Assessing the Orthogonality of Phage-Encoded RNA Polymerases for Tailored Synthetic Biology Applications in <i>Pseudomonas</i> Species
The phage T7 RNA polymerase (RNAP) and lysozyme form the basis of the widely used pET expression system for recombinant expression in the biotechnology field and as a tool in microbial synthetic biology. Attempts to transfer this genetic circuitry from <i>Escherichia coli</i> to non-mode...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/8/7175 |
| Summary: | The phage T7 RNA polymerase (RNAP) and lysozyme form the basis of the widely used pET expression system for recombinant expression in the biotechnology field and as a tool in microbial synthetic biology. Attempts to transfer this genetic circuitry from <i>Escherichia coli</i> to non-model bacterial organisms with high potential have been restricted by the cytotoxicity of the T7 RNAP in the receiving hosts. We here explore the diversity of T7-like RNAPs mined directly from <i>Pseudomonas</i> phages for implementation in <i>Pseudomonas</i> species, thus relying on the co-evolution and natural adaptation of the system towards its host. By screening and characterizing different viral transcription machinery using a vector-based system in <i>P. putida</i>., we identified a set of four non-toxic phage RNAPs from phages phi15, PPPL-1, Pf-10, and 67PfluR64PP, showing a broad activity range and orthogonality to each other and the T7 RNAP. In addition, we confirmed the transcription start sites of their predicted promoters and improved the stringency of the phage RNAP expression systems by introducing and optimizing phage lysozymes for RNAP inhibition. This set of viral RNAPs expands the adaption of T7-inspired circuitry towards <i>Pseudomonas</i> species and highlights the potential of mining tailored genetic parts and tools from phages for their non-model host. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |