Improvement of amorpha-4,11-diene production by a yeast-conform variant of Vitreoscilla hemoglobin

Z Naturforsch C J Biosci. 2012 Mar-Apr;67(3-4):195-207.

Abstract

Amorpha-4,11-diene is the precursor of the antimalarial compound artemisinin. The effect of Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHb) and its yeast-conform variant (VHbm) on amorpha-4,11-diene production in engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated. First, the VHb gene was mutated to the yeast-conform variant VHbm based on step-by-step extension of a short region of the gene through a series of polymerase chain reactions (PCR). The artificial VHbm gene contained codons preferred by the yeast translation machinery. Two yeast expression vectors containing VHb or VHbm gene were constructed and introduced into the amorpha-4,11-diene-producing strain S. cerevisiae WK1 to form WK1[VHb] and WK1[VHbm], respectively. Western blot and CO-difference spectrum absorbance assay showed that VHb and VHbm were successfully expressed. In shake flasks, VHbm expression conferred higher cell growth than VHb expression. GC-MS results indicated the amorpha-4,11-diene production in WK1[VHbm] and WK1[VHb] was 3- and 2-fold higher than that in WK1, respectively. This suggests that VHb might improve the amorpha-4,11-diene production in engineered S. cerevisiae.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Base Sequence
  • Blotting, Western
  • DNA Primers
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Plasmids
  • Polycyclic Sesquiterpenes
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics*
  • Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
  • Sesquiterpenes / metabolism*
  • Truncated Hemoglobins / genetics
  • Truncated Hemoglobins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • DNA Primers
  • Polycyclic Sesquiterpenes
  • Sesquiterpenes
  • Truncated Hemoglobins
  • amorpha-4,11-diene
  • hemoglobin protein, Vitreoscilla