽  
Qian Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Malic Acid ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Consolidated Bioprocessing ◽  
Cellulase Activity ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Efficient Production ◽  
Myceliophthora Thermophila ◽  
Final Strain ◽  
Cellobiose Metabolism ◽  
Cost Efficient

Abstract Background Lignocellulosic biomass has long been recognized as a potential sustainable source for industrial applications. The costs associated with conversion of plant biomass to fermentable sugar represent a significant barrier to the production of cost-competitive biochemicals. Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) is considered a potential breakthrough for achieving cost-efficient production of biomass-based fuels and commodity chemicals. During the degradation of cellulose, cellobiose (major end-product of cellulase activity) is catabolized by hydrolytic and phosphorolytic pathways in cellulolytic organisms. However, the details of the two intracellular cellobiose metabolism pathways in cellulolytic fungi remain to be uncovered. Results Using the engineered malic acid production fungal strain JG207, we demonstrated that the hydrolytic pathway by β-glucosidase and the phosphorolytic pathway by phosphorylase are both used for intracellular cellobiose metabolism in Myceliophthora thermophila, and the yield of malic acid can benefit from the energy advantages of phosphorolytic cleavage. There were obvious differences in regulation of the two cellobiose catabolic pathways depending on whether M. thermophila JG207 was grown on cellobiose or Avicel. Disruption of Mtcpp in strain JG207 led to decreased production of malic acid under cellobiose conditions, while expression levels of all three intracellular β-glucosidase genes were significantly up-regulated to rescue the impairment of the phosphorolytic pathway under Avicel conditions. When the flux of the hydrolytic pathway was reduced, we found that β-glucosidase encoded by bgl1 was the dominant enzyme in the hydrolytic pathway and deletion of bgl1 resulted in significant enhancement of protein secretion but reduction of malate production. Combining comprehensive manipulation of both cellobiose utilization pathways and enhancement of cellobiose uptake by overexpression of a cellobiose transporter, the final strain JG412Δbgl2Δbgl3 produced up to 101.2 g/L and 77.4 g/L malic acid from cellobiose and Avicel, respectively, which corresponded to respective yields of 1.35 g/g and 1.03 g/g, representing significant improvement over the starting strain JG207. Conclusions This is the first report of detailed investigation of intracellular cellobiose catabolism in cellulolytic fungus M. thermophila. These results provide insights that can be applied to industrial fungi for production of biofuels and biochemicals from cellobiose and cellulose.

scholarly journals Synthesis, antibiotic structure–activity relationships, and cellulose dissolution studies of new room-temperature ionic liquids derived from lignin

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shihong Liu ◽  
Michael Gonzalez ◽  
Celine Kong ◽  
Scott Weir ◽  
Aaron M. Socha
Keyword(s):  
Antibacterial Activity ◽  
Ionic Liquids ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Cellulose Dissolution ◽  
Melting Points ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Alkyl Chains ◽  
Renewable Feedstocks ◽  
Commodity Chemicals

Abstract Background Ionic liquids (ILs) are promising pretreatment solvents for lignocellulosic biomass, but are largely prepared from petroleum precursors. Benzaldehydes from depolymerized lignin, such as vanillin, syringaldehyde, and 4-methoxy benzaldehyde, represent renewable feedstocks for the synthesis of ionic liquids. We herein report syntheses of novel lignin-derived ionic liquids, with extended N-alkyl chains, and examine their melting points, cellulose dissolution capacities, and toxicity profiles against Daphnia magna and E. coli strain 1A1. The latter organism has been engineered to produce isoprenol, a drop-in biofuel and precursor for commodity chemicals. Results The new N,N-diethyl and N,N-dipropyl methyl benzylammonium ILs were liquids at room temperature, showing 75–100 °C decreased melting points as compared to their N,N,N-trimethyl benzylammonium analog. Extension of N-alkyl chains also increased antibacterial activity threefold, while ionic liquids prepared from vanillin showed 2- to 4-fold lower toxicity as compared to those prepared from syringaldehyde and 4-methoxybenzaldehyde. The trend of antibacterial activity for anions of lignin-derived ILs was found to be methanesulfonate < acetate < hydroxide. Microcrystalline cellulose dissolution, from 2 to 4 wt% after 20 min at 100 °C, was observed in all new ILs using light microscopy and IR spectroscopy. Conclusions Ionic liquids prepared from H-, S- and G-lignin oxidation products provided differential cytotoxic activity against E. coli and D. magna, suggesting these compounds could be tailored for application specificity within a biorefinery.

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