Furfural Tolerance Research Articles

Comparison of genome‐wide selection strategies to identify furfural tolerance genes in Escherichia coli

Engineering both feedstock and product tolerance is important for transitioning towards next-generation biofuels derived from renewable sources. Tolerance to chemical inhibitors typically results in complex phenotypes, for which multiple genetic changes must often be made to confer tolerance. Here, we performed a genome-wide search for furfural-tolerant alleles using the TRackable Multiplex Recombineering (TRMR) method (Warner et al. (2010), Nature Biotechnology), which uses chromosomally integrated mutations directed towards increased or decreased expression of virtually every gene in Escherichia coli. We employed various growth selection strategies to assess the role of selection design towards growth enrichments. We also compared genes with increased fitness from our TRMR selection to those from a previously reported genome-wide identification study of furfural tolerance genes using a plasmid-based genomic library approach (Glebes et al. (2014) PLOS ONE). In several cases, growth improvements were observed for the chromosomally integrated promoter/RBS mutations but not for the plasmid-based overexpression constructs. Through this assessment, four novel tolerance genes, ahpC, yhjH, rna, and dicA, were identified and confirmed for their effect on improving growth in the presence of furfural.

Polyamine transporters and polyamines increase furfural tolerance during xylose fermentation with ethanologenic Escherichia coli strain LY180.

Expression of genes encoding polyamine transporters from plasmids and polyamine supplements increased furfural tolerance (growth and ethanol production) in ethanologenic Escherichia coli LY180 (in AM1 mineral salts medium containing xylose). This represents a new approach to increase furfural tolerance and may be useful for other organisms. Microarray comparisons of two furfural-resistant mutants (EMFR9 and EMFR35) provided initial evidence for the importance of polyamine transporters. Each mutant contained a single polyamine transporter gene that was upregulated over 100-fold (microarrays) compared to that in the parent LY180, as well as a mutation that silenced the expression of yqhD. Based on these genetic changes, furfural tolerance was substantially reconstructed in the parent, LY180. Deletion of potE in EMFR9 lowered furfural tolerance to that of the parent. Deletion of potE and puuP in LY180 also decreased furfural tolerance, indicating functional importance of the native genes. Of the 8 polyamine transporters (18 genes) cloned and tested, half were beneficial for furfural tolerance (PotE, PuuP, PlaP, and PotABCD). Supplementing AM1 mineral salts medium with individual polyamines (agmatine, putrescine, and cadaverine) also increased furfural tolerance but to a smaller extent. In pH-controlled fermentations, polyamine transporter plasmids were shown to promote the metabolism of furfural and substantially reduce the time required to complete xylose fermentation. This increase in furfural tolerance is proposed to result from polyamine binding to negatively charged cellular constituents such as nucleic acids and phospholipids, providing protection from damage by furfural.

Genome-Wide Mapping of Furfural Tolerance Genes in Escherichia coli

Advances in genomics have improved the ability to map complex genotype-to-phenotype relationships, like those required for engineering chemical tolerance. Here, we have applied the multiSCale Analysis of Library Enrichments (SCALEs; Lynch et al. (2007) Nat. Method.) approach to map, in parallel, the effect of increased dosage for >105 different fragments of the Escherichia coli genome onto furfural tolerance (furfural is a key toxin of lignocellulosic hydrolysate). Only 268 of >4,000 E. coli genes (∼6%) were enriched after growth selections in the presence of furfural. Several of the enriched genes were cloned and tested individually for their effect on furfural tolerance. Overexpression of thyA, lpcA, or groESL individually increased growth in the presence of furfural. Overexpression of lpcA, but not groESL or thyA, resulted in increased furfural reduction rate, a previously identified mechanism underlying furfural tolerance. We additionally show that plasmid-based expression of functional LpcA or GroESL is required to confer furfural tolerance. This study identifies new furfural tolerant genes, which can be applied in future strain design efforts focused on the production of fuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic hydrolysate.

