Consolidated bioprocessing of cellulose to itaconic acid by a co-culture of Trichoderma reesei and Ustilago maydis.

BACKGROUND: Itaconic acid is a bio-derived platform chemical with uses ranging from polymer synthesis to biofuel production. The efficient conversion of cellulosic waste streams into itaconic acid could thus enable the sustainable production of a variety of substitutes for fossil oil based products. However, the realization of such a process is currently hindered by an expensive conversion of cellulose into fermentable sugars. Here, we present the stepwise development of a fully consolidated bioprocess (CBP), which is capable of directly converting recalcitrant cellulose into itaconic acid without the need for separate cellulose hydrolysis including the application of commercial cellulases. The process is based on a synthetic microbial consortium of the cellulase producer Trichoderma reesei and the itaconic acid producing yeast Ustilago maydis. A method for process monitoring was developed to estimate cellulose consumption, itaconic acid formation as well as the actual itaconic acid production yield online during co-cultivation. RESULTS: The efficiency of the process was compared to a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation setup (SSF). Because of the additional substrate consumption of T. reesei in the CBP, the itaconic acid yield was significantly lower in the CBP than in the SSF. In order to increase yield and productivity of itaconic acid in the CBP, the population dynamics was manipulated by varying the inoculation delay between T. reesei and U. maydis. Surprisingly, neither inoculation delay nor inoculation density significantly affected the population development or the CBP performance. Instead, the substrate availability was the most important parameter. U. maydis was only able to grow and to produce itaconic acid when the cellulose concentration and thus, the sugar supply rate, was high. Finally, the metabolic processes during fed-batch CBP were analyzed in depth by online respiration measurements. Thereby, substrate availability was again identified as key factor also controlling itaconic acid yield. In summary, an itaconic acid titer of 34 g/L with a total productivity of up to 0.07 g/L/h and a yield of 0.16 g/g could be reached during fed-batch cultivation. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the feasibility of consortium-based CBP for itaconic acid production and also lays the fundamentals for the development and improvement of similar microbial consortia for cellulose-based organic acid production.

An Ustilago maydis chassis for itaconic acid production without by-products.

Ustilago maydis is a promising yeast for the production of a range of valuable metabolites, including itaconate, malate, glycolipids and triacylglycerols. However, wild-type strains generally produce a potpourri of all of these metabolites, which hinders efficient production of single target chemicals. In this study, the diverse by-product spectrum of U. maydis was reduced through strain engineering using CRISPR/Cas9 and FLP/FRT, greatly increasing the metabolic flux into the targeted itaconate biosynthesis pathway. With this strategy, a marker-free chassis strain could be engineered, which produces itaconate from glucose with significantly enhanced titre, rate and yield. The lack of by-product formation not only benefited itaconate production, it also increases the efficiency of downstream processing improving cell handling and product purity.

Process engineering of pH tolerant Ustilago cynodontis for efficient itaconic acid production.

BACKGROUND: Ustilago cynodontis ranks among the relatively unknown itaconate production organisms. In comparison to the well-known and established organisms like Aspergillus terreus and Ustilago maydis, genetic engineering and first optimizations for itaconate production were only recently developed for U. cynodontis, enabling metabolic and morphological engineering of this acid-tolerant organism for efficient itaconate production. These engineered strains were so far mostly characterized in small scale shaken cultures. RESULTS: In pH-controlled fed-batch experiments an optimum pH of 3.6 could be determined for itaconate production in the morphology-engineered U. cynodontis Δfuz7. With U. cynodontis ∆fuz7r ∆cyp3r PetefmttA Pria1ria1, optimized for itaconate production through the deletion of an itaconate oxidase and overexpression of rate-limiting production steps, titers up to 82.9 ± 0.8 g L-1 were reached in a high-density pulsed fed-batch fermentation at this pH. The use of a constant glucose feed controlled by in-line glucose analysis increased the yield in the production phase to 0.61 gITA gGLC-1, which is 84% of the maximum theoretical pathway yield. Productivity could be improved to a maximum of 1.44 g L-1 h-1 and cell recycling was achieved by repeated-batch application. CONCLUSIONS: Here, we characterize engineered U. cynodontis strains in controlled bioreactors and optimize the fermentation process for itaconate production. The results obtained are discussed in a biotechnological context and show the great potential of U. cynodontis as an itaconate producing host.

