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Whole-genome microarray and gene deletion studies reveal regulation of the polyhydroxyalkanoate production cycle by the stringent response in Ralstonia eutropha H16.

ABSTRACT: Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) production and mobilization in Ralstonia eutropha are well studied, but in only a few instances has PHB production been explored in relation to other cellular processes. We examined the global gene expression of wild-type R. eutropha throughout the PHB cycle: growth on fructose, PHB production using fructose following ammonium depletion, and PHB utilization in the absence of exogenous carbon after ammonium was resupplied. Our results confirm or lend support to previously reported results regarding the expression of PHB-related genes and enzymes. Additionally, genes for many different cellular processes, such as DNA replication, cell division, and translation, are selectively repressed during PHB production. In contrast, the expression levels of genes under the control of the alternative sigma factor ?(54) increase sharply during PHB production and are repressed again during PHB utilization. Global gene regulation during PHB production is strongly reminiscent of the gene expression pattern observed during the stringent response in other species. Furthermore, a ppGpp synthase deletion mutant did not show an accumulation of PHB, and the chemical induction of the stringent response with DL-norvaline caused an increased accumulation of PHB in the presence of ammonium. These results indicate that the stringent response is required for PHB accumulation in R. eutropha, helping to elucidate a thus-far-unknown physiological basis for this process.

SUBMITTER: Brigham CJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3485964 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Whole-genome microarray and gene deletion studies reveal regulation of the polyhydroxyalkanoate production cycle by the stringent response in Ralstonia eutropha H16.

Brigham Christopher J CJ Speth Daan R DR Rha ChoKyun C Sinskey Anthony J AJ

Applied and environmental microbiology 20120907 22

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) production and mobilization in Ralstonia eutropha are well studied, but in only a few instances has PHB production been explored in relation to other cellular processes. We examined the global gene expression of wild-type R. eutropha throughout the PHB cycle: growth on fructose, PHB production using fructose following ammonium depletion, and PHB utilization in the absence of exogenous carbon after ammonium was resupplied. Our results confirm or lend support to previ ...[more]

PMID: 22961894

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Project description:BackgroundRalstonia eutropha H16, found in both soil and water, is a Gram-negative lithoautotrophic bacterium that can utillize CO2 and H2 as its sources of carbon and energy in the absence of organic substrates. R. eutropha H16 can reach high cell densities either under lithoautotrophic or heterotrophic conditions, which makes it suitable for a number of biotechnological applications. It is the best known and most promising producer of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) from various carbon substrates and is an environmentally important bacterium that can degrade aromatic compounds. In order to make R. eutropha H16 a more efficient and robust biofactory, system-wide metabolic engineering to improve its metabolic performance is essential. Thus, it is necessary to analyze its metabolic characteristics systematically and optimize the entire metabolic network at systems level.ResultsWe present the lithoautotrophic genome-scale metabolic model of R. eutropha H16 based on the annotated genome with biochemical and physiological information. The stoichiometic model, RehMBEL1391, is composed of 1391 reactions including 229 transport reactions and 1171 metabolites. Constraints-based flux analyses were performed to refine and validate the genome-scale metabolic model under environmental and genetic perturbations. First, the lithoautotrophic growth characteristics of R. eutropha H16 were investigated under varying feeding ratios of gas mixture. Second, the genome-scale metabolic model was used to design the strategies for the production of poly[R-(-)-3hydroxybutyrate] (PHB) under different pH values and carbon/nitrogen source uptake ratios. It was also used to analyze the metabolic characteristics of R. eutropha when the phosphofructokinase gene was expressed. Finally, in silico gene knockout simulations were performed to identify targets for metabolic engineering essential for the production of 2-methylcitric acid in R. eutropha H16.ConclusionThe genome-scale metabolic model, RehMBEL1391, successfully represented metabolic characteristics of R. eutropha H16 at systems level. The reconstructed genome-scale metabolic model can be employed as an useful tool for understanding its metabolic capabilities, predicting its physiological consequences in response to various environmental and genetic changes, and developing strategies for systems metabolic engineering to improve its metabolic performance.

Project description:beta-Ketothiolases catalyze the first step of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [poly(3HB)] synthesis in bacteria by condensing two molecules of acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) to acetoacetyl-CoA. Analyses of the genome sequence of Ralstonia eutropha H16 revealed 15 isoenzymes of PhaA in this bacterium. In this study, we generated knockout mutants of various phaA homologues to investigate their role in and contributions to poly(3HB) metabolism and to suppress biosynthesis of 3HB-CoA for obtaining enhanced molar 3-mercaptopriopionate (3MP) contents in poly(3HB-co-3MP) copolymers when cells were grown on gluconate plus 3-mercaptopropionate or 3,3'-dithiodipropionate. In silico sequence analysis of PhaA homologues, transcriptome data, and other aspects recommended the homologues phaA, bktB, H16_A1713/H16_B1771, H16_A1528, H16_B1369, H16_B0381, and H16_A0170 for further analysis. Single- and multiple-deletion mutants were generated to investigate the influence of these beta-ketothiolases on growth and polymer accumulation. The deletion of single genes resulted in no significant differences from the wild type regarding growth and polymer accumulation during cultivation on gluconate or gluconate plus 3MP. Deletion of phaA plus bktB (H16Delta2 mutant) resulted in approximately 30% less polymer accumulation than in the wild type. Deletion of H16_A1713/H16_B1771, H16_A1528, H16_B0381, and H16_B1369 in addition to phaA and bktB gave no differences in comparison to the H16Delta2 mutant. In contrast, deletion of H16_A0170 additionally to phaA and bktB yielded a mutant which accumulated about 30% poly(3HB) (wt/wt of the cell dry weight [CDW]). Although we were not able to suppress poly(3HB) biosynthesis completely, the copolymer compositions could be altered significantly with a lowered percentage ratio of 3HB constituents (from 85 to 52 mol%) and an increased percentage ratio of 3MP constituents (from 15 to 48 mol%), respectively. In this study, we demonstrated that PhaA, BktB, and H16_A0170 are majorly involved in poly(3HB) synthesis in R. eutropha H16. A fourth beta-ketothiolase or a combination of several of the other beta-ketothiolases contributed to a maximum of only 30% (wt/wt of CDW) of the remaining (co)polymer.

Dataset Information

Whole-genome microarray and gene deletion studies reveal regulation of the polyhydroxyalkanoate production cycle by the stringent response in Ralstonia eutropha H16.

Publications

Whole-genome microarray and gene deletion studies reveal regulation of the polyhydroxyalkanoate production cycle by the stringent response in Ralstonia eutropha H16.

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