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Production of squalene in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

ABSTRACT: In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the research and development of sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. Using photosynthetic microorganisms to produce such alternatives is advantageous, since they can achieve direct conversion of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the desired product, using sunlight as the energy source. Squalene is a naturally occurring 30-carbon isoprenoid, which has commercial use in cosmetics and in vaccines. If it could be produced sustainably on a large scale, it could also be used instead of petroleum as a raw material for fuels and as feedstock for the chemical industry. The unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC 6803 possesses a gene, slr2089, predicted to encode squalene hopene cyclase (Shc), an enzyme converting squalene into hopene, the substrate for forming hopanoids. Through inactivation of slr2089 (shc), we explored the possibility to produce squalene using cyanobacteria. The inactivation led to accumulation of squalene, to a level over 70 times higher than in wild type cells, reaching 0.67 mg OD750(-1) L(-1). We did not observe any significant growth deficiency in the ?shc strain compared to the wild type Synechocystis, even at high light conditions, suggesting that the observed squalene accumulation was not detrimental to growth, and that formation of hopene by Shc is not crucial for growth under normal conditions, nor for high-light stress tolerance. Effects of different light intensities and growth stages on squalene accumulation in the ?shc strain were investigated. We also identified a gene, sll0513, as a putative squalene synthase in Synechocystis, and verified its function by inactivation. In this work, we show that it is possible to use the cyanobacterium Synechocystis to generate squalene, a hydrocarbon of commercial interest and a potential biofuel. We also report the first identification of a squalene hopene cyclase, and the second identification of squalene synthase, in cyanobacteria.

SUBMITTER: Englund E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3953072 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Production of squalene in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

Englund Elias E Pattanaik Bagmi B Ubhayasekera Sarojini Jayantha K SJ Stensjö Karin K Bergquist Jonas J Lindberg Pia P

PloS one 20140313 3

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the research and development of sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. Using photosynthetic microorganisms to produce such alternatives is advantageous, since they can achieve direct conversion of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the desired product, using sunlight as the energy source. Squalene is a naturally occurring 30-carbon isoprenoid, which has commercial use in cosmetics and in vaccines. If it could be produced sustainabl ...[more]

PMID: 24625633

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Project description:BackgroundMetabolic engineering and synthetic biology of cyanobacteria offer a promising sustainable alternative approach for fossil-based ethylene production, by using sunlight via oxygenic photosynthesis, to convert carbon dioxide directly into ethylene. Towards this, both well-studied cyanobacteria, i.e., Synechocystis sp PCC 6803 and Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, have been engineered to produce ethylene by introducing the ethylene-forming enzyme (Efe) from Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola PK2 (the Kudzu strain), which catalyzes the conversion of the ubiquitous tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediate 2-oxoglutarate into ethylene.ResultsThis study focuses on Synechocystis sp PCC 6803 and shows stable ethylene production through the integration of a codon-optimized version of the efe gene under control of the Ptrc promoter and the core Shine-Dalgarno sequence (5'-AGGAGG-3') as the ribosome-binding site (RBS), at the slr0168 neutral site. We have increased ethylene production twofold by RBS screening and further investigated improving ethylene production from a single gene copy of efe, using multiple tandem promoters and by putting our best construct on an RSF1010-based broad-host-self-replicating plasmid, which has a higher copy number than the genome. Moreover, to raise the intracellular amounts of the key Efe substrate, 2-oxoglutarate, from which ethylene is formed, we constructed a glycogen-synthesis knockout mutant (ΔglgC) and introduced the ethylene biosynthetic pathway in it. Under nitrogen limiting conditions, the glycogen knockout strain has increased intracellular 2-oxoglutarate levels; however, surprisingly, ethylene production was lower in this strain than in the wild-type background.ConclusionMaking use of different RBS sequences, production of ethylene ranging over a 20-fold difference has been achieved. However, a further increase of production through multiple tandem promoters and a broad-host plasmid was not achieved speculating that the transcription strength and the gene copy number are not the limiting factors in our system.

Project description:BackgroundCyanobacteria are phototrophic prokaryotes that convert inorganic carbon as CO2 into organic compounds at the expense of light energy. They need only inorganic nutrients and can be cultivated to high densities using non-arable land and seawater. This has made cyanobacteria attractive organisms for the production of biofuels and chemical feedstock. Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is one of the most widely used cyanobacterial model strains. Based on its available genome sequence and genetic tools, Synechocystis has been genetically modified to produce different biotechnological products. Efficient isoprene production is an attractive goal because this compound is widely used as chemical feedstock.ResultsHere, we report on our attempts to generate isoprene-producing strains of Synechocystis using a plasmid-based strategy. As previously reported, a codon-optimized plant isoprene synthase (IspS) was expressed under the control of different Synechocystis promoters that ensure strong constitutive or light-regulated ispS expression. The expression of the ispS gene was quantified by qPCR and Western blotting, while the amount of isoprene was quantified using GC-MS. In addition to isoprene measurements in the headspace of closed culture vessels, single photon ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SPI-MS) was applied, which allowed online measurements of isoprene production in open-cultivation systems under various conditions. Under standard conditions, a good correlation existed between ispS expression and isoprene production rate. The cultivation of isoprene production strains under NaCl-supplemented conditions decreased isoprene production despite enhanced ispS mRNA levels. The characterization of the metabolome of isoprene-producing strains indicated that isoprene production might be limited by insufficient precursor levels. Transcriptomic analysis revealed the upregulation of mRNA and regulatory RNAs characteristic of acclimation to metabolic stress.ConclusionsOur best production strains produced twofold higher isoprene amounts in the presence of low NaCl concentrations than previously reported strains. These results will guide future attempts to establish isoprene production in cyanobacterial hosts.

