Publications by authors named "Fu-Xing Niu"

In this study, a γPFD-SpyCatcher hydrogel scaffold with the capacity for spontaneous assembly was established. With a maximum loading capacity of a 1:1 molar ratio with SpyTag-enzymes, the immobilized proteins can not only rapidly provide pure enzymes but also exhibit improved thermal and pH stability. The results of the transmission electron microscopic analysis and the traits they present indicated that SpyCatcher promotes the aggregation of γPFD and the formation of hydrogels.

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Background: Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an important microorganism in ethanol synthesis, and with sugarcane molasses as the feedstock, ethanol is being synthesized sustainably to meet growing demands. However, high-concentration ethanol fermentation based on high-concentration sugarcane molasses-which is needed for reduced energy consumption of ethanol distillation at industrial scale-is yet to be achieved.

Results: In the present study, to identify the main limiting factors of this process, adaptive laboratory evolution and high-throughput screening (Py-Fe) based on ARTP (atmospheric and room-temperature plasma) mutagenesis were applied.

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Tolerance breeding through genetic engineering, sequence and omics analyses, and gene identification processes are widely used to synthesize biofuels. The majority of related mechanisms have been shown to yield endogenous genes with high expression. However, the process was time-consuming and labor-intensive, meaning there is a need to address the problems associated with the low-throughput screening method and significant time and money consumption.

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4-Hydroxyphenylacetic acid (4HPAA) is an important building block for synthesizing drugs, agrochemicals, and biochemicals, and requires sustainable production to meet increasing demand. Here, we use a 4HPAA biosensor to overcome the difficulty of conventional library screening in identification of preferred mutants. Strains with higher 4HPAA production and tolerance are successfully obtained by atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis coupled with adaptive laboratory evolution using this biosensor.

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Pterostilbene is a derivative of resveratrol with a higher bioavailability and biological activity, which shows antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antiaging activities. Here, directed evolution and host strain engineering were used to improve the production of pterostilbene in . First, the heterologous biosynthetic pathway enzymes of pterostilbene, including tyrosine ammonia lyase, -coumarate: CoA ligase, stilbene synthase, and resveratrol O-methyltransferase, were successively directly evolved through error-prone polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

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A novel cell-free biosynthesis system based on a mixture of chassis cell extracts and purified Spy-cyclized enzymes (CFBS-mixture) was developed. As a demonstration, the CFBS-mixture was applied to chlorogenic acid (CGA) biosynthesis. The mix-and-match and Plackett-Burman experiments demonstrated that hydroxycinnamate-CoA quinate transferase and -hydroxyphenylacetate 3-hydroxylase were the key enzymes for the production of CGA.

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Here, we first developed a combined strain improvement strategy of biosensor-guided atmospheric and room-temperature plasma mutagenesis and genome shuffling. Application of this strategy resulted in a 2.7-fold increase in the production of shikimic acid (SA) and a 2.

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Aromatic compounds derived from aromatic amino acids are an important class of diverse chemicals with a wide range of industrial and commercial applications. They are currently produced via petrochemical processes, which are not sustainable and eco-friendly. In the past decades, significant progress has been made in the construction of microbial cell factories capable of effectively converting renewable carbon sources into value-added aromatics.

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α-Pinene is an important monoterpene that is widely used as a pharmaceutical product, biofuel, and so forth. We first established a cell-free system with modular cocatalysis for the production of pinene from glucose. After optimization of the compositions of the cell-free reaction mixture using the Plackett-Burman experimental design and the path of steepest ascent, the production of pinene increased by 57%.

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Article Synopsis
  • * An evolved strain, YZFP, shows improved tolerance and production of pinene, prompting studies on the genetic and metabolic changes involved.
  • * Using CRISPR techniques alongside comparative genomics, researchers identified key gene mutations and expression changes that enhance pinene production, leading to potential genetic modification strategies for higher yields.
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α-Pinene is a natural and active monoterpene, which is widely used as a flavoring agent and in fragrances, pharmaceuticals, and biofuels. Although it has been successfully produced by genetically engineered microorganisms, the production level of pinene is much lower than that of hemiterpene (isoprene) and sesquiterpenes (farnesene) to date. We first improved pinene tolerance to 2.

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Isoprenoids are the most abundant and highly diverse group of natural products. Many isoprenoids have been used for pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, flavors, cosmetics, food additives and biofuels. Carotenoids and isoprenoid-based biofuels are two classes of important isoprenoids.

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