Engineering a thermostable highly active glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and its application to hydrogen production in vitro.

Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) is one of the most important dehydrogenases responsible for generating reduced NADPH for anabolism and is also the rate-limiting enzyme in the Entner-Doudoroff pathway. For in vitro biocatalysis, G6PDH must possess both high activity and good thermostability due to requirements of efficient use and low expense of biocatalyst. Here, we used directed evolution to improve thermostability of the highly active G6PDH from Zymomonas mobilis.

Advanced water splitting for green hydrogen gas production through complete oxidation of starch by in vitro metabolic engineering.

Starch is a natural energy storage compound and is hypothesized to be a high-energy density chemical compound or solar fuel. In contrast to industrial hydrolysis of starch to glucose, an alternative ATP-free phosphorylation of starch was designed to generate cost-effective glucose 6-phosphate by using five thermophilic enzymes (i.e.

An activity transition from NADH dehydrogenase to NADH oxidase during protein denaturation.

A decrease in the specific activity of an enzyme is commonly observed when the enzyme is inappropriately handled or is stored over an extended period. Here, we reported a functional transition of an FMN-bound diaphorase (FMN-DI) that happened during the long-term storage process. It was found that FMN-DI did not simply lose its β-nicotinamide adenine diphosphate (NADH) dehydrogenase activity after a long-time storage, but obtained a new enzyme activity of NADH oxidase.

Systematic comparison of co-expression of multiple recombinant thermophilic enzymes in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3).

The precise control of multiple heterologous enzyme expression levels in one Escherichia coli strain is important for cascade biocatalysis, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, natural product synthesis, and studies of complexed proteins. We systematically investigated the co-expression of up to four thermophilic enzymes (i.e.

In vitro metabolic engineering of bioelectricity generation by the complete oxidation of glucose.

The direct generation of electricity from the most abundant renewable sugar, glucose, is an appealing alternative to the production of liquid biofuels and biohydrogen. However, enzyme-catalyzed bioelectricity generation from glucose suffers from low yields due to the incomplete oxidation of the six-carbon compound glucose via one or few enzymes. Here, we demonstrate a synthetic ATP- and CoA-free 12-enzyme pathway to implement the complete oxidation of glucose in vitro.

Exceptionally High Rates of Biological Hydrogen Production by Biomimetic In Vitro Synthetic Enzymatic Pathways.

Hydrogen production by water splitting energized by biomass sugars is one of the most promising technologies for distributed green H production. Direct H generation from NADPH, catalysed by an NADPH-dependent, soluble [NiFe]-hydrogenase (SH1) is thermodynamically unfavourable, resulting in slow volumetric productivity. We designed the biomimetic electron transport chain from NADPH to H by the introduction of an oxygen-insensitive electron mediator benzyl viologen (BV) and an enzyme (NADPH rubredoxin oxidoreductase, NROR), catalysing electron transport between NADPH and BV.

Facile Construction of Random Gene Mutagenesis Library for Directed Evolution Without the Use of Restriction Enzyme in Escherichia coli.

A foolproof protocol was developed for the construction of mutant DNA library for directed protein evolution. First, a library of linear mutant gene was generated by error-prone PCR or molecular shuffling, and a linear vector backbone was prepared by high-fidelity PCR. Second, the amplified insert and vector fragments were assembled by overlap-extension PCR with a pair of 5'-phosphorylated primers.

A Hidden Transhydrogen Activity of a FMN-Bound Diaphorase under Anaerobic Conditions.

Background: Redox cofactors of NADH/NADPH participate in many cellular metabolic pathways for facilitating the electron transfer from one molecule to another in redox reactions. Transhydrogenase plays an important role in linking catabolism and anabolism, regulating the ratio of NADH/NADPH in cells. The cytoplasmic transhydrogenases could be useful to engineer synthetic biochemical pathways for the production of high-value chemicals and biofuels.

New artificial fluoro-cofactor of hydride transfer with novel fluorescence assay for redox biocatalysis.

A new artificial fluoro-cofactor was developed for the replacement of natural cofactors NAD(P), exhibiting a high hydride transfer ability. More importantly, we established a new and fast screening method for the evaluation of the properties of artificial cofactors based on the fluorescence assay and visible color change.

