scholarly journals Structural organization of biocatalytic systems: the next dimension of synthetic metabolism

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 579-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias J. Erb

In natural metabolic networks, more than 2000 different biochemical reactions are operated and spatially and temporally co-ordinated in a reaction volume of <1 µm3. A similar level of control and precision has not been achieved in chemical synthesis, so far. Recently, synthetic biology succeeded in reconstructing complex synthetic in vitro metabolic networks (SIVMNs) from individual proteins in a defined fashion bottom-up. In this review, we will highlight some examples of SIVMNs and discuss how the further advancement of SIVMNs will require the structural organization of these networks and their reactions to (i) minimize deleterious side reactions, (ii) efficiently energize these networks from renewable energies, and (iii) achieve high productivity. The structural organization of synthetic metabolic networks will be a key step to create novel catalytic systems of the future and advance ongoing efforts of creating cell-like systems and artificial cells.

1963 ◽  
Vol 10 (01) ◽  
pp. 106-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Beck ◽  
R Schmutzler ◽  
F Duckert ◽  

SummaryInhibitor of kallikrein and trypsin (KI) extracted from bovine parotis was compared with ε-aminocaproic acid (EACA): both substances inhibit fibrinolysis induced with streptokinase. EACA is a strong inhibitor of fibrinolysis in concentrations higher than 0, 1 mg per ml plasma. The same amount and higher concentrations are not able to inhibit completely the proteolytic-side reactions of fibrinolysis (fibrinogenolysis, diminution of factor V, rise of fibrin-polymerization-inhibitors). KI inhibits well proteolysis of plasma components in concentrations higher than 2,5 units per ml plasma. Much higher amounts of KI are needed to inhibit fibrinolysis as demonstrated by our in vivo and in vitro tests.Combination of the two substances for clinical use is suggested. Therapeutic possibilities are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Siemon ◽  
Zhangqian Wang ◽  
Guangkai Bian ◽  
Tobias Seitz ◽  
Ziling Ye ◽  
...  

Herein, we report the semisynthetic production of the potent transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channel agonist (−)-englerin A (EA), using guaia-6,10(14)-diene as the starting material. Guaia-6,10(14)-diene was systematically engineered in Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae using the CRISPR/Cas9 system and produced with high titers. This provided us the opportunity to execute a concise chemical synthesis of EA and the two related guaianes (−)-oxyphyllol and (+)-orientalol E. The potentially scalable approach combines the advantages of synthetic biology and chemical synthesis and provides an efficient and economical method for producing EA as well as its analogs.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Siemon ◽  
Zhangqian Wang ◽  
Guangkai Bian ◽  
Tobias Seitz ◽  
Ziling Ye ◽  
...  

Herein, we report the semisynthetic production of the potent transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channel agonist (−)-englerin A (EA), using guaia-6,10(14)-diene as the starting material. Guaia-6,10(14)-diene was systematically engineered in Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae using the CRISPR/Cas9 system and produced with high titers. This provided us the opportunity to execute a concise chemical synthesis of EA and the two related guaianes (−)-oxyphyllol and (+)-orientalol E. The potentially scalable approach combines the advantages of synthetic biology and chemical synthesis and provides an efficient and economical method for producing EA as well as its analogs.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 2543
Author(s):  
Ruidong Ni ◽  
Suzeeta Bhandari ◽  
Perry R. Mitchell ◽  
Gabriela Suarez ◽  
Neel B. Patel ◽  
...  

Fatty acid amides are a diverse family of underappreciated, biologically occurring lipids. Herein, the methods for the chemical synthesis and subsequent characterization of specific members of the fatty acid amide family are described. The synthetically prepared fatty acid amides and those obtained commercially are used as standards for the characterization and quantification of the fatty acid amides produced by biological systems, a fatty acid amidome. The fatty acid amidomes from mouse N18TG2 cells, sheep choroid plexus cells, Drosophila melanogaster, Bombyx mori, Apis mellifera, and Tribolium castaneum are presented.


