Ding Qiang, Su Xinyue, Yao Buhan, Zhao Yaning, Wu Jingyi, Zhou Jingyu, Ji Mengqi, Wang Yongzhong
School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China.
Key Laboratory of Human Microenvironment and Precision Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China.
ACS Synth Biol. 2025 Jun 20;14(6):2044-2052. doi: 10.1021/acssynbio.4c00871. Epub 2025 May 8.
Microbial cell factories have emerged as versatile bioreactors capable of orchestrating complex metabolic networks to convert renewable feedstocks into high-value biochemicals. Nevertheless, the diffusion-mediated dispersion of metabolic intermediates often compromises biosynthesis efficiency, primarily attributable to the absence of artificial subcellular compartments for spatiotemporal organization of catalytic enzymes. Herein, we established a synthetic biology platform leveraging engineered biomolecular condensates to achieve precise flux control via a modular pathway compartmentalization. First, the fused sarcoma low complexity domain (FUSLCD) was designed to combine the GCN4 to rationally integrate with GCN4 scaffold proteins to create programmable artificial organelles. Second, the protein recruitment and assembly functions of artificial organelles were identified by a short peptide pair or directly fusing with the FUSLCD protein in a spatial organization way. Third, using the 2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL) de novo biosynthesis pathway as a model system, we demonstrated enhanced pathway efficiency by colocalizing critical enzymes within artificial organelles in engineered , yielding a significant improvement in 2'-FL titer through flux compartmentalization. This study not only overcome diffusion-limited reactions via engineered spatial organization but also offer a versatile toolkit for optimizing compartmentalized biosynthesis pathways.
微生物细胞工厂已成为多功能生物反应器,能够协调复杂的代谢网络,将可再生原料转化为高价值生物化学品。然而,代谢中间体的扩散介导分散通常会损害生物合成效率,这主要归因于缺乏用于催化酶时空组织的人工亚细胞区室。在此,我们建立了一个合成生物学平台,利用工程化的生物分子凝聚物通过模块化途径区室化实现精确的通量控制。首先,设计融合肉瘤低复杂性结构域(FUSLCD)以结合GCN4,从而与GCN4支架蛋白合理整合以创建可编程的人工细胞器。其次,通过短肽对或以空间组织方式直接与FUSLCD蛋白融合来鉴定人工细胞器的蛋白质募集和组装功能。第三,使用2'-岩藻糖基乳糖(2'-FL)从头生物合成途径作为模型系统,我们通过在工程化的人工细胞器内共定位关键酶来证明途径效率的提高,通过通量区室化使2'-FL滴度显著提高。这项研究不仅通过工程化空间组织克服了扩散限制反应,还提供了一个用于优化区室化生物合成途径的通用工具包。