Exploration of In Situ Extraction for Enhanced Triterpenoid Production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Plant-derived triterpenoids are in high demand due to their valuable applications in cosmetic, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. To meet this demand, microbial production of triterpenoids is being developed for large-scale production. However, a prominent limitation of microbial synthesis is the intracellular accumulation, requiring cell disruption during downstream processing.

Two-step biocatalytic conversion of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate into value-added products facilitated by genetic and bioprocess engineering.

Solving the plastic crisis requires high recycling quotas and technologies that allow open loop recycling. Here a biological plastic valorization approach consisting of tandem enzymatic hydrolysis and monomer conversion of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate into value-added products is presented. Hydrolysates obtained from enzymatic degradation of pre-treated post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate bottles in a stirred-tank reactor served as the carbon source for a batch fermentation with an engineered Pseudomonas putida strain to produce 90mg/L of the biopolymer cyanophycin.

plaque formation model to unravel biofilm formation dynamics on implant abutment surfaces.

Background: Biofilm formation on implant-abutment surfaces can cause inflammatory reactions. Ethical concerns often limit intraoral testing, necessitating preliminary in vitro or animal studies. Here, we propose an in vitro model using human saliva and hypothesize that this model has the potential to closely mimic the dynamics of biofilm formation on implant-abutment material surfaces in vivo.

Oxidation of propionate in Pseudomonas sp. LFM046: Relevance to the synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates containing odd-chain length monomers and 2-methylisocitrate.

Pseudomonas sp. LFM046 produces polyhydroxyalkanoates of medium-chain length. When carbohydrates are used, only monomers of even-length chains (3HA) are generated.

Avoiding overflow metabolite formation in Komagataella phaffii fermentations to enhance recombinant protein production.

Background: Komagataella phaffii (K. phaffii), formerly known as Pichia pastoris, is a widely utilized yeast for recombinant protein production. However, due to the formation of overflow metabolites, carbon yields may be reduced and product recovery becomes challenging.

The biological activity of bacterial rhamnolipids on Arabidopsis thaliana and the cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii is linked to their molecular structure.

Rhamnolipids (RLs) are amphiphilic compounds of bacterial origin that offer a broad range of potential applications as biosurfactants in industry and agriculture. They are reported to be active against different plant pests and pathogens and thus are considered promising candidates for nature-derived plant protection agents. However, as these glycolipids are structurally diverse, little is known about their exact mode of action and, in particular, the relation between molecular structure and biological activity against plant pests and pathogens.

Rapid Fluorescence Assay for Polyphosphate in Yeast Extracts Using JC-D7.

Polyphosphate (polyP) is an intriguing molecule that is found in almost any organism, covering a multitude of cellular functions. In industry, polyP is used due to its unique physiochemical properties, including pH buffering, water binding, and bacteriostatic activities. Despite the importance of polyP, its analytics is still challenging, with the gold standard being P NMR.

Cultivation optimization promotes ginsenoside and universal triterpenoid production by engineered yeast.

Ginseng, a cornerstone of traditional herbal medicine in Asia, garnered significant attention for its therapeutic potential. Central to its pharmacological effects are ginsenosides, the primary active metabolites, many of which fall within the dammarane-type and share protopanaxadiol as a common precursor. Challenges in extracting protopanaxadiol and ginsenosides from ginseng arise due to their low concentrations in the roots.

Draft genome sequence and annotation of the polyextremotolerant polyol lipid-producing fungus aureobasidium pullulans NRRL 62042.

Objectives: The ascomycotic yeast-like fungus Aureobasidium exhibits the natural ability to synthesize several secondary metabolites, like polymalic acid, pullulan, or polyol lipids, with potential biotechnological applications. Combined with its polyextremotolerance, these properties make Aureobasidium a promising production host candidate. Hence, plenty of genomes of Aureobasidia have been sequenced recently.

Advances in Aureobasidium research: Paving the path to industrial utilization.

We here explore the potential of the fungal genus Aureobasidium as a prototype for a microbial chassis for industrial biotechnology in the context of a developing circular bioeconomy. The study emphasizes the physiological advantages of Aureobasidium, including its polyextremotolerance, broad substrate spectrum, and diverse product range, making it a promising candidate for cost-effective and sustainable industrial processes. In the second part, recent advances in genetic tool development, as well as approaches for up-scaled fermentation, are described.

Establishing a straightforward I-SceI-mediated recombination one-plasmid system for efficient genome editing in P. putida KT2440.

Pseudomonas putida has become an increasingly important chassis for producing valuable bioproducts. This development is not least due to the ever-improving genetic toolbox, including gene and genome editing techniques. Here, we present a novel, one-plasmid design of a critical genetic tool, the pEMG/pSW system, guaranteeing one engineering cycle to be finalized in 3 days.

