scholarly journals Developing an Ethanol Utilization Pathway based NADH Regeneration System in Escherichia coli

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (9) ◽  
pp. 01-11
Author(s):  
Wenfa Ng

Interests remain in searching for cofactor regeneration system with higher efficiency at lower substrate cost. Glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) system has been dominant in NADH regeneration, but it only has a theoretical yield of one NADH per glucose molecule. This work sought to explore the utility of a two-step ethanol utilization pathway (EUP) in pathway-based NADH regeneration. The pathway runs from ethanol to acetaldehyde and to acetyl-CoA with each step generating one NADH, that together results in a higher theoretical yield of two NADH per ethanol molecule. In this project, anaerobic biotransformation of ketone (acetophenone or butanone) to alcohol by cpsADH from Candida parapsilosis was used as readout for evaluating relative efficacy and operating modes for EUP cofactor regeneration in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Experiment tests validated that EUP was more efficient than GDH in NADH regeneration. Further, growing cell delivered higher biotransformation efficiency compared to resting cell due to the driving force generated by cell growth. Finally, preculture or cultivation in M9 + 10 g/L ethanol medium delivered higher biotransformation efficiency compared to LB medium. Overall, EUP could help regenerate NADH in support of a biocatalytic reaction, and is more efficient in cofactor regeneration than GDH.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenfa Ng

AbstractMany industrially relevant biotransformation in whole-cells are dependent on cofactors such as NADH or NADPH. Cofactor regeneration is an established approach for providing a cheap source of cofactors in support of the main biotransformation reaction in biocatalysis. In essence, cofactor regeneration uses a sacrificial substrate to help regenerate a cofactor consumed by the main biotransformation reaction. Enzymatic in nature, alternative cofactor regeneration systems with high efficiency and which utilises low cost sacrificial substrate are of interest. Glucose dehydrogenase system has been dominant in NADH regeneration. But, in its current incarnation, glucose dehydrogenase system is relatively inefficient in regenerating NADH with theoretical yield of one NADH per glucose molecule. This work sought to explore the utility of a two-gene ethanol utilisation pathway in NADH regeneration. Comprising the first step that takes ethanol to acetaldehyde, and a second step that converts acetaldehyde to acetyl-CoA, NADH from both steps could be mined for supporting biotransformation reaction in cofactor regeneration mode. Theoretically, ethanol utilisation pathway (EUP) affords a higher NADH yield of two NADH per ethanol molecule, and is therefore more efficient than glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) system. In this project, the EUP pathway was coupled to a cpsADH (an alcohol dehydrogenase from Candida parapsilosis) mediated ketone to alcohol anaerobic biotransformation with concentration of alcohol product as marker for efficiency of cofactor regeneration. Experiment tests showed that EUP was more efficient than GDH. Further, EUP could support biotransformation of both butanone and acetophenone in single and two-phase biotransformation, respectively. Additional work conducted to improve biotransformation efficiency revealed that ethanol provision positively correlated with biotransformation efficiency. Growing cell biotransformation was also found to improve biotransformation efficiency compared to resting cell due largely to the driving force generated by cell growth. Tests of a growth medium effect also found that cells cultivated in M9 ethanol medium delivered higher biotransformation efficiency compared to those cultivated in LB medium. This could arise due to the lower expression of NADH dependent enzymes during growth in M9 ethanol medium compared to LB medium that allowed more NADH to be diverted to support ketone biotransformation. However, a persistent problem with the experimental system is the relatively poor consumption of ethanol that points to need for further engineering of the system. Collectively, pathway-based NADH regeneration is possible with ethanol utilisation, with biotransformation efficiency dependent on mode of biotransformation (resting cell versus growing cell) and growth medium used.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Langxing Liao ◽  
Yonghui Zhang ◽  
Yali Wang ◽  
Yousi Fu ◽  
Aihui Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Biosynthesis of l-tert-leucine (l-tle), a significant pharmaceutical intermediate, by a cofactor regeneration system friendly and efficiently is a worthful goal all the time. The cofactor regeneration system of leucine dehydrogenase (LeuDH) and glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) has showed great coupling catalytic efficiency in the synthesis of l-tle, however the multi-enzyme complex of GDH and LeuDH has never been constructed successfully. Results In this work, a novel fusion enzyme (GDH–R3–LeuDH) for the efficient biosynthesis of l-tle was constructed by the fusion of LeuDH and GDH mediated with a rigid peptide linker. Compared with the free enzymes, both the environmental tolerance and thermal stability of GDH–R3–LeuDH had a great improved since the fusion structure. The fusion structure also accelerated the cofactor regeneration rate and maintained the enzyme activity, so the productivity and yield of l-tle by GDH–R3–LeuDH was all enhanced by twofold. Finally, the space–time yield of l-tle catalyzing by GDH–R3–LeuDH whole cells could achieve 2136 g/L/day in a 200 mL scale system under the optimal catalysis conditions (pH 9.0, 30 °C, 0.4 mM of NAD+ and 500 mM of a substrate including trimethylpyruvic acid and glucose). Conclusions It is the first report about the fusion of GDH and LeuDH as the multi-enzyme complex to synthesize l-tle and reach the highest space–time yield up to now. These results demonstrated the great potential of the GDH–R3–LeuDH fusion enzyme for the efficient biosynthesis of l-tle.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junchao Rao ◽  
Rongzhen Zhang ◽  
Guanyu Xu ◽  
Lihong Li ◽  
Yan Xu

