紫穗槐-4,11-二烯合酶基因在酵母工程菌中具有协同作用

为了构建高产的紫穗槐-4,11-二烯酵母工程菌,主要探究了含紫穗槐-4,11-二烯合酶基因的不同表达载体在酵母工程菌中是否存在协同效应。首先构建了含紫穗槐-4,11-二烯合酶基因的酵母表达载体pGADADS,分别将pGADADS和pYeDP60/G/ADS转入酿酒酵母W303-1B和WK1中,获得6种能产生紫穗槐-4,11-二烯的酵母工程菌：W303B[pGADADS]、W303B[pYGADS]、W303B[pYGADS+pGADADS]、WK1[pGADADS]、WK1[pYGADS]和WK1[pYG     

力复霉素前体甲基丙二酰CoA合成途径的研究

力复霉素合成的碳前体之一(2R)—甲基丙二酰CoA至少可以有三条酶学合成途径。三条途径中的关键酶分别为甲基丙二酰CoA转羧基酶、丙二酰CoA羧化酶、甲基丙二酰CoA变位酶和甲基丙二酰CoA消旋酶。通过比较各个酶活性的时间进程和力复霉素合成时间的相关性,以及各个酶的底物亲合力,对它们在地中海拟无枝酸菌(Amycolatopsis mediterranei)甲基丙二酰CoA合成中的贡献作了排序,发现甲基丙二酰CoA变位酶途径是主要负责酶系。但是各个途径的贡献排序并不是固定不变的,能受到环境因素的调控,丙酸盐的加入将抑制甲基丙二酰CoA变位酶活力,而使得甲基丙二酰CoA转羧基酶成为主要酶系。甲基丙二酰CoA合成途径的多样性有助于细胞对环境变化的灵活反应。此外,对各个酶的调控特性也进行了研究。     

表达3-甾酮-△1-脱氢酶降解植物甾醇合成雄甾-1,4-二烯-3,17-二酮

构建分枝杆菌表达载体pMTac并在分枝杆菌Mycobacterium neoaurum JC-12中加强表达甾醇降解过程中的关键酶3-甾酮-△1-脱氢酶(KSDD)以提高雄甾-1,4-二烯-3,17-二铜(ADD)的产量。将p MF41的启动子pACE替换成tac启动子构建载体pMTac,在分枝杆菌中分别表达报告基因绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)和关键酶KSDD,通过GFP亮度和KSDD酶活验证tac启动子在M.neoaurum JC-12中的效果,并发酵验证加强表达KSDD对产物ADD的影响。荧光显微照片表明两个载体均能在M.neoaurum JC-12表达GFP,但tac启动子的效果比pACE强。酶活测定结果为重组菌M.neoaurum JC-12/pMTac-ksdd破碎细胞上清液中KSDD酶活比原始菌提高了6.53倍,比M.neoaurum JC-12/pMF41-ksdd提高了4.36倍。摇瓶发酵显示重组菌M.neoaurum JC-12/pMTac-ksdd ADD的产量比原始菌提高了22.2%,由4.86 g/L提高到5.94 g/L,而AD的产量由0.92 g/L减少到0.17 g/L,降低了81.5%;与M.neoaurum JC-12/p MF41-ksdd比,ADD产量提高了12.7%,AD降低了71.2%。以20 g/L植物甾醇为底物,5 L发酵罐中重组菌M.neoaurum JC-12/pMTac-ksdd的ADD产量达到10.28 g/L。结果表明,构建的新型表达载体pMTac适用于在M.neoaurum JC-12中加强表达关键酶KSDD,而且在M.neoaurum JC-12中过量表达KSDD有助于ADD产量的提高,为目前报道的发酵法利用新金色分枝杆菌降解植物甾醇合成ADD的最高水平。     

代谢改造重组谷氨酸棒杆菌C4途径高效合成5-氨基乙酰丙酸

5-氨基乙酰丙酸(5-aminolevulinic acid,5-ALA)在医药和农业等领域有着广泛作用,目前主要采用大肠杆菌或谷氨酸棒杆菌以微生物发酵法合成.为了进一步提高谷氨酸棒杆菌合成5-ALA的能力,对其C4代谢途径进行了系统代谢改造.首先分别在谷氨酸棒杆菌中异源表达荚膜红杆菌和沼泽红假单胞菌的5-氨基乙酰丙酸...     

