{"title":"Analyzing CRISPR screens in non-conventional microbes.","authors":"Varun Trivedi, Adithya Ramesh, Ian Wheeldon","doi":"10.1093/jimb/kuad006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jimb/kuad006","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The multifaceted nature of CRISPR screens has propelled advancements in the field of functional genomics. Pooled CRISPR screens involve creating programmed genetic perturbations across multiple genomic sites in a pool of host cells subjected to a challenge, empowering researchers to identify genetic causes of desirable phenotypes. These genome-wide screens have been widely used in mammalian cells to discover biological mechanisms of diseases and drive the development of targeted drugs and therapeutics. Their use in non-model organisms, especially in microbes to improve bioprocessing-relevant phenotypes, has been limited. Further compounding this issue is the lack of bioinformatic algorithms for analyzing microbial screening data with high accuracy. Here, we describe the general approach and underlying principles for conducting pooled CRISPR knockout screens in non-conventional yeasts and performing downstream analysis of the screening data, while also reviewing state-of-the-art algorithms for identification of CRISPR screening outcomes. Application of pooled CRISPR screens to non-model yeasts holds considerable potential to uncover novel metabolic engineering targets and improve industrial bioproduction. One-Sentence Summary This mini-review describes experimental and computational approaches for functional genomic screening using CRISPR technologies in non-conventional microbes.","PeriodicalId":16092,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10124124/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10257789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Diverse mechanisms of bioproduction heterogeneity in fermentation and their control strategies.","authors":"Xinyue Mu, Fuzhong Zhang","doi":"10.1093/jimb/kuad033","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jimb/kuad033","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microbial bioproduction often faces challenges related to populational heterogeneity, where cells exhibit varying biosynthesis capabilities. Bioproduction heterogeneity can stem from genetic and non-genetic factors, resulting in decreased titer, yield, stability, and reproducibility. Consequently, understanding and controlling bioproduction heterogeneity are crucial for enhancing the economic competitiveness of large-scale biomanufacturing. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of current understandings of the various mechanisms underlying bioproduction heterogeneity. Additionally, we examine common strategies for controlling bioproduction heterogeneity based on these mechanisms. By implementing more robust measures to mitigate heterogeneity, we anticipate substantial enhancements in the scalability and stability of bioproduction processes.</p><p><strong>One-sentence summary: </strong>This review summarizes current understandings of different mechanisms of bioproduction heterogeneity and common control strategies based on these mechanisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":16092,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10583207/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41130636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Micrococcus spp. as a promising source for drug discovery: A review.","authors":"Daniela Tizabi, Russell T Hill","doi":"10.1093/jimb/kuad017","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jimb/kuad017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Historically, bacteria of the phylum, Actinobacteria have been a very prominent source of bioactive compounds for drug discovery. Among the actinobacterial genera, Micrococcus has not generally been prioritized in the search for novel drugs. The bacteria in this genus are known to have very small genomes (generally < 3 Mb). Actinobacteria with small genomes seldom contain the well-characterized biosynthetic gene clusters such as those encoding polyketide synthases and nonribosomal peptide synthetases that current genome mining algorithms are optimized to detect. Nevertheless, there are many reports of substantial pharmaceutically relevant bioactivity of Micrococcus extracts. On the other hand, there are remarkably few descriptions of fully characterized and structurally elucidated bioactive compounds from Micrococcus spp. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the bioactivity of Micrococcus spp. that encompasses antibacterial, antifungal, cytotoxic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. This review uncovers the considerable biosynthetic potential of this genus and highlights the need for a re-examination of these bioactive strains, with a particular emphasis on marine isolates, because of their potent bioactivity and high potential for encoding unique molecular scaffolds.</p>","PeriodicalId":16092,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/ef/fd/kuad017.PMC10548855.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9824219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Manasi Subhash Gangan, Kyle L Naughton, James Q Boedicker
