Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yi Yan, Yajun Bai, Xiaohui Zheng, Yujie Cai
Summary: Hydroxytyrosol (HT), a polyphenolic molecule, is highly valued and used in various industries. Researchers have modified Escherichia coli to enhance the expression of key enzymes and compared different DODC enzymes for efficient HT production. The results showed that the DODC enzyme from Homo sapiens is superior.
ENZYME AND MICROBIAL TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yingying Wang, Xueman Chen, Qiaoyu Chen, Ning Zhou, Xin Wang, Alei Zhang, Kequan Chen, Pingkai Ouyang
Summary: This study proposes a one-pot method for the production of 5-HT from L-Trp via two enzyme cascades. A chassis cell capable of converting L-Trp to 5-HTP was constructed by expressing tryptophan hydroxylase from Schistosoma mansoni (SmTPH) and an artificial endogenous tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) module. Then, dopa decarboxylase from Harminia axyridis (HaDDC) was used for the specific catalysis of 5-HTP to 5-HT. The constructed cell factory, E. coli BL21(DE3)Delta tnaA/BH4/HaDDC-SmTPH, achieved the highest 5-HT concentration of 414.5 +/- 1.6 mg/L (conversion rate of 25.9 mol%) under optimal conditions (substrate concentration of 2 g/L, induced temperature of 25 degrees C, IPTG concentration of 0.5 mM, catalysis temperature of 30 degrees C, catalysis time of 72 h).
MICROBIAL CELL FACTORIES
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yi Yan, Yajun Bai, Xiaohui Zheng, Yujie Cai
Summary: Due to its strong antioxidant capacity, hydroxytyrosol (HT) has a long history of use in cosmetics and food industries. However, current methods of isolating HT are not optimal, which leads to the need for more efficient synthesis methods. This study aimed to create an Escherichia coli (E. coli) whole cell system capable of synthesizing HT from dopamine by constructing a custom biosynthetic pathway. Through overexpression of enzymes and identifying rate-limiting enzymes, the synthesis of HT was significantly boosted. This study establishes a biocatalytic pathway for the synthesis of new building blocks for industrially high-performance HT.
BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qi Li, Ruiying Gao, Yi Zhang, Yufei Zhang, Tieliang Liu, Yu-Cai He, Ming-Ming Zheng
Summary: Chemobiocatalytic synthesis provides an effective approach for the transformation of biomass into high-value products. In this study, a novel and efficient route for the preparation of furfuryl alcohol from corncob was proposed, combining chemical and biological catalysis. The results demonstrated the successful conversion of furfural to furfuryl alcohol through the synergistic effect of catalysts and enzymes.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qi Li, Ruiying Gao, Yi Zhang, Yufei Zhang, Tieliang Liu, Yu-Cai He, Ming-Ming Zheng
Summary: A novel and efficient route for the synthesis of furfuryl alcohol from corncob was proposed using microwave heating and a silica-supported SO42--TiO2 catalyst, achieving a high furfural yield of 73.3%. Novel recombinant E. coli EF22 cells were successfully constructed for the bioreduction of furfural to furfuryl alcohol, and optimal parameters for the process were identified. The chemobiocatalytic strategy combining the SO42--TiO2/SiO2 chemocatalyst and EF22@SA/Fe3O4 biocatalyst achieved a high furfuryl alcohol productivity of 0.5396 g FFAC per g xylan, highlighting the applicability of chemobiocatalysis.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Mohammed Abdalla, Bo Jiang, Yiwei Dai, Jingjing Chen, Hinawi A. M. Hassanin, Tao Zhang
Summary: In this study, a genetically engineered strain was constructed to co-express CGTase and CDase for the synthesis of G7 from inexpensive starch substrate. After permeabilization of the cell wall, G7 was successfully produced under optimized conditions, avoiding the need for enzyme purification steps.
