Yasuo Yoshikuni

Prospecting macroalgae (seaweeds) as feedstocks for bioconversion into biofuels and commodity chemical compounds is limited primarily by the availability of tractable microorganisms that can metabolize alginate polysaccharides. Here, we present the discovery of a 36-kilo-base pair DNA fragment from Vibrio splendidus encoding enzymes for alginate transport and metabolism. The genomic integration of this ensemble, together with an engineered system for extracellular alginate depolymerization, gene

To support an ever-increasing population, modern agriculture faces numerous challenges that pose major threats to global food and energy security. Plant-associated microbes, with their many plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits, have enormous potential in helping to solve these challenges. However, the results of their use in agriculture have been variable, probably because of poor colonization. Phytomicrobiome engineering is an emerging field of synthetic biology that may offer ways to alleviate

Microbial genomes encode numerous biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that may produce natural products with diverse applications in medicine, agriculture, the environment, and materials science. With the advent of genome sequencing and bioinformatics, heterologous expression of BGCs is of increasing interest in bioactive natural product (NP) discovery. However, this approach has had limited success because expression of BGCs relies heavily on the physiology of just a few commonly available host c

Marine macroalgae have huge potential as feedstocks for production of a wide spectrum of chemicals used in biofuels, biomaterials, and bioactive compounds. Harnessing macroalgae in these ways could promote wellbeing for people while mitigating climate change and environmental destruction linked to use of fossil fuels. Microorganisms play pivotal roles in converting macroalgae into valuable products, and metabolic engineering technologies have been developed to extend their native capabilities. T

With the advent of genome sequencing and mining technologies, secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) within bacterial genomes are becoming easier to predict. For subsequent BGC characterization, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) has contributed to knocking out target genes and/or modulating their expression; however, CRISPR is limited to strains for which robust genetic tools are available. Here we present a strategy that combines CRISPR with chas

Plants benefit from symbiotic relationships with their microbiomes. Modifying these microbiomes to further promote plant growth and improve stress tolerance in crops is a promising strategy. However, such efforts have had limited success, perhaps because the original microbiomes quickly re-establish. Since the complex biological networks involved are little understood, progress through conventional means is time-consuming. Synthetic biology, with its practical successes in multiple industries, c

Developing sustainable agricultural practices will require increasing our understanding of plant-microbe interactions. To study these interactions, new genetic tools for manipulating nonmodel microbes will be needed. To help meet this need, we recently reported development of chassis-independent recombinase-assisted genome engineering (CRAGE). CRAGE relies on cassette exchange between two pairs of mutually exclusive <i>lox</i> sites and allows direct, single-step chromosomal integration of large

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) is an important petrochemical with many applications. However, its manufacture has a large environmental footprint. Combined biological and chemical synthesis (semisynthesis) may be a promising alternative to reduce both cost and environmental impact, but strains that can produce the MMA precursor (citramalate) at low pH are required. A non-conventional yeast, <i>Issatchenkia orientalis</i>, may prove ideal, as it can survive extremely low pH. Here, we demonstrate the e