Biosynthesis of Yersiniabactin, a complex polyketide-nonribosomal peptide, using Escherichia coli as a heterologous host

The medicinal value associated with complex polyketide and nonribosomal peptide natural products has prompted biosynthetic schemes dependent upon heterologous microbial hosts. Here we report the successful biosynthesis of yersiniabactin (Ybt), a model polyketide-nonribosomal peptide hybrid natural product, using Escherichia coli as a heterologous host. After introducing the biochemical pathway for Ybt into E. coli, biosynthesis was initially monitored qualitatively by mass spectrometry. Next, production of Ybt was quantified in a high-cell-density fermentation environment with titers reaching 67 +/- 21 (mean +/- standard deviation) mg/liter and a volumetric productivity of 1.1 +/- 0.3 mg/liter-h. This success has implications for basic and applied studies on Ybt biosynthesis and also, more generally, for future production of polyketide, nonribosomal peptide, and mixed polyketide-nonribosomal peptide natural products using E. coli.     

Genome-Wide Screening and Identification of Factors Affecting the Biosynthesis of Prodigiosin by Hahella chejuensis,Using Escherichia coli as a Surrogate Host

A marine bacterium, Hahella chejuensis, recently has attracted attention due to its lytic activity against a red-tide dinoflagellate. The algicidal function originates from its red pigment, prodigiosin, which also exhibits immunosuppressive or anticancer activity. Genome sequencing and functional analysis revealed a gene set contained in the hap gene cluster that is responsible for the biosynthesis of prodigiosin. To screen for the factors affecting the prodigiosin biosynthesis, we constructed a plasmid library of the H. chejuensis genomic DNA, introduced it into Escherichia coli strains harboring the hap cluster, and observed changes in production of the red pigment. Among the screened clones, hapXY genes whose products constitute a two-component signal transduction system were elucidated as positive regulators of the pigment production. In addition, an Hfq-dependent, noncoding region located at one end of the hap cluster was confirmed to play roles in regulation. Identification of factors involved in the regulation of prodigiosin biosynthesis should help in understanding how the prodigiosin-biosynthetic pathway is organized and controlled and also aid in modulating the overexpression of prodigiosin in a heterologous host, such as E. coli, or in the natural producer, H. chejuensis.Harmful algal blooms (HABs), commonly called red tide, are a phenomenon in which toxin-producing marine algae rapidly proliferate in the offshore area. The HAB-causing phytoplanktons are reported to interact with other organisms such as bacteria and fungi. Among them, the marine bacteria are known to play important roles in decreasing or developing HABs (3, 5, 14). For instance, Hahella chejuensis, isolated from the coastal area of Marado in South Korea (15), is capable of killing Cochlodinium polykrikoides (12). C. polykrikoides is a major microalga that causes HABs, especially in the Northeast Pacific coastal area (8). The bacterial determinant that kills C. polykrikoides was further characterized as a red pigment referred to as prodigiosin (12). Prodigiosin belongs to a family of tripyrrole antibiotic molecules called prodiginines, which have potential as anticancer agents or immunosuppressants (24). The prodigiosin congener isolated from H. chejuensis also exerts an immunosuppressive effect (11).Through completed genome sequencing of H. chejuensis and its functional analysis, the genomic region involved in biosynthesis of prodigiosin was elucidated (12). This complete set of prodigiosin-biosynthetic genes was named the hap gene cluster. The red pigment prodigiosin was further characterized structurally, and the biosynthetic pathway was proposed by Kim and colleagues (13, 14). Genes of the hap cluster share homology with those in the pig cluster and the red cluster which are involved in prodiginine-biosynthetic intermediates of Serratia marcescens and Streptomyces coelicolor, respectively (7, 23, 25). Enzymes encoded by the genes in the pig and red clusters have been characterized (24). However, gene expression of the hap cluster can be tightly controlled, based on the observation that heterologous expression of the hap cluster alone failed to produce the pigment in Escherichia coli. The recombinant E. coli was able to produce the pigment only when the culture filtrate of H. chejuensis was added to the growth media (12). This result indicates that another regulatory cue is needed for prodigiosin biosynthesis, which prompted us to search for regulatory factors that modulate prodigiosin biosynthesis in H. chejuensis.In this study, regulatory factors for biosynthesis of prodigiosin in H. chejuensis were identified by functional screening. To search for such factors, a plasmid library derived from the genomic DNA of H. chejuensis was constructed and transformed into E. coli strains carrying the hap cluster. In the cases of Serratia marcescens and Streptomyces coelicolor, molecular inputs, such as cell-produced quorum-sensing signal molecules or two-component systems (TCSs) for signal transduction, have been verified as key regulatory signals for prodigiosin biosynthesis so far (4, 9, 10, 20-22). Similarly, some clones of interest uncovered in this study include molecular factors such as those that belong to the TCS. Also, we elucidated that an apparently noncoding region in the hap cluster functions as a key factor of prodigiosin biosynthesis.     

