Alka(e)ne synthesis in Cupriavidus necator boosted by the expression of endogenous and heterologous ferredoxin-ferredoxin reductase systems.

To boost aldehyde deformylating oxygenase (ADO) activity in a Cupriavidus necator strain expressing a synthetic alkane pathway, the expression of two ferredoxin-ferredoxin reductase systems was tested. The genes of a native fd/FNR-like system were identified in C. necator and expressed in a previously engineered alka(e)ne producing strain. The improved production of alka(e)nes in this Re2061-pMAB1 strain confirmed the activity of the native Fd/FNR system in C. necator. Concomitantly, the expression of the heterologous system from Synechococcus elongatus was investigated identically, leading to a second strain, Re2061-pMAB2. In the bioreactor, the aldehyde production was strongly reduced compared with the original alka(e)ne producer, leading to alka(e)nes production up to 0.37 and 1.48 g/L (22 and 82 mg/gCDW ), respectively. The alka(e)ne production yield of Re2061-pMAB2 accounted for 15% of the theoretical yield. We report here the highest level and yield of alka(e)nes production by an engineered bacterium to date.

Workflow Based on the Combination of Isotopic Tracer Experiments to Investigate Microbial Metabolism of Multiple Nutrient Sources.

Studies in the field of microbiology rely on the implementation of a wide range of methodologies. In particular, the development of appropriate methods substantially contributes to providing extensive knowledge of the metabolism of microorganisms growing in chemically defined media containing unique nitrogen and carbon sources. In contrast, the management through metabolism of multiple nutrient sources, despite their broad presence in natural or industrial environments, remains virtually unexplored. This situation is mainly due to the lack of suitable methodologies, which hinders investigations. We report an experimental strategy to quantitatively and comprehensively explore how metabolism operates when a nutrient is provided as a mixture of different molecules, i.e., a complex resource. Here, we describe its application for assessing the partitioning of multiple nitrogen sources through the yeast metabolic network. The workflow combines information obtained during stable isotope tracer experiments using selected 13C- or 15N-labeled substrates. It first consists of parallel and reproducible fermentations in the same medium, which includes a mixture of N-containing molecules; however,a selected nitrogen source is labeled each time. A combination of analytical procedures (HPLC, GC-MS) is implemented to assess the labeling patterns of targeted compounds and to quantify the consumption and recovery of substrates in other metabolites. An integrated analysis of the complete dataset provides an overview of the fate of consumed substrates within cells. This approach requires an accurate protocol for the collection of samples-facilitated by a robot-assisted system for online monitoring of fermentations-and the achievement of numerous time-consuming analyses. Despite these constraints, it allowed understanding, for the first time, the partitioning of multiple nitrogen sources throughout the yeast metabolic network. We elucidated the redistribution of nitrogen from more abundant sources toward other N-compounds and determined the metabolic origins of volatile molecules and proteinogenic amino acids.

Management of Multiple Nitrogen Sources during Wine Fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

During fermentative growth in natural and industrial environments, Saccharomyces cerevisiae must redistribute the available nitrogen from multiple exogenous sources to amino acids in order to suitably fulfill anabolic requirements. To exhaustively explore the management of this complex resource, we developed an advanced strategy based on the reconciliation of data from a set of stable isotope tracer experiments with labeled nitrogen sources. Thus, quantifying the partitioning of the N compounds through the metabolism network during fermentation, we demonstrated that, contrary to the generally accepted view, only a limited fraction of most of the consumed amino acids is directly incorporated into proteins. Moreover, substantial catabolism of these molecules allows for efficient redistribution of nitrogen, supporting the operative de novo synthesis of proteinogenic amino acids. In contrast, catabolism of consumed amino acids plays a minor role in the formation of volatile compounds. Another important feature is that the α-keto acid precursors required for the de novo syntheses originate mainly from the catabolism of sugars, with a limited contribution from the anabolism of consumed amino acids. This work provides a comprehensive view of the intracellular fate of consumed nitrogen sources and the metabolic origin of proteinogenic amino acids, highlighting a strategy of distribution of metabolic fluxes implemented by yeast as a means of adapting to environments with changing and scarce nitrogen resources.IMPORTANCE A current challenge for the wine industry, in view of the extensive competition in the worldwide market, is to meet consumer expectations regarding the sensory profile of the product while ensuring an efficient fermentation process. Understanding the intracellular fate of the nitrogen sources available in grape juice is essential to the achievement of these objectives, since nitrogen utilization affects both the fermentative activity of yeasts and the formation of flavor compounds. However, little is known about how the metabolism operates when nitrogen is provided as a composite mixture, as in grape must. Here we quantitatively describe the distribution through the yeast metabolic network of the N moieties and C backbones of these nitrogen sources. Knowledge about the management of a complex resource, which is devoted to improvement of the use of the scarce N nutrient for growth, will be useful for better control of the fermentation process and the sensory quality of wines.