Genome-wide RNAi screen reveals the E3 SUMO-protein ligase gene SIZ1 as a novel determinant of furfural tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

BackgroundFurfural is a major growth inhibitor in lignocellulosic hydrolysates and improving furfural tolerance of microorganisms is critical for rapid and efficient fermentation of lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, we used the RNAi-Assisted Genome Evolution (RAGE) method to select for furfural resistant mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and identified a new determinant of furfural tolerance.ResultsBy using a genome-wide RNAi (RNA-interference) screen in S. cerevisiae for genes involved in furfural tolerance, we identified SIZ1, a gene encoding an E3 SUMO-protein ligase. Disruption of SIZ1 gene function by knockdown or deletion conferred significantly higher furfural tolerance compared to other previously reported metabolic engineering strategies in S. cerevisiae. This improved furfural tolerance of siz1Δ cells is accompanied by rapid furfural reduction to furfuryl alcohol and leads to higher ethanol productivity in the presence of furfural. In addition, the siz1Δ mutant also exhibited tolerance towards oxidative stress, suggesting that oxidative stress tolerance related proteins may be under the SUMO regulation of SIZ1p and responsible for furfural tolerance.ConclusionsUsing a genome-wide approach, we identified a novel determinant for furfural tolerance, providing valuable insights into the design of recombinant microbes for efficient lignocellulose fermentation.

Impact of Furfural on Rapid Ethanol Production Using a Membrane Bioreactor

A membrane bioreactor was developed to counteract the inhibition effect of furfural in ethanol production. Furfural, a major inhibitor in lignocellulosic hydrolyzates, is a highly toxic substance which is formed from pentose sugars released during the acidic degradation of lignocellulosic materials. Continuous cultivations with complete cell retention were performed at a high dilution rate of 0.5 h−1. Furfural was added directly into the bioreactor by pulse injection or by addition into the feed medium to obtain furfural concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 21.8 g L−1. At all pulse injections of furfural, the yeast was able to convert the furfural very rapidly by in situ detoxification. When injecting 21.8 g L−1 furfural to the cultivation, the yeast converted it by a specific conversion rate of 0.35 g g−1 h−1. At high cell density, Saccharomyces cerevisiae could tolerate very high furfural levels without major changes in the ethanol production. During the continuous cultures when up to 17.0 g L−1 furfural was added to the inlet medium, the yeast successfully produced ethanol, whereas an increase of furfural to 18.6 and 20.6 g L−1 resulted in a rapidly decreasing ethanol production and accumulation of sugars in the permeate. This study show that continuous ethanol fermentations by total cell retention in a membrane bioreactor has a high furfural tolerance and can conduct rapid in situ detoxification of medium containing high furfural concentrations.

Improving Escherichia coli FucO for Furfural Tolerance by Saturation Mutagenesis of Individual Amino Acid Positions

Furfural is an inhibitory side product formed during the depolymerization of hemicellulose with mineral acids. In Escherichia coli, furfural tolerance can be increased by expressing the native fucO gene (encoding lactaldehyde oxidoreductase). This enzyme also catalyzes the NADH-dependent reduction of furfural to the less toxic alcohol. Saturation mutagenesis was combined with growth-based selection to isolate a mutated form of fucO that confers increased furfural tolerance. The mutation responsible, L7F, is located within the interfacial region of FucO homodimers, replacing the most abundant codon for leucine with the most abundant codon for phenylalanine. Plasmid expression of the mutant gene increased FucO activity by more than 10-fold compared to the wild-type fucO gene and doubled the rate of furfural metabolism during fermentation. No inclusion bodies were evident with either the native or the mutated gene. mRNA abundance for the wild-type and mutant fucO genes differed by less than 2-fold. The Km (furfural) for the mutant enzyme was 3-fold lower than that for the native enzyme, increasing efficiency at low substrate concentrations. The L7F mutation is located near the FucO N terminus, within the ribosomal binding region associated with translational initiation. Free-energy calculations for mRNA folding in this region (nucleotides -7 to +37) were weak for the native gene (-4.1 kcal mol(-1)) but weaker still for the fucO mutant (-1.0 to -0.1 kcal mol(-1)). The beneficial L7F mutation in FucO is proposed to increase furfural tolerance by improving gene expression and increasing enzyme effectiveness at low substrate levels.