{"title":"Utilizing a divalent metal ion transporter to control biogenic nanoparticle synthesis.","authors":"Manasi Subhash Gangan, Kyle L Naughton, James Q Boedicker","doi":"10.1093/jimb/kuad020","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jimb/kuad020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biogenic synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials has been demonstrated for both wild and engineered bacterial strains. In many systems the nucleation and growth of nanomaterials is poorly controlled and requires concentrations of heavy metals toxic to living cells. Here, we utilized the tools of synthetic biology to engineer a strain of Escherichia coli capable of synthesizing cadmium sulfide nanoparticles from low concentrations of reactants with control over the location of synthesis. Informed by simulations of bacterially-assisted nanoparticle synthesis, we created a strain of E. coli expressing a broad-spectrum divalent metal transporter, ZupT, and a synthetic CdS nucleating peptide. Expression of ZupT in the outer membrane and placement of the nucleating peptide in the periplasm focused synthesis within the periplasmic space and enabled sufficient nucleation and growth of nanoparticles at sub-toxic levels of the reactants. This strain synthesized internal CdS quantum dot nanoparticles with spherical morphology and an average diameter of approximately 3.3 nm.</p><p><strong>One-sentence summary: </strong>Expression of a metal ion transporter regulates synthesis of cadmium sulfide nanoparticles in bacteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":16092,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10481092/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10177669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bhagya S Kolitha, Sandhya K Jayasekara, Rina Tannenbaum, Iwona M Jasiuk, Lahiru N Jayakody
{"title":"Repurposing of waste PET by microbial biotransformation to functionalized materials for additive manufacturing.","authors":"Bhagya S Kolitha, Sandhya K Jayasekara, Rina Tannenbaum, Iwona M Jasiuk, Lahiru N Jayakody","doi":"10.1093/jimb/kuad010","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jimb/kuad010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plastic waste is an outstanding environmental thread. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is one of the most abundantly produced single-use plastics worldwide, but its recycling rates are low. In parallel, additive manufacturing is a rapidly evolving technology with wide-ranging applications. Thus, there is a need for a broad spectrum of polymers to meet the demands of this growing industry and address post-use waste materials. This perspective article highlights the potential of designing microbial cell factories to upcycle PET into functionalized chemical building blocks for additive manufacturing. We present the leveraging of PET hydrolyzing enzymes and rewiring the bacterial C2 and aromatic catabolic pathways to obtain high-value chemicals and polymers. Since PET mechanical recycling back to original materials is cost-prohibitive, the biochemical technology is a viable alternative to upcycle PET into novel 3D printing materials, such as replacements for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. The presented hybrid chemo-bio approaches potentially enable the manufacturing of environmentally friendly degradable or higher-value high-performance polymers and composites and their reuse for a circular economy.</p><p><strong>One-sentence summary: </strong>Biotransformation of waste PET to high-value platform chemicals for additive manufacturing.</p>","PeriodicalId":16092,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/af/d8/kuad010.PMC10549213.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9593797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Metabolic engineering and optimization of Escherichia coli co-culture for the de novo synthesis of genkwanin.","authors":"Nguyen Huy Thuan, Vinay Bharadwaj Tatipamula, Nguyen Thanh Trung, Nguyen Van Giang","doi":"10.1093/jimb/kuad030","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jimb/kuad030","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Genkwanin has various significant roles in nutrition, biomedicine, and pharmaceutical biology. Previously, this compound was chiefly produced by plant-originated extraction or chemical synthesis. However, due to increasing concern and demand for safe food and environmental issues, the biotechnological production of genkwanin and other bioactive compounds based on safe, cheap, and renewable substrates has gained much interest. This paper described recombinant Escherichia coli-based co-culture engineering