Featured
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| Open AccessTargeting metabolic driving and intermediate influx in lysine catabolism for high-level glutarate production
The efficiency of producing glutarate, a valuable platform C5 compound, by engineered E. coli is low. Here, the authors achieve high titer and yield of glutarate production by pushing and pulling carbon flux in the native pathway and increasing intermediate influx using newly identified transporters.
- Wenna Li
- , Lin Ma
- & Qipeng Yuan
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Article
| Open AccessA neurotoxin that specifically targets Anopheles mosquitoes
So far identified clostridial neurotoxins target vertebrates. Here, Contreras et al. isolate the clostridial-like neurotoxin PMP1 from Paraclostridium bifermentans strains and show that it selectively targets anopheline mosquitoes by targeting mosquito syntaxin.
- Estefania Contreras
- , Geoffrey Masuyer
- & Sarjeet S. Gill
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| Open AccessMechanism-based tuning of insect 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde synthase for synthetic bioproduction of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids
Bioproduction of tetrahydropapaveroline (THP) is limited by the specificity of monoamine oxidase (MAO). Here, the authors identify an insect 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde synthase (DHPAAS) that can bypass MAO for direct aldehyde production and demonstrate bifunctional switching of DHPAAS for efficient THP production.
- Christopher J. Vavricka
- , Takanobu Yoshida
- & Akihiko Kondo
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Article
| Open AccessA survival selection strategy for engineering synthetic binding proteins that specifically recognize post-translationally phosphorylated proteins
Protein phosphorylation helps to control many important cellular activities. Here the authors describe a genetic selection strategy to isolate designed ankyrin repeat proteins that bind specifically to phosphomodified targets.
- Bunyarit Meksiriporn
- , Morgan B. Ludwicki
- & Matthew P. DeLisa
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| Open AccessOvercoming the thermodynamic equilibrium of an isomerization reaction through oxidoreductive reactions for biotransformation
A desired product cannot be obtained at higher concentration than its equilibrium concentration when isomerases are used for biotransformation. Here, the authors engineer in vivo oxidoreductive reactions in yeast to overcome the equilibrium limitation of in vitro isomerases-based tagatose production.
- Jing-Jing Liu
- , Guo-Chang Zhang
- & Yong-Su Jin
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Article
| Open AccessHeterologous biosynthesis and characterization of a glycocin from a thermophilic bacterium
Heterologous production of the glycocins, posttranslationally modified peptide bacteriocins containing a sugar moiety, has not been achieved. Here, the authors express a thermophilic bacterium glycocin biosynthetic gene cluster and S-glycosyltransferase for the production of antibacterial glycocins in E. coli.
- Arnoldas Kaunietis
- , Andrius Buivydas
- & Oscar P. Kuipers
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| Open AccessGenome mining of cyclodipeptide synthases unravels unusual tRNA-dependent diketopiperazine-terpene biosynthetic machinery
Diketopiperazine derivatives are bioactive molecules with scaffold formed by the condensation of two amino acids. Here, Yao et al. mine the genomes of Streptomyces strains and identify new biosynthetic machinery for drimentines biosynthesis, which includes cyclodipeptide synthase, prenyltransferase, and terpene cyclase.
- Tingting Yao
- , Jing Liu
- & Wenli Li
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Article
| Open AccessA modified serine cycle in Escherichia coli coverts methanol and CO2 to two-carbon compounds
Assimilating the abundant one-carbon compounds by an industrially-relevant microorganism can broaden the substrate range and achieve reactions that are difficult for chemical process. Here the authors show a modified serine cycle can convert methanol and CO2 to two-carbon compounds in an engineered E. coli strain.
- Hong Yu
- & James C. Liao
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Article
| Open AccessJungle Express is a versatile repressor system for tight transcriptional control
Tightly regulated promoters with strong inducibility and scalability are highly desirable for biological applications. Here the authors describe ‘Jungle Express’, a EilR repressor-based broad host system activated by cationic dyes.
- Thomas L. Ruegg
- , Jose H. Pereira
- & Michael P. Thelen
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| Open AccessUtilization of rare codon-rich markers for screening amino acid overproducers
Current toxic analogues-based amino acid overproducer screening method cannot provide accuracy, sensitivity and high throughput simultaneously. Here, the authors use rare codon rich marker for the selection of overproducers of multiple amino acids from random mutation libraries of E. coli and C. glutamicum.
- Bo Zheng
- , Xiaoyan Ma
- & Yi-Xin Huo
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Article
| Open AccessWheat microbiome bacteria can reduce virulence of a plant pathogenic fungus by altering histone acetylation
The molecular mechanisms behind the interactions between bacteria and fungi are largely unclear. Here, Chen et al. show that a compound secreted by bacteria from the wheat head microbiome inhibits growth and virulence of a plant pathogenic fungus by manipulating fungal histone modification.
- Yun Chen
- , Jing Wang
- & Zhonghua Ma
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Article
| Open AccessIndustrial brewing yeast engineered for the production of primary flavor determinants in hopped beer
Production of aromatic monoterpene molecules in hop flowers is affected by genetic, environmental, and processing factors. Here, the authors engineer brewer’s yeast for the production of linalool and geraniol, and show pilot-scale beer produced by engineered strains reconstitutes some qualities of hop flavor.
