Bacterial synthesis of four hydroxycinnamic acids (original) (raw)
Related papers
Background: The aromatic compounds cinnamic acid (CA) and p-hydroxycinnamic acid (pHCA) are used as flavoring agents as well as precursors of chemicals. These compounds are present in plants at low concentrations, therefore, complex purification processes are usually required to extract the product. An alternative production method for these aromatic acids is based on the use of microbial strains modified by metabolic engineering. These biotechnological processes are usually based on the use of simple sugars like glucose as a raw material. However, sustainable production processes should preferably be based on the use of waste material such as lignocellulosic hydrolysates.
Metabolic engineering strategies for caffeic acid production in Escherichia coli
Electronic Journal of Biotechnology
Caffeic acid (CA; 3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid) is an aromatic compound obtained by the phenylpropanoid pathway. This natural product has antioxidant, antitumor, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory activities. It is also a precursor of CA phenethyl ester (CAPE), a compound with potential as an antidiabetic and liver-protective agent. CA can be found at low concentrations in plant tissues, and hence, its purification is difficult and expensive. Knowledge regarding the pathways, enzymes, and genes involved in CA biosynthesis has paved the way for enabling the design and construction of microbial strains with the capacity of synthesizing this metabolite. In this review, metabolic engineering strategies for the generation of Escherichia coli strains for the biotechnological production of CA are presented and discussed. How to cite: Hernández-Chávez G, Martinez A, Gosset G. Metabolic engineering strategies for caffeic acid production in Escherichia coli.
Biosynthesis of caffeic acid in Escherichia coli using its endogenous hydroxylase complex
Background: Caffeic acid (3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid) is a natural phenolic compound derived from the plant phenylpropanoid pathway. Caffeic acid and its phenethyl ester (CAPE) have attracted increasing attention for their various pharmaceutical properties and health-promoting effects. Nowadays, large-scale production of drugs or drug precursors via microbial approaches provides a promising alternative to chemical synthesis and extraction from plant sources. Results: We first identified that an Escherichia coli native hydroxylase complex previously characterized as the 4-hydroxyphenylacetate 3-hydroxylase (4HPA3H) was able to convert p-coumaric acid to caffeic acid efficiently. This critical enzymatic step catalyzed in plants by a membrane-associated cytochrome P450 enzyme, p-coumarate 3-hydroxylase (C3H), is difficult to be functionally expressed in prokaryotic systems. Moreover, the performances of two tyrosine ammonia lyases (TALs) from Rhodobacter species were compared after overexpression in E. coli. The results indicated that the TAL from R. capsulatus (Rc) possesses higher activity towards both tyrosine and L-dopa. Based on these findings, we further designed a dual pathway leading from tyrosine to caffeic acid consisting of the enzymes 4HPA3H and RcTAL. This heterologous pathway extended E. coli native tyrosine biosynthesis machinery and was able to produce caffeic acid (12.1 mg/L) in minimal salt medium. Further improvement in production was accomplished by boosting tyrosine biosynthesis in E. coli, which involved the alleviation of tyrosine-induced feedback inhibition and carbon flux redirection. Finally, the titer of caffeic acid reached 50.2 mg/L in shake flasks after 48-hour cultivation.