Abstract Background: ( S )-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol is an important chiral intermediate in the synthesis of liquid crystals and chiral biphosphines.(S)-carbonyl reductase II from Candida parapsilosis catalyzes the conversion of 2-hydroxyacetophenone to ( S )-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol with NADPH as a cofactor. Glucose dehydrogenase with a Ala258Phe mutation is able to catalyze the oxidation of xylose with concomitant reduction of NADP + to NADPH, while endo-β-1,4-xylanase 2 catalyzes the conversion of xylan to xylose. In the present work, the Ala258Phe glucose dehydrogenase mutant and endo-β-1,4-xylanase 2 were introduced into the ( S )-carbonyl reductase II-mediated chiral pathway to strengthen cofactor regeneration by using xylan as a naturally abundant co-substrate. Results: We constructed several coupled multi-enzyme systems by introducing ( S )-carbonyl reductase II, the A258F glucose dehydrogenase mutant and endo-β-1,4-xylanase 2 into Escherichia coli . Different strains were produced by altering the location of the encoding genes on the plasmid. Only recombinant E. coli /pET-G-S-2 expressed all three enzymes, and this strain produced ( S )-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol from 2-hydroxyacetophenone as a substrate and xylan as a co-substrate. The optical purity was 100% and the yield was 98.3% (6 g/L 2-HAP) under optimal conditions of 35°C, pH 6.5 and a 2:1 substrate-co-substrate ratio. The introduction of A258F glucose dehydrogenase and endo-β-1,4-xylanase 2 into the ( S )-carbonyl reductase II-mediated chiral pathway caused a 54.6% increase in yield, and simultaneously reduced the reaction time from 48 h to 28 h. Conclusions: This study demonstrates efficient chiral synthesis using a pentose as a co-substrate to enhance cofactor regeneration. This provides a new approach for enantiomeric catalysis through the inclusion of naturally abundant materials.


Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Yuqing Cheng ◽  
Jiafu Shi ◽  
Yizhou Wu ◽  
Xueying Wang ◽  
Yiying Sun ◽  
...  

Solar-driven photocatalytic regeneration of cofactors, including reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), and reduced flavin adenine dinucleotide (FADH2), could ensure the sustainable energy supply of enzymatic reactions catalyzed by oxidoreductases for the efficient synthesis of chemicals. However, the elevation of cofactor regeneration efficiency is severely hindered by the inefficient utilization of electrons transferred on the surface of photocatalysts. Inspired by the phenomenon of ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase (FNR) anchoring on thylakoid membrane, herein, a homogeneous catalyst of rhodium (Rh) complex, [Cp∗Rh(bpy)H2O]2+, was anchored on polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) mediated by a tannic acid/polyethyleneimine (TA/PEI) adhesive layer, acquiring PCN@TA/PEI-Rh core@shell photocatalyst. Illuminated by visible light, electrons were excited from the PCN core, then transferred through the TA/PEI shell, and finally captured by the surface-anchored Rh for instant utilization during the regeneration of NADH. The TA/PEI-Rh shell could facilitate the electron transfer from the PCN core and, more importantly, achieved ~1.3-fold elevation of electron utilization efficiency compared with PCN. Accordingly, the PCN@TA/PEI-Rh afforded the NADH regeneration efficiency of 37.8% after 20 min reaction under LED light (405 nm) illumination, over 1.5 times higher than PCN with free Rh. Coupling of the NADH regeneration system with formate dehydrogenase achieved continuous production of formate from carbon dioxide (CO2). Our study may provide a generic and effective strategy to elevate the catalytic efficiency of a photocatalyst through intensifying the electron utilization.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Langxing Liao ◽  
Yonghui Zhang ◽  
Yali Wang ◽  
Yousi Fu ◽  
Aihui Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Biosynthesis of L-tert-leucine (L-tle), a significant pharmaceutical intermediate, by a cofactor regeneration system friendly and efficiently is a worthful goal all the time. The cofactor regeneration system of leucine dehydrogenase (LeuDH) and glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) has showed great coupling catalytic efficiency in the synthesis of L-tle, however the multi-enzyme complex of GDH and LeuDH has never been constructed successfully.Results: In this work, a novel fusion enzyme (GDH-R3-LeuDH) for the efficient biosynthesis of L-tle was constructed by the fusion of LeuDH and GDH mediated with a rigid peptide linker. Compared with the free enzymes, both the environmental tolerance and thermal stability of GDH-R3-LeuDH had a great improved since the fusion structure. The fusion structure also accelerated the cofactor regeneration rate and maintained the enzyme activity, so the productivity and yeild of L-tle by GDH-R3-LeuDH was all enhanced by 2-fold. Finally, the space-time yield of L-tle catalyzing by GDH-R3-LeuDH whole cells could achieve 2136 g/L/d in a 200 mL scale system under the optimal catalysis conditions (pH 9.0, 30 °C, 0.4 mM of NAD+ and 500 mM of a substrate including trimethylpyruvic acid and glucose).Conclusions: It is the first report about the fusion of GDH and LeuDH as the multi-enzyme complex to synthesize L-tle and reach the highest space-time yield up to now. These results demonstrated the great potential of the GDH-R3-LeuDH fusion enzyme for the efficient biosynthesis of L-tle.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 1741-1748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Geier ◽  
Christoph Brandner ◽  
Gernot A Strohmeier ◽  
Mélanie Hall ◽  
Franz S Hartner ◽  
...  