犁头霉11α-羟基化制备16β-甲基-11α，17α，21 三羟基孕甾-1，4 二烯 3，20 二酮

选育到一株对16β-甲基-17α,21-二羟基孕甾-1,4-二烯3,20-二酮(Ⅱa)11α-羟基化活性强的犁头霉A28菌株,并发现底物21乙酰化(Ⅱb)可明显提高11α-羟基化的能力。在适宜的转化条件下,Ⅱb投料浓度0.5%,产物16β-甲基-11α,17α,21-三羟基孕甾-1,4-二烯3,20-二酮(Ⅲ)收率为73%,结构经波谱分析确认。     

基于2-C-甲基-D-赤藓糖醇-4磷酸途径的产紫槐二烯大肠杆菌构建及其补糖策略优化

2-C-甲基-D-赤藻糖醇-4-磷酸(2-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate, MEP) 途径是大肠杆菌Escherichiacoli 唯一的萜类前体合成途径,研究表明它比甲羟戊酸(Mevalonate, MVA)途径具有更高的理论产率。但目前有关MEP 途径的调控所知非常有限,故单独强化MEP 途径对萜类异源合成产量的提高效果并不理想。研究中通过引入外源MEP 途径基因强化E. coli 萜类合成的遗传改造策略和发酵过程补糖控制优化,尝试更有效地释放MEP 途径的潜力,建立青蒿素前体——紫槐二烯的高密度发酵过程。研究结果表明共表达阿维链霉菌Streptomyces avermitilis dxs2 基因和枯草芽胞杆菌Bacillus subtilis idi 基因可使紫槐二烯的摇瓶发酵产量比野生菌株提高12.2 倍。随后针对该菌株建立了高密度发酵过程,发现稳定期的中前期(24?72 h) 是产物合成的关键期,通过稳定期补糖速率的调整,明显改善了产物合成速度,使紫槐二烯的产量从2.5 g/L 提高到了4.85 g/L,但不影响产物积累的周期。考虑到72 h 后菌体老化可能会影响产物合成,进一步采取了调整对数期的补糖速率控制菌体生长的策略,使紫槐二烯的产量达到6.1 g/L。研究结果为基于MEP 途径的萜类异源合成工程菌构建及其发酵工艺的建立奠定了基础。     

蓝粒小麦花青素生物合成途径中的二氢黄酮醇4-还原酶基因的分子克隆

蓝色色素在蓝粒小麦种子糊粉层中的生物合成途径的分子生物学机制至今仍不清楚.应用RT-PCR和RACE方法从蓝粒小麦正在发育的种子中克隆到一个编码二氢黄酮醇4-还原酶的基因(DFR).推测其为花青素生物合成途径中的一个关键基因,且与蓝粒小麦中蓝色色素形成密切相关;其开放阅读框编码一个包含354个氨基酸残基的多肽,与一些从其他植物中已克隆到的DFR有很高的同源性:大麦(94%)、水稻(83%)、玉米(84%).从长穗偃麦草(2n=70)、蓝粒小麦、浅蓝粒小麦自交产生的白粒后代小麦以及中国春的基因组中分别分离到一个全长DFR序列.经聚类分析表明DFR cDNA核甘酸序列与从中国春基因组中克隆的DFR具有100%的同源性,且与长穗偃麦草、蓝粒小麦、白粒小麦基因组中分离的DFR均有很高的同源性.4个DFR基因组DNA均含有3个内含子,且它们之间的差异主要在内含子区,表明该基因在进化上很保守.经Southern杂交分析,DFR在小麦中至少有3～5个拷贝,不同小麦材料间未见明显差异,但与长穗偃麦草有明显差异,属于一个DFR超基因家族.Northern分析表明该DFR在蓝粒和白粒种子的不同发育时期的表达存在明显差异,都在开花后大约18 d表达最强,在同一时期的蓝白种子中,DFR在蓝粒种子中的表达量高于白粒.DFR转录本在小麦和长穗偃麦草的幼叶中积累多,但在芽鞘中的表达显著低于幼叶中;在小麦的根和长穗偃麦草的发育种子中均未检测到DFR的表达.推测蓝粒小麦中可能存在调控DFR在蓝粒小麦中表达的调控基因,类似于玉米花青素合成途径中的调节基因.     