Production of hydroxycinnamoyl anthranilates from glucose in Escherichia coli
Background: Oats contain hydroxycinnamoyl anthranilates, also named avenanthramides (Avn), which have beneficial health properties because of their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative effects. The microbial production of hydroxycinnamoyl anthranilates is an eco-friendly alternative to chemical synthesis or purification from plant sources. We recently demonstrated in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) that coexpression of 4-coumarate: CoA ligase (4CL) from Arabidopsis thaliana and hydroxycinnamoyl/benzoyl-CoA/anthranilate N-hydroxycinnamoyl/benzoyltransferase (HCBT) from Dianthus caryophyllusenabled the biological production of several cinnamoyl anthranilates upon feeding with anthranilate and various cinnamates. Using engineering strategies to overproduce anthranilate and hydroxycinnamates, we describe here an entire pathway for the microbial synthesis of two Avns from glucose in Escherichia coli. Results: We first showed that coexpression of HCBT and Nt4CL1 from tobacco in the E. coli anthranilate-accumulating strain W3110 trpD9923 allowed the production of Avn D [N-(4′-hydroxycinnamoyl)-anthranilic acid] and Avn F [N-(3′,4′dihydroxycinnamoyl)-anthranilic acid] upon feeding with p-coumarate and caffeate, respectively. Moreover, additional expression in this strain of a tyrosine ammonia-lyase from Rhodotorula glutinis (RgTAL) led to the conversion of endogenous tyrosine into p-coumarate and resulted in the production of Avn D from glucose. Second, a 135-fold improvement in Avn D titer was achieved by boosting tyrosine production using two plasmids that express the eleven genes necessary for tyrosine synthesis from erythrose 4-phosphate and phosphoenolpyruvate. Finally, expression of either the p-coumarate 3-hydroxylase Sam5 from Saccharothrix espanensis or the hydroxylase complex HpaBC from E. coli resulted in the endogenous production of caffeate and biosynthesis of Avn F. Conclusion: We established a biosynthetic pathway for the microbial production of valuable hydroxycinnamoyl anthranilates from an inexpensive carbon source. The proposed pathway will serve as a platform for further engineering toward economical and sustainable bioproduction of these pharmaceuticals and other related aromatic compounds.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2012
Hydroxycinnamic acids are the most widely distributed phenolic acids in plants. Broadly speaking, they can be defined as compounds derived from cinnamic acid. They are present at high concentrations in many food products, including fruits, vegetables, tea, cocoa, and wine. A diet rich in hydroxycinnamic acids is thought to be associated with beneficial health effects such as a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. The impact of hydroxycinnamic acids on health depends on their intake and pharmacokinetic properties. This review discusses their chemistry, biosynthesis, natural sources, dietary intake, and pharmacokinetic properties.
Metabolic engineering of E. coli for the production of chemicals
2009
Isoflavonoid representatives such as genistein, daidzein are high potent anti-cancer, antibacterial, anti-oxidant agents. It have been demonstrated that methylation of flavonoids enhanced the transporting ability, which lead to facilitated absorption and greatly increased bioavailability. In this paper, genetically engineered Escherichia coli was reconstructed by harboring E. coli K12-derived metK encoding S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) synthase (accession number: K02129) for enhancement of SAM as precursor and a Streptomyces avermitilis-originated SaOMT2 (O-methyltransferase, accession number: NP_823558) for methylation of daidzein and genistein as preferred substrates. The formation of desired products via biotransformation including 7-O-methyl-genistein and 7-O-methyl-daidzein This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. were confirmed individually by chromatographical data such as HPLC, LC-TOF-MS and NMR (1 H and 13 C) as well. Furthermore, substrates concentration, incubation time and media parameters were optimized using flask culture. Finally, the most fit conditions were applied for fed-batch fermentation with scale up to 3 L (working volume) to obtain the maximum yield of the products including 164.25 μM (46.81 mg/L) and 382.50 µM (102.88 mg/L) for 7-O-methyl genistein and 7-O-methyl daidzein, respectively. In particular, potent inhibitory activities of those isoflavonoid methoxides against the growth of cancer line (B16F10, AGS and HepG2) and endothelical (HUVEC) cells were investigated and demonstrated. Taken together this research work described the production of isoflavonoid-7-O-methoxides by E. coli engineering, improvement of production, characterization of produced compounds and preliminary in vitro biological activities of the these flavonoids being manufactured.
