Dataset Information

Industrial robustness: understanding the mechanism of tolerance for the Populus hydrolysate-tolerant mutant strain of Clostridium thermocellum.

ABSTRACT:

Background

An industrially robust microorganism that can efficiently degrade and convert lignocellulosic biomass into ethanol and next-generation fuels is required to economically produce future sustainable liquid transportation fuels. The anaerobic, thermophilic, cellulolytic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum is a candidate microorganism for such conversions but it, like many bacteria, is sensitive to potential toxic inhibitors developed in the liquid hydrolysate produced during biomass processing. Microbial processes leading to tolerance of these inhibitory compounds found in the pretreated biomass hydrolysate are likely complex and involve multiple genes.

Methodology/principal findings

In this study, we developed a 17.5% v/v Populus hydrolysate tolerant mutant strain of C. thermocellum by directed evolution. The genome of the wild type strain, six intermediate population samples and seven single colony isolates were sequenced to elucidate the mechanism of tolerance. Analysis of the 224 putative mutations revealed 73 high confidence mutations. A longitudinal analysis of the intermediate population samples, a pan-genomic analysis of the isolates, and a hotspot analysis revealed 24 core genes common to all seven isolates and 8 hotspots. Genetic mutations were matched with the observed phenotype through comparison of RNA expression levels during fermentation by the wild type strain and mutant isolate 6 in various concentrations of Populus hydrolysate (0%, 10%, and 17.5% v/v).

Conclusion/significance

The findings suggest that there are multiple mutations responsible for the Populus hydrolysate tolerant phenotype resulting in several simultaneous mechanisms of action, including increases in cellular repair, and altered energy metabolism. To date, this study provides the most comprehensive elucidation of the mechanism of tolerance to a pretreated biomass hydrolysate by C. thermocellum. These findings make important contributions to the development of industrially robust strains of consolidated bioprocessing microorganisms.

SUBMITTER: Linville JL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3804516 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Industrial robustness: understanding the mechanism of tolerance for the Populus hydrolysate-tolerant mutant strain of Clostridium thermocellum.

Linville Jessica L JL Rodriguez Miguel M Land Miriam M Syed Mustafa H MH Engle Nancy L NL Tschaplinski Timothy J TJ Mielenz Jonathan R JR Cox Chris D CD

PloS one 20131021 10

<h4>Background</h4>An industrially robust microorganism that can efficiently degrade and convert lignocellulosic biomass into ethanol and next-generation fuels is required to economically produce future sustainable liquid transportation fuels. The anaerobic, thermophilic, cellulolytic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum is a candidate microorganism for such conversions but it, like many bacteria, is sensitive to potential toxic inhibitors developed in the liquid hydrolysate produced during biomas ...[more]

PMID: 24205326

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Project description:BACKGROUND: The thermophilic, anaerobic bacterium, Clostridium thermocellum is a model organism for consolidated processing due to its efficient fermentation of cellulose. Constituents of dilute acid pretreatment hydrolysate are known to inhibit C. thermocellum and other microorganisms. To evaluate the biological impact of this type of hydrolysate, a transcriptomic analysis of growth in hydrolysate-containing medium was conducted on 17.5% v/v Populus hydrolysate-tolerant mutant (PM) and wild type (WT) strains of C. thermocellum. RESULTS: In two levels of Populus hydrolysate medium (0% and 10% v/v), the PM showed both gene specific increases and decreases of gene expression compared to the wild-type strain. The PM had increased expression of genes in energy production and conversion, and amino acid transport and metabolism in both standard and 10% v/v Populus hydrolysate media. In particular, expression of the histidine metabolism increased up to 100 fold. In contrast, the PM decreased gene expression in cell division and sporulation (standard medium only), cell defense mechanisms, cell envelope, cell motility, and cellulosome in both media. The PM downregulated inorganic ion transport and metabolism in standard medium but upregulated it in the hydrolysate media when compared to the WT. The WT differentially expressed 1072 genes in response to the hydrolysate medium which included increased transcription of cell defense mechanisms, cell motility, and cellulosome, and decreased expression in cell envelope, amino acid transport and metabolism, inorganic ion transport and metabolism, and lipid metabolism, while the PM only differentially expressed 92 genes. The PM tolerates up to 17.5% v/v Populus hydrolysate and growth in it elicited 489 genes with differential expression, which included increased expression in energy production and conversion, cellulosome production, and inorganic ion transport and metabolism and decreased expression in transcription and cell defense mechanisms. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the mechanisms of tolerance for the Populus hydrolysate-tolerant mutant strain of C. thermocellum are based on increased cellular efficiency caused apparently by downregulation of non-critical genes and increasing the expression of genes in energy production and conversion rather than tolerance to specific hydrolysate components. The wild type, conversely, responds to hydrolysate media by down-regulating growth genes and up-regulating stress response genes.