The improvement of amorpha-4,11-diene production by a yeast-conform variant

Aims:  To investigate the effect of the yeast-conform variant of the Artemisia annua gene encoding for amorpha-4,11-diene synthase (ADS) on the production of amorpha-4,11-diene in a transformed yeast.
Methods and Results:  The ADS gene was mutated to the yeast-conform variant ADSm . The ADSm synthesis was performed based on step-by-step extension of a short region of the gene through a series of polymerase chain reactions (PCR). The artificial ADSm gene contained codons preferred by the yeast translation machinery. The sequence was then integrated into a yeast expression vector pYeDP60. The fusion construct was active and the transformed yeast cells produced higher level of amorpha-4,11-diene compared with the plant gene-transformed yeast cells.
Conclusions:  Strains transformed with the yeast-conform allele ( ADSm ) were more efficient in terms of production of amorpha-4,11-diene than those transformed with the plant gene.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  We demonstrated that yeast-conform allele of foreign genes by serial PCR reactions can be a solution to low efficiency of heterologous gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells.     

Amorpha-4,11-diene synthase: cloning and functional expression of a key enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of the novel antimalarial drug artemisinin

The sesquiterpenoid artemisinin, isolated from the plant Artemisia annua L., and its semi-synthetic derivatives are a new and very effective group of antimalarial drugs. A branch point in the biosynthesis of this compound is the cyclisation of the ubiquitous precursor farnesyl diphosphate into the first specific precursor of artemisinin, namely amorpha-4,11-diene. Here we describe the isolation of a cDNA clone encoding amorpha-4,11-diene synthase. The deduced amino acid sequence exhibits the highest identity (50%) with a putative sesquiterpene cyclase of A. annua. When expressed in Escherichia coli, the recombinant enzyme catalyses the formation of amorpha-4,11-diene from farnesyl diphosphate. Introduction of the gene into tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) resulted in the expression of an active enzyme and the accumulation of amorpha-4,11-diene ranging from 0.2 to 1.7 ng per g fresh weight. Received: 8 June 2000 / Accepted: 21 August 2000     

High-level production of amorpha-4,11-diene in a two-phase partitioning bioreactor of metabolically engineered Escherichia coli

Reconstructing synthetic metabolic pathways in microbes holds great promise for the production of pharmaceuticals in large-scale fermentations. By recreating biosynthetic pathways in bacteria, complex molecules traditionally harvested from scarce natural resources can be produced in microbial cultures. Here we report on a strain of Escherichia coli containing a heterologous, nine-gene biosynthetic pathway for the production of the terpene amorpha-4,11-diene, a precursor to the anti-malarial drug artemisinin. Previous reports have underestimated the productivity of this strain due to the volatility of amorphadiene. Here we show that amorphadiene evaporates from a fermentor with a half-life of about 50 min. Using a condenser, we take advantage of this volatility by trapping the amorphadiene in the off-gas. Amorphadiene was positively identified using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and determined to be 89% pure as collected. We captured amorphadiene as it was produced in situ by employing a two-phase partitioning bioreactor with a dodecane organic phase. Using a previously characterized caryophyllene standard to calibrate amorphadiene production and capture, the concentration of amorphadiene produced was determined to be 0.5 g/L of culture medium. A standard of amorphadiene collected from the off-gas showed that the caryophyllene standard overestimated amorphadiene production by approximately 30%.     

Optimization of the mevalonate-based isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway in Escherichia coli for production of the anti-malarial drug precursor amorpha-4,11-diene

The introduction or creation of metabolic pathways in microbial hosts has allowed for the production of complex chemicals of therapeutic and industrial importance. However, these pathways rarely function optimally when first introduced into the host organism and can often deleteriously affect host growth, resulting in suboptimal yields of the desired product. Common methods used to improve production from engineered biosynthetic pathways include optimizing codon usage, enhancing production of rate-limiting enzymes, and eliminating the accumulation of toxic intermediates or byproducts to improve cell growth. We have employed these techniques to improve production of amorpha-4,11-diene (amorphadiene), a precursor to the anti-malarial compound artemisinin, by an engineered strain of Escherichia coli. First we developed a simple cloning system for expression of the amorphadiene biosynthetic pathway in E. coli, which enabled the identification of two rate-limiting enzymes (mevalonate kinase (MK) and amorphadiene synthase (ADS)). By optimizing promoter strength to balance expression of the encoding genes we alleviated two pathway bottlenecks and improved production five fold. When expression of these genes was further increased by modifying plasmid copy numbers, a seven-fold increase in amorphadiene production over that from the original strain was observed. The methods demonstrated here are applicable for identifying and eliminating rate-limiting steps in other constructed biosynthetic pathways.     