Engineering furfural tolerance in Escherichia coli improves the fermentation of lignocellulosic sugars into renewable chemicals

Pretreatments such as dilute acid at elevated temperature are effective for the hydrolysis of pentose polymers in hemicellulose and also increase the access of enzymes to cellulose fibers. However, the fermentation of resulting syrups is hindered by minor reaction products such as furfural from pentose dehydration. To mitigate this problem, four genetic traits have been identified that increase furfural tolerance in ethanol-producing Escherichia coli LY180 (strain W derivative): increased expression of fucO, ucpA, or pntAB and deletion of yqhD. Plasmids and integrated strains were used to characterize epistatic interactions among traits and to identify the most effective combinations. Furfural resistance traits were subsequently integrated into the chromosome of LY180 to construct strain XW129 (LY180 ΔyqhD ackA::PyadC'fucO-ucpA) for ethanol. This same combination of traits was also constructed in succinate biocatalysts (Escherichia coli strain C derivatives) and found to increase furfural tolerance. Strains engineered for resistance to furfural were also more resistant to the mixture of inhibitors in hemicellulose hydrolysates, confirming the importance of furfural as an inhibitory component. With resistant biocatalysts, product yields (ethanol and succinate) from hemicellulose syrups were equal to control fermentations in laboratory media without inhibitors. The combination of genetic traits identified for the production of ethanol (strain W derivative) and succinate (strain C derivative) may prove useful for other renewable chemicals from lignocellulosic sugars.

OPTIMIZATION OF ENZYME PARAMETERS FOR FERMENTATIVE PRODUCTION OF BIORENEWABLE FUELS AND CHEMICALS

Microbial biocatalysts such as Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been extensively subjected to Metabolic Engineering for the fermentative production of biorenewable fuels and chemicals. This often entails the introduction of new enzymes, deletion of unwanted enzymes and efforts to fine-tune enzyme abundance in order to attain the desired strain performance. Enzyme performance can be quantitatively described in terms of the Michaelis-Menten type parameters Km, turnover number kcat and Ki, which roughly describe the affinity of an enzyme for its substrate, the speed of a reaction and the enzyme sensitivity to inhibition by regulatory molecules. Here we describe examples of where knowledge of these parameters have been used to select, evolve or engineer enzymes for the desired performance and enabled increased production of biorenewable fuels and chemicals. Examples include production of ethanol, isobutanol, 1-butanol and tyrosine and furfural tolerance. The Michaelis-Menten parameters can also be used to judge the cofactor dependence of enzymes and quantify their preference for NADH or NADPH. Similarly, enzymes can be selected, evolved or engineered for the preferred cofactor preference. Examples of exporter engineering and selection are also discussed in the context of production of malate, valine and limonene.

Insertion of transposon in the vicinity of SSK2 confers enhanced tolerance to furfural in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Furfural is one of the major inhibitors generated during sugar production from cellulosic materials and, as an aldehyde, inhibits various cellular activities of microorganisms used, leading to prolonged lag time during ethanologenic fermentation. Since Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains tolerant to furfural are of great economic benefit in producing bioethanol, much effort to obtain more efficient strains continues to be made. In this study, we examined the furfural tolerance of transposon mutant strains (Tn 1-5) with enhanced ethanol tolerance and found that one of them (Tn 2), in which SSK2 is downregulated at the transcriptional level, displayed improved furfural tolerance. Such phenotype was abolished by complementation of the entire open reading frame of SSK2, which encodes a mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase kinase of the high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signaling pathway, suggesting an inhibitory effect of SSK2 in coping with furfural stress. Tn 2 showed a significant decrease in the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and early and high activation of Hog1p, a MAP kinase integral to the HOG pathway in response to furfural. The transcriptional levels of CTT1 and GLR1, two of known Hog1p downstream target genes whose protein products are involved in reducing ROS, were increased by 43% and 56% respectively compared with a control strain, probably resulting in the ROS decrease. Tn 2 also showed a shortened lag time during fermentation in the presence of furfural, resulting from efficient conversion of furfural to non-toxic (or less toxic) furfuryl alcohol. Taken together, the enhanced furfural tolerance of Tn 2 is suggested to be conferred by the combined effect of an early event of less ROS accumulation and a late event of efficient detoxification of furfural.