Project description:Cyanobacteria are phototrophic prokaryotes that can convert inorganic carbon as CO2 into organic carbon compounds at the expense of light energy. In addition, they need only a few inorganic nutrients and can be cultivated in high densities using non-arable land and seawater. This features qualified cyanobacteria as attractive organisms for the production of third generation biofuels as part of the development of future CO2-neutral energy production. Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 represents one of the most widely used cyanobacterial model strains. On the basis of its available genome sequence and genetic tools, many strains of Synechocystis have been generated that produce different biotechnological products. Efficient isoprene production is an attractive goal, since this compound represents not only an energy-rich biofuel but is also used as chemical feedstock. Here, we report on our attempts to generate isoprene-producing strains of Synechocystis. The cDNA of a codon-optimized plant isoprene synthase (IspS) was cloned under the control of different Synechocystis promoters, which ensure strong constitutive or light-regulated ispS expression. The expression of the ispS gene was quantified by qPCR, whereas the amount of isoprene was quantified using GC-MS. Incubation of our strains at different salt conditions had marked impact on the isoprene production rates. Under low salt conditions, a good correlation was found between ispS expression and isoprene production rate. However, the cultivation of isoprene production strains under salt-supplemented conditions decreased isoprene production despite the fact that ispS expression was salt-stimulated. The characterization of the metabolome of isoprene producing strains indicated that isoprene production might be limited by insufficient precursor levels. Our isoprene production rates under low salt conditions were 2 - 6.5times higher compared to the previous report of Lindberg et al. (2010). These results can be used to guide future attempts establishing the isoprene production with cyanobacterial host systems.

Project description:Cyanobacterial biofuels have the potential to reduce the cost and climate impacts of biofuel production because primary carbon fixation and conversion to fuel are completed together in the cultivation of the cyanobacteria. Cyanobacterial biofuels, therefore, do not rely on costly organic carbon feedstocks that heterotrophs require, which reduces competition for agricultural resources such as arable land and freshwater. However, the published product titer achieved for most molecules of interest using cyanobacteria lag behind what has been achieved using yeast and Escherichia coli (E. coli) cultures. In Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (S. 6803), we attempted to increase the product titer of the sesquiterpene, bisabolene, which may be converted to bisabolane, a possible diesel replacement. We tested 19 strains of genetically modified S. 6803 with five different codon usage sequences of the bisabolene synthase from the grand fir tree (Abies grandis). At least three ribosome binding sites (most designed using the RBS Calculator) were tested for each codon usage sequence. We also tested strains with and without the farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase gene from E. coli. Bisabolene titers after five days of growth in continuous light ranged from un-detected to 7.8 ?mg/L. Bisabolene synthase abundance was measured and found to be well correlated with titer. Select strains were also tested in 12:12 light:dark cycles, where similar titers were reached after the same amount of light exposure time. One engineered strain was also tested in photobioreactors exposed to a simulated outdoor light pattern with maximum light intensity of 1600 ??mol photons m-2 s-1. Here, the bisabolene titer reached 22.2 ?mg/L after 36 days of growth. Dramatic improvements in our ability to control gene expression in cyanobacteria such as S. 6803, and the co-utilization of additional metabolic engineering methods, are needed in order for these titers to improve to the levels reported for engineered E. coli.

Project description:BackgroundPhenylpropanoids are a large group of plant secondary metabolites with various biological functions, derived from aromatic amino acids. Cyanobacteria are promising host organisms for sustainable production of plant phenylpropanoids. We have previously engineered Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 to produce trans-cinnamic acid (tCA) and p-coumaric acid (pCou), the first intermediates of phenylpropanoid pathway, by overexpression of phenylalanine- and tyrosine ammonia lyases. In this study, we aimed to enhance the production of the target compounds tCA and pCou in Synechocystis.ResultsWe eliminated the 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) activity, which is a competing pathway consuming tyrosine and, possibly, phenylalanine for tocopherol synthesis. Moreover, several genes of the terminal steps of the shikimate pathway were overexpressed alone or in operons, such as aromatic transaminases, feedback insensitive cyclohexadienyl dehydrogenase (TyrC) from Zymomonas mobilis and the chorismate mutase (CM) domain of the fused chorismate mutase/prephenate dehydratase enzyme from Escherichia coli. The obtained engineered strains demonstrated nearly 1.5 times enhanced tCA and pCou production when HPPD was knocked out compared to the parental production strains, accumulating 138 ± 3.5 mg L-1 of tCA and 72.3 ± 10.3 mg L-1 of pCou after seven days of photoautotrophic growth. However, there was no further improvement when any of the pathway genes were overexpressed. Finally, we used previously obtained AtPRM8 and TsPRM8 Synechocystis strains with deregulated shikimate pathway as a background for the overexpression of synthetic constructs with ppd knockout.ConclusionsHPPD elimination enhances the tCA and pCou productivity to a similar extent. The use of PRM8 based strains as a background for overexpression of synthetic constructs, however, did not promote tCA and pCou titers, which indicates a tight regulation of the terminal steps of phenylalanine and tyrosine synthesis. This work contributes to establishing cyanobacteria as hosts for phenylpropanoid production.

Dataset Information

Production of squalene in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

Publications

Production of squalene in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

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