04 Fakultät Energie-, Verfahrens- und Biotechnik
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Item Open Access Construction of robust Escherichia coli strains for large-scale production(2022) Ziegler, Martin; Takors, Ralf (Prof. Dr.-Ing.)The biotechnical production of many fine chemicals, proteins or pharmaceuticals depends on large-scale microbial cultivations. Due to limited mixing, heterogeneities in process relevant parameters such as nutrient concentrations arise in such fermentations. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a model organism frequently used in the biotechnological industry. If E. coli is cultivated under heterogeneous conditions, biological reactions of the microorganism result in reduced process performance. Since large-scale fermentations are not economically feasible in academic settings, scale-down reactors that mimic aforementioned heterogeneities are used to investigate heterogenous fermentations. Previous studies in scale-down reactors unraveled that, depending on the process strategy, the unstable supply of a limiting primary carbon or nitrogen source such as glucose or ammonium is one of the underlying causes of process performance loss. Low concentrations of glucose or ammonium elicit the stringent response as a biological starvation reaction which comprises extensive transcriptional reactions. In the first project that contributes to this thesis, the regulatory and transcriptional reactions of the strains E. coli MG1655 and E. coli SR to repeated exposure to ammonium starvation zones were examined in a scale-down reactor. The scale-down reactor followed a two-compartment approach and consisted of a stirred tank reactor and a plug-flow reactor simulating passage through a starvation zone. E. coli SR is a strain with modulated stringent response. It was observed that short-term starvation stimuli do not trigger this regulatory program in E. coli SR and the transcriptional reaction was noticeably reduced. Long-term adaptation of the strain to repeated cycles of limitation and starvation also clearly differed from E. coli MG1655. Despite lack of the stringent response, E. coli SR showed no deficits in the assimilation of the limiting ammonium or in biomass yield on ammonium. In the second project of this thesis, a series of deletion strains with robust phenotype against glucose starvation zones were constructed. Candidate genes were identified and successively removed from the genome of E. coli MG1655 by Recombineering. The fundamental growth parameters of the strains were determined in shaking flask fermentations and no noticeable differences compared to E. coli MG1655 were found. Chemostat cultivations in a scale-down reactor with glucose as the limiting nutrient source revealed that the final strain of the deletion series, E. coli RM214, had a significantly lower maintenance coefficient under heterogeneous conditions than E. coli MG1655. Moreover, in an exemplary heterologous protein productionscenario E. coli RM214 rhaB- pJOE4056.2_tetA proved to be more robust to heterogeneities and showed a significantly higher product yield than E. coli MG1655 rhaB- pJOE4056.2_tetA. In the third project of this thesis, the production of pyruvate in E. coli MG1655 by inhibition of pyruvate dehydrogenase through CRISPR interference was investigated. A central goal was to achieve the stable production in nitrogen-limited conditions. For this, different target sequences in the operon pdhR-aceEF-lpd were tested and the strains cultivated in shaking flask fermentations. All tested target sequences were generally suitable to trigger the accumulation of pyruvate. Combined CRISPR interference against two target sequences did not lead to an increased pyruvate yield in most cases. In addition, the strains E. coli MG1655 pdCas9 psgRNA_aceE_234 and E. coli MG1655 pdCas9 psgRNA_aceE_234_pdhR_329 were characterized in two phase fermentations in lab-scale reactors. The initial phase was an unlimited exponential growth phase and was followed by an ammonium-limited production phase. E. coli MG1655 pdCas9 psgRNA_aceE_234 only produced pyruvate during the exponential phase, and reuptake of pyruvate occurred in the second phase. In contrast, E. coli MG1655 pdCas9 psgRNA_aceE_234_pdhR_329 stably produced pyruvate during the exponential and the ammonium-limited phase and is a potential chassis strain for the growth-decoupled production of pyruvate derived bioproducts. The overarching research issues of the projects were the characterization of strains in heterogeneous conditions and the development of new strategies to improve their performance. The collected data leads me to conclude that the construction of robust microbial strains for large-scale applications is both expedient and feasible. Tailored genetic modifications are the method of choice to achieve this goal. Furthermore, suitable genetic constructs offer promising possibilities for the stable growth-decoupled production of chemicals in nitrogen-limited conditions.Item Open Access Resolving heterogeneities in single and multiphase bioreactor systems - Predictive modelling tools towards successful scale-up(2020) Kuschel, Maike; Takors, Ralf (Prof. Dr.-Ing.)Item Open Access Subzelluläre Metabolit-Analyse in Säugerzellen : Methodenentwicklung und Anwendung zur Untersuchung des Stoffwechsels von CHO-Zellen(2017) Matuszczyk, Jens-Christoph; Takors, Ralf (Prof. Dr.-Ing.)Item Open Access Valorization of pyrolysis water: a biorefinery side stream, for 1,2‑propanediol production with engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum(2017) Lange, Julian; Müller, Felix; Bernecker, Kerstin; Dahmen, Nicolaus; Takors, Ralf; Blombach, BastianItem Open Access Comprehensive analysis and prediction of large-scale transcript dynamics via the hybrid application of differential gene expression analysis and CFD(2021) Walther, Julia; Takors, Ralf (Prof. Dr. )Item Open Access From stress to acclimation : a systems biology look on the life of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in industrial bioreactors(2024) Minden, Steven; Takors, Ralf (Prof. Dr.