Production of Succinate from Acetate by Metabolically Engineered Escherichia coli.

Acetate, a major component of industrial biological wastewater and of lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate, could potentially be a less costly alternative carbon source. Here we engineered Escherichia coli MG1655 strain for succinate production from acetate as the sole carbon source. Strategies of metabolic engineering included the blockage of the TCA cycle, redirection of the gluconeogenesis pathway, and enhancement of the glyoxylate shunt.

A simple assay for determining activities of phosphopentomutase from a hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima.

Phosphopentomutase (PPM) catalyzes the interconversion of α-D-(deoxy)-ribose 1-phosphate and α-D-(deoxy)-ribose 5-phosphate. We developed a coupled or uncoupled enzymatic assay with an enzyme nucleoside phosphorylase for determining PPM activities on D-ribose 5-phosphate at a broad temperature range from 30 to 90 °C. This assay not only is simple and highly sensitive but also does not require any costly special instrument.

One-Pot Biosynthesis of High-Concentration α-Glucose 1-Phosphate from Starch by Sequential Addition of Three Hyperthermophilic Enzymes.

α-Glucose 1-phosphate (G1P) is synthesized from 5% (w/v) corn starch and 1 M phosphate mediated by α-glucan phosphorylase (αGP) from the thermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima at pH 7.2 and 70 °C. To increase G1P yield from corn starch containing branched amylopectin, a hyper-thermostable isoamylase from Sulfolobus tokodaii was added for simultaneous starch gelatinization and starch-debranching hydrolysis at 85 °C and pH 5.

Biosynthesis of D-xylulose 5-phosphate from D-xylose and polyphosphate through a minimized two-enzyme cascade.

Sugar phosphates cannot be produced easily by microbial fermentation because negatively-charged compounds cannot be secreted across intact cell membrane. D-xylulose 5-phosphate (Xu5P), a very expensive sugar phosphate, was synthesized from D-xylose and polyphosphate catalyzed by enzyme cascades in one pot. The synthetic enzymatic pathway comprised of xylose isomerase and xylulokinase was designed to produce Xu5P, along with a third enzyme, polyphosphate kinase, responsible for in site ATP regeneration.

High-yield hydrogen production from biomass by in vitro metabolic engineering: Mixed sugars coutilization and kinetic modeling.

The use of hydrogen (H2) as a fuel offers enhanced energy conversion efficiency and tremendous potential to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, but producing it in a distributed, carbon-neutral, low-cost manner requires new technologies. Herein we demonstrate the complete conversion of glucose and xylose from plant biomass to H2 and CO2 based on an in vitro synthetic enzymatic pathway. Glucose and xylose were simultaneously converted to H2 with a yield of two H2 per carbon, the maximum possible yield.

Novel Hydrogen Bioreactor and Detection Apparatus.

In vitro hydrogen generation represents a clear opportunity for novel bioreactor and system design. Hydrogen, already a globally important commodity chemical, has the potential to become the dominant transportation fuel of the future. Technologies such as in vitro synthetic pathway biotransformation (SyPaB)-the use of more than 10 purified enzymes to catalyze unnatural catabolic pathways-enable the storage of hydrogen in the form of carbohydrates.

In vitro metabolic engineering of hydrogen production at theoretical yield from sucrose.

Hydrogen is one of the most important industrial chemicals and will be arguably the best fuel in the future. Hydrogen production from less costly renewable sugars can provide affordable hydrogen, decrease reliance on fossil fuels, and achieve nearly zero net greenhouse gas emissions, but current chemical and biological means suffer from low hydrogen yields and/or severe reaction conditions. An in vitro synthetic enzymatic pathway comprised of 15 enzymes was designed to split water powered by sucrose to hydrogen.

Simple cloning and DNA assembly in Escherichia coli by prolonged overlap extension PCR.

We developed a simple method (Simple Cloning) for subcloning one, two, or three DNA fragments into any location of a targeted vector without the need for restriction enzyme, ligase, exonuclease, or recombinase. This cloning technology can be applied to a few common Escherichia coli hosts (e.g.

Annexation of a high-activity enzyme in a synthetic three-enzyme complex greatly decreases the degree of substrate channeling.