Reliable Genomic Integration Sites in Identified by Two-Dimensional Transcriptome Analysis.

Genomic integration is commonly used to engineer stable production hosts. However, so far, for many microbial workhorses, only a few integration sites have been characterized, thereby restraining advanced strain engineering that requires multiple insertions. Here, we report on the identification of novel genomic integration sites, so-called landing pads, for KT2440.

Adaptive laboratory evolution in a novel parallel shaken pH-auxostat.

Adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) is a widely used microbial strain development and optimization method. ALE experiments, to select for faster-growing strains, are commonly performed as serial batch cultivations in shake flasks, serum bottles, or microtiter plates or as continuous cultivations in bioreactors on a laboratory scale. To combine the advantages of higher throughput in parallel shaken cultures with continuous fermentations for conducting ALE experiments, a new Continuous parallel shaken pH-auxostat (CPA) was developed.

A concept for international societally relevant microbiology education and microbiology knowledge promulgation in society.

Executive Summary: Microbes are all pervasive in their distribution and influence on the functioning and well-being of humans, life in general and the planet. Microbially-based technologies contribute hugely to the supply of important goods and services we depend upon, such as the provision of food, medicines and clean water. They also offer mechanisms and strategies to mitigate and solve a wide range of problems and crises facing humanity at all levels, including those encapsulated in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) formulated by the United Nations.

Understanding exopolysaccharide byproduct formation in Komagataella phaffii fermentation processes for recombinant protein production.

Background: Komagataella phaffii (Pichia pastoris) has emerged as a common and robust biotechnological platform organism, to produce recombinant proteins and other bioproducts of commercial interest. Key advantage of K. phaffii is the secretion of recombinant proteins, coupled with a low host protein secretion.

Synthetically-primed adaptation of Pseudomonas putida to a non-native substrate D-xylose.

To broaden the substrate scope of microbial cell factories towards renewable substrates, rational genetic interventions are often combined with adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE). However, comprehensive studies enabling a holistic understanding of adaptation processes primed by rational metabolic engineering remain scarce. The industrial workhorse Pseudomonas putida was engineered to utilize the non-native sugar D-xylose, but its assimilation into the bacterial biochemical network via the exogenous xylose isomerase pathway remained unresolved.

DoE-based medium optimization for improved biosurfactant production with .

Polyol lipids (a.k.a.

Itaconic acid production by co-feeding of Ustilago maydis: A combined approach of experimental data, design of experiments, and metabolic modeling.

Itaconic acid is a platform chemical with a range of applications in polymer synthesis and is also discussed for biofuel production. While produced in industry from glucose or sucrose, co-feeding of glucose and acetate was recently discussed to increase itaconic acid production by the smut fungus Ustilago maydis. In this study, we investigate the optimal co-feeding conditions by interlocking experimental and computational methods.

Biotechnological polyphosphate as an opportunity to contribute to the circularization of the phosphate economy.

Polyphosphates, chains of polymerized phosphate subunits, are used as food additives for various applications such as conservation, water retention, and pH buffering. Currently, the value chain of phosphates is linear, based on mining fossil phosphate rock, which is anticipated to be depleted in a few hundred years. With no replacement available, a transition to a circular phosphate economy, to which biological systems can contribute, is required.

Unlocking the potentials of Ustilago trichophora for up-cycling polyurethane-derived monomer 1,4-butanediol.

Plastic usage by microbes as a carbon source is a promising strategy to increase the recycling quota. 1,4-butanediol (BDO) is a common monomer derived from polyesters and polyurethanes. In this study, Ustilago trichophora was found to be an efficient cell-factory to valorize BDO.

A genetic toolbox to empower Paracoccus pantotrophus DSM 2944 as a metabolically versatile SynBio chassis.

Background: To contribute to the discovery of new microbial strains with metabolic and physiological robustness and develop them into successful chasses, Paracoccus pantotrophus DSM 2944, a Gram-negative bacterium from the phylum Alphaproteobacteria and the family Rhodobacteraceae, was chosen. The strain possesses an innate ability to tolerate high salt concentrations. It utilizes diverse substrates, including cheap and renewable feedstocks, such as C1 and C2 compounds.

Methanol bioconversion into C3, C4, and C5 platform chemicals by the yeast Ogataea polymorpha.

Background: One carbon (C1) molecules such as methanol have the potential to become sustainable feedstocks for biotechnological processes, as they can be derived from CO and green hydrogen, without the need for arable land. Therefore, we investigated the suitability of the methylotrophic yeast Ogataea polymorpha as a potential production organism for platform chemicals derived from methanol. We selected acetone, malate, and isoprene as industrially relevant products to demonstrate the production of compounds with 3, 4, or 5 carbon atoms, respectively.