Increase in Furfural Tolerance in Ethanologenic Escherichia coli LY180 by Plasmid-Based Expression of thyA

Furfural is an inhibitory side product formed during the depolymerization of hemicellulose by mineral acids. Genomic libraries from three different bacteria (Bacillus subtilis YB886, Escherichia coli NC3, and Zymomonas mobilis CP4) were screened for genes that conferred furfural resistance on plates. Beneficial plasmids containing the thyA gene (coding for thymidylate synthase) were recovered from all three organisms. Expression of this key gene in the de novo pathway for dTMP biosynthesis improved furfural resistance on plates and during fermentation. A similar benefit was observed by supplementation with thymine, thymidine, or the combination of tetrahydrofolate and serine (precursors for 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate, the methyl donor for ThyA). Supplementation with deoxyuridine provided a small benefit, and deoxyribose was of no benefit for furfural tolerance. A combination of thymidine and plasmid expression of thyA was no more effective than either alone. Together, these results demonstrate that furfural tolerance is increased by approaches that increase the supply of pyrimidine deoxyribonucleotides. However, ThyA activity was not directly affected by the addition of furfural. Furfural has been previously shown to damage DNA in E. coli and to activate a cellular response to oxidative damage in yeast. The added burden of repairing furfural-damaged DNA in E. coli would be expected to increase the cellular requirement for dTMP. Increased expression of thyA (E. coli, B. subtilis, or Z. mobilis), supplementation of cultures with thymidine, and supplementation with precursors for 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate (methyl donor) are each proposed to increase furfural tolerance by increasing the availability of dTMP for DNA repair.

Increased Furan Tolerance in Escherichia coli Due to a Cryptic ucpA Gene

Expression arrays were used to identify 4 putative oxidoreductases that were upregulated (>3-fold) by furfural (15 mM, 15 min). Plasmid expression of one (ucpA) increased furan tolerance in ethanologenic strain LY180 and wild-type strain W. Deleting ucpA decreased furfural tolerance. Although the mechanism remains unknown, the cryptic ucpA gene is now associated with a phenotype: furan resistance.

Overexpression of the yeast transcription activator Msn2 confers furfural resistance and increases the initial fermentation rate in ethanol production

Lignocellulosic biomass is a promising source for bioethanol production, because it is abundant worldwide and has few competing uses. However, the treatment of lignocelllulosic biomass with weak acid to release cellulose and hemicellulose generates many kinds of byproducts including furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, which inhibit fermentation by yeast, because they generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells. In order to acquire high tolerance to oxidative stress in bioethanol yeast strains, we focused on the transcription activator Msn2 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which regulates numerous genes involved in antioxidative stress responses, and constructed bioethanol yeast strains that overexpress Msn2 constitutively. The Msn2-overexpressing bioethanol strains showed tolerance to oxidative stress, probably due to the high-level expression of various antioxidant enzyme genes. Unexpectedly, these strains showed ethanol sensitivity compared with the control strain, probably due to imbalance of the expression level between Msn2 and Msn4. In the presence of furfural, the engineered strains exhibited reduced intracellular ROS levels, and showed rapid growth compared with the control strain. The fermentation test in the presence of furfural revealed that the Msn2-overexpressing strains showed improvement of the initial rate of fermentation. Our results indicate that overexpression of the transcription activator Msn2 in bioethanol yeast strains confers furfural tolerance by reducing the intracellular ROS levels and enhances the initial rate of fermentation in the presence of furfural, suggesting that these strains are capable of adapting rapidly to various compounds that inhibit fermentation by inducing ROS accumulation. Our results not only promise to improve bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass, but also provide novel insights for molecular breeding of industrial yeast strains.

