Construction of a synthetic biology toolkit for the genetic manipulation in the cellulose-producing strain Kosakonia oryzendophytica

Bacterial cellulose (BC), a robust and highly crystalline nanomaterial composed of glucose polymers, exhibits exceptional properties including superior water retention capacity, biocompatibility, and customizable mechanical strength, positioning it as a promising candidate for advanced material applications. To harness its full potential, we developed a synthetic biology platform for engineering Kosakonia oryzendophytica—a hyperproductive BC synthesis strain. First, we systematically characterized a library of regulatory elements (promoters, ribosome binding sites, and terminators, etc.) in this chassis, demonstrating tunable expression intensities ranging from 1.84 % to 169 % relative to the canonical LacO1 promoter. Subsequently, we established a high-efficiency CRISPR/Cas9-mediated scarless genome editing system through coordinated optimization of λ Red recombinase and Cas9 nuclease expression, achieving near-perfect editing efficiency (≈100 %). This system was functionally validated by targeted knockout of key genes (bcsA, fbp, and galU), with scanning electron microscopy analysis confirming the BC synthesis deficiency in ΔbcsA and Δfbp mutants. The integration of these genetic tools—comprising tunable expression modules and precision genome-editing capabilities—provides a comprehensive toolkit for reprogramming K. oryzendophytica to produce next-generation cellulose-based functional materials with tailored properties.