Enhanced artemisinin production from engineered yeast precursors upon biotransformation

Abstract

Production of artemisinin in genetically modified microorganisms is an attractive option to enable sufficient supply of the effective antimalarial agent. Although a sundry of artemisinin precursors are available from engineered bacteria or yeast, no artemisinin has been manufactured by engineering any microbial platforms due to inaccessibility to unidentified steps. To this end, it is essential to consider how to convert artemisinin precursors to artemisinin, either biochemically or chemically. To establish a novel procedure of artemisinin production, we incubate the mixture of artemisinin precursors from engineered Sacchromyces cerevisiae with the cell-free enzyme extract of Artemisia annua. For the single gene-expressing strain INVScI (pYES-ADS), amorpha-4,11-diene accumulation within 48 h or 14 days led to higher artemisinin content than the control. In the multiple gene-expressing strain YPH501 (pYES-ADS:: pESC-CYP71AV1-DBR2), artemisinin accumulation from the 14-day-induced yeast precursor mixture was nearly equivalent between the single gene-transferred strain and the multiple gene-transferred strain. Alternatively, biotransformation of 48-hour-induced yeast amorpha-4,11-diene mixture by the cold-acclimated A. annua cell-free extract that possesses the abundant enzymes relevant to artemisinin biosynthesis gave rise to considerable elevation of artemisinin content up to 0.647% in maximum, accounting to 15-folds increase as the A. annua cell-free extract without cold-acclimation (0.045%), thereby providing a practical protocol for artemisinin overproduction through the interplay of engineered microbial artemisinin precursors with upregulated plant enzymes.     

Metabolic engineering of plants for artemisinin synthesis

Artemisinin, a natural compound from Artemisia annua, is highly effective in treating drug-resistant malaria. Because chemical synthesis of this natural terpenoid is not economically feasible, its only source remains as the native plant which produces only small quantities of it, resulting in a supply that is far short of demand. Extensive efforts have been invested in metabolic engineering for the biosynthesis of artemisinin precursors in microbes. However, the production of artemisinin itself has only been achieved in plants. Since, A. annua possesses only poorly developed genetic resources for traditional breeders, molecular breeding is the best alternative. In this review, we describe the efforts taken to enhance artemisinin production in A. annua via transgenesis and advocate metabolic engineering of the complete functional artemisinin metabolic pathway in heterologous plants. In both cases, we emphasize the need to apply state-of-the-art synthetic biology approaches to ensure successful biosynthesis of the drug.     

State of the art of the production of the antimalarial compound artemisinin in plants

For more than three centuries we have relied on the extracts of the bark of Cinchona species to treat malaria. Now, it seems we may be changing to the leaves of a Chinese weed, Artemisia annua, and its active compound artemisinin. Artemisinin-derived drugs have been proved particularly effective treatments for severe malaria, even for multi-drug-resistant malaria. However, this promising antimalarial compound remains expensive and is hardly available on a global scale. Therefore, many research groups have directed their investigations toward the enhancement of artemisinin production in A. annua cell cultures or whole plants in order to overproduce artemisinin or one of its precursors. This article provides a brief review of the state of art of the different aspects in A. annua research.     

Nitric oxide potentiates oligosaccharide-induced artemisinin production in Artemisia annua hairy roots

The purpose of the present study was to characterize the generation of nitric oxide （NO） in Artemisia annua roots induced by an oligosaccharide elicitor （OE） from Fusarium oxysporum mycelium and the potentiation role of NO in the elicitation of artemisinin accumulation. The OE （0.3 mg total sugar/mL） induced a rapid production of NO in cultures, which exhibited a biphasic time course, reaching the first plateau within 1.5 h and the second within 8 h of OE treatment. Artemisinin content in 20-day-old hairy roots was increased from 0.7mg/g dry wt to 1.3 mg/g dry wt by using the OE treatment for 4d. In the absence of OE, the NO donor sodium nitroprusside （SNP） at 10, 50 ~1 and 100 ~1 enhanced the growth of hairy roots, but had no effect on artemisinin synthesis, The combination of SNP with OE increased artemisinin content from 1.2 mg/g drywt to 2.2 mg/g dry wt, whereas the maximum production of artemisinin in cultures was 28.5 mg/L, a twofold increase over the OE treatment alone. The effects of SNP on the OE-induced artemisinin were suppressed strongly by the NO scavenger 2-（4- carboxyphenyl）-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-l-oxyl-3-oxide （cPTIO）. The results suggest that NO can strongly potentiate elicitor-induced artemisinin synthesis in A. annua hairy roots.     