Increased Furfural Tolerance Due to Overexpression of NADH-Dependent Oxidoreductase FucO in Escherichia coli Strains Engineered for the Production of Ethanol and Lactate

Furfural is an important fermentation inhibitor in hemicellulose sugar syrups derived from woody biomass. The metabolism of furfural by NADPH-dependent oxidoreductases, such as YqhD (low K(m) for NADPH), is proposed to inhibit the growth and fermentation of xylose in Escherichia coli by competing with biosynthesis for NADPH. The discovery that the NADH-dependent propanediol oxidoreductase (FucO) can reduce furfural provided a new approach to improve furfural tolerance. Strains that produced ethanol or lactate efficiently as primary products from xylose were developed. These strains included chromosomal mutations in yqhD expression that permitted the fermentation of xylose broths containing up to 10 mM furfural. Expression of fucO from plasmids was shown to increase furfural tolerance by 50% and to permit the fermentation of 15 mM furfural. Product yields with 15 mM furfural were equivalent to those of control strains without added furfural (85% to 90% of the theoretical maximum). These two defined genetic traits can be readily transferred to enteric biocatalysts designed to produce other products. A similar strategy that minimizes the depletion of NADPH pools by native detoxification enzymes may be generally useful for other inhibitory compounds in lignocellulosic sugar streams and with other organisms.

YqhC regulates transcription of the adjacent Escherichia coli genes yqhD and dkgA that are involved in furfural tolerance

Previous results have demonstrated that the silencing of adjacent genes encoding NADPH-dependent furfural oxidoreductases (yqhD dkgA) is responsible for increased furfural tolerance in an E. coli strain EMFR9 [Miller et al., Appl Environ Microbiol 75:4315-4323, 2009]. This gene silencing is now reported to result from the spontaneous insertion of an IS10 into the coding region of yqhC, an upstream gene. YqhC shares homology with transcriptional regulators belonging to the AraC/XylS family and was shown to act as a positive regulator of the adjacent operon encoding YqhD and DkgA. Regulation was demonstrated by constructing a chromosomal deletion of yqhC, a firefly luciferase reporter plasmid for yqhC, and by a direct comparison of furfural resistance and NADPH-dependent furfural reductase activity. Closely related bacteria contain yqhC, yqhD, and dkgA orthologs in the same arrangement as in E. coli LY180. Orthologs of yqhC are also present in more distantly related Gram-negative bacteria. Disruption of yqhC offers a useful approach to increase furfural tolerance in bacteria.

Furfural induces reactive oxygen species accumulation and cellular damage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

BackgroundBiofuels offer a viable alternative to petroleum-based fuel. However, current methods are not sufficient and the technology required in order to use lignocellulosic biomass as a fermentation substrate faces several challenges. One challenge is the need for a robust fermentative microorganism that can tolerate the inhibitors present during lignocellulosic fermentation. These inhibitors include the furan aldehyde, furfural, which is released as a byproduct of pentose dehydration during the weak acid pretreatment of lignocellulose. In order to survive in the presence of furfural, yeast cells need not only to reduce furfural to the less toxic furan methanol, but also to protect themselves and repair any damage caused by the furfural. Since furfural tolerance in yeast requires a functional pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and the PPP is associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) tolerance, we decided to investigate whether or not furfural induces ROS and its related cellular damage in yeast.ResultsWe demonstrated that furfural induces the accumulation of ROS in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In addition, furfural was shown to cause cellular damage that is consistent with ROS accumulation in cells which includes damage to mitochondria and vacuole membranes, the actin cytoskeleton and nuclear chromatin. The furfural-induced damage is less severe when yeast are grown in a furfural concentration (25 mM) that allows for eventual growth after an extended lag compared to a concentration of furfural (50 mM) that prevents growth.ConclusionThese data suggest that when yeast cells encounter the inhibitor furfural, they not only need to reduce furfural into furan methanol but also to protect themselves from the cellular effects of furfural and repair any damage caused. The reduced cellular damage seen at 25 mM furfural compared to 50 mM furfural may be linked to the observation that at 25 mM furfural yeast were able to exit the furfural-induced lag phase and resume growth. Understanding the cellular effects of furfural will help direct future strain development to engineer strains capable of tolerating or remediating ROS and the effects of ROS.

