Engineering topics

Katahira, Rui

Publications and source records attributed to Katahira, Rui.

22 records · Page 2

DOE OSTI2020

Characterization of alkylguaiacol-degrading cytochromes P450 for the biocatalytic valorization of lignin

Upgrading lignin, an underutilized component of biomass, is essential for the sustainability of biorefineries. Biocatalysis has considerable potential for upgrading lignin, but our lack of knowledge of relevant enzymes and pathways has limited its application. Herein, we describe a microbial pathway responsible for catabolizing alkylguaiacols, a major component of several industrial lignin streams. Catabolism is initiated by a cytochrome P450, with related P450s catalyzing the O-demethylation of different lignin-derived guaiacols and subsequent catabolism depending on the substitution pattern of the guaiacol. Importantly, the alkylguaiacol catabolic pathway enables bacterial growth on corn stover lignin produced by reductive catalytic fractionation. Overall, these insights greatly facilitate the engineering of P450s and bacteria to biocatalytically upgrade lignin.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Metabolic engineering of Pseudomonas putida for increased polyhydroxyalkanoate production from lignin

Corrigendum: In the originally published article by Salvachua et al. (2019), the author Anna Furches was accidentally omitted from the byline of manuscript, ‘Metabolic engineering of Pseudomonas putida for increased polyhydroxyalkanoate production from lignin’ Volume 13, Issue 1, Pages 290–298. The byline should read as given above. https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.13481

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Outer membrane vesicles catabolize lignin-derived aromatic compounds in Pseudomonas putida KT2440

Lignin is an abundant and recalcitrant component of plant cell walls. While lignin degradation in nature is typically attributed to fungi, growing evidence suggests that bacteria also catabolize this complex biopolymer. However, the spatiotemporal mechanisms for lignin catabolism remain unclear. Improved understanding of this biological process would aid in our collective knowledge of both carbon cycling and microbial strategies to valorize lignin to value-added compounds. Here, we examine lignin modifications and the exoproteome of three aromatic–catabolic bacteria: Pseudomonas putida KT2440, Rhodoccocus jostii RHA1, and Amycolatopsis sp. ATCC 39116. P. putida cultivation in lignin-rich media is characterized by an abundant exoproteome that is dynamically and selectively packaged into outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). Interestingly, many enzymes known to exhibit activity toward lignin-derived aromatic compounds are enriched in OMVs from early to late stationary phase, corresponding to the shift from bioavailable carbon to oligomeric lignin as a carbon source. In vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrate that enzymes contained in the OMVs are active and catabolize aromatic compounds. Taken together, this work supports OMV-mediated catabolism of lignin-derived aromatic compounds as an extracellular strategy for nutrient acquisition by soil bacteria and suggests that OMVs could pote

biological funneling↗

DOE OSTI2020

Ga/ZSM-5 catalyst improves hydrocarbon yields and increases alkene selectivity during catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass with co-fed hydrogen

An integrated experimental and computational study to understand the catalytic upgrading of biomass vapors into high yield of alkenes.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