Production of the new antimalarial drug artemisinin in shoot cultures of Artemisia annua L.

From aseptically grown Artemisia annua plantlets, shoot cultures were initiated. Using different concentrations of auxine, cytokinine and sucrose, a suitable culture medium was developed, with respect to the growth of the shoots and their artemisinin accumulation. Nitrate concentration and conductivity appeared to be suitable growth parameters. The artemisinin content was measured gas chromatographically. The shoot cultures were maintained in the developed standard medium, consisting of a half concentration of MS-salts with vitamins, 0.2 mg l^-1 BAP, 0.05 mg l^-1 NAA and 1% sucrose. The growth of the shoots and the artemisinin content remained stable for a longer period. They showed considerable photosynthetic activity and generally contained ca. 0.08% artemisinin on a dry weight basis. The highest artemisinin content found was 0.16% in the above mentioned standard medium, but also on the same medium with 0.5% sucrose. Attempts were made to further improve the artemisinin production by varying the medium composition through addition of gibberellic acid or casein hydroly-state; by omitting plant growth regulators; by precursor feeding, i.e. mevalonic acid; by influencing the biosynthesis routing through inhibition of the sterol synthesis by miconazole, naftifine or terbinafine; by changing gene expression with 5-azacytidine or colchicine; and by elicitation, using cellulase, chitosan, glutathione or nigeran. Enhanced artemisinin production was found with 10 mg l^-1 gibberellic acid, 0.5 g l^-1 casein hydrolysate, 10 mg l^-1 or 20 mg l^-1 naftifine. Relative increases of 154%, 169%, 140% and 120% were found, respectively. Other additions caused the growth to cease and the artemisinin contents to drop.Abbreviations BAP benzylaminopurine - DW dry weight - FW fresh weight - GA₃ gibberellic acid - MS Murashige & Skoog basal medium - NAA naphthaleneacetic acid     

Nicotiana benthamiana as a production platform for artemisinin precursors

Background

Production of pharmaceuticals in plants provides an alternative for chemical synthesis, fermentation or natural sources. Nicotiana benthamiana is deployed at commercial scale for production of therapeutic proteins. Here the potential of this plant is explored for rapid production of precursors of artemisinin, a sesquiterpenoid compound that is used for malaria treatment.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Biosynthetic genes leading to artemisinic acid, a precursor of artemisinin, were combined and expressed in N. benthamiana by agro-infiltration. The first committed precursor of artemisinin, amorpha-4,11-diene, was produced upon infiltration of a construct containing amorpha-4,11-diene synthase, accompanied by 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase and farnesyl diphosphate synthase. Amorpha-4,11-diene was detected both in extracts and in the headspace of the N. benthamiana leaves. When the amorphadiene oxidase CYP71AV1 was co-infiltrated with the amorphadiene-synthesizing construct, the amorpha-4,11-diene levels strongly decreased, suggesting it was oxidized. Surprisingly, no anticipated oxidation products, such as artemisinic acid, were detected upon GC-MS analysis. However, analysis of leaf extracts with a non-targeted metabolomics approach, using LC-QTOF-MS, revealed the presence of another compound, which was identified as artemisinic acid-12-β-diglucoside. This compound accumulated to 39.5 mg.kg⁻¹ fwt. Apparently the product of the heterologous pathway that was introduced, artemisinic acid, is further metabolized efficiently by glycosyl transferases that are endogenous to N. benthamiana.