Integrated strain- and process design enable production of 220 g L-1 itaconic acid with Ustilago maydis.

BACKGROUND: Itaconic acid is an unsaturated, dicarboxylic acid which finds a wide range of applications in the polymer industry and as a building block for fuels, solvents and pharmaceuticals. Currently, Aspergillus terreus is used for industrial production, with titers above 100 g L-1 depending on the conditions. Besides A. terreus, Ustilago maydis is also a promising itaconic acid production host due to its yeast-like morphology. Recent strain engineering efforts significantly increased the yield, titer and rate of production. RESULTS: In this study, itaconate production by U. maydis was further increased by integrated strain- and process engineering. Next-generation itaconate hyper-producing strains were generated using CRISPR/Cas9 and FLP/FRT genome editing tools for gene deletion, promoter replacement, and overexpression of genes. The handling and morphology of this engineered strain were improved by deletion of fuz7, which is part of a regulatory cascade that governs morphology and pathogenicity. These strain modifications enabled the development of an efficient fermentation process with in situ product crystallization with CaCO3. This integrated approach resulted in a maximum itaconate titer of 220 g L-1, with a total acid titer of 248 g L-1, which is a significant improvement compared to best published itaconate titers reached with U. maydis and with A. terreus. CONCLUSION: In this study, itaconic acid production could be enhanced significantly by morphological- and metabolic engineering in combination with process development, yielding the highest titer reported with any microorganism.

Engineering the morphology and metabolism of pH tolerant Ustilago cynodontis for efficient itaconic acid production.

Besides Aspergillus terreus and Ustilago maydis, Ustilago cynodontis is also known as a natural itaconate producer. U. cynodontis was reported as one of the best itaconate producing species in the family of the Ustilaginaceae, featuring a relatively high pH tolerance in comparison to other smut fungi. However, in contrast to U. maydis, it readily displays filamentous growth under sub-optimal growth conditions. In this study, U. cynodontis is established as efficient pH-tolerant itaconic acid producer through a combination of morphological and metabolic engineering. Deletions of the genes ras2, fuz7, and ubc3 abolished the filamentous growth of U. cynodontis, leading to a stable yeast-like growth under a range of stress-inducing conditions. The yeast-like morphology was also maintained in a pulsed fed batch production of 21 g L-1 itaconic acid and 9.3 g L-1 (S)-2-hydroxyparaconate at a pH of 3.8. The genetic and metabolic basis of itaconic acid production in U. cynodontis was characterized through comparative genomics and gene deletion studies. A hyper-producer strain was metabolically engineered using this knowledge resulting in a 6.5-fold improvement of titer.

The interplay between transport and metabolism in fungal itaconic acid production.

Besides enzymatic conversions, many eukaryotic metabolic pathways also involve transport proteins that shuttle molecules between subcellular compartments, or into the extracellular space. Fungal itaconate production involves two such transport steps, involving an itaconate transport protein (Itp), and a mitochondrial tricarboxylate transporter (Mtt). The filamentous ascomycete Aspergillus terreus and the unicellular basidiomycete Ustilago maydis both produce itaconate, but do so via very different molecular pathways, and under very different cultivation conditions. In contrast, the transport proteins of these two strains are assumed to have a similar function. This study aims to investigate the roles of both the extracellular and mitochondrial transporters from these two organisms by expressing them in the corresponding U. maydis knockouts and monitoring the extracellular product concentrations. Both transporters from A. terreus complemented their corresponding U. maydis knockouts in mediating itaconate production. Surprisingly, complementation with At_MfsA from A. terreus led to a partial switch from itaconate to (S)-2-hydroxyparaconate secretion. Apparently, the export protein from A. terreus has a higher affinity for (S)-2-hydroxyparaconate than for itaconate, even though this species is classically regarded as an itaconate producer. Complementation with At_MttA increased itaconate production by 2.3-fold compared to complementation with Um_Mtt1, indicating that the mitochondrial carrier from A. terreus supports a higher metabolic flux of itaconic acid precursors than its U. maydis counterpart. The biochemical implications of these differences are discussed in the context of the biotechnological application in U. maydis and A. terreus for the production of itaconate and (S)-2-hydroxyparaconate.