p-Hydroxyphenylacetate 3-Hydroxylase as a Biocatalyst for the Synthesis of Trihydroxyphenolic Acids
ACS Catalysis, 2015
Trihydroxyphenolic acids such as 3,4,5-trihydroxycinnamic acid (3,4,5-THCA) 4c and 2-(3,4,5trihydroxyphenyl)acetic acid (3,4,5-THPA) 2c are strong antioxidants that are potentially useful as medicinal agents. Our results show that p-hydroxyphenylacetate (HPA) 3hydroxylase (HPAH) from Acinetobacter baumannii can catalyze the syntheses of 3,4,5-THPA 2c and 3,4,5-THCA 4c from 4-HPA 2a and p-coumaric acid 4a, respectively. The wildtype HPAH can convert 4-HPA 2a completely into 3,4,5-THPA 2c within 100 min (total turnover number (TTN) of 100). However, the wild-type enzyme cannot efficiently synthesize 3,4,5-THCA 4c. To improve the efficiency, the oxygenase component of HPAH (C 2) was rationally engineered in order to maximize the conversion of p-coumaric acid 4a to 3,4,5-THCA 4c. Results from site-directed mutagenesis studies showed that Y398S is significantly more effective than the wildtype enzyme for the synthesis of 3,4,5-THCA 4c; it can catalyze the complete bioconversion of p-coumaric acid 4a to 3,4,5-THCA 4c within 180 min (TTN ∼ 23 at 180 min). The yield and stability of 3,4,5-THPA 2c and 3,4,5-THCA 4c were significantly improved in the presence of ascorbic acid. Thermostability studies showed that the wild-type C 2 was very stable and remained active after incubation at 30, 35, and 40°C for 24 h. Y398S was moderately stable because its activity was retained for 24 h at 30°C and for 15 h at 35°C. Transient kinetic studies using stopped-flow spectrophotometry indicated that the key improvement in the reaction of Y398S with p-coumaric acid 4a lies within the protein−ligand interaction. Y398S binds to pcoumaric acid 4a with higher affinity than the wild-type enzyme, resulting in a shift in equilibrium toward favoring the productive coupling path instead of the path leading to wasteful flavin oxidation.
Nature Biotechnology, 2000
We have used combinatorial biosynthesis to synthesize novel lipophilic carotenoids that are powerful cellular antioxidants. By co-expressing three different carotenoid desaturases in combination with a carotenoid hydratase, a cyclase, and a hydroxylase on compatible plasmids in Escherichia coli, we synthesized four novel carotenoids not previously detected in biological material or chemically synthesized. Their identification was based on their relative retention times on HPLC, spectroscopic properties, molecular weights, number of hydroxy groups, and 1 H-NMR spectra. The carotenoids were designated as 1-HO-3′, 4′-didehydrolycopene, 3, 1′-(HO) 2 -γ-carotene, 1,1′-(HO) 2 -3, 4, 3′, 4′-tetradehydrolycopene, and 1, 1′-(HO) 2 -3, 4-didehydrolycopene. These novel acyclic derivatives differ from structurally related compounds by extension of the conjugated polyene chain as well as additional hydroxy groups at position C-1′. We determined their antioxidative activity in a liposome-membrane model system, which showed that their ability to protect against photooxidation and radical-mediated peroxidation reactions was linked to the length of the conjugated double-bond system and the presence of a single hydroxy group. The protection of membrane degradation was superior to the related 1-HO and 1, 1′-(HO) 2 lycopene derivatives, making them interesting pharmaceutical candidates.
Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology, 2011
BACKGROUND: Optically pure acetoin is an important potential pharmaceutical intermediate. It has also been widely used to synthesize novel optically active α-hydroxyketone derivatives and liquid crystal composites. Recombinant Escherichia coli was developed for efficient (3R)-acetoin production. Culture medium optimization and process control were carried out to improve (3R)-acetoin yield by the engineered strain. RESULTS: A synthetic pathway involved the budRAB genes from Serratia marcescens and NADH oxidase gene from Lactobacillus brevis in E. coli was developed for efficient (3R)-acetoin production. Batch culture showed that 23.4 g L −1 of (3R)-acetoin could be obtained from 60 g L −1 glucose by the engineered strain. Chiral-column GC analysis indicated that the stereoisomeric purity of (3R)-acetoin produced was 97.3%. Further, the medium composition was optimized in shake flasks by an orthogonal design method. Under optimal conditions, (3R)-acetoin concentration reached 38.3 g L −1 in flask fermentation. Fed-batch fermentation based on a suitable agitation speed was carried out in a 5 L bioreactor, and maximum (3R)-acetoin concentration of 60.3 g L −1 was achieved with a productivity of 1.55 g L −1 h −1 and yield 86.3%. CONCLUSION: An engineering E. coli for efficient (3R)-acetoin production was constructed. The optimization of fermentation variables and fed-batch culture resulted in a maximum (3R)-acetoin concentration of 60.3 g L −1 .