Conclusion/Significance

This work shows that agroinfiltration of N. bentamiana can be used as a model to study the production of sesquiterpenoid pharmaceutical compounds. The interaction between the ectopically introduced pathway and the endogenous metabolism of the plant is discussed.     

Biosynthesis of artemisinin – revisited

Artemisinin is a well-known antimalarial drug isolated from the Artemisia annua plant. The biosynthesis of this well-known molecule has been reinvestigated by using [1-¹³C]acetate, [2-¹³C]acetate, and [1,6-¹³C₂]glucose. The ¹³C peak enrichment in artemisinin was observed in six and nine carbon atoms from [1-¹³C]acetate and [2-¹³C]acetate, respectively. The ¹³C NMR spectra of ¹³C-enriched artemisinin suggested that the mevalonic acid (MVA) pathway is the predominant route to biosynthesis of this sesquiterpene. On the other hand, the peak enrichment of five carbons of ¹³C-artemisinin including carbon atoms originating from methyls of dimethylallyl group of geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP) and farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) was observed from [1,6-¹³C₂]glucose. This suggested that GPP which is supposed to be biosynthesized in plastids travels from plastids to cytosol through the plastidial wall and combines with isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) to form the (E,E)-FPP which finally cyclizes and oxidizes to artemisinin. In this way the DXP pathway also contributes to the biosynthesis of this sesquiterpene.     

编者按：纪念青蒿素立体结构首报40周年

中国科学家屠呦呦因青蒿素的发现和抗疟新药的创制荣获了2015年度诺贝尔生理或医学奖,这是我国科学家首次获此殊荣,既是对屠呦呦本人以及整个青蒿素研究团队学术贡献的肯定,也是对我国科学事业发展成就的认可。近日,屠呦呦教授因青蒿素研究及其对国家科学发展的重大贡献荣获2016年度国家最高科学技术奖,在此我们表示诚挚的祝贺！ 在青蒿素发现到开发成药的过程中,其三维结构的测定是不可或缺的重要环节。1970年代,中国科学院生物物理研究所(下简称生物物理所)承接了523办公室下达的青蒿素分子结构测定任务,经过数年的艰苦努力,克服了科学、技术及设备的重重困难,于1975年11月30日,在全国523北京会议上首次展示了青蒿素的三维分子图像,随后起草了题为《一种新型倍半萜内酯——青蒿素》的论文。该论文于1977年以青蒿素结构研究协作组的名义发表于《科学通报》1977年第(3)期。这是关于青蒿素结构的首篇科学报道,也是青蒿素结构测定工作取得突破性进展的重要标志。此后,生物物理所青蒿素结构研究组又通过创新技术,引进新算法,进一步得到了青蒿素分子的精细结构和绝对构型,为青蒿素成药及后期的分子改进和新药创制奠定了重要的科学基础,开创了我国快速解析不含重原子晶体结构的方法。在当年既无高精度设备支撑,又无前人实践经验可循的困难情况下,能取得这样的成果,实属不易。其间展现的知难而进的勇气,善于创新的智慧,无私奉献的精神,值得我们铭记、学习和发扬。 值此青蒿素立体结构测定重要学术成果报道40周年之际,本刊特邀有关工作的亲历者梁丽教授和熟悉这一时期历史的结构生物学专家华庆新教授撰写了关于青蒿素结构测定工作的回顾性评述文章,集萃成辑,以飨读者。梁丽教授作为当年青蒿素结构研究组的主要成员,从亲历者的角度回顾了这项具有重要历史意义的工作的发端、展开、最终圆满完成的全过程。华庆新教授从学术角度阐述了青蒿素三维结构测定的重大意义以及测定方法的科学性。我们希望通过本专辑帮助广大读者了解青蒿素结构测定这一重要科学成果取得的历史,感悟其中蕴含的科学与人文精神,并藉此专辑的出版向青蒿素结构测定这一历史成就的取得致以贺忱,向当年参与这项工作的人员致敬,也向在那个相对艰苦的年代为国家科学技术发展默默奉献的全体科技工作者致敬！     

