scholarly journals Click-chemistry enabled directed evolution of glycosynthases for bespoke glycans synthesis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayushi Agrawal ◽  
Chandra Kanth Bandi ◽  
Tucker Burgin ◽  
Youngwoo Woo ◽  
Heather B. Mayes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Click Chemistry ◽  
Directed Evolution ◽  
Cell Sorting ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Carbohydrate Active Enzymes ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Increased Activity

AbstractEngineering of carbohydrate-active enzymes like glycosynthases for chemoenzymatic synthesis of bespoke oligosaccharides has been limited by the lack of suitable directed evolution based protein engineering methods. Currently there are no ultrahigh-throughput screening methods available for rapid and highly sensitive single cell-based screening of evolved glycosynthase enzymes employing azido sugars as substrates. Here, we report a fluorescence-based approach employing click-chemistry for the selective detection of glycosyl azides (versus free inorganic azides) that facilitated ultrahigh-throughput in-vivo single cell-based assay of glycosynthase activity. This discovery has led to the development of a directed evolution methodology for screening and sorting glycosynthase mutants for synthesis of desired fucosylated oligosaccharides. Our screening technique facilitated rapid fluorescence activated cell sorting of a large library of glycosynthase variants (>106 mutants) expressed in E. coli to identify several novel mutants with increased activity for β-fucosyl-azide activated donor sugars towards desired acceptor sugars, demonstrating the broader applicability of this methodology.

scholarly journals Ultra-high throughput functional enrichment of large monoamine oxidase (MAO-N) libraries by fluorescence activated cell sorting

The Analyst ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 143 (19) ◽  
pp. 4747-4755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna C. Sadler ◽  
Andrew Currin ◽  
Douglas B. Kell
Keyword(s):  
Monoamine Oxidase ◽  
Directed Evolution ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Cell Sorting ◽  
Oxidase Activity ◽  
Functional Enrichment ◽  
High Throughput Screen ◽  
Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting ◽  
E Coli

A novel ultra-high throughput screen forin vivodetection of oxidase activity inE. colicells and its application to directed evolution.

scholarly journals Creating Hybrid Genes by Homologous Recombination

2000 ◽  
Vol 16 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 3-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter L. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Directed Evolution ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Genomic Sequence ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Hybrid Genes ◽  
Distinct Features

Recombination of homologous genes is a powerful mechanism for generating sequence diversity, and can be applied to protein analysis and directed evolution.In vitrorecombination methods such as DNA shuffling are very flexible and can give hybrid genes with multiple crossovers; they have been used extensively to evolve proteins with improved and novel properties.In vivorecombination in bothE. coliand yeast is greatly enhanced by double-strand breaks; forE. coli, mutant strains are often necessary to obtain high efficiency. Intra- and inter-molecular recombinationIn vivohave distinct features; both give hybrids with one or two crossovers, and have been used to study structure-function relationships of many proteins. Recentlyin vivorecombination has been used to generate diversity for directed evolution, creating a large phage display antibody library. Recombination methods will become increasingly useful in light of the explosion in genomic sequence data and potential for engineered proteins.

scholarly journals In Vivo Assembly of Artificial Metalloenzymes and Application in Whole‐Cell Biocatalysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shreyans Chordia ◽  
Siddarth Narasimhan ◽  
Alessandra Lucini Paioni ◽  
Marc Baldus ◽  
Gerard Roelfes
Keyword(s):  
Directed Evolution ◽  
Cell Fractionation ◽  
Whole Cell ◽  
Whole Cells ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Whole Cell Biocatalysis ◽  
Catalytically Active ◽  
Active Transition ◽  
Artificial Metalloenzymes