ENZYME AND MICROBIAL TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Sheng-Yan Chen, Yan Zhang, Renjie Li, Baojun Wang, Bang-Ce Ye
Summary: This study improves the performance of whole-cell biosensors for arsenic contamination by optimizing the promoter design. The arsenic-responsive system from Escherichia coli is used as the sensing element, and a genetic circuit is constructed to characterize the refactored promoters. A novel promoter with maximal repression efficiency and optimal fold change is discovered, and high sensitivity fluorescence and colorimetric sensors are developed for quantifying arsenic levels in groundwater.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Chao Sun, Rubing Zhang, Congxia Xie
Summary: This study improved the production of (R)-(+)-perillyl alcohol using a whole-cell catalytic formula, providing an alternative approach to the economical biosynthesis of the compound.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Huijing Wang, Lian Wang, Jianbin Chen, Minglong Hu, Fang Fang, Jingwen Zhou
Summary: By preparing an edible oil-based lipid nanoparticle (LNP) system, the oral bioaccessibility of flavonoids, including quercetin, naringenin, and hesperetin, was enhanced. In simulated digestion assays, LNPs were hydrolyzed under small intestine conditions, successfully protecting the encapsulated flavonoids, and the relative bioaccessibility of flavonoids was increased to more than 71%.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Li Ping, Jing Ruxian, Zhou Mengping, Jia Pei, Li Zhuoya, Liu Guosheng, Wang Zhenyu, Wang Hailei
Summary: In this study, the efficiency of whole-cell catalysis for cytarabine synthesis was improved through gene editing to reduce interference from unnecessary proteins (UNPs). The obtained mutant showed increased enzyme activities and conversion rates compared to the parental strain.
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jingjing Huo, Yajun Bai, Tai-Ping Fan, Xiaohui Zheng, Yujie Cai
Summary: In this research, a bio-catalysis cascade reaction was designed and constructed to produce hydroxytyrosol from L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine. The recombinant Escherichia coli cells were used to express multiple enzymes, and glucose dehydrogenase was used to regenerate NADH, an essential reductant. The production of hydroxytyrosol reached a high yield within a short period of time under optimal conditions.
PROCESS BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Christopher J. Day, Alvin W. Lo, Lauren E. Hartley-Tassell, M. Pilar Argente, Jessica Poole, Nathan P. King, Joe Tiralongo, Michael P. Jennings, Mark A. Schembri
Summary: This study focused on dissecting the receptor specificity of different CU fimbriae in Escherichia coli using a glycan array analysis approach with whole-bacterial-cell surface plasmon resonance. The research revealed new information on fimbrial specificity and provided a rapid and scalable system to define novel adhesin-glycan interactions underlying bacterial colonization and disease. The findings contribute to a better understanding of bacterial adhesion mechanisms and offer a promising strategy to combat antibiotic resistance through blocking adhesion.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ibrahim E. Elsemman, Angelica Rodriguez Prado, Pranas Grigaitis, Manuel Garcia Albornoz, Victoria Harman, Stephen W. Holman, Johan van Heerden, Frank J. Bruggeman, Mark M. M. Bisschops, Nikolaus Sonnenschein, Simon Hubbard, Rob Beynon, Pascale Daran-Lapujade, Jens Nielsen, Bas Teusink
Summary: The study developed a metabolic model of yeast cells to predict proteome constraints governing metabolic strategies. Under specific conditions, unicellular organisms rewire their metabolism to adapt to growth and maintenance needs.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Siyuan Gao, Ding Ma, Yongtao Wang, Alei Zhang, Xin Wang, Kequan Chen
Summary: Resting cells were used as biocatalysts to convert L-dopa to dopamine through whole-cell bioconversion. The co-expression of three aromatic amino acid transport proteins, AroP, PheP, and TyrP, improved the titer and yield of dopamine production. Under optimal conditions, dopamine titer reached 1.44 g/L with a molar yield of 46.3%, which was 6.62 times higher than the initial conditions.
Article
Biophysics
Rajat Dhyani, Shubham Jain, Ankita Bhatt, Piyush Kumar, Naveen Kumar Navani
Summary: In this study, potential amino acid-responsive genetic regulatory elements were identified using in-silico approach, and fused with GFP to generate an optical readout. The developed biosensors showed specific and sensitive detection of homocysteine and tryptophan, allowing for the diagnosis of homocystinuria and tryptophanuria diseases.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Fengchuan Yu, Yajun Bai, Tai-ping Fan, Xiaohui Zheng, Yujie Cai
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2019)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yi Yan, Pu Jia, Yajun Bai, Tai-Ping Fan, Xiaohui Zheng, Yujie Cai
ENZYME AND MICROBIAL TECHNOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Jinbin Liu, Yajun Bai, Tai-ping Fan, Xiaohui Zheng, Yujie Cai
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hongjie Hui, Yajun Bai, Tai-Ping Fan, Xiaohui Zheng, Yujie Cai
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tianzhen Xiong, Yajun Bai, Tai-Ping Fan, Xiaohui Zheng, Yujie Cai
Summary: This study constructed a chromosome engineering strain for whole-cell biotransformation to synthesize phenylpyruvic acid (PPA) from l-phenylalanine. Results showed that increasing the copy number of l-amino acid deaminase (pmLAAD) and deleting the lacI gene could enhance PPA production. The engineered E. coli strain achieved a high PPA titer of 19.14 g/L within 24 hours in a 5-L bioreactor.