PQR转运体基因赋予大肠杆菌BL21百草枯抗性

前期研究中成功地分离了2个对百草枯具有高度抗性的土壤细菌SPQ03和SPQ14.本研究从这两个菌分别克隆了基因PnPQR和OaPQR,二者ORF全长均为1 233 bp,编码410个氨基酸残基,含有11个跨膜区(TMS),属于非典型的主要易化超家族(major facilitator superfamily, MFS).立体结构分析表明,蛋白的N端和C端分别由5个和6个由α-螺旋组成的跨膜区.只有P151L和P154V两个氨基酸不同.将两个基因在大肠杆菌BL21菌株中异源表达,能提高大肠杆菌对百草枯的抗性,但不能提高其对过氧化氢的抗性.     

大肠杆菌异源合成三萜化合物研究进展和前景分析

三萜化合物具有可观的药用价值和经济价值,但是目前的生产过程复杂、产量低,利用微生物异源合成三萜化合物已成为当前研究趋势,大肠杆菌作为常用萜类合成底盘细胞具有异源合成三萜化合物及其前体的天然优势和研究前景。对三萜化合物微生物异源合成研究进展进行了综述,从三萜化合物合成代谢途径、关键酶的特点及大肠杆菌三萜表达模块和底盘细胞适配三个方面对该途径进行了阐述和分析,针对实现大肠杆菌高效合成三萜类化合物所需要解决的基础问题进行讨论,为扩展大肠杆菌作为三萜化合物合成底盘细胞提供建议和前景分析。     

利用Red重组工程技术解决外源基因在大肠杆菌染色体lac操纵子中的表达

为了应用Red重组工程技术实现外源基因在大肠杆菌染色体上的表达, 寻找染色体上外源蛋白的稳定高效表达位点, 使用Red重组工程系统和kan/sacB无痕迹修饰技术, 将易于定量分析的荧光素酶报告基因替换DY330染色体lac操纵子中的lacZ基因。检测该位点的表达效率结果显示: 大肠杆菌染色体上lac操纵子能够高效稳定表达外源基因, 初步证明了染色体可以作为外源蛋白或抗原的表达载体, 不会影响细菌的生长繁殖。     

利用Red重组工程技术解决外源基因在大肠杆菌染色体lac操纵子中的表达

为了应用Red重组工程技术实现外源基因在大肠杆菌染色体上的表达, 寻找染色体上外源蛋白的稳定高效表达位点, 使用Red重组工程系统和kan/sacB无痕迹修饰技术, 将易于定量分析的荧光素酶报告基因替换DY330染色体lac操纵子中的lacZ基因。检测该位点的表达效率结果显示: 大肠杆菌染色体上lac操纵子能够高效稳定表达外源基因, 初步证明了染色体可以作为外源蛋白或抗原的表达载体, 不会影响细菌的生长繁殖。     

Selection Dynamic of Escherichia coli Host in M13 Combinatorial Peptide Phage Display Libraries

Phage display relies on an iterative cycle of selection and amplification of random combinatorial libraries to enrich the initial population of those peptides that satisfy a priori chosen criteria. The effectiveness of any phage display protocol depends directly on library amino acid sequence diversity and the strength of the selection procedure. In this study we monitored the dynamics of the selective pressure exerted by the host organism on a random peptide library in the absence of any additional selection pressure. The results indicate that sequence censorship exerted by Escherichia coli dramatically reduces library diversity and can significantly impair phage display effectiveness.     