Artificial metalloenzymes (ArMs), which are hybrids of catalytically active transition metal complexes and proteins, have emerged as promising approach to the creation of biocatalysts for reactions that have no equivalent in nature. Here we report the assembly and application in catalysis of ArMs in the cytoplasm of E. coli cells based on the Lactococcal multidrug resistance regulator (LmrR) and an exogeneously added copper(II)‐phenanthroline (Cu(II)‐phen) complex. The ArMs are spontaneously assembled by addition of Cu(II)‐phen to E. coli cells that express LmrR and it is shown that the ArM containing whole cells are active in the catalysis of the enantioselective vinylogous Friedel‐Crafts alkylation of indoles. The ArM assembly in E. coli is further supported by a combination of cell‐ fractionation and inhibitor experiments and confirmed by in‐cell solid‐state NMR. A mutagenesis study showed that the same trends in catalytic activity and enantioselectivity in response to mutations of LmrR were observed for the ArM containing whole cells and the isolated ArMs. This made it possible to perform a directed evolution study using ArMs in whole cells, which gave rise to a mutant, LmrR_A92E_M8D that showed increased activity and enantioselectivity in the catalyzed vinylogous Friedel‐Crafts alkylation of a variety of indoles. The unique aspect of this whole‐cell ArM system is that no engineering of the microbial host, the protein scaffold or the cofactor is required to achieve ArM assembly and catalysis. This makes this system attractive for applications in whole cell biocatalysis and directed evolution, as demonstrated here. Moreover, our findings represent important step forward towards achieving the challenging goal of a hybrid metabolism by integrating artificial metalloenzymes in biosynthetic pathways.

scholarly journals Comparison of Escherichia coli surface attachment methods for single-cell microscopy

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yao-Kuan Wang ◽  
Ekaterina Krasnopeeva ◽  
Ssu-Yuan Lin ◽  
Fan Bai ◽  
Teuta Pilizota ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Super Resolution ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Surface Attachment ◽  
Bacterial Physiology ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Single Cell Imaging ◽  
Atomic Force

AbstractFor in vivo, single-cell imaging bacterial cells are commonly immobilised via physical confinement or surface attachment. Different surface attachment methods have been used both for atomic force and optical microscopy (including super resolution), and some have been reported to affect bacterial physiology. However, a systematic comparison of the effects these attachment methods have on the bacterial physiology is lacking. Here we present such a comparison for bacterium Escherichia coli, and assess the growth rate, size and intracellular pH of cells growing attached to different, commonly used, surfaces. We demonstrate that E. coli grow at the same rate, length and internal pH on all the tested surfaces when in the same growth medium. The result suggests that tested attachment methods can be used interchangeably when studying E. coli physiology.

scholarly journals Laser induced isolation and cultivation of single microbial cells

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Liang ◽  
Huan Wang ◽  
Yun Wang ◽  
Yinping Zhao ◽  
Wei E. Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Sorting ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Lactobacillus Rhamnosus ◽  
Microbial Cells ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Eukaryotic Microorganisms ◽  
Cultivation Technique ◽  
Single Cell Isolation

AbstractSingle cell isolation and cultivation play an important role in studying physiology, gene expression and functions of microorganisms. Laser Induced Forward Transfer Technique (LIFT) has been applied to isolate single cells but the cell viability after sorting is unclear. We demonstrate that a three-layer LIFT system could be applied to isolate single cells of Gram-negative (E. coli), Gram-positive (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, LGG), and eukaryotic microorganisms (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and the sorted single cells were able to be cultured. The experiment results showed that the average cultivation recovery rate of the ejected single cells were 58% for Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 22% for E. coli, and 74% for Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG). The identities of the cultured cells from single cell sorting were confirmed by using colony PCR with 16S-rRNA for bacteria and large unit rRNA for yeast and subsequent sequencing. This precise sorting and cultivation technique of live single microbial cells can be coupled with other microscopic approaches (e.g. fluorescent and Raman microscopy) to culture single microorganisms with specific functions, revealing their roles in the natural community.ImportanceSingle cell isolation and cultivation are crucial to recover microorganisms for the study of physiology, gene expression and functions. We developed a laser induced cell sorting technology to precisely isolate single microbial cells from a microscopic slide. More importantly, the isolated single microbial cells are still viable for cultivation. We demonstrate to apply the live sorting method to isolate and cultivate single cells of Gram-negative (E. coli), Gram-positive (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, LGG), and eukaryotic microorganisms (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). This precise sorting and cultivation technique can be coupled with other microscopic approaches (e.g. fluorescent and Raman microscopy) to culture specifically targeted single microorganisms from microbial community.Abstract Graphic

scholarly journals Analytical kinetic model of native tandem promoters in E. coli

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vatsala Chauhan ◽  
Mohamed Nasurudeen Mohamed Bahrudeen ◽  
Cristina Santos Dias Palma ◽  
Ines S. C. Baptista ◽  
Bilena Lima de Brito Almeida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Step Function ◽  
Single Cell Protein ◽  
Linear Functions ◽  
Cell Protein ◽  
Transcription Start Sites ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Promoter Occupancy

