IP Library Granted Patent US 10,577,632
Granted Patent B2
US 10,577,632 · App. 15/175,497 · Granted Mar 3, 2020

Cell-free protein synthesis driven metabolic engineering for the production of 1-butanol

Inventors: Michael Christopher Jewett (Evanston, IL); Ashty Stephen Karim (Chicago, IL)
Assignee: Northwestern University
C12P7/16
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,577,632
App. No.
15/175,497
Granted
Mar 3, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed are cell-free systems for metabolic engineering, methods for cell-free metabolic engineering, kits for preparing the disclosed systems, and kits for performing the disclosed methods. The disclosed systems, methods, and kits may be utilized to prepare a chemical product and to optimize conditions for preparing a chemical product. The disclosed systems, methods, and kits also may be utilized for combinatorial cell-free metabolism engineering.

Claims (27)

1. A method for the enzymatic preparation of 1-butanol or an intermediate of 1-butanol in the 1-butanol synthetic pathway in vitro from a feedstock comprising glucose or a product of glycolysis that reacts with one or more enzymes to produce the 1-butanol or the intermediate of 1-butanol in the 1-butanol synthetic pathway, the method comprising:

(a) reacting a cell-free protein synthesis reaction mixture, the cell-free protein synthesis reaction mixture comprising a cellular extract from a host strain, a translation template encoding the one or more enzymes, and cell-free protein synthesis reagents,

(b) expressing the translation template in the cell-free protein synthesis reaction mixture to prepare the one or more enzymes,

(c) combining the cell-free protein synthesis reaction mixture and a metabolic reaction mixture, the metabolic reaction mixture comprising the feedstock,

wherein the feedstock reacts in the presence of the one or more enzymes to prepare the 1-butanol or the intermediate of 1-butanol in the 1-butanol synthetic pathway and wherein the cellular extract provides natural enzyme metabolism from the host strain;

wherein the one or more enzymes are selected from the group consisting of AtoB, Hbd, Crt, Ter, AdhE, and combinations thereof; and

wherein the intermediate of 1-butanol in the 1-butanol synthetic pathway is selected from acetoacetyl-CoA, 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, crotonyl-CoA, butyryl-CoA, and butyraldehyde.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the natural enzyme metabolism from the host strain (i) provides energy; (ii) provides cofactor regeneration; (iii) provides a cellular extract enzyme; or (iv) any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising providing a transcription template, a polymerase, ATP, GTP, CTP, and UTP to prepare the translation template.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protein reaction vessel and the metabolic reaction vessel are different vessels.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protein reaction vessel and the metabolic reaction vessel are the same vessel.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cellular extract is a prokaryotic cellular extract.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the enzyme prepared in step (b) is heterologous relative to the cellular extract.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cell-free protein synthesis reagents comprise a reaction buffer, amino acids, and a tRNA mixture.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cell-free protein synthesis reagents comprise CoA, ATP, NAD, NADH, NADP, NADPH, FMN, SAM, potassium, magnesium, ammonium, glutamate, acetate, or any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the enzyme prepared in step (b) is selected from the group consisting of AtoB, Hbd, Crt, Ter, AdhE, and combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the feedstock comprises glucose.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metabolic reaction mixture comprises CoA, malonyl-CoA, acetyl-CoA, 4′-phosphopantetheinyl transferase enzyme Sfp, ATP, NAD, NADH, NADP, NADPH, FMN, potassium, magnesium, ammonium, glutamate, acetate, any of the 20 amino acids, or any combinations thereof.

13. A method for the enzymatic preparation of 1-butanol in vitro from a feedstock that comprises glucose or products of glycolysis that reacts with one or more enzymes in the 1-butanol synthetic pathway to produce 1-butanol, the method comprising:

(a) reacting a cell-free protein synthesis reaction mixture, the cell-free protein synthesis reaction mixture comprising a cellular extract from a host strain of E. coli , a translation template encoding the one or more enzymes, and cell-free protein synthesis reagents,

(b) expressing the translation template in the cell-free protein synthesis reaction mixture to prepare the one or more enzymes in the 1-butanol synthetic pathway,

(c) combining the cell-free protein synthesis reaction mixture and a metabolic reaction mixture, the metabolic reaction mixture comprising the feedstock,

wherein the feedstock reacts in the presence of the one or more enzymes in the in the 1-butanol synthetic pathway to prepare the 1-butanol and wherein the cellular extract provides natural enzyme metabolism from the host strain; and

wherein the one or more enzymes are selected from the group consisting of AtoB, Hbd, Crt, Ter, AdhE, and combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the natural enzyme metabolism from the host strain (i) provides energy; (ii) provides cofactor regeneration; (iii) provides a cellular extract enzyme; or (iv) any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13 , the method further comprising providing a transcription template, a polymerase, ATP, GTP, CTP, and UTP to prepare the translation template.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the enzyme prepared in step (b) is heterologous relative to the cellular extract.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 7, 2016
From: MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER JEWETT; ASHTY STEPHEN KARIM
To: NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
Reel/Frame 039278/0935 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62173818 · Jun 10, 2015
Related Publication 20160362708A1 · Dec 15, 2016
Cited By (2)
US 12,421,537 US 12,624,375