Engineering a bifunctional Phr60-Rap60-Spo0A quorum-sensing molecular switch for dynamic fine-tuning of menaquinone-7 synthesis in bacillus subtilis
File(s)manuscript-ACS-20190527 clean(1).docx (3.17 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Quorum sensing (QS)-based dynamic regulation has been widely used as basic tool for fine-tuning gene expression in response to cell density changes without adding expensive inducers. However, most reported QS systems primarily relied on down-regulation rather than up-regulation of gene expression, significantly limiting its potential as a molecular switch to control metabolic flux. To solve this challenge, we developed a bifunctional and modular Phr60-Rap60-Spo0A QS system, based on two native promoters, P abrB (down-regulation by Spo0A-P) and P spoiiA (up-regulation by Spo0A-P). We constructed a library of promoters with different capacities to implement down-regulation and up-regulation by changing the location, number, and sequences of the binding sites for Spo0A-P. The QS system can dynamically balance the relationship between efficient synthesis of the target product and cell growth. Finally, we validated the usefulness of this strategy by dynamic control of menaquinone-7 (MK-7) synthesis in Bacillus subtilis 168, a model Gram-positive bacterium, with the bifunctional Phr60-Rap60-Spo0A quorum sensing system. Our dynamic pathway regulation led to a 40-fold improvement of MK-7 production from 9 to 360 mg/L in shake flasks and 200 mg/L in 15-L bioreactor. Taken together, our bilayer QS system has been successfully integrated with biocatalytic functions to achieve dynamic pathway regulation in B. subtilis 168, which may be extended for use in other microbes to fine-tune gene expression and improve metabolites production.
Date Issued
2019-08-16
Date Acceptance
2019-06-01
Citation
ACS Synthetic Biology, 2019, 8 (8), pp.1826-1837
ISSN
2161-5063
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Start Page
1826
End Page
1837
Journal / Book Title
ACS Synthetic Biology
Volume
8
Issue
8
Copyright Statement
© 2019 American Chemical Society. This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in ACS Synthetic Biology, after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acssynbio.9b00140.
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31257862
Subjects
Rap60-Phr60
Spo0A
menaquinone-7
quorum sensing
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Date Publish Online
2019-06-19