Project description:Clostridium thermocellum is a candidate for cellulosic ethanol production. It expresses enzymes for both cellulose solubilization and its fermentation to produce lignocellulosic ethanol. Understanding how this organism regulates gene expression is of importance for developing a better fundamental understanding of this industrial relevant bacterium. We are primarily interested in gene regulation by three predicted LacI regulators. A previous report of one LacI regulator in C. thermocellum ATCC27405 (Cthe_2808) indicated this was a transcriptional repressor of neighboring genes with repressor activity relieved in the presence of laminaribiose (a β-1,3 disaccharide). The current work is aimed at understanding if a homolog of this LacI transcriptional regulator in C. thermocellum DSM1313 and two others putatively characterized as LacI regulators are in fact global regulatory proteins with extensive regulons or, if like the majority of LacI transcription factors, the regulation is limited to local genomic regions. Each of the three LacI regulators was deleted in C. thermocellum DSM1313. Genome re-sequencing was used to confirm the deletion and ensure nonspecific recombination events were avoided during the gene deletion strategy. Growth of each strain on cellobiose was unaffected by any of the gene deletions under pH controlled fermentations. Global gene expression patterns taken at mid-log phase for each strain identified glycoside hydrolase genes encoding hemicellulases, including cellulosomal enzymes, that were highly up-regulated (up to 9 fold) in the absence of each LacI regulator. Thus suggesting these were repressed under wild type conditions. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays have confirmed LacI transcription factor binding to specific regions of gene promoters with putative motifs ranging from 16-18 bp. Work is ongoing to confirm the specific binding motif recognized by the two previously un-characterized transcription factors and assess the occurrence of this motif in the C. thermocellum DSM1313 genome. The identification of LacI repressor activity on hemicellulose gene expression is a key result of this work and will add to the small body of existing literature on the area of gene regulation in C. thermocellum.

Project description:BACKGROUND:The thermophilic anaerobe Clostridium thermocellum is a candidate consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) biocatalyst for cellulosic ethanol production. The aim of this study was to investigate C. thermocellum genes required to ferment biomass substrates and to conduct a robust comparison of DNA microarray and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analytical platforms. RESULTS:C. thermocellum ATCC 27405 fermentations were conducted with a 5 g/L solid substrate loading of either pretreated switchgrass or Populus. Quantitative saccharification and inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP-ES) for elemental analysis revealed composition differences between biomass substrates, which may have influenced growth and transcriptomic profiles. High quality RNA was prepared for C. thermocellum grown on solid substrates and transcriptome profiles were obtained for two time points during active growth (12 hours and 37 hours postinoculation). A comparison of two transcriptomic analytical techniques, microarray and RNA-seq, was performed and the data analyzed for statistical significance. Large expression differences for cellulosomal genes were not observed. We updated gene predictions for the strain and a small novel gene, Cthe_3383, with a putative AgrD peptide quorum sensing function was among the most highly expressed genes. RNA-seq data also supported different small regulatory RNA predictions over others. The DNA microarray gave a greater number (2,351) of significant genes relative to RNA-seq (280 genes when normalized by the kernel density mean of M component (KDMM) method) in an analysis of variance (ANOVA) testing method with a 5% false discovery rate (FDR). When a 2-fold difference in expression threshold was applied, 73 genes were significantly differentially expressed in common between the two techniques. Sulfate and phosphate uptake/utilization genes, along with genes for a putative efflux pump system were some of the most differentially regulated transcripts when profiles for C. thermocellum grown on either pretreated switchgrass or Populus were compared. CONCLUSIONS:Our results suggest that a high degree of agreement in differential gene expression measurements between transcriptomic platforms is possible, but choosing an appropriate normalization regime is essential.

Dataset Information

Industrial robustness: understanding the mechanism of tolerance for the Populus hydrolysate-tolerant mutant strain of Clostridium thermocellum.

Background

Methodology/principal findings

Conclusion/significance

Publications

Industrial robustness: understanding the mechanism of tolerance for the Populus hydrolysate-tolerant mutant strain of Clostridium thermocellum.

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