Furfural Inhibits Growth by Limiting Sulfur Assimilation in EthanologenicEscherichia coliStrain LY180

A wide variety of commercial products can be potentially made from monomeric sugars produced by the dilute acid hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. However, this process is accompanied by side products such as furfural that hinder microbial growth and fermentation. To investigate the mechanism of furfural inhibition, mRNA microarrays of an ethanologenic strain of Escherichia coli (LY180) were compared immediately prior to and 15 min after a moderate furfural challenge. Expression of genes and regulators associated with the biosynthesis of cysteine and methionine was increased by furfural, consistent with a limitation of these critical metabolites. This was in contrast to a general stringent response and decreased expression of many other biosynthetic genes. Of the 20 amino acids individually tested as supplements (100 microM each), cysteine and methionine were the most effective in increasing furfural tolerance with serine (precursor of cysteine), histidine, and arginine of lesser benefit. Supplementation with other reduced sulfur sources such as d-cysteine and thiosulfate also increased furfural tolerance. In contrast, supplementation with taurine, a sulfur source that requires 3 molecules of NADPH for sulfur assimilation, was of no benefit. Furfural tolerance was also increased by inserting a plasmid encoding pntAB, a cytoplasmic NADH/NADPH transhydrogenase. Based on these results, a model is proposed for the inhibition of growth in which the reduction of furfural by YqhD, an enzyme with a low K(m) for NADPH, depletes NADPH sufficiently to limit the assimilation of sulfur into amino acids (cysteine and methionine) by CysIJ (sulfite reductase).

Silencing of NADPH-Dependent Oxidoreductase Genes (yqhDanddkgA) in Furfural-Resistant EthanologenicEscherichia coli

Low concentrations of furfural are formed as a side product during the dilute acid hydrolysis of hemicellulose. Growth is inhibited by exposure to furfural but resumes after the complete reduction of furfural to the less toxic furfuryl alcohol. Growth-based selection was used to isolate a furfural-resistant mutant of ethanologenic Escherichia coli LY180, designated strain EMFR9. Based on mRNA expression levels in the parent and mutant in response to furfural challenge, genes encoding 12 oxidoreductases were found to vary by more than twofold (eight were higher in EMFR9; four were higher in the parent). All 12 genes were cloned. When expressed from plasmids, none of the eight genes in the first group increased furfural tolerance in the parent (LY180). Expression of three of the silenced genes (yqhD, dkgA, and yqfA) in EMFR9 was found to decrease furfural tolerance compared to that in the parent. Purified enzymes encoded by yqhD and dkgA were shown to have NADPH-dependent furfural reductase activity. Both exhibited low K(m) values for NADPH (8 microM and 23 microM, respectively), similar to those of biosynthetic reactions. Furfural reductase activity was not associated with yqfA. Deleting yqhD and dkgA in the parent (LY180) increased furfural tolerance, but not to the same extent observed in the mutant EMFR9. Together, these results suggest that the process of reducing furfural by using an enzyme with a low K(m) for NADPH rather than a direct inhibitory action is the primary cause for growth inhibition by low concentrations of furfural.

Tolerance to furfural-induced stress is associated with pentose phosphate pathway genes ZWF1, GND1, RPE1, and TKL1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Engineering yeast to be more tolerant to fermentation inhibitors, furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), will lead to more efficient lignocellulose to ethanol bioconversion. To identify target genes involved in furfural tolerance, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene disruption library was screened for mutants with growth deficiencies in the presence of furfural. It was hypothesized that overexpression of these genes would provide a growth benefit in the presence of furfural. Sixty two mutants were identified whose corresponding genes function in a wide spectrum of physiological pathways, suggesting that furfural tolerance is a complex process. We focused on four mutants, zwf1, gnd1, rpe1, and tkl1, which represent genes encoding pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) enzymes. At various concentrations of furfural and HMF, a clear association with higher sensitivity to these inhibitors was demonstrated in these mutants. PPP mutants were inefficient at reducing furfural to the less toxic furfuryl alcohol, which we propose is a result of an overall decreased abundance of reducing equivalents or to NADPH's role in stress tolerance. Overexpression of ZWF1 in S. cerevisiae allowed growth at furfural concentrations that are normally toxic. These results demonstrate a strong relationship between PPP genes and furfural tolerance and provide additional putative target genes involved in furfural tolerance.