Engineering PQS biosynthesis pathway for enhancement of bioelectricity production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa microbial fuel cells

Victor Bochuan Wang; Song-Lin Chua; Bin Cao; Thomas Seviour; Victor J Nesatyy; Enrico Marsili; Staffan Kjelleberg; Michael Givskov; Tim Tolker-Nielsen; Hao Song; Joachim Say Chye Loo; Liang Yang

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0063129

Engineering PQS biosynthesis pathway for enhancement of bioelectricity production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa microbial fuel cells

Victor Bochuan Wang, Song-Lin Chua, Bin Cao, Thomas Seviour, Victor J Nesatyy, Enrico Marsili, Staffan Kjelleberg, Michael Givskov, Tim Tolker-Nielsen, Hao Song, Joachim Say Chye Loo, Liang Yang

60 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The biosynthesis of the redox shuttle, phenazines, in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an ubiquitous microorganism in wastewater microflora, is regulated by the 2-heptyl-3,4-dihydroxyquinoline (PQS) quorum-sensing system. However, PQS inhibits anaerobic growth of P. aeruginosa. We constructed a P. aeruginosa strain that produces higher concentrations of phenazines under anaerobic conditions by over-expressing the PqsE effector in a PQS negative ΔpqsC mutant. The engineered strain exhibited an improved electrical performance in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and potentiostat-controlled electrochemical cells with an approximate five-fold increase of maximum current density relative to the parent strain. Electrochemical analysis showed that the current increase correlates with an over-synthesis of phenazines. These results therefore demonstrate that targeting microbial cell-to-cell communication by genetic engineering is a suitable technique to improve power output of bioelectrochemical systems.

Original language	English
Article number	e63129
Journal	PLOS ONE
Volume	8
Issue number	5
Pages (from-to)	e63129
Number of pages	7
ISSN	1932-6203
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0063129
Publication status	Published - 20 May 2013

Keywords

Bioelectric Energy Sources
Biofilms
Biosynthetic Pathways
Electricity
Genetic Engineering
Hydroxyquinolines
Phenazines
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Pyocyanine
Quorum Sensing

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Wang, V. B., Chua, S.-L., Cao, B., Seviour, T., Nesatyy, V. J., Marsili, E., Kjelleberg, S., Givskov, M., Tolker-Nielsen, T., Song, H., Loo, J. S. C., & Yang, L. (2013). Engineering PQS biosynthesis pathway for enhancement of bioelectricity production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa microbial fuel cells. PLOS ONE, 8(5), e63129. Article e63129. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0063129

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abstract = "The biosynthesis of the redox shuttle, phenazines, in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an ubiquitous microorganism in wastewater microflora, is regulated by the 2-heptyl-3,4-dihydroxyquinoline (PQS) quorum-sensing system. However, PQS inhibits anaerobic growth of P. aeruginosa. We constructed a P. aeruginosa strain that produces higher concentrations of phenazines under anaerobic conditions by over-expressing the PqsE effector in a PQS negative ΔpqsC mutant. The engineered strain exhibited an improved electrical performance in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and potentiostat-controlled electrochemical cells with an approximate five-fold increase of maximum current density relative to the parent strain. Electrochemical analysis showed that the current increase correlates with an over-synthesis of phenazines. These results therefore demonstrate that targeting microbial cell-to-cell communication by genetic engineering is a suitable technique to improve power output of bioelectrochemical systems.",

keywords = "Bioelectric Energy Sources, Biofilms, Biosynthetic Pathways, Electricity, Genetic Engineering, Hydroxyquinolines, Phenazines, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pyocyanine, Quorum Sensing",

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AU - Marsili, Enrico

AU - Kjelleberg, Staffan

AU - Givskov, Michael

AU - Tolker-Nielsen, Tim

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AU - Loo, Joachim Say Chye

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N2 - The biosynthesis of the redox shuttle, phenazines, in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an ubiquitous microorganism in wastewater microflora, is regulated by the 2-heptyl-3,4-dihydroxyquinoline (PQS) quorum-sensing system. However, PQS inhibits anaerobic growth of P. aeruginosa. We constructed a P. aeruginosa strain that produces higher concentrations of phenazines under anaerobic conditions by over-expressing the PqsE effector in a PQS negative ΔpqsC mutant. The engineered strain exhibited an improved electrical performance in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and potentiostat-controlled electrochemical cells with an approximate five-fold increase of maximum current density relative to the parent strain. Electrochemical analysis showed that the current increase correlates with an over-synthesis of phenazines. These results therefore demonstrate that targeting microbial cell-to-cell communication by genetic engineering is a suitable technique to improve power output of bioelectrochemical systems.

AB - The biosynthesis of the redox shuttle, phenazines, in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an ubiquitous microorganism in wastewater microflora, is regulated by the 2-heptyl-3,4-dihydroxyquinoline (PQS) quorum-sensing system. However, PQS inhibits anaerobic growth of P. aeruginosa. We constructed a P. aeruginosa strain that produces higher concentrations of phenazines under anaerobic conditions by over-expressing the PqsE effector in a PQS negative ΔpqsC mutant. The engineered strain exhibited an improved electrical performance in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and potentiostat-controlled electrochemical cells with an approximate five-fold increase of maximum current density relative to the parent strain. Electrochemical analysis showed that the current increase correlates with an over-synthesis of phenazines. These results therefore demonstrate that targeting microbial cell-to-cell communication by genetic engineering is a suitable technique to improve power output of bioelectrochemical systems.

KW - Bioelectric Energy Sources

KW - Biofilms

KW - Biosynthetic Pathways

KW - Electricity

KW - Genetic Engineering

KW - Hydroxyquinolines

KW - Phenazines

KW - Pseudomonas aeruginosa

KW - Pyocyanine

KW - Quorum Sensing

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DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0063129

M3 - Journal article

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SN - 1932-6203

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SP - e63129

JO - PLOS ONE

JF - PLOS ONE

IS - 5

M1 - e63129

ER -

Engineering PQS biosynthesis pathway for enhancement of bioelectricity production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa microbial fuel cells

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Keywords

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