Preparation and transformation optimization for supercompetent B. subtilis SCK6 cells / 生物工程学报

Bacillus subtilis is Gram-positive aerobic bacterium and widely used as a heterologous protein expression host because of its safety and high protein secretion property. However, comparing to Escherichia coli, the low transformation efficiency limits the application of B. subtilis as a host cell for directed evolution of heterologous enzymes. Therefore, we optimized the competent cell preparation conditions for conventional plasmid, including the alteration of the medium, the concentration of inducer, the plasmid type, and other parameters. Compared with the original LB medium, YN medium improved the transformation efficiency by about 4 folds. The transformation efficiency enhanced by about 2 folds under induction with 1.5% xylose for 2 h. In addition, with plasmids prepared from E. coli GM272 strain the transformation efficiency increased by about 3 folds. Combining all these findings, the transformation efficiency of pDG1730 plasmid under the optimized conditions could reach 10⁶ CFU/μg, which was 2 orders of magnitude higher than that the original. Our findings provide references for directed evolution of enzymes and metabolic engineering in Bacillus subtilis.

Construction and high-density fermentation of alkaline pectate lyase high-yield yeast / 生物工程学报

Pectate lyase is widely applied in ramie degumming and fabric bioscouring in the textile industry. Compared to conventional processes that involve high alkaline and high temperature treatment, enzyme based treatments have significant advantages in fibers protectiveness, improved efficiency of refining, reduced energy consumption and pollution. Hence, it would be highly desirable to construct high-yield alkaline pectate lyase engineered strains and reduce the pectate lyase production cost. In the previous study, pectate lyase gene pel from Bacillus subtilis168 was expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115 after codon usage optimization based on the vector pHBM905A. To improve the expression level, the vector pHBM905BDM with optimized promoter and signal peptide was used to express the optimized gene pels in GS115. The transformant had increased activity from 68 U/mL to 100 U/mL with the improvement in the transcription level by 27% measured by qPCR. The transformants were further screened on pectin plates, where higher halo forming strains were picked for shake-flask fermentation and strain GS115-pHBM905BDM-pels4 showed the highest activity of 536 U/mL. Then plasmid pPIC9K-pels was constructed and electroporated into the GS115-pHBM905BDM-pels4 cells. Subsequently, high-copy transformant was screened by using the medium containing antibiotics G418, strain GS115-pHBM905BDMpPIC9K- pels1 was identified with increased activity of 770 U/mL and the copy number of pels was 7 confirmed by qPCR. Finally, the activity of pectate lyase produced by GS115-pHBM905BDM-pPIC9K-pels1reached to 2 271 U/mL in a 5-L fermentor. The activity of pectate lyase in our study reached the highest level of expression in P. pastoris, showing good application potential in the textile industry.

Sporulation or competence development? A genetic regulatory network model of cell-fate determination in Bacillus subtilis / 生物工程学报

Bacillus subtilis is a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) strain that has been widely used in industries including fodder, food, and biological control. In addition, B. subtilis expression system also plays a significant role in the production of industrial enzymes. However, its application is limited by its low sporulation frequency and transformation efficiency. Immense studies have been done on interpreting the molecular mechanisms of sporulation and competence development, whereas only few of them were focused on improving sporulation frequency and transformation efficiency of B. subtilis by genetic modification. The main challenge is that sporulation and competence development, as the two major developmental events in the stationary phase of B. subtilis, are regulated by the complicated intracellular genetic regulatory systems. In addition, mutual regulatory mechanisms also exist in these two developmental events. With the development of genetic and metabolic engineering, constructing genetic regulatory networks is currently one of the most attractive research fields, together with the genetic information of cell growth, metabolism, and development, to guide the industrial application. In this review, the mechanisms of sporulation and competence development of B. subtilis, their interactions, and the genetic regulation of cell growth were interpreted. In addition, the roles of these regulatory networks in guiding basic and applied research of B. subtilis and its related species were discussed.