that was reconstructed for the de novo production of genkwanin from d-glucose. The artificial genkwanin biosynthetic chain was divided into 2 modules in which the upstream strain contained the genes for synthesizing p-coumaric acid from d-glucose, and the downstream module contained a gene cluster that produced the precursor apigenin and the final product, genkwanin. The Box-Behnken design, a response surface methodology, was used to empirically model the production of genkwanin and optimize its productivity. As a result, the application of the designed co-culture improved the genkwanin production by 48.8 ± 1.3 mg/L or 1.7-fold compared to the monoculture. In addition, the scale-up of genkwanin bioproduction by a bioreactor resulted in 68.5 ± 1.9 mg/L at a 48 hr time point. The combination of metabolic engineering and fermentation technology was therefore a very efficient and applicable approach to enhance the production of other bioactive compounds.</p>","PeriodicalId":16092,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/83/49/kuad030.PMC10565888.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41148036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Recent progress in unraveling the biosynthesis of natural sunscreens mycosporine-like amino acids.","authors":"Manyun Chen, Yujia Jiang, Yousong Ding","doi":"10.1093/jimb/kuad038","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jimb/kuad038","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays is a known risk factor for skin cancer, which can be notably mitigated through the application of sun care products. However, escalating concerns regarding the adverse health and environmental impacts of synthetic anti-UV chemicals underscore a pressing need for the development of biodegradable and eco-friendly sunscreen ingredients. Mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) represent a family of water-soluble anti-UV natural products synthesized by various organisms. These compounds can provide a two-pronged strategy for sun protection as they not only exhibit a superior UV absorption profile but also possess the potential to alleviate UV-induced oxidative stresses. Nevertheless, the widespread incorporation of MAAs in sun protection products is hindered by supply constraints. Delving into the biosynthetic pathways of MAAs can offer innovative strategies to overcome this limitation. Here, we review recent progress in MAA biosynthesis, with an emphasis on key biosynthetic enzymes, including the dehydroquinate synthase homolog MysA, the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-grasp ligases MysC and MysD, and the nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS)-like enzyme MysE. Additionally, we discuss recently discovered MAA tailoring enzymes. The enhanced understanding of the MAA biosynthesis paves the way for not only facilitating the supply of MAA analogs but also for exploring the evolution of this unique family of natural sunscreens.</p><p><strong>One-sentence summary: </strong>This review discusses the role of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) as potent natural sunscreens and delves into recent progress in their biosynthesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":16092,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10666671/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72209588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laura G Schaerer, Emily Wood, Sulihat Aloba, Emily Byrne, M Aamir Bashir, Kaushik Baruah, Elizabeth Schumann, Libby Umlor, Ruochen Wu, Hyeonseok Lee, Christopher J Orme, Aaron D Wilson, Jeffrey A Lacey, Rebecca G Ong, Stephen M Techtmann
{"title":"Versatile microbial communities rapidly assimilate ammonium hydroxide-treated plastic waste.","authors":"Laura G Schaerer, Emily Wood, Sulihat Aloba, Emily Byrne, M Aamir Bashir, Kaushik Baruah, Elizabeth Schumann, Libby Umlor, Ruochen Wu, Hyeonseok Lee, Christopher J Orme, Aaron D Wilson, Jeffrey A Lacey, Rebecca G Ong, Stephen M Techtmann","doi":"10.1093/jimb/kuad008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jimb/kuad008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Waste plastic presently accumulates in landfills or the environment. While natural microbial metabolisms can degrade plastic polymers, biodegradation of plastic is very slow. This study demonstrates that chemical deconstruction of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with ammonium hydroxide can replace the rate limiting step (depolymerization) and by producing plastic-derived terephthalic acid and terephthalic acid monoamide. The deconstructed PET (DCPET) is neutralized with phosphoric acid prior to bioprocessing, resulting in a product containing biologically accessible nitrogen and phosphorus from the process reactants. Three microbial consortia obtained from compost and sediment degraded DCPET in ultrapure water and scavenged river water without addition of nutrients. No statistically significant difference was observed in growth rate compared to communities grown on DCPET in minimal culture medium. The consortia were dominated by Rhodococcus spp., Hydrogenophaga spp., and many lower abundance genera. All taxa were related to species known to degrade aromatic compounds. Microbial consortia are known to confer flexibility in processing diverse substrates. To highlight this, we also demonstrate that two microbial consortia can grow on similarly deconstructed polyesters, polyamides, and polyurethanes in water instead of medium. Our findings suggest that microbial communities may enable flexible bioprocessing of mixed plastic wastes when coupled with chemical deconstruction.