Evolutionary freedom in the regulation of the conserved itaconate cluster by Ria1 in related Ustilaginaceae.

BACKGROUND: Itaconate is getting growing biotechnological significance, due to its use as a platform compound for the production of bio-based polymers, chemicals, and novel fuels. Currently, Aspergillus terreus is used for its industrial production. The Ustilaginaceae family of smut fungi, especially Ustilago maydis, has gained biotechnological interest, due to its ability to naturally produce this dicarboxylic acid. The unicellular, non-filamentous growth form makes these fungi promising alternative candidates for itaconate production. Itaconate production was also observed in other Ustilaginaceae species such as U. cynodontis, U. xerochloae, and U. vetiveriae. The investigated species and strains varied in a range of 0-8 g L-1 itaconate. The genes responsible for itaconate biosynthesis are not known for these strains and therefore not characterized to explain this variability. RESULTS: Itaconate production of 13 strains from 7 species known as itaconate producers among the family Ustilaginaceae were further characterized. The sequences of the gene cluster for itaconate synthesis were analyzed by a complete genome sequencing and comparison to the annotated itaconate cluster of U. maydis. Additionally, the phylogenetic relationship and inter-species transferability of the itaconate cluster transcription factor Ria1 was investigated in detail. Doing so, itaconate production could be activated or enhanced by overexpression of Ria1 originating from a related species, showing their narrow phylogenetic relatedness. CONCLUSION: Itaconate production by Ustilaginaceae species can be considerably increased by changing gene cluster regulation by overexpression of the Ria1 protein, thus contributing to the industrial application of these fungi for the biotechnological production of this valuable biomass derived chemical.

Online in vivo monitoring of cytosolic NAD redox dynamics in Ustilago maydis.

Maintenance of metabolic redox homeostasis is essential to all life and is a key factor in many biotechnological processes. Changes in the redox state of NAD affect metabolic fluxes, mediate regulation and signal transduction, and thus determine growth and productivity. Here we establish an in vivo monitoring system for the dynamics of the cytosolic NADH/NAD+ ratio in the basidiomycete Ustilago maydis using the ratiometric fluorescent sensor protein Peredox-mCherry. Metabolic redox dynamics were determined in the cytosol of living cells with high time resolution under biotechnologically relevant conditions, i.e. with high cell density and high aeration. Analytical boundary conditions for reliable analysis were determined, and perturbations in C-, N- or O- availability had marked impact on the cytosolic NADH/NAD+ ratio. NAD redox dynamics could be manipulated in lines inducibly expressing a water-forming NADH oxidase as a synthetic reductant sink. The establishment of Peredox-mCherry in U. maydis and the analysis of NAD redox dynamics provides a versatile methodology for the in vivo investigation of cellular metabolism, and contributes fundamental knowledge for rational design and optimization of biocatalysts.

Promoters from the itaconate cluster of Ustilago maydis are induced by nitrogen depletion.

BACKGROUND: Ustilago maydis is known for its natural potential to produce a broad range of valuable chemicals, such as itaconate, from both industrial carbon waste streams and renewable biomass. Production of itaconate, and many other secondary metabolites, is induced by nitrogen limitation in U. maydis. The clustered genes responsible for itaconate production have recently been identified, enabling the development of new expression tools that are compatible with biotechnological processes. RESULTS: Here we report on the investigation of two of the native promoters, P tad1 and P mtt1 , from the itaconate cluster of U. maydis MB215. For both promoters the specific activation upon nitrogen limitation, which is known to be the trigger for itaconate production in Ustilago, could be demonstrated by gfp expression. The promoters cover a broad range of expression levels, especially when combined with the possibility to create single- and multicopy construct integration events. In addition, these reporter constructs enable a functional characterization of gene induction patterns associated with itaconate production. CONCLUSIONS: The promoters are well suited to induce gene expression in response to nitrogen limitation, coupled to the itaconate production phase, which contributes towards the further improvement of organic acid production with Ustilago.