BioMetals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessio Menconi ◽  
Tiziano Marzo ◽  
Lara Massai ◽  
Alessandro Pratesi ◽  
Mirko Severi ◽  
...  

AbstractChloro(triethylphosphine)gold(I), (Et3PAuCl hereafter), is an Auranofin (AF)-related compound showing very similar biological and pharmacological properties. Like AF, Et3PAuCl exhibits potent antiproliferative properties in vitro toward a variety of cancer cell lines and is a promising anticancer drug candidate. We wondered whether Et3PAuCl encapsulation might lead to an improved pharmacological profile also considering the likely reduction of unwanted side-reactions that are responsible for adverse effects and for drug inactivation. Et3PAuCl was encapsulated in biocompatible PLGA–PEG nanoparticles (NPs) and the new formulation evaluated in colorectal HCT-116 cancer cells in comparison to the free gold complex. Notably, encapsulated Et3PAuCl (nano-Et3PAuCl hereafter) mostly retains the cellular properties of the free gold complex and elicits even greater cytotoxic effects in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells, mediated by apoptosis and autophagy. Moreover, a remarkable inhibition of two crucial signaling pathways, i.e. ERK and AKT, by nano-Et3PAuCl, was clearly documented. The implications of these findings are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Huang ◽  
Zhennan Liu ◽  
brandon bloomer ◽  
Douglas Clark ◽  
Aindrila Mukhopadhyay ◽  
...  

<div>Synthetic biology enables microbial hosts to produce complex molecules that are</div><div>otherwise produced by organisms that are rare or difficult to cultivate, but the structures of these</div><div>molecules are limited to chemical reactions catalyzed by natural enzymes. The integration of</div><div>artificial metalloenzymes (ArMs) that catalyze abiotic reactions into metabolic networks could</div><div>broaden the cache of molecules produced biosynthetically by microorgansms. We report the</div><div>assembly of an ArM containing an iridium-porphyrin complex in the cytoplasm of a terpene</div><div>producing Escherichia coli by a heterologous heme transport machinery, and insertion of this ArM</div><div>into a natural biosynthetic pathway to produce an unnatural terpenoid. This work shows that</div><div>synthetic biology and synthetic chemistry, incorporated together in whole cells, can produce</div><div>molecules previously inaccessible to nature.</div>


2021 ◽  
Vol 883 (1) ◽  
pp. 012075
Author(s):  
R Purnamaningsih ◽  
D Sukmadjaja ◽  
S Suhesti ◽  
S Rahayu

Abstract Six mutant clones of sugarcane with high productivity have been produced through tissue culture techniques combined with mutations using gamma-ray irradiation and Ethyl Methane Sulfonate. The six mutant clones have been tested for stability in the field. They are proven to have high productivity and yields, so that they are very potential to be developed as superior varieties. To support the planting material sufficiency of these clones, an efficient propagation method was needed. Media formulations with different physical properties and composition of growth regulators were tested to obtain high seedling propagation rates. The media formulation for callus induction was Murashige dan Skoog (MS) + 3 mg/l 2,4-D + 3 g/l casein hydrolysate + 3% sucrose and for shoot regeneration was MS + 0,5 mg/l BA + 0,1 mg/l IBA + 100 mg/l PVP and 2% sucrose. Shoot proliferation was carried out on MS liquid (1, ½) + (0.3; 0.5 mg/l) BA + 0.1 mg/l IBA + 1 mg/l Kinetin + (0; 0.5 mg/l) GA3+ sucrose 2%. The results showed that callus induction, callus regeneration, and shoot proliferation of sugarcane mutant clones were influenced by the genotype and medium composition. The fastest callus induction was obtained from the MSP-4 clone (5.82 days), and the longest was MSB-7 (8.82 days). The largest callus diameter was obtained from MSB-6 clone on MS medium containing 1 mg/l BA, 100 mg/l PVP, and 2% sucrose. The highest number of shoots was obtained from the MSB-6 clone, while the least number of shoots conducted from the MSB-8 clone. The MSB-8 clones were more difficult to regenerate compared to the others. The best media formulation for shoot proliferation was ½ MS containing 0.5 mg/l BA, 1 mg/l Kinetin, and 0.1 mg/l IBA, while the best formulation for rooting was ½ MS.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caterina Bartolacci ◽  
Cristina Andreani ◽  
Goncalo Dias do Vale ◽  
Stefano Berto ◽  
Margherita Melegari ◽  
...  