Metabolic engineering of Cupriavidus necator for heterotrophic and autotrophic alka(e)ne production.

Alkanes of defined carbon chain lengths can serve as alternatives to petroleum-based fuels. Recently, microbial pathways of alkane biosynthesis have been identified and enabled the production of alkanes in non-native producing microorganisms using metabolic engineering strategies. The chemoautotrophic bacterium Cupriavidus necator has great potential for producing chemicals from CO2: it is known to have one of the highest growth rate among natural autotrophic bacteria and under nutrient imbalance it directs most of its carbon flux to the synthesis of the acetyl-CoA derived polymer, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), (up to 80% of intracellular content). Alkane synthesis pathway from Synechococcus elongatus (2 genes coding an acyl-ACP reductase and an aldehyde deformylating oxygenase) was heterologously expressed in a C. necator mutant strain deficient in the PHB synthesis pathway. Under heterotrophic condition on fructose we showed that under nitrogen limitation, in presence of an organic phase (decane), the strain produced up to 670mg/L total hydrocarbons containing 435mg/l of alkanes consisting of 286mg/l of pentadecane, 131mg/l of heptadecene, 18mg/l of heptadecane, and 236mg/l of hexadecanal. We report here the highest level of alka(e)nes production by an engineered C. necator to date. We also demonstrated the first reported alka(e)nes production by a non-native alkane producer from CO2 as the sole carbon source.

Efficient ammonium uptake and mobilization of vacuolar arginine by Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine strains during wine fermentation.

BACKGROUND: Under N-limiting conditions, Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains display a substantial variability in their biomass yield from consumed nitrogen -in particular wine yeasts exhibit high growth abilities- that is correlated with their capacity to complete alcoholic fermentation, a trait of interest for fermented beverages industries. The aim of the present work was to assess the contribution of nitrogen availability to the strain-specific differences in the ability to efficiently use N-resource for growth and to identify the underlying mechanisms. We compared the profiles of assimilation of several nitrogen sources (mostly ammonium, glutamine, and arginine) for high and low biomass-producing strains in various conditions of nitrogen availability. We also analyzed the intracellular fate of nitrogen compounds. RESULTS: Strains clustered into two groups at initial nitrogen concentrations between 85 and 385 mg N.L(-1): high biomass producers that included wine strains, were able to complete fermentation of 240 g.L(-1) glucose and quickly consume nitrogen, in contrast to low biomass producers. The two classes of strains exhibited distinctive characteristics that contributed to their differential capacity to produce biomass. The contribution of each characteristic varied according to nitrogen availability. In high biomass producers, the high rate of ammonium uptake resulted in an important consumption of this preferred nitrogen source that promoted the growth of these yeasts when nitrogen was provided in excess. Both classes of yeast accumulated poor nitrogen sources, mostly arginine, in vacuoles during the first stages of growth. However, at end of the growth phase when nitrogen had become limiting, high biomass producers more efficiently used this vacuolar nitrogen fraction for protein synthesis and further biomass formation than low biomass producers. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we demonstrate that the efficient management of the nitrogen resource, including efficient ammonium uptake and efficient use of the amino acids stored in vacuoles during the late stages of growth, might lead to high biomass production by wine yeasts.

Sequential use of nitrogen compounds by Saccharomyces cerevisiae during wine fermentation: a model based on kinetic and regulation characteristics of nitrogen permeases.

The efficiency of nitrogen use is a key determinant of the completion of alcoholic fermentation. We analyzed the kinetics of consumption of 18 nitrogen compounds by 14 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains of various origins in a synthetic medium that mimicked a grape must. The kinetic profiles of total nitrogen consumption were diverse, but the order of nitrogen source consumption was similar for all strains. The nitrogen compounds could be classified into three groups, according to their order of use: prematurely consumed (Lys), early consumed (Asp, Thr, Glu, Leu, His, Met, Ile, Ser, Gln, and Phe), and late consumed (ammonium, Val, Arg, Ala, Trp, and Tyr). The initial concentrations of these compounds did not alter the order in which they were consumed, except for arginine and ammonium. Early consumed amino acids are transported by specific permeases under Ssy1p-Ptr3p-Ssy5 (SPS)-mediated control that are expressed at the beginning of consumption. Most nitrogen compounds consumed late are transported by permeases under nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR), and others (Val, Trp, and Tyr) are transported by SPS-regulated low-affinity permeases. Therefore, the kinetic characteristics of transporters, as well as SPS and NCR, are likely key factors controlling the temporal sequence of consumption of nitrogen compounds and constitute a system highly conserved in S. cerevisiae species. This work sheds new light on the mechanistic basis of the sequential use of different nitrogen compounds in complex environments.