Development of a Biofilm Production-Deficient Escherichia coli Strain as a Host for Biotechnological Applications

Bacteria form biofilms by adhering to biotic or abiotic surfaces. This phenomenon causes several problems, including a reduction in the transport of mass and heat, an increase in resistance to antibiotics, and a shortening of the lifetimes of modules in bioindustrial fermentors. To overcome these difficulties, we created a biofilm production-deficient Escherichia coli strain, BD123, by deleting genes involved in curli biosynthesis and assembly, Δ(csgG-csgC); colanic acid biosynthesis and assembly, Δ(wcaL-wza); and type I pilus biosynthesis, Δ(fimB-fimH). E. coli BD123 remained mostly in the form of planktonic cells under the conditions tested and became more sensitive to the antibiotics streptomycin and rifampin than the wild-type E. coli MG1655: the growth of BD123 was inhibited by one-fourth of the concentrations needed to inhibit MG1655. In addition, the transformation efficiency of BD123 was about 20 times higher than that of MG1655, and the production and secretion of recombinant proteins were ~16% and ~25% greater, respectively, with BD123 than with MG1655. These results indicate that the newly created biofilm production-deficient strain of E. coli displays several key properties that substantially enhance its utility in the biotechnology arena.     

Yersiniabactin production by Pseudomonas syringae and Escherichia coli, and description of a second yersiniabactin locus evolutionary group

The siderophore and virulence factor yersiniabactin is produced by Pseudomonas syringae. Yersiniabactin was originally detected by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC); commonly used PCR tests proved ineffective. Yersiniabactin production in P. syringae correlated with the possession of irp1 located in a predicted yersiniabactin locus. Three similarly divergent yersiniabactin locus groups were determined: the Yersinia pestis group, the P. syringae group, and the Photorhabdus luminescens group; yersiniabactin locus organization is similar in P. syringae and P. luminescens. In P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000, the locus has a high GC content (63.4% compared with 58.4% for the chromosome and 60.1% and 60.7% for adjacent regions) but it lacks high-pathogenicity-island features, such as the insertion in a tRNA locus, the integrase, and insertion sequence elements. In P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000 and pv. phaseolicola 1448A, the locus lies between homologues of Psyr_2284 and Psyr_2285 of P. syringae pv. syringae B728a, which lacks the locus. Among tested pseudomonads, a PCR test specific to two yersiniabactin locus groups detected a locus in genospecies 3, 7, and 8 of P. syringae, and DNA hybridization within P. syringae also detected a locus in the pathovars phaseolicola and glycinea. The PCR and HPLC methods enabled analysis of nonpathogenic Escherichia coli. HPLC-proven yersiniabactin-producing E. coli lacked modifications found in irp1 and irp2 in the human pathogen CFT073, and it is not clear whether CFT073 produces yersiniabactin. The study provides clues about the evolution and dispersion of yersiniabactin genes. It describes methods to detect and study yersiniabactin producers, even where genes have evolved.     

