Project description:Polyketide synthases (PKSs) are modular enzymes with exceptional potential as biocatalysts for producing non-native compounds. Here, we report the first PKS-based pathway for adipic acid (AA), an industrial monomer for nylon production, by engineering one of the most extensively hybridized PKS systems to date. Using a retrobiosynthetic approach, we identified EtnB, a succinyl-CoA loading module that uniquely retains the terminal carboxyl group, enabling access to dicarboxylic polyketide products, rarely produced by canonical PKSs. EtnB was coupled to a fully reducing extension module through an engineered communication linker, which improved ACP–KS interactions, enhanced titers, and demonstrated selective S-CoA loading in vivo. This construct integrates genes from five organisms, seven PKS modules joined across six non-natural junctions, and functions in both Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida. Additional engineering that included AT domain swaps, optimization of extender unit supply, and host strain metabolic rewiring further improved AA titers into the low mg/L range. Together, this work demonstrates that highly chimeric PKSs can be rendered functional through rational design, expands the PKS toolkit with a carboxyl-retaining loading module, and establishes a versatile platform for engineering diacids and other non-canonical products through PKS pathways.
Project description:We observed that deletion of polyketide synthase (pks) from E. coli NC101 reduces its ability to induce tumors in interleukin-10 knockout (Il10-/-) mice injected with azoxymethane (AOM), without altering histologic inflammation. The goal of this experiment is to assess inflammatory cytokine levels in colonic tissue of these mice. 2 germ-free Il10-/- mice were assayed and used as controls. 3 E. coli NC101 and 3 E. coli NC101-delta-pks monoassociated mice were experimental samples.
Project description:We observed that deletion of polyketide synthase (pks) from E. coli NC101 reduces its ability to induce tumors in interleukin-10 knockout (Il10-/-) mice injected with azoxymethane (AOM), without altering histologic inflammation. The goal of this experiment is to assess inflammatory cytokine levels in colonic tissue of these mice.
Project description:Colorectal cancer (CRC)–associated pathobionts such as Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) and colibactin-producing (pks⁺) Escherichia coli disrupt epithelial barrier function, promote chronic inflammation, and induce genotoxic stress. To investigate how these pathogenic interactions with the host epithelium can be modulated, we employed patient-derived normal human colon organoids as an ex vivo model. Two lytic bacteriophages, Bac-FRP-3 (targeting ETBF) and Esc-COP-23 (targeting pks⁺ E. coli), were applied to bacterial cultures, and the resulting phage-conditioned supernatants were used to challenge organoids. Exposure to ETBF and pks⁺ E. coli induced strong pro-inflammatory transcriptional responses, DNA damage signaling, and epithelial disruption, whereas phage treatment attenuated these effects. Transcriptomic profiling revealed restoration of inflammatory and DNA damage–related gene expression, while confocal imaging confirmed recovery of epithelial junctional integrity and reduced DNA double-strand breaks. These findings highlight phage-mediated modulation of host–pathobiont interactions and provide mechanistic insight into how targeted viral predation can reshape pathogenic impacts within the human intestinal environment.
Project description:The goal of this experiment is compare gene expression profiles between C. acetobutylicum wild-type and pks mutant strains to determine which genes might be under the control of self-produced polyketides. Samples for RNA-seq comparison were taken from batch fermentation cultures 26 hours post-inoculation.
Project description:<p>Natural products from microorganisms are important sources for drug discovery. With the development of high-throughput sequencing technology and bioinformatics, a large amount of uncharacterized biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in microorganisms have been found, which show the potential for novel natural product production. 9 BGCs containing PKS and/or NRPS in <em>Streptomyces globisporus</em> C-1027 were transcriptionally low/silent under the experimental fermentation conditions, and the products of these clusters are unknown. Thus, we tried to activate these BGCs to explore cryptic products of this strain. We constructed the cluster-situated regulator overexpressing strains which contained regulator gene(s) under the control of the constitutive promoter <em>ermE</em>*p in <em>S. globisporus</em> C-1027. Overexpression of regulators in cluster 26 resulted in significant transcriptional upregulation of biosynthetic genes. With the separation and identification of products from the overexpressing strain OELuxR1R2, 3 <em>ortho</em>-methyl phenyl alkenoic acids (compounds <strong>1-3</strong>) were obtained. Gene disruption showed that compounds <strong>1</strong> and <strong>2</strong> were completely abolished in the mutant GlaEKO, but were hardly affected by deletion of the genes <em>orf3</em> or <em>echA</em> in cluster 26. The type II PKS biosynthetic pathway of chain-extended cinnamoyl compounds was deduced by bioinformatics analysis. This study showed that overexpression of the 2 adjacent cluster-situated LuxR regulator(s) is an effective strategy to connect the orphan BGC to its products.</p>