- Charles M. Denby
- , Rachel A. Li
- & Jay D. Keasling
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Article
| Open AccessElectrochemically active bacteria sense electrode potentials for regulating catabolic pathways
Whether electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) can gain energy according to electrode potentials is still unclear. Here, the authors show through transcriptome and deletion mutant analyses that EAB can sense electrode potentials by the Arc system and activate NADH-dependent catabolic pathway to generate ATP.
- Atsumi Hirose
- , Takuya Kasai
- & Atsushi Kouzuma
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Article
| Open AccessWarhead biosynthesis and the origin of structural diversity in hydroxamate metalloproteinase inhibitors
Metalloproteinase inhibitors are leads for drug development, but their biosynthetic pathways are often unknown. Here the authors show that the acyl branched warhead of actinonin and matlystatins derives from an ethylmalonyl-CoA-like pathway and the structural diversity of matlystatins is due to the activity of a decarboxylase-dehydrogenase enzyme.
- Franziska Leipoldt
- , Javier Santos-Aberturas
- & Leonard Kaysser
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| Open AccessThe industrial anaerobe Clostridium acetobutylicum uses polyketides to regulate cellular differentiation
Polyketides are secondary metabolites mainly found in aerobic organisms with wide applications in medicine and agriculture. Here, the authors uncover new polyketides native to the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum and show their role in triggering sporulation and granulose accumulation.
- Nicolaus A. Herman
- , Seong Jong Kim
- & Wenjun Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessElectricity generation from digitally printed cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria can be exploited to convert light energy into electrical current, however utilising them efficiently for power generation is a challenge. Here, the authors use a simple commercial inkjet printer to fabricate a thin-film paper-based biophotovoltaic cell capable of driving low-power devices.
- Marin Sawa
- , Andrea Fantuzzi
- & Peter J. Nixon
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| Open AccessEngineering a synthetic pathway for maleate in Escherichia coli
Maleate is an important stock chemical for the production of polymer compounds and pharmaceuticals. Here the authors design a synthetic pathway for maleate in E. coli by combining polyketide biosynthesis and benzene ring cleavage pathways.
- Shuhei Noda
- , Tomokazu Shirai
- & Akihiko Kondo
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| Open AccessProtection and consolidation of stone heritage by self-inoculation with indigenous carbonatogenic bacterial communities
Salt weathering enhanced by global warming and environmental pollution is increasingly threatening stone monuments and artworks. Here, the authors present a bacterial self-inoculation approach with indigenous carbonatogenic bacteria and find that this technique consolidates and protects salt damaged stone.
- Fadwa Jroundi
- , Mara Schiro
- & Carlos Rodriguez-Navarro
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| Open AccessMetabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for production of very long chain fatty acid-derived chemicals
Production of chemicals by microbial fermentation is an economical alternative to chemical synthesis. Here the authors re-engineer the yeastS. cerevisiaeto produce the very long chain fatty alcohol docosanol by expressing a heterologous Mycobacteria fatty acid synthase and a specific fatty acid reductase.
- Tao Yu
- , Yongjin J. Zhou
- & Florian David
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| Open AccessEngineered probiotic Escherichia coli can eliminate and prevent Pseudomonas aeruginosa gut infection in animal models
Bacteria can be engineered to kill specific pathogens. Here, the authors modify and optimize a synthetic genetic system in a probiotic strain ofEscherichia coli, and show that the engineered probiotic can sense and kill the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosain two animal models of gut infection.
- In Young Hwang
- , Elvin Koh
- & Matthew Wook Chang
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| Open AccessReconstructing a hydrogen-driven microbial metabolic network in Opalinus Clay rock
Hydrogen build-up in geological nuclear waste repositories poses risks, but it may be alleviated by H2 consumption by deep subsurface microbial communities. Here, the authors inject H2 in a borehole and use metagenomics and metaproteomics to identify a carbon cycle driven by autotrophic H2oxidizers.
- Alexandre Bagnoud
- , Karuna Chourey
- & Rizlan Bernier-Latmani
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| Open AccessCO2 fixation by anaerobic non-photosynthetic mixotrophy for improved carbon conversion
Microbial fermentation yield is limited by CO2 loss in glycolysis. Here, the authors engineered Clostridium ljungdahlii for the anaerobic, non-photosynthetic mixotrophy production of acetone, increasing carbon product yield while reducing CO2emissions from a biogenic feedstock fermentation.
- Shawn W. Jones
- , Alan G. Fast
- & Bryan P. Tracy
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| Open AccessMicrobial metabolomics in open microscale platforms
Traditional methods for microbial culture and subsequent metabolomics are time-consuming and labour-intensive. Here the authors present a microscale culture platform with integrated extraction for efficient, low-volume metabolomics of relevant microenvironments and microbial co-cultures.
- Layla J. Barkal
- , Ashleigh B. Theberge
- & Erwin Berthier