The self-assembled three-enzyme complex containing triosephosphate isomerase (TIM), aldolase (ALD), and fructose 1,6-biphosphatase (FBP) was constructed via a mini-scaffoldin containing three different cohesins and the three dockerin-containing enzymes. This enzyme complex exhibited 1 order of magnitude higher initial reaction rates than the mixture of noncomplexed three enzymes. In this enzyme cascade reactions, the reaction mediated by ALD was the rate-limiting step.

Overcoming biomass recalcitrance by combining genetically modified switchgrass and cellulose solvent-based lignocellulose pretreatment.

Decreasing lignin content of plant biomass by genetic engineering is believed to mitigate biomass recalcitrance and improve saccharification efficiency of plant biomass. In this study, we compared two different pretreatment methods (i.e.

Recyclable cellulose-containing magnetic nanoparticles: immobilization of cellulose-binding module-tagged proteins and a synthetic metabolon featuring substrate channeling.

Easily recyclable cellulose-containing magnetic nanoparticles were developed for immobilizing family 3 cellulose-binding module (CBM)-tagged enzymes/proteins and a self-assembled three-enzyme complex called the synthetic metabolon. Avicel (microcrystalline cellulose)-containing magnetic nanoparticles (A-MNPs) and two controls of dextran-containing magnetic nanoparticles (D-MNPs) and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were prepared by a solvothermal method. Their adsorption ability was investigated by using CBM-tagged green fluorescence protein and phosphoglucose isomerase.

Cell-free Biosystems in the Production of Electricity and Bioenergy.

: Increasing needs of green energy and concerns of climate change are motivating intensive R&D efforts toward the low-cost production of electricity and bioenergy, such as hydrogen, alcohols, and jet fuel, from renewable sugars. Cell-free biosystems for biomanufacturing (CFB2) have been suggested as an emerging platform to replace mainstream microbial fermentation for the cost-effective production of some biocommodities. As compared to whole-cell factories, cell-free biosystems comprised of synthetic enzymatic pathways have numerous advantages, such as high product yield, fast reaction rate, broad reaction condition, easy process control and regulation, tolerance of toxic compound/product, and an unmatched capability of performing unnatural reactions.

Self-assembly of synthetic metabolons through synthetic protein scaffolds: one-step purification, co-immobilization, and substrate channeling.

One-step purification of a multi-enzyme complex was developed based on a mixture of cell extracts containing three dockerin-containing enzymes and one family 3 cellulose-binding module (CBM3)-containing scaffoldin through high-affinity adsorption on low-cost solid regenerated amorphous cellulose (RAC). The three-enzyme complex, called synthetic metabolon, was self-assembled through the high-affinity interaction between the dockerin in each enzyme and three cohesins in the synthetic scaffoldin. The metabolons were either immobilized on the external surface of RAC or free when the scaffoldin contained an intein between the CBM3 and three cohesins.

Enzymatic transformation of nonfood biomass to starch.

The global demand for food could double in another 40 y owing to growth in the population and food consumption per capita. To meet the world's future food and sustainability needs for biofuels and renewable materials, the production of starch-rich cereals and cellulose-rich bioenergy plants must grow substantially while minimizing agriculture's environmental footprint and conserving biodiversity. Here we demonstrate one-pot enzymatic conversion of pretreated biomass to starch through a nonnatural synthetic enzymatic pathway composed of endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolyase, cellobiose phosphorylase, and alpha-glucan phosphorylase originating from bacterial, fungal, and plant sources.

Non-complexed four cascade enzyme mixture: simple purification and synergetic co-stabilization.

Cell-free biosystems comprised of synthetic enzymatic pathways would be a promising biomanufacturing platform due to several advantages, such as high product yield, fast reaction rate, easy control and access, and so on. However, it was essential to produce (purified) enzymes at low costs and stabilize them for a long time so to decrease biocatalyst costs. We studied the stability of the four recombinant enzyme mixtures, all of which originated from thermophilic microorganisms: triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) from Thermus thermophiles, fructose bisphosphate aldolase (ALD) from Thermotoga maritima, fructose bisphosphatase (FBP) from T.

Discovery and characterization of a novel ATP/polyphosphate xylulokinase from a hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima.

Xylulokinase (XK, E.C. 2.