Metabolic engineering of Ustilago trichophora TZ1 for improved malic acid production.

Ustilago trichophora RK089 has been found recently as a good natural malic acid producer from glycerol. This strain has previously undergone adaptive laboratory evolution for enhanced substrate uptake rate resulting in the strain U. trichophora TZ1. Medium optimization and investigation of process parameters enabled titers and rates that are able to compete with those of organisms overexpressing major parts of the underlying metabolic pathways. Metabolic engineering can likely further increase the efficiency of malate production by this organism, provided that basic genetic tools and methods can be established for this rarely used and relatively obscure species. Here we investigate and adapt existing molecular tools from U. maydis for use in U. trichophora. Selection markers from U. maydis that confer carboxin, hygromycin, nourseothricin, and phleomycin resistance are applicable in U. trichophora. A plasmid was constructed containing the ip-locus of U. trichophora RK089, resulting in site-specific integration into the genome. Using this plasmid, overexpression of pyruvate carboxylase, two malate dehydrogenases (mdh1, mdh2), and two malate transporters (ssu1, ssu2) was possible in U. trichophora TZ1 under control of the strong P etef promoter. Overexpression of mdh1, mdh2, ssu1, and ssu2 increased the product (malate) to substrate (glycerol) yield by up to 54% in shake flasks reaching a titer of up to 120 g L-1. In bioreactor cultivations of U. trichophora TZ1 P etefssu2 and U. trichophora TZ1 P etefmdh2 a drastically lowered biomass formation and glycerol uptake rate resulted in 29% (Ssu1) and 38% (Mdh2) higher specific production rates and 38% (Ssu1) and 46% (Mdh2) increased yields compared to the reference strain U. trichophora TZ1. Investigation of the product spectrum resulted in an 87% closed carbon balance with 134 g L-1 malate and biomass (73 g L-1), succinate (20 g L-1), CO2 (17 g L-1), and α-ketoglutarate (8 g L-1) as main by-products. These results open up a wide range of possibilities for further optimization, especially combinatorial metabolic engineering to increase the flux from pyruvate to malic acid and to reduce by-product formation.

Efficient itaconic acid production from glycerol with Ustilago vetiveriae TZ1.

BACKGROUND: The family of Ustilaginaceae is known for their capability to naturally produce industrially valuable chemicals from different carbon sources. Recently, several Ustilaginaceae were reported to produce organic acids from glycerol, which is the main side stream in biodiesel production. RESULTS: In this study, we present Ustilago vetiveriae as new production organism for itaconate synthesis from glycerol. In a screening of 126 Ustilaginaceae, this organism reached one of the highest titers for itaconate combined with a high-glycerol uptake rate. By adaptive laboratory evolution, the production characteristics of this strain could be improved. Further medium optimization with the best single colony, U. vetiveriae TZ1, in 24-deep well plates resulted in a maximal itaconate titer of 34.7 ± 2.5 g L-1 produced at a rate of 0.09 ± 0.01 g L-1 h-1 from 196 g L-1 glycerol. Simultaneously, this strain produced 46.2 ± 1.4 g L-1 malate at a rate of 0.12 ± 0.00 g L-1 h-1. Due to product inhibition, the itaconate titer in NaOH-titrated bioreactor cultivations was lower (24 g L-1). Notably, an acidic pH value of 5.5 resulted in decreased itaconate production, however, completely abolishing malate production. Overexpression of ria1 or mtt1, encoding a transcriptional regulator and mitochondrial transporter, respectively, from the itaconate cluster of U. maydis resulted in a 2.0-fold (ria1) and 1.5-fold (mtt1) higher itaconate titer in comparison to the wild-type strain, simultaneously reducing malate production by 75 and 41%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The observed production properties of U. vetiveriae TZ1 make this strain a promising candidate for microbial itaconate production. The outcome of the overexpression experiments, which resulted in reduced malate production in favor of an increased itaconate titer, clearly strengthens its potential for industrial itaconate production from glycerol as major side stream of biodiesel production.