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Construction of Escherichia coli strains with chromosomally integrated expression cassettes for the synthesis of 2'-fucosyllactose.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The trisaccharide 2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL) is one of the most abundant oligosaccharides found in human milk. Due to its prebiotic and anti-infective properties, 2'-FL is discussed as nutritional additive for infant formula. Besides chemical synthesis and extraction from human milk, 2'-FL can be produced enzymatically in vitro and in vivo. The most promising approach for a large-scale formation of 2'-FL is the whole cell biosynthesis in Escherichia coli by intracellular synthesis of GDP-L-fucose and subsequent fucosylation of lactose with an appropriate ?1,2-fucosyltransferase. Even though whole cell approaches have been demonstrated for the synthesis of 2'-FL, further improvements of the engineered E. coli host are required to increase product yields. Furthermore, an antibiotic-free method of whole cell synthesis of 2'-FL is desirable to simplify product purification and to avoid traces of antibiotics in a product with nutritional purpose. RESULTS: Here we report the construction of the first selection marker-free E. coli strain that produces 2'-FL from lactose and glycerol. To construct this strain, recombinant genes of the de novo synthesis pathway for GDP-L-fucose as well as the gene for the H. pylori fucosyltransferase futC were integrated into the chromosome of E. coli JM109 by using the ?-Red recombineering technique. Strains carrying additional copies of the futC gene and/or the gene fkp (from Bacteroides fragilis) for an additional salvage pathway for GDP-L-fucose production were used and shown to further improve production of 2'-FL in shake flask experiments. An increase of the intracellular GDP-L-fucose concentration by expression of fkp gene as well as an additional copy of the futC gene lead to an enhanced formation of 2'-FL. Using an improved production strain, feasibility of large scale 2'-FL production was demonstrated in an antibiotic-free fed-batch fermentation (13 l) with a final 2'-FL concentration of 20.28 ± 0.83 g l(-1) and a space-time-yield of 0.57 g l(-1) h(-1). CONCLUSIONS: By chromosomal integration of recombinant genes, altering the copy number of these genes and analysis of 2'-FL and intracellular GDP-L-fucose levels, we were able to construct and improve the first selection marker-free E. coli strain which is capable to produce 2'-FL without the use of expression plasmids. Analysis of intracellular GDP-L-fucose levels identified the de novo synthesis pathway of GDP-L-fucose as one bottleneck in 2'-FL production. In antibiotic-free fed-batch fermentation with an improved strain, scale-up of 2'-FL could be demonstrated.

SUBMITTER: Baumgartner F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3655002 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Construction of Escherichia coli strains with chromosomally integrated expression cassettes for the synthesis of 2'-fucosyllactose.

Baumgärtner Florian F Seitz Lyudmila L Sprenger Georg A GA Albermann Christoph C

Microbial cell factories 20130501

<h4>Background</h4>The trisaccharide 2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL) is one of the most abundant oligosaccharides found in human milk. Due to its prebiotic and anti-infective properties, 2'-FL is discussed as nutritional additive for infant formula. Besides chemical synthesis and extraction from human milk, 2'-FL can be produced enzymatically in vitro and in vivo. The most promising approach for a large-scale formation of 2'-FL is the whole cell biosynthesis in Escherichia coli by intracellular synthe ...[more]

PMID: 23635327

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Project description:Epidemiological surveys have shown that carbapenem resistance is mainly transmitted across species by carbapenemase genes located on conjugative plasmids. As chromosomal integration of carbapenemase genes has rarely been identified, only a few studies have investigated their advantages to the carbapenem-resistant bacterial community. Here, we confirmed the increased stability of blaIMP-6 on a chromosome-integrated plasmid in an Escherichia coli isolate compared with that on original plasmids in the absence of antibiotic pressure. Although plasmids carrying carbapenemase genes are supposedly lost in successive generations, we found that the complete plasmid backbone was retained in bacterial cells even after the occasional loss of their antibiotic-resistance cassettes. This backbone structure has been observed worldwide to carry various antimicrobial resistance genes. Although the chromosomally integrated plasmid carrying blaIMP-6 could not be transmitted by conjugation, we found that meropenem treatment for 1 wk allowed the plasmid to be released from the chromosome and spread among E. coli strains that were susceptible to meropenem. The copy number of blaIMP-6 on the plasmid was amplified eight times, resulting in enhanced resistance. Although the carbapenemase producers that carry chromosomal carbapenemase genes comprised of small subpopulations, they functioned as stable, long-term reservoirs of carbapenem resistance that could be disseminated via plasmids with amplified resistance upon meropenem stimulation. Although plasmids occasionally lose their resistance cassettes as a scaffold for the acquisition of another resistance gene, chromosomal integration may contribute to the effective sharing of carbapenem resistance within a population, complicating the development of a strategy to avoid the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. IMPORTANCE Although carbapenem antibiotics are the last resort for combating multidrug-resistant organisms, global dissemination of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) threatens public health. Carbapenemases, which are enzymes responsible for carbapenem resistance, are mainly encoded by genes on plasmids that can be transmitted across bacterial species. Owing to the rarity of chromosomally encoded carbapenemase genes, studies investigating their properties in bacterial communities are lacking. In our study, we revealed the stability of carbapenemase genes on chromosomes compared with those on plasmids, which can be lost through the loss of antimicrobial resistance cassettes despite robust retention of plasmid backbones. Following exposure to meropenem, the carbapenemase gene integrated into the chromosome was released as a plasmid, restarting the dissemination of enhanced carbapenem resistance through amplified copy numbers of carbapenemase genes. Chromosomally encoded carbapenemase genes may function as a reservoir of resistance genes within the bacterial community and challenge infection control against CRE dissemination.

Dataset Information

Construction of Escherichia coli strains with chromosomally integrated expression cassettes for the synthesis of 2'-fucosyllactose.

Publications

Construction of Escherichia coli strains with chromosomally integrated expression cassettes for the synthesis of 2'-fucosyllactose.

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