Many synthetically useful reactions are catalyzed by cofactor-dependent enzymes. As cofactors represent a major cost factor, methods for efficient cofactor regeneration are required especially for large-scale synthetic applications. In order to generate a novel and efficient host chassis for bioreductions, we engineered the methanol utilization pathway of Pichia pastoris for improved NADH regeneration. By deleting the genes coding for dihydroxyacetone synthase isoform 1 and 2 (DAS1 and DAS2), NADH regeneration via methanol oxidation (dissimilation) was increased significantly. The resulting Δdas1 Δdas2 strain performed better in butanediol dehydrogenase (BDH1) based whole-cell conversions. While the BDH1 catalyzed acetoin reduction stopped after 2 h reaching ~50% substrate conversion when performed in the wild type strain, full conversion after 6 h was obtained by employing the knock-out strain. These results suggest that the P. pastoris Δdas1 Δdas2 strain is capable of supplying the actual biocatalyst with the cofactor over a longer reaction period without the over-expression of an additional cofactor regeneration system. Thus, focusing the intrinsic carbon flux of this methylotrophic yeast on methanol oxidation to CO2 represents an efficient and easy-to-use strategy for NADH-dependent whole-cell conversions. At the same time methanol serves as co-solvent, inductor for catalyst and cofactor regeneration pathway expression and source of energy.


Author(s):  
Wenfa Ng

Although cofactor regeneration is an established system in biocatalysis, work remains in developing new and alternative cofactor regeneration systems with greater efficiency, ease of use, and higher atom economy. In addition, cofactor regeneration system only works if the cofactor regeneration reaction operates at similar kinetics compared to the biotransformation reaction. This meant that only specific cofactor regeneration system is capable of coupling with particular biotransformation reaction. This then leaves open the field for the development of a plethora of alternative cofactor regeneration systems each capable of coupling with different biotransformation reaction of different kinetics. This short write-up examines the possibility of tapping on the NADH regenerated from a two-step ethylene glycol utilization pathway. Current knowledge suggests that this angle has not been explored; thereby, opening up possibilities for future experimental investigations into the feasibility of coupling ethylene glycol utilization pathway with biotransformation reaction as a coupled cofactor regeneration system.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junchao Rao ◽  
Rongzhen Zhang ◽  
Guanyu Xu ◽  
Lihong Li ◽  
Yan Xu

Abstract Background: ( S )-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol is an important chiral intermediate in the synthesis of liquid crystals and chiral biphosphines. ( S )-carbonyl reductase II from Candida parapsilosis catalyzes the conversion of 2-hydroxyacetophenone to ( S )-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol with NADPH as a cofactor. Glucose dehydrogenase with a Ala258Phe mutation is able to catalyze the oxidation of xylose with concomitant reduction of NADP + to NADPH, while endo-β-1,4-xylanase 2 catalyzes the conversion of xylan to xylose. In the present work, the Ala258Phe glucose dehydrogenase mutant and endo-β-1,4-xylanase 2 were introduced into the ( S )-carbonyl reductase II-mediated chiral pathway to strengthen cofactor regeneration by using xylan as a naturally abundant co-substrate. Results: We constructed several coupled multi-enzyme systems by introducing ( S )-carbonyl reductase II, the A258F glucose dehydrogenase mutant and endo-β-1,4-xylanase 2 into Escherichia coli . Different strains were produced by altering the location of the encoding genes on the plasmid. Only recombinant E. coli /pET-G-S-2 expressed all three enzymes, and this strain produced ( S )-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol from 2-hydroxyacetophenone as a substrate and xylan as a co-substrate. The optical purity was 100% and the yield was 98.3% under optimal conditions of 35°C, pH 6.5 and a 2:1 substrate-co-substrate ratio. The introduction of A258F glucose dehydrogenase and endo-β-1,4-xylanase 2 into the ( S )-carbonyl reductase II-mediated chiral pathway caused a 54.6% increase in yield, and simultaneously reduced the reaction time from 48 h to 28 h. Conclusions: This study demonstrates efficient chiral synthesis using a pentose as a co-substrate to enhance cofactor regeneration. This provides a new approach for enantiomeric catalysis through the inclusion of naturally abundant materials.


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