Yeast-based heterologous production of the Colletochlorin family of fungal secondary metabolites

• Published in: Metabolic engineering 2023-11, Vol.80, p.216-231
• Main Authors: Geistodt-Kiener, Aude, Totozafy, Jean Chrisologue, Le Goff, Géraldine, Vergne, Justine, Sakai, Kaori, Ouazzani, Jamal, Mouille, Grégory, Viaud, Muriel, O'Connell, Richard J., Dallery, Jean-Félix
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical chemistry; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; Biotechnology; Chemical Sciences; Colletotrichum higginsianum; Heterologous expression; Life Sciences; Molecular biology; Multigene Family - genetics; Polycistronic vector; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - metabolism; Secondary metabolism
• ISSN: 1096-7176; 1096-7184; 1096-7184; 1096-7176
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2023.10.002

Transcriptomic studies have revealed that fungal pathogens of plants activate the expression of numerous biosynthetic gene clusters (BGC) exclusively when in presence of a living host plant. The identification and structural elucidation of the corresponding secondary metabolites remain challenging. The aim was to develop a polycistronic system for heterologous expression of fungal BGCs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here we adapted a polycistronic vector for efficient, seamless and cost-effective cloning of biosynthetic genes using in vivo assembly (also called transformation-assisted recombination) directly in Escherichia coli followed by heterologous expression in S. cerevisiae. Two vectors were generated with different auto-inducible yeast promoters and selection markers. The effectiveness of these vectors was validated with fluorescent proteins. As a proof-of-principle, we applied our approach to the Colletochlorin family of molecules. These polyketide secondary metabolites were known from the phytopathogenic fungus Colletotrichum higginsianum but had never been linked to their biosynthetic genes. Considering the requirement for a halogenase, and by applying comparative genomics, we identified a BGC putatively involved in the biosynthesis of Colletochlorins in C. higginsianum. Following the expression of those genes in S. cerevisiae, we could identify the presence of the precursor Orsellinic acid, Colletochlorins and their non-chlorinated counterparts, the Colletorins. In conclusion, the polycistronic vectors described herein were adapted for the host S. cerevisiae and allowed to link the Colletochlorin compound family to their corresponding biosynthetic genes. This system will now enable the production and purification of infection-specific secondary metabolites of fungal phytopathogens. More widely, this system could be applied to any fungal BGC of interest. •Polycistronic plasmids developed for heterologous expression in S. cerevisiae.•Colletochlorin family of molecules linked to its biosynthetic gene cluster.•Engineered yeast overproduced molecules up to 35-fold relative to native producer.