青蒿毛状根生长、青蒿素合成以及 营养物消耗的动力学

诱导产生的青蒿毛状根培养物置于MS培养基(含30 g/L蔗糖)进行悬浮培养,并对悬浮培养过程中毛状根生长、青蒿素合成、蔗糖、磷酸盐和不同氮源的消耗、pH和电导率的动力学过程进行分析。经30 d培养,生物量干重和青蒿素产量分别达到13.7 g/L和0.23 g/L,碳源和氮源在培养过程中被逐渐利用,而磷酸盐的利用速率最快,培养至15 d所有的磷酸盐均被吸收,pH在培养初期降低,后又逐渐上升,电导率由于毛状根生长对无机离子的吸收而逐渐减低。     

青蒿素对外生菌根真菌化感效应

青蒿素是治疗疟疾的首选药物,主要从黄花蒿(Artemisia annua L.)中提取,然而黄花蒿在生长过程中会向周围环境分泌青蒿素。为正确评估青蒿素对森林生态系统中的重要成分""外生菌根真菌的影响,试验以重庆地区有代表性的两株外生菌根真菌——褐环乳牛肝菌(Suillus luteus)Sl 8和松乳菇(Lactarius delicious)Ld 3为材料,研究了青蒿素对菌丝生长,H+和有机酸分泌,以及养分吸收的影响。结果表明,在液体培养基中加入青蒿素,外生菌根真菌的生长受到明显抑制,菌丝生物量降幅高达26.89%(Ld 3)和89.13%(Sl 8);Ld 3分泌H+和草酸的能力增强,而Sl 8分泌量下降。随着青蒿素浓度的增加,菌丝的N、P、K含量及吸收量显著减少。当培养基中青蒿素达到80 mg/L时,Ld 3的N、P、K吸收量比不加青蒿素的处理分别降低了50.55%、46.30%和42.28%;Sl 8几乎丧失对N、P、K的吸收能力。说明青蒿素不同程度地抑制了外生菌根真菌的生长和养分吸收,但对H+和草酸的分泌作用因菌株不同而异。     

Isolation and production of artemisinin and stigmasterol in hairy root cultures of Artemisia annua

Scaled-up hairy root culture of Artemisia annua L. was established in three-liter Erlenmeyer flask. Both artemisinin and stigmasterol that derive from the common precursors of isopentenyl diphosphate and farnesyl pyrophosphate were isolated from hairy roots. The production rate of artemisinin isolated by column chromatography from hairy root cultures was 0.54% (mg.gDW⁻¹). Stigmasterol was identified by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. The production of stigmasterol isolated by column chromatography from hairy root cultures was 108.3% (mg.gDW⁻¹). In hairy root cultures, the production rate of stigmasterol was estimated to be 201 times greater than that of artemisinin. Our results suggest that investigation of secondary metabolites may provide a new insight to study artemisinin production in hairy root cultures. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

From bark to weed: the history of artemisinin

In the 1970's, in China, some brilliant and courageous scientists carried out a research programme, which lead to the discovery of artemisinin derivatives and new quinoleines that are used today, in combination, as first line treatment of malaria.     

Quantification of artemisinin in Artemisia annua extracts by 1H-NMR

Artemisinin is a polycyclic sesquiterpene lactone that is highly effective against multidrug-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum, the etiological agent of the most severe form of malaria. Determination of artemisinin in the source plant, Artemisia annua, is a challenging problem since the compound is present in very low concentrations, is thermolabile and unstable, and lacks chromophoric or fluorophoric groups. The ain of this study was to develop a simple protocol for the quantification of artemisinin in a plant extract using an (1)H-NMR method. Samples were prepared by extraction of leaf material with acetone, treatment with activated charcoal to remove chlorophylls and removal of solvent. (1)H-NMR spectra were measured on samples dissolved in deuterochloroform with tert-butanol as internal standard. Quantification was carried out using the using the delta 5.864 signal of artemisinin and the delta 1.276 signal of tert-butanol. The method was optimised and fully validated against a reference standard of artemisinin. The results were compared with those obtained from the same samples quantified using an HPLC-refractive index (RI) method. The (1)H-NMR method gave a linear response for artemisinin within the range 9.85-97.99 mm (r(2) = 0.9968). Using the described method, yields of artemisinin in the range 0.77-1.06% were obtained from leaves of the A. annua hybrid CPQBA x POP, and these values were in agreement with those obtained using an HPLC-RI.     