甲羟戊酸途径限速步骤研究及其在产番茄红素重组大肠杆菌中的应用

甲羟戊酸途径(MVA途径)被引入重组大肠杆菌中,能够提高重组大肠杆菌中萜类化合物的合成能力。但因重组大肠杆菌中萜类化合物合成途径中间产物积累,导致细胞生长和萜类化合物合成受到限制。本研究在稳定表达MVA途径以及优化2-甲基-D-赤藻糖醇-4-磷酸途径(MEP途径)、番茄红素合成途径关键基因表达的重组大肠杆菌LYC103中,用质粒高表达MVA途径和番茄红素合成途径关键基因,挖掘该途径的限速步骤。结果表明,ispA、crtE、mvaK1、idi和mvaD基因过表达后,细胞生长没有明显变化,番茄红素产量依次提高了13.5%、16.5%、17.95%、33.7%和61.1%,说明这几个基因可能是合成番茄红素的限速步骤。mvaK1、mvaK2、mvaD三个基因在同一操纵子上,用mRNA稳定区(RNA stabilizing region)进行启动子文库(mRSL)调控mvaK1,相当于对3个基因同时调控。用高效基因组编辑技术(CAGO)对mvaK1基因的mRNA稳定区进行启动子文库的调控,得到菌株LYC104。番茄红素产量与对照菌株LYC103相比增加了2倍,细胞生长提高了32%。然后,利用CR...     

Production of the Artemisinin Precursor Amorpha-4,11-diene by Engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The gene encoding for amorpha-4,11-diene synthase from Artemisia annua was transformed into yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in two fundamentally different ways. First, the gene was subcloned into the galactose-inducible, high-copy number yeast expression vector pYeDP60 and used to transform the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain CEN·PK113-5D. Secondly, amorpha-4,11-diene synthase gene, regulated by the same promoter, was introduced into the yeast genome by homologous recombination. In protein extracts from galactose-induced yeast cells, a higher activity was observed for yeast expressing the enzyme from the plasmid. The genome-transformed yeast grows at the same rate as wild-type yeast while plasmid-carrying yeast grows somewhat slower than the wild-type yeast. The plasmid and genome-transformed yeasts produced 600 and 100 μg/l of the artemisinin precursor amorpha-4,11-diene, respectively, during 16-days’ batch cultivation. Revisions requested 14 November 2005; Revisions received 17 January 2006     

Biosynthesis of geranate via isopentenol utilization pathway in Escherichia coli

Isoprenoids are a large family of natural products with diverse structures, which allow them to play diverse and important roles in the physiology of plants and animals. They also have important commercial uses as pharmaceuticals, flavoring agents, fragrances, and nutritional supplements. Recently, metabolic engineering has been intensively investigated and emerged as the technology of choice for the production of isoprenoids through microbial fermentation. Isoprenoid biosynthesis typically originates in plants from acetyl-coA in central carbon metabolism, however, a recent study reported an alternative pathway, the isopentenol utilization pathway (IUP), that can provide the building blocks of isoprenoid biosynthesis from affordable C5 substrates. In this study, we expressed the IUP in Escherichia coli to efficiently convert isopentenols into geranate, a valuable isoprenoid compound. We first established a geraniol-producing strain in E. coli that uses the IUP. Then, we extended the geraniol synthesis pathway to produce geranate through two oxidation reactions catalyzed by two alcohol/aldehyde dehydrogenases from Castellaniella defragrans. The geranate titer was further increased by optimizing the expression of the two dehydrogenases and also parameters of the fermentation process. The best strain produced 764 mg/L geranate in 24 h from 2 g/L isopentenols (a mixture of isoprenol and prenol). We also investigated if the dehydrogenases could accept other isoprenoid alcohols as substrates.