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Di Liu, Linbo Gou, Yajun Bai, Tai-Ping Fan, Xiaohui Zheng, Yujie Cai
Summary: In this study, the 3-quinuclidinone reductase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens was modified by site-directed mutagenesis to change its substrate specificity. A single-point mutation at residue 197 resulted in an enzyme with catalytic activity towards ethyl 4-chloroacetoacetate. The mutant E197N showed the highest catalytic efficiency for the substrate in enzyme activity assays.
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yixiang Li, Yajun Bai, Tai-Ping Fan, Xiaohui Zheng, Yujie Cai
Summary: The novel enzyme ThTRL from T. hassleriana exhibits broad substrate specificity, able to reduce various compounds with carbonyl groups, and shows high catalytic efficiency under specific conditions.
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Xinxin Liang, Huaxiang Deng, Tianzhen Xiong, Yajun Bai, Tai-Ping Fan, Xiaohui Zheng, Yujie Cai
Summary: This study successfully synthesized carboxyspermidine dehydrogenase with C-Spd biosynthesis activity and developed a coupled catalytic strategy for efficient production of C-Spd. The findings have significant implications for industrial production of C-Spd.
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xinxin Liang, Huaxiang Deng, Yajun Bai, Tai-Ping Fan, Xiaohui Zheng, Yujie Cai
Summary: A novel efficient whole-cell biocatalytic method for the synthesis of spermidine was designed and constructed. This method utilizes co-expression of key enzymes and optimized conditions to achieve high yield and productivity of spermidine.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaoxiang Hu, Huaxiang Deng, Yajun Bai, Tai-Ping Fan, Xiaohui Zheng, Yujie Cai
Summary: In this study, a borneol dehydrogenase (BDH) from Arabidopsis lyrate was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The enzymatic properties of BDH were investigated, revealing its optimum conditions for reduction and oxidation reactions of borneol and camphor. Additionally, a single point mutation was found to enable enzymatic resolution of camphor to produce optically pure (+)-camphor. These findings lay an important foundation for further exploring the conversion of borneol and camphor in Arabidopsis and provide potential industrial application value for the sustainable synthesis of optically pure borneol enantiomers.
MOLECULAR CATALYSIS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yi Yan, Yajun Bai, Xiaohui Zheng, Yujie Cai
Summary: Hydroxytyrosol (HT), a polyphenolic molecule, is highly valued and used in various industries. Researchers have modified Escherichia coli to enhance the expression of key enzymes and compared different DODC enzymes for efficient HT production. The results showed that the DODC enzyme from Homo sapiens is superior.
ENZYME AND MICROBIAL TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Wenjing Liu, Xiaoxiang Hu, Linghao Fang, Yujie Cai
Summary: In this study, a homospermidine synthase (HSS) from Pseudomonas frederiksbergensis (PfHSS) was identified and found to be capable of synthesizing spermidine from 1,3-diaminopropane and putrescine. Further analysis revealed that glutamic acid at position 359 is essential for the enzyme-catalyzed synthesis of spermidine. The whole-cell catalytic reaction yielded 1321.4 mg/L spermidine and 678.2 mg/L of homospermidine, providing a novel and promising biological method for sustainable spermidine production.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Wenjing Liu, Xiaoxiang Hu, Linghao Fang, Yujie Cai
Summary: In this study, a homospermidine synthase (HSS) capable of catalyzing the synthesis of spermidine was identified. The essential residue for the enzyme-catalyzed synthesis of spermidine was determined. The whole-cell catalytic reaction yielded high amounts of spermidine and homospermidine.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Lixin Zhai, Zihao Xie, Qiaopeng Tian, Zhengbing Guan, Yujie Cai, Xiangru Liao