Unravelling Formaldehyde Metabolism in Bacteria: Road towards Synthetic Methylotrophy
Formaldehyde metabolism is prevalent in all organisms, where the accumulation of formaldehyde can be prevented through the activity of dissimilation pathways. Furthermore, formaldehyde assimilatory pathways play a fundamental role in many methylotrophs, which are microorganisms able to build biomass...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/2/220 |
| _version_ | 1827653731654565888 |
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| author | Vivien Jessica Klein Marta Irla Marina Gil López Trygve Brautaset Luciana Fernandes Brito |
| author_facet | Vivien Jessica Klein Marta Irla Marina Gil López Trygve Brautaset Luciana Fernandes Brito |
| author_sort | Vivien Jessica Klein |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Formaldehyde metabolism is prevalent in all organisms, where the accumulation of formaldehyde can be prevented through the activity of dissimilation pathways. Furthermore, formaldehyde assimilatory pathways play a fundamental role in many methylotrophs, which are microorganisms able to build biomass and obtain energy from single- and multicarbon compounds with no carbon–carbon bonds. Here, we describe how formaldehyde is formed in the environment, the mechanisms of its toxicity to the cells, and the cell’s strategies to circumvent it. While their importance is unquestionable for cell survival in formaldehyde rich environments, we present examples of how the modification of native formaldehyde dissimilation pathways in nonmethylotrophic bacteria can be applied to redirect carbon flux toward heterologous, synthetic formaldehyde assimilation pathways introduced into their metabolism. Attempts to engineer methylotrophy into nonmethylotrophic hosts have gained interest in the past decade, with only limited successes leading to the creation of autonomous synthetic methylotrophy. Here, we discuss how native formaldehyde assimilation pathways can additionally be employed as a premise to achieving synthetic methylotrophy. Lastly, we discuss how emerging knowledge on regulation of formaldehyde metabolism can contribute to creating synthetic regulatory circuits applied in metabolic engineering strategies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:24:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-86028124b4384591bccc818a8dcb6430 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:24:46Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-86028124b4384591bccc818a8dcb64302023-11-23T21:12:42ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072022-01-0110222010.3390/microorganisms10020220Unravelling Formaldehyde Metabolism in Bacteria: Road towards Synthetic MethylotrophyVivien Jessica Klein0Marta Irla1Marina Gil López2Trygve Brautaset3Luciana Fernandes Brito4Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, NorwayDepartment of Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, NorwayDepartment of Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, NorwayDepartment of Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, NorwayDepartment of Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, NorwayFormaldehyde metabolism is prevalent in all organisms, where the accumulation of formaldehyde can be prevented through the activity of dissimilation pathways. Furthermore, formaldehyde assimilatory pathways play a fundamental role in many methylotrophs, which are microorganisms able to build biomass and obtain energy from single- and multicarbon compounds with no carbon–carbon bonds. Here, we describe how formaldehyde is formed in the environment, the mechanisms of its toxicity to the cells, and the cell’s strategies to circumvent it. While their importance is unquestionable for cell survival in formaldehyde rich environments, we present examples of how the modification of native formaldehyde dissimilation pathways in nonmethylotrophic bacteria can be applied to redirect carbon flux toward heterologous, synthetic formaldehyde assimilation pathways introduced into their metabolism. Attempts to engineer methylotrophy into nonmethylotrophic hosts have gained interest in the past decade, with only limited successes leading to the creation of autonomous synthetic methylotrophy. Here, we discuss how native formaldehyde assimilation pathways can additionally be employed as a premise to achieving synthetic methylotrophy. Lastly, we discuss how emerging knowledge on regulation of formaldehyde metabolism can contribute to creating synthetic regulatory circuits applied in metabolic engineering strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/2/220formaldehydeassimilationdissimilationmethylotrophysynthetic methylotrophyregulation systems |
| spellingShingle | Vivien Jessica Klein Marta Irla Marina Gil López Trygve Brautaset Luciana Fernandes Brito Unravelling Formaldehyde Metabolism in Bacteria: Road towards Synthetic Methylotrophy Microorganisms formaldehyde assimilation dissimilation methylotrophy synthetic methylotrophy regulation systems |
| title | Unravelling Formaldehyde Metabolism in Bacteria: Road towards Synthetic Methylotrophy |
| title_full | Unravelling Formaldehyde Metabolism in Bacteria: Road towards Synthetic Methylotrophy |
| title_fullStr | Unravelling Formaldehyde Metabolism in Bacteria: Road towards Synthetic Methylotrophy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unravelling Formaldehyde Metabolism in Bacteria: Road towards Synthetic Methylotrophy |
| title_short | Unravelling Formaldehyde Metabolism in Bacteria: Road towards Synthetic Methylotrophy |
| title_sort | unravelling formaldehyde metabolism in bacteria road towards synthetic methylotrophy |
| topic | formaldehyde assimilation dissimilation methylotrophy synthetic methylotrophy regulation systems |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/2/220 |
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