Closely spaced promoters in tandem formation are abundant in bacteria. We investigated the evolutionary conservation, biological functions, and the RNA and single-cell protein expression of genes regulated by tandem promoters in E. coli. We also studied the sequence (distance between transcription start sites 'dTSS', pause sequences, and distances from oriC) and potential influence of the input transcription factors of these promoters. From this, we propose an analytical model of gene expression based on measured expression dynamics, where RNAP-promoter occupancy times and dTSS are the key regulators of transcription interference due to TSS occlusion by RNAP at one of the promoters (when dTSS ≤ 35 bp) and RNAP occupancy of the downstream promoter (when dTSS > 35 bp). Occlusion and downstream promoter occupancy are modeled as linear functions of occupancy time, while the influence of dTSS is implemented by a continuous step function, fit to in vivo data on mean single-cell protein numbers of 30 natural genes controlled by tandem promoters. The best-fitting step is at 35 bp, matching the length of DNA occupied by RNAP in the open complex formation. This model accurately predicts the squared coefficient of variation and skewness of the natural single-cell protein numbers as a function of dTSS. Additional predictions suggest that promoters in tandem formation can cover a wide range of transcription dynamics within realistic intervals of parameter values. By accurately capturing the dynamics of these promoters, this model can be helpful to predict the dynamics of new promoters and contribute to the expansion of the repertoire of expression dynamics available to synthetic genetic constructs.

scholarly journals Novel Fluorescence-Assisted Whole-Cell Assay for Engineering and Characterization of Proteases and Their Substrates

2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (22) ◽  
pp. 7500-7508 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Kostallas ◽  
Patrik Samuelson
Keyword(s):  
Cell Sorting ◽  
Fluorescent Substrate ◽  
Whole Cell ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Tev Protease ◽  
Fold Enrichment ◽  
Substrate Peptide ◽  
Subsequent Identification

ABSTRACT We have developed a sensitive and highly efficient whole-cell methodology for quantitative analysis and screening of protease activity in vivo. The method is based on the ability of a genetically encoded protease to rescue a coexpressed short-lived fluorescent substrate reporter from cytoplasmic degradation and thereby confer increased whole-cell fluorescence in proportion to the protease's apparent activity in the Escherichia coli cytoplasm. We demonstrated that this system can reveal differences in the efficiency with which tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease processes different substrate peptides. In addition, when analyzing E. coli cells expressing TEV protease variants that differed in terms of their in vivo solubility, cells containing the most-soluble protease variant exhibited the highest fluorescence intensity. Furthermore, flow cytometry screening allowed for enrichment and subsequent identification of an optimal substrate peptide and protease variant from a large excess of cells expressing suboptimal variants (1:100,000). Two rounds of cell sorting resulted in a 69,000-fold enrichment and a 22,000-fold enrichment of the superior substrate peptide and protease variant, respectively. Our approach presents a new promising path forward for high-throughput substrate profiling of proteases, engineering of novel protease variants with desired properties (e.g., altered substrate specificity and improved solubility and activity), and identification of protease inhibitors.

scholarly journals High Sensitivity In Vivo Imaging of Cancer Metastasis Using a Near-Infrared Luciferin Analogue seMpai

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (21) ◽  
pp. 7896
Author(s):  
Jun Nakayama ◽  
Ryohei Saito ◽  
Yusuke Hayashi ◽  
Nobuo Kitada ◽  
Shota Tamaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
In Vivo Imaging ◽  
Cancer Metastasis ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Single Cell Level ◽  
Background Signal ◽  
Cell Level ◽  
Highly Sensitive

Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is useful to monitor cell movement and gene expression in live animals. However, D-luciferin has a short wavelength (560 nm) which is absorbed by tissues and the use of near-infrared (NIR) luciferin analogues enable high sensitivity in vivo BLI. The AkaLumine-AkaLuc BLI system (Aka-BLI) can detect resolution at the single-cell level; however, it has a clear hepatic background signal. Here, to enable the highly sensitive detection of bioluminescence from the surrounding liver tissues, we focused on seMpai (C15H16N3O2S) which has been synthesized as a luciferin analogue and has high luminescent abilities as same as AkaLumine. We demonstrated that seMpai BLI could detect micro-signals near the liver without any background signal. The solution of seMpai was neutral; therefore, seMpai imaging did not cause any adverse effect in mice. seMpai enabled a highly sensitive in vivo BLI as compared to previous techniques. Our findings suggest that the development of a novel mutated luciferase against seMpai may enable a highly sensitive BLI at the single-cell level without any background signal. Novel seMpai BLI system can be used for in vivo imaging in the fields of life sciences and medicine.