High-Level Heterologous Production of d-Cycloserine by Escherichia coli

Previously, we successfully cloned a d-cycloserine (d-CS) biosynthetic gene cluster consisting of 10 open reading frames (designated dcsA to dcsJ) from d-CS-producing Streptomyces lavendulae ATCC 11924. In this study, we put four d-CS biosynthetic genes (dcsC, dcsD, dcsE, and dcsG) in tandem under the control of the T7 promoter in an Escherichia coli host. SDS-PAGE analysis demonstrated that the 4 gene products were simultaneously expressed in host cells. When l-serine and hydroxyurea (HU), the precursors of d-CS, were incubated together with the E. coli resting cell suspension, the cells produced significant amounts of d-CS (350 ± 20 μM). To increase the productivity of d-CS, the dcsJ gene, which might be responsible for the d-CS excretion, was connected downstream of the four genes. The E. coli resting cells harboring the five genes produced d-CS at 660 ± 31 μM. The dcsD gene product, DcsD, forms O-ureido-l-serine from O-acetyl-l-serine (OAS) and HU, which are intermediates in d-CS biosynthesis. DcsD also catalyzes the formation of l-cysteine from OAS and H₂S. To repress the side catalytic activity of DcsD, the E. coli chromosomal cysJ and cysK genes, encoding the sulfite reductase α subunit and OAS sulfhydrylase, respectively, were disrupted. When resting cells of the double-knockout mutant harboring the four d-CS biosynthetic genes, together with dcsJ, were incubated with l-serine and HU, the d-CS production was 980 ± 57 μM, which is comparable to that of d-CS-producing S. lavendulae ATCC 11924 (930 ± 36 μM).     

真菌细胞色素P450在大肠杆菌中的表达

【背景】真菌细胞色素P450蛋白在大肠杆菌中表达水平低甚至不表达,近期研究发现通过对该类蛋白氨基端(N端)氨基酸序列的修饰可优化其表达水平。【目的】在大肠杆菌系统中表达预测功能为P450酶的焦曲霉094102菌株的Au8002蛋白,为真菌P450蛋白在大肠杆菌表达系统中的N端氨基酸序列修饰策略提供有效依据。【方法】对野生型P450蛋白Au8002的氨基酸序列进行分析,对其N端序列进行了3种序列修饰,并在诱导蛋白表达时添加P450生物合成前体5-氨基乙酰丙酸(5-ALA),研究N端氨基酸序列修饰策略及前体添加对真菌P450在大肠杆菌中蛋白表达的影响。【结果】SDS-PAGE和Westernblot检测结果显示,对目的蛋白进行的3种氨基酸序列修饰均使Au8002蛋白获得了表达,前体5-ALA的添加提高了目的蛋白表达量。其中对目的蛋白进行N端全长截短时可部分增加其可溶性,同时也验证了其特征性的CO结合能力。【结论】对预测为P450酶的菌株094102蛋白Au8002氨基端(N端)氨基酸序列的修饰有效解决了其在大肠杆菌内不表达的难题,实现了其可溶性表达;另一方面P450生物合成前体5-ALA的添加也能有效提高该类蛋白的表达水平,上述策略对改善其它该类蛋白在大肠杆菌内的表达水平具有借鉴意义。     

Biosynthesis of somatotropin in a recombinant strain of Escherichia coli

A recombinant Escherichia coli K-12 strain was grown in the regime of chemostat with glucose limitation at a different flow rate and in the regime of turbidostat. The stability of its population and the dynamics of somatotropin biosynthesis were studied. The plasmid-containing strain became less stable as the flow rate in the fermenter dropped down, which was due, apparently, to a greater limitation. The level of somatotropin biosynthesis was higher at a low dilution rate (D = 0.075, 0.17 and 0.34 h-1). Possible factors responsible for this phenomenon are discussed.     

Biosynthesis of 4-Aminobenzoate in Escherichia coli

Two different mutations (pabA and pabB) affecting 4-aminobenzoate biosynthesis were obtained in strains of Escherichia coli lacking chorismate mutase and anthranilate synthetase activity, thus allowing study of the pathway of biosynthesis of 4-aminobenzoate by use of cell extracts of strains carrying the pab mutations. Two components with approximate molecular weights of 9,000 (component A) and 48,000 (component B) are concerned in the biosynthesis of 4-aminobenzoate from chorismate by E. coli. No diffusible intermediate compound could be detected.