-Ing.)Carbon limitation is a fundamental feeding strategy in commercial fermentations guaranteeing efficient substrate-to-product conversion. However, industrial reaction volumes often prevent a microbe from performing optimally. One common source of interference is insufficient mixing resulting in the formation of concentration gradients. For instance, faster microbial consumption versus convective supply depletes the highly diluted limiting substrate locally. The industrial workhorse Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) naturally possesses adaptive mechanisms to cope with substrate depletion. Whether triggered response mechanisms benefit strain performance is doubtful, given that enough substrate is present in an industrial carbonlimited process on average. On the contrary, unnecessary or futile adaptation mechanisms often cause unexpected microbial behavior on large scales. Exploring and elucidating this behavior is the focal point of this thesis. The presented case study employs a stimulus-response approach mimicking a baker’s yeast fermentation snapshot featuring non-ideal starvation zones. In brief, glucose-limited chemostats with two-minute intervals of stopped feeding induce transitions between limitation and starvation. Metabolomic and transcriptomic measurements enable a systems biology analysis of either non-adapted or stimulus-adapted yeasts. One part of this study investigates the haploid laboratory strain CEN.PK113-7D under aerobic conditions. Another part reports gene expression dynamics of the diploid industrial strain Ethanol RedTM under anaerobic conditions. Both strains display robust growth under the tested conditions at the cost of tactic and strategic investments. The laboratory yeast responds to a 110 μmol·L-1 glucose gradient with a modified energy and redox homeostasis. Non-adapted cells perceive this stimulus as a threat, as evidenced by a futile triggering of the environmental stress response causing transient growth rate reduction and increased maintenance demand. Complete adaptation evokes a distinct ‘bioreactor phenotype’ characterized by increased growth capacities and repressed stress response. Results obtained with Ethanol RedTM confirm this stress defense-growth trade-off to be a conserved implication in bioprocesses with fluctuating carbon supply. Altogether, the findings presented in this thesis contribute to a fundamental understanding of how S. cerevisiae operates in heterogeneous commercial-scale fermentations. Finally, the gained knowledge reveals optimization targets for both strain engineering and bioprocess development.Item Open Access Deciphering the adaptation of Corynebacterium glutamicum in transition from aerobiosis via microaerobiosis to anaerobiosis(2018) Lange, Julian; Münch, Eugenia; Müller, Jan; Busche, Tobias; Kalinowski, Jörn; Takors, Ralf; Blombach, BastianZero-growth processes are a promising strategy for the production of reduced molecules and depict a steady transition from aerobic to anaerobic conditions. To investigate the adaptation of Corynebacterium glutamicum to altering oxygen availabilities, we conceived a triple-phase fermentation process that describes a gradual reduction of dissolved oxygen with a shift from aerobiosis via microaerobiosis to anaerobiosis. The distinct process phases were clearly bordered by the bacteria’s physiologic response such as reduced growth rate, biomass substrate yield and altered yield of fermentation products. During the process, sequential samples were drawn at six points and analyzed via RNA-sequencing, for metabolite concentrations and for enzyme activities. We found transcriptional alterations of almost 50% (1421 genes) of the entire protein coding genes and observed an upregulation of fermentative pathways, a rearrangement of respiration, and mitigation of the basic cellular mechanisms such as transcription, translation and replication as a transient response related to the installed oxygen dependent process phases. To investigate the regulatory regime, 18 transcriptionally altered (putative) transcriptional regulators were deleted, but none of the deletion strains showed noticeable growth kinetics under an oxygen restricted environment. However, the described transcriptional adaptation of C. glutamicum resolved to varying oxygen availabilities provides a useful basis for future process and strain engineering.Item Open Access Scale-up of gas fermentations : modelling tools for risk minimisation(2020) Siebler, FloraThe reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is a global endeavour supported by society, politics and industry. In recent years, circular economy, reducing the exploitation of fossil energy sources, have increased the demand for new solutions when producing commodities and fine chemicals. Caboxydotrophic fermentations with acetogenic bacteria are potential processes in order to reach these goals. They convert gaseous substrates such as CO, and CO2/H2 mixtures. However, gases as sole substrate are rather challenging, not only in small lab-scales but especially in large-scale. Transferring an efficient fermentation process from experimental to industrial scales often results in unpredictable performance losses. This study presents an in silico concept minimising possible risks in gas fermentations up-scaling. First, the economical feasibility of various fermentation methods is investigated. Then, two computational tools are presented using Clostridium ljungdahlii as model organism and synthesis gas as substrate in a 125 m3 bubble column reactor. The combination of economical investigation with modelling tools show high potential for successful scale-up of gas fermentations. With this concept feasibility, reactor design, operation mode and general risk minimisation can be analysed and specified.Item Open Access Investigation of the impact of different scale-up dependent stimuli on metabolism and population heterogeneity in Corynebacterium glutamicum(2024) Eilingsfeld, Adrian; Takors, Ralf (Prof. Dr.-Ing.)This thesis investigates the impact of elevated carbon dioxide levels on population heterogeneity in Corynebacterium glutamicum, a widely used industrial production host. Through a series of experiments involving cultivation at varying CO2 partial pressures, flow cytometry, and analysis of DNA content, the research reveals that increased CO2 exerts significant selection pressure, affecting growth rates and cell aggregation tendencies. Key findings indicate that higher growth rates speed up DNA replication levels, while elevated CO2 levels slow them down. The results contribute to understanding how CO2 influences population dynamics, providing insights for optimizing industrial bioprocesses and support Corynebacterium glutamicum as a robust production strain.