scholarly journals Detection and quantification of the heterogeneity of S. aureus bacterial populations to identify antibiotic-induced persistence

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marwa M. Hassan ◽  
Mark S. Butler ◽  
Andrea Ranzoni ◽  
Matthew A. Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Sorting ◽  
Bacterial Population ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Live Cells ◽  
Resistance Development ◽  
Bacterial Populations ◽  
Culture Independent ◽  
Standard Culture

AbstractObjectivesPersister cells are characterised as being viable but non-culturable, a state that preserves their metabolic energy to survive the environmental stress, which allows for recurrent infections. Detection of persisters is, therefore, not possible with standard culture-dependent methods. Furthermore, the effect of antibiotics on the induction of persisters has not been assessed. This study aimed to identify antibiotic-induced persistence and determine the percentage of heterogeneity.MethodsVancomycin, daptomycin and dalbavancin were assessed by standard MIC methods against selected Staphylococcus aureus strains. Replicates of MIC assays were stained with propidium iodide to quantify live/dead and a reactive oxygen species (ROS) dye to detect and quantify persisters using culture-independent single-cell sorting, independently. A comparative analysis was then performed.ResultsDalbavancin showed the lowest MIC values against tested S. aureus strains followed by daptomycin and vancomycin. Cell sorting of vancomycin-, daptomycin- and dalbavancin-treated S. aureus strains showed a range of 1.9–10.2%, 17.7–62.9% and 7.5–77.6% live cells based on the strain, respectively, in which daptomycin, in particular, was a strong inducer of a persister population. Persisters represented 3.7–16% of the bacterial population.ConclusionsThe culture-independent identification of antibiotic-induced persistence through studying at the single-cell level showed different efficacy of antibiotics than standard MIC. Vancomycin was the most effective antibiotic against tested strains followed by dalbavancin then daptomycin as assessed by cell sorting. Therefore, re-evaluation of standard MIC methods may be required to assess the efficacy of antibiotics. Additionally, the detection of daptomycin-associated persisters may provide an elucidation to the reported rapid resistance development in vivo.

scholarly journals In Vivo Assembly of Artificial Metalloenzymes and Application in Whole‐Cell Biocatalysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shreyans Chordia ◽  
Siddarth Narasimhan ◽  
Alessandra Lucini Paioni ◽  
Marc Baldus ◽  
Gerard Roelfes
Keyword(s):  
Directed Evolution ◽  
Cell Fractionation ◽  
Whole Cell ◽  
Whole Cells ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Whole Cell Biocatalysis ◽  
Catalytically Active ◽  
Active Transition ◽  
Artificial Metalloenzymes

Artificial metalloenzymes (ArMs), which are hybrids of catalytically active transition metal complexes and proteins, have emerged as promising approach to the creation of biocatalysts for reactions that have no equivalent in nature. Here we report the assembly and application in catalysis of ArMs in the cytoplasm of E. coli cells based on the Lactococcal multidrug resistance regulator (LmrR) and an exogeneously added copper(II)‐phenanthroline (Cu(II)‐phen) complex. The ArMs are spontaneously assembled by addition of Cu(II)‐phen to E. coli cells that express LmrR and it is shown that the ArM containing whole cells are active in the catalysis of the enantioselective vinylogous Friedel‐Crafts alkylation of indoles. The ArM assembly in E. coli is further supported by a combination of cell‐ fractionation and inhibitor experiments and confirmed by in‐cell solid‐state NMR. A mutagenesis study showed that the same trends in catalytic activity and enantioselectivity in response to mutations of LmrR were observed for the ArM containing whole cells and the isolated ArMs. This made it possible to perform a directed evolution study using ArMs in whole cells, which gave rise to a mutant, LmrR_A92E_M8D that showed increased activity and enantioselectivity in the catalyzed vinylogous Friedel‐Crafts alkylation of a variety of indoles. The unique aspect of this whole‐cell ArM system is that no engineering of the microbial host, the protein scaffold or the cofactor is required to achieve ArM assembly and catalysis. This makes this system attractive for applications in whole cell biocatalysis and directed evolution, as demonstrated here. Moreover, our findings represent important step forward towards achieving the challenging goal of a hybrid metabolism by integrating artificial metalloenzymes in biosynthetic pathways.

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