</p>","PeriodicalId":16092,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10124128/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9348156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mst Afroza Khatun, Md Anarul Hoque, Mattheos Koffas, Yan Feng
{"title":"Reducing the virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by using multiple quorum-quenching enzymes.","authors":"Mst Afroza Khatun, Md Anarul Hoque, Mattheos Koffas, Yan Feng","doi":"10.1093/jimb/kuad028","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jimb/kuad028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The emergence of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in healthcare settings poses a tremendous challenge to traditional antibiotic therapy. Pseudomonas aeruginosa utilizes quorum sensing (QS) to coordinate the production of virulence factors and the formation of drug-resistant biofilms. QS is mediated by signal compounds produced by P. aeruginosa as well as signal molecules produced by other non-pseudomonad bacteria. A potential strategy to prevent bacterial pathogenicity is utilizing enzymes to interfere with QS. Here, we used AidC, a quorum-quenching (QQ) enzyme from Chryseobacterium sp. strain StRB126 that can effectively hydrolyze N-(3-oxododecanoyl) homoserine lactone (3OC12-HSL) and N-butanoyl-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL), the major signal molecules synthesized by P. aeruginosa. The exogenous addition of AidC to P. aeruginosa wild-type strain PAO1 cultures significantly reduced the total protease and elastase activities and the production of pyocyanin. In addition, the application of AidC resulted in thin and sparse biofilm formation. Later, we used a metagenomic-derived QQ enzyme, QQ-2, in combination with AidC to attenuate PAO1 virulence when the presence of a non-pseudomonad signal compound, autoinducer-2, aggravated it. These findings suggest that using a combined antimicrobial approach may lead to a more efficacious therapeutic intervention against P. aeruginosa PAO1 infection, as its behavior is modulated in the presence of intraspecies and interspecies signal compounds.</p><p><strong>One-sentence summary: </strong>In this work, the potential of dual enzymes was investigated to interfere with quorum sensing as a novel concept for reducing the virulence of P. aeruginosa, which is influenced by both intra species and interspecies communication.</p>","PeriodicalId":16092,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10536470/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41138948","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A common inducer molecule enhances sugar utilization by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1.","authors":"Megan C Gruenberg, Michaela A TerAvest","doi":"10.1093/jimb/kuad018","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jimb/kuad018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 is an electroactive bacterium that is a promising host for bioelectrochemical technologies, which makes it a common target for genetic engineering, including gene deletions and expression of heterologous pathways. Expression of heterologous genes and gene knockdown via CRISPRi in S. oneidensis are both frequently induced by β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG), a commonly used inducer molecule across many model organisms. Here, we report and characterize an unexpected phenotype; IPTG enhances the growth of wild-type S. oneidensis MR-1 on the sugar substrate N-acetylglucosamine (NAG). IPTG improves the carrying capacity of S. oneidensis growing on NAG while the growth rate remains similar to cultures without the inducer. Extracellular acetate accumulates faster and to a higher concentration in cultures without IPTG than those with it. IPTG appears to improve acetate metabolism, which combats the negative effect that acetate accumulation has on the growth of S. oneidensis with NAG. We recommend using extensive experimental controls and careful data interpretation when using both NAG and IPTG in S. oneidensis cultures.</p>","PeriodicalId":16092,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2023-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10549210/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9930947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}