Mutant KRAS (KM) is the most common oncogene in lung cancer (LC). KM regulates several metabolic networks, but their role in tumorigenesis is still not sufficiently characterized to be exploited in cancer therapy. To identify metabolic networks specifically deregulated in KMLC, we characterized the lipidome of genetically engineered LC mice, cell lines, patient derived xenografts and primary human samples. We also determined that KMLC, but not EGFR-mutant (EGFR-MUT) LC, is enriched in triacylglycerides (TAG) and phosphatidylcholines (PC). We also found that KM upregulates fatty acid synthase (FASN), a rate-limiting enzyme in fatty acid (FA) synthesis promoting the synthesis of palmitate and PC. We determined that FASN is specifically required for the viability of KMLC, but not of LC harboring EGFR-MUT or wild type KRAS. Functional experiments revealed that FASN inhibition leads to ferroptosis, a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-and iron-dependent cell death. Consistently, lipidomic analysis demonstrated that FASN inhibition in KMLC leads to accumulation of PC with polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) chains, which are the substrate of ferroptosis. Integrating lipidomic, transcriptome and functional analyses, we demonstrated that FASN provides saturated (SFA) and monounsaturated FA (MUFA) that feed the Lands cycle, the main process remodeling oxidized phospholipids (PL), such as PC. Accordingly, either inhibition of FASN or suppression of the Lands cycle enzymes PLA2 and LPCAT3, promotes the intracellular accumulation of lipid peroxides and ferroptosis in KMLC both in vitro and in vivo. Our work supports a model whereby the high oxidative stress caused by KM dictates a dependency on newly synthesized FA to repair oxidated phospholipids, establishing a targetable vulnerability. These results connect KM oncogenic signaling, FASN induction and ferroptosis, indicating that FASN inhibitors already in clinical trial in KMLC patients (NCT03808558) may be rapidly deployed as therapy for KMLC.


Author(s):  
Carrie F. Olson-Manning

AbstractMetabolic networks are complex cellular systems dependent on the interactions among, and regulation of, the enzymes in the network. However, the mechanisms that lead to the expansion of networks are not well understood. While gene duplication is a major driver of the expansion and functional evolution of metabolic networks, the effect and fate of retained duplicates in a network is poorly understood. Here, I study the evolution of an enzyme family that performs multiple subsequent enzymatic reactions in the corticosteroid pathway in primates to illuminate the mechanisms that shape network components following duplication. The products of the pathway (aldosterone, corticosterone, and cortisol) are steroid hormones that regulate metabolism and stress in tetrapods. These steroids are synthesized by a multi-step enzyme Cytochrome P450 11B (CYP11B) that performs subsequent steps on different carbon atoms of the steroid derivatives. Through ancestral state reconstruction and in vitro characterization, I find the ancestor of the CYP11B1 and CYP11B2 paralogs (in primates) had moderate ability to synthesize cortisol and aldosterone. Following duplication in the primate lineage the CYP11B1 homolog specialized on the production of cortisol while its paralog, CYP11B2, maintained its ability to perform multiple subsequent steps as in the ancestral pathway. Unlike CYP11B1, CYP11B2 could not specialize on the production of aldosterone because it is constrained to perform earlier steps in the corticosteroid synthesis pathway to achieve the final product aldosterone. These results suggest that pathway context, along with tissue-specific regulation, both play a role in shaping potential outcomes of metabolic network elaboration.


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