2'-Fucosyllactose (2'-FL), the most abundant fucosylated oligosaccharide in human milk, has multiple beneficial effects on human health. However, its biosynthesis by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli is often hampered owing to the insolubility and instability of α-1,2-fucosyltransferase (the rate-limiting enzyme). In this study, we aimed to enhance 2'-FL production by increasing the expression of soluble α-1,2-fucosyltransferase from Helicobacter pylori (FucT2). Because structural information regarding FucT2 has not been unveiled, we decided to improve the expression of soluble FucT2 in E. coli via directed evolution using a protein solubility biosensor that links protein solubility to antimicrobial resistance. For such a system to be viable, the activity of kanamycin resistance protein (KanR) should be dependent on FucT2 solubility. KanR was fused to the C-terminus of mutant libraries of FucT2, which were generated using a combination of error-prone PCR and DNA shuffling. Notably, one round of the directed evolution process, which consisted of mutant library generation and selection based on kanamycin resistance, resulted in a significant increase in the expression level of soluble FucT2. As a result, a batch fermentation with the ΔL M15 pBCGW strain, expressing the FucT2 mutant (F#1-5) isolated from the first round of the directed evolution process, resulted in the production of 0.31 g/l 2'-FL with a yield of 0.22 g 2'-FL/g lactose, showing 1.72- and 1.51-fold increase in the titer and yield, respectively, compared to those of the control strain. The simple and powerful method developed in this study could be applied to enhance the solubility of other unstable enzymes.
Keywords: 2'-fucosyllactose; Escherichia coli; directed evolution; kanamycin resistance; solubility biosensor; α-1,2-fucosyltransferase.