青蒿倍半萜合酶(环化酶)研究进展

青蒿素是从中药青蒿中分离得到的抗疟有效单体,是含有过氧基团的新型倍半萜内酯化合物,是目前世界上最有效的疟疾治疗药物。青蒿素的生物合成途径属于类异戊二烯代谢途径中的倍半萜类分支途径,倍半萜合酶是该途径的关键酶之一,目前已从青蒿中克隆了多个倍半萜合酶基因。综述了青蒿中已克隆的几种倍半萜合酶基因的研究进展。     

Biosynthesis of astaxanthin in tobacco leaves by transplastomic engineering

The natural pigment astaxanthin has attracted much attention because of its beneficial effects on human health, despite its expensive market price. In order to produce astaxanthin, transgenic plants have so far been generated through conventional genetic engineering of Agrobacterium -mediated gene transfer. The results of trials have revealed that the method is far from practicable because of low yields, i.e. instead of astaxanthin, large quantities of the astaxanthin intermediates, including ketocarotenoids, accumulated in the transgenic plants. In the present study, we have overcome this problem, and have succeeded in producing more than 0.5% (dry weight) astaxanthin (more than 70% of total caroteniods) in tobacco leaves, which turns their green color to reddish brown, by expressing both genes encoding CrtW (β-carotene ketolase) and CrtZ (β-carotene hydroxylase) from a marine bacterium Brevundimonas sp., strain SD212, in the chloroplasts. Moreover, the total carotenoid content in the transplastomic tobacco plants was 2.1-fold higher than that of wild-type tobacco. The tobacco transformants also synthesized a novel carotenoid 4-ketoantheraxanthin. There was no significant difference in the size of the aerial part of the plant between the transformants and wild-type plants at the final stage of their growth. The photosynthesis rate of the transformants was also found to be similar to that of wild-type plants under ambient CO₂ concentrations of 1500 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ light intensity.     

线粒体通透性转移孔与青蒿素抗疟机制研究

目的:为增进对青蒿素作用机制的了解,探讨参与调节线粒体体积的线粒体通透性转移孔在青蒿素抗疟机制中的作用.方法:分离线粒体,采用分光光度法检测青蒿素能否直接作用于离体线粒体导致线粒体体积变化;利用等效应图分析线粒体通透性转移孔抑制剂是否拮抗青蒿素的抗疟作用.结果:青蒿素可以直接导致离体疟原虫线粒体肿胀,而不会影响鼠肝线粒体体积;两种不同的线粒体通透性转移孔抑制剂均可拮抗青蒿素的抑疟效果.结论:青蒿素可以直接作用于离体疟原虫线粒体导致线粒体肿胀,且青蒿素导致线粒体肿胀的物种选择性与细胞毒性的物种选择性一致.此外,利用抑制剂阻断线粒体通透性转移孔的开放可以拮抗青蒿素的抗疟效果,证明线粒体通透性转移孔在青蒿素抗疟过程中起重要作用.     

Improved growth of Artemisia annua L hairy roots and artemisinin production under red light conditions

Hairy root cultures of Artemisia annua L were cultivated for 30 days under either white, red, blue, yellow or green light. Red light at 660 nm gave the highest biomass of hairy roots (5.73 g dry wt cells l^–1 medium) and artemisinin content (31 mg arteminsinin g^–1 dry cells) which were, respectively, 17% and 67% higher than those obtained under white light.