Microbiology Spectrum (Oct 2023)

Heterologous expression of mtf and mtc genes of Pseudanabaena foetida var. intermedia is sufficient to produce 2-methylisoborneol in Escherichia coli

  • Kaushalya Dayarathne,
  • Toshiki Ishikawa,
  • Satoru Watanabe,
  • Yuuma Ishikawa,
  • Kadeer Aikeranmu,
  • Hina Kitagawaa,
  • Natsumi Komatsubara,
  • Masatoshi Yamaguchi,
  • Maki Kawai-Yamada

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02561-23
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 5

Abstract

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ABSTRACT Microbial volatile metabolite 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) causes odor and taste issues in drinking water, making it unappealing for human consumption. It has been suggested that 2-MIB biosynthesis consists of two main steps, namely, methylation of geranyl diphosphate into 2-methyl geranyl diphosphate by geranyl diphosphate methyl transferase (GPPMT) and subsequent cyclization into 2-MIB by 2-MIB synthase (MIBS). Pseudanabaena foetida var. intermedia is a 2-MIB-producing cyanobacterium whose GPPMT and MIBS enzymes are encoded by adjacent mtf and mtc genes. The present study identified a 2-MIB-related gene cluster composed of cnbA, mtf, mtc, and cnbB genes in P. foetida var. intermedia. The two homologous cyclic nucleotide-binding protein genes, cnbA and cnbB, were detected adjacent to the mtf and mtc genes, respectively. The nucleotide sequence of the cnbA-mtf-mtc-cnbB gene cluster showed 99.55% identity with 2-MIB synthesis-associated gene cluster of Pseudanabaena sp. dqh15. RT-PCR results revealed that mtf and mtc genes are co-expressed, while cnbA and cnbB genes are expressed independently in P. foetida var. intermedia. To investigate whether only mtf and mtc genes are sufficient for 2-MIB synthesis, the two-gene unit (mtf-mtc) was introduced into Escherichia coli strain JM109 via overexpression vector pYS1C. Gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry results showed that the E. coli strain transformed with mtf-mtc was able to produce 2-MIB. The intracellular 2-MIB level in P. foetida var. intermedia was higher than the extracellular 2-MIB level, while the transformed E. coli strain showed an opposite trend. Growth inhibition was observed in the 2-MIB-producing transformed E. coli strain. IMPORTANCE Contamination of drinking water with odiferous microbial metabolite 2-MIB is a worldwide concern. Removal of 2-MIB from drinking water burdens the water purification process. Therefore, it is important to search for alternative methods, such as suppressing the production of 2-MIB by aquatic microorganisms. For that, it is necessary to expand the current knowledge about the mechanism of 2-MIB synthesis at the genetic level. This study revealed that mtf and mtc genes of the 2-MIB-related gene cluster are transcribed as a single unit in P. foetida var. intermedia, and the expression of both mtf and mtc genes is essential and sufficient for 2-MIB synthesis in E. coli heterologous gene expression system.

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