Dataset Information

Secretion of Acetylxylan Esterase From Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Enables Utilization of Lignocellulosic Biomass as a Carbon Source.

ABSTRACT: Microalgae offer a promising biological platform for sustainable biomanufacturing of a wide range of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and fuels. The model microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is thus far the most versatile algal chassis for bioengineering and can grow using atmospheric CO2 and organic carbons (e.g., acetate and pure cellulose). Ability to utilize renewable feedstock like lignocellulosic biomass as a carbon source could significantly accelerate microalgae-based productions, but this is yet to be demonstrated. We observed that C. reinhardtii was not able to heterotrophically grow using wheat straw, a common type of lignocellulosic biomass, likely due to the recalcitrant nature of the biomass. When the biomass was pretreated with alkaline, C. reinhardtii was able to grow using acetate that was released from the biomass. To establish an eco-friendly and self-sustained growth system, we engineered C. reinhardtii to secrete a fungal acetylxylan esterase (AXE) for hydrolysis of acetylesters in the lignocellulosic biomass. Two transgenic strains (CrAXE03 and CrAXE23) secreting an active AXE into culture media were isolated. Incubation of CrAXE03 with wheat straw resulted in an eight-fold increase in the algal cell counts with a concomitant decrease of biomass acetylester contents by 96%. The transgenic lines showed minor growth defects compared to the parental strain, indicating that secretion of the AXE protein imposes limited metabolic burden. The results presented here would open new opportunities for applying low-cost renewable feedstock, available in large amounts as agricultural and manufacturing by-products, for microalgal cultivation. Furthermore, acetylesters and acetate released from them, are well-known inhibitors in lignocellulosic biofuel productions; thus, direct application of the bioengineered microalga could be exploited for improving renewable biofuel productions.

SUBMITTER: Ramos-Martinez EM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6403119 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Secretion of Acetylxylan Esterase From Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Enables Utilization of Lignocellulosic Biomass as a Carbon Source.

Ramos-Martinez Erick Miguel EM Fimognari Lorenzo L Rasmussen Maria K MK Sakuragi Yumiko Y

Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology 20190228

Microalgae offer a promising biological platform for sustainable biomanufacturing of a wide range of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and fuels. The model microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is thus far the most versatile algal chassis for bioengineering and can grow using atmospheric CO2 and organic carbons (e.g., acetate and pure cellulose). Ability to utilize renewable feedstock like lignocellulosic biomass as a carbon source could significantly accelerate microalgae-based produc ...[more]

PMID: 30873405

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Project description:Dry weight biomass is an important parameter in algaculture. Direct measurement requires weighing milligram quantities of dried biomass, which is problematic for small volume systems containing few cells, such as laboratory studies and high throughput assays in microwell plates. In these cases indirect methods must be used, inducing measurement artefacts which vary in severity with the cell type and conditions employed. Here, we utilise flow cytometry pulse width data for the estimation of cell density and biomass, using Chlorella vulgaris and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as model algae and compare it to optical density methods. Measurement of cell concentration by flow cytometry was shown to be more sensitive than optical density at 750 nm (OD750) for monitoring culture growth. However, neither cell concentration nor optical density correlates well to biomass when growth conditions vary. Compared to the growth of C. vulgaris in TAP (tris-acetate-phosphate) medium, cells grown in TAP + glucose displayed a slowed cell division rate and a 2-fold increased dry biomass accumulation compared to growth without glucose. This was accompanied by increased cellular volume. Laser scattering characteristics during flow cytometry were used to estimate cell diameters and it was shown that an empirical but nonlinear relationship could be shown between flow cytometric pulse width and dry weight biomass per cell. This relationship could be linearised by the use of hypertonic conditions (1 M NaCl) to dehydrate the cells, as shown by density gradient centrifugation. Flow cytometry for biomass estimation is easy to perform, sensitive and offers more comprehensive information than optical density measurements. In addition, periodic flow cytometry measurements can be used to calibrate OD750 measurements for both convenience and accuracy. This approach is particularly useful for small samples and where cellular characteristics, especially cell size, are expected to vary during growth.

Project description:Interest in exploiting algae as a biofuel source and the role of nutrient deficiency in inducing triacylglyceride (TAG) accumulation in cells necessitates a strategy to efficiently formulate species-specific culture media that can be easily manipulated. Using the reference organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we tested the hypothesis that modeling trace element supplements on the ionomes of cells would result in optimized cell growth. We characterized the ionomes of multiple wild-type Chlamydomonas strains in various culture conditions and developed a revised trace element solution to parallel our measurements. Comparison of cells growing in the revised supplement versus a traditional trace element solution revealed faster growth rates and higher maximum cell densities with the revised recipe. RNA-seq analysis of cultures growing in the traditional versus revised medium suggest that the variation in transcriptomes was smaller than that found between laboratories using the same supplement. Visual observation did not reveal defects in cell motility or mating efficiency. Ni2+-inducible expression from the CYC6 promoter remained a useful tool, albeit with an increased amount of Ni2+ supplementation due to the introduction of an EDTA buffer system in the revised medium. Equilibrium modeling of the revised supplement predicts less metal precipitation in the revised medium. Other advantages include more facile preparation of trace element stock solutions that can readily be adapted for deficiency studies, a reduction in total chemical use, a more consistent batch-to-batch formulation, and long-term stability (up to 5 years). Under the new growth regime, we analyzed cells growing under different macro- and micronutrient-deficiencies. In N and S deficiency, cells accumulate TAG as well in the new medium as previously demonstrated. Fe and Zn deficiency also induced TAG accumulation as suggested by Nile Red and Bodipy staining. This ionomic approach can be used to efficiently optimize culturing conditions for other algal species to improve growth and assay cell physiology.

Dataset Information

Secretion of Acetylxylan Esterase From Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Enables Utilization of Lignocellulosic Biomass as a Carbon Source.

Publications

Secretion of Acetylxylan Esterase From <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i> Enables Utilization of Lignocellulosic Biomass as a Carbon Source.

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