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bioRxiv2024

Probing Biomass Precursor Synthesis as a Key Factor in Microbial Adaptation to Unadapted Carbon Sources

Industrial microorganisms often face challenges in utilizing renewable substrates such as methanol, formate, and xylose. We present findings that the proportion of biomass precursors that must be synthesized from unadapted carbon sources is a critical determinant of the evolutionary driving force and minimal substrate requirements, using a new computational framework, AdaptUC. We predict metabolic engineering strategies for Adaptive Laboratory Evolution (ALE). These strategies enable microorganisms to co-utilize an adapted co-substrate and an unadapted carbon source or, in some cases, rely exclusively on the unadapted source. AdaptUC was validated through experimental records and literature, confirming its effectiveness in identifying gene knockout strategies. Case studies in Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum highlight superior strategies with higher driving forces and reduced substrate requirements. This method has the potential to transform industrial biosynthesis by enabling more efficient use of renewable carbon sources. Graphic Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=80 SRC="FIGDIR/small/619944v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (36K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@36fe02org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@5e73fdorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@110ffdaorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@10d45dc_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2024

Brochosomes as an antireflective camouflage coating for leafhoppers

In nature, insects face immense predation pressure, where visual cues play a vital role in predators locating them. To counter this threat, insects employ a variety of nano- and microstructures on their cuticular layer to manipulate and interact with light, enhancing anti-reflective properties and providing camouflage or reducing detectability by predators. Leafhoppers have a unique extra-cuticular coating called brochosome, yet its anti-reflective functions and protein composition remain unclear. Our study demonstrates strong anti-reflective properties of brochosomes, effectively reducing reflectance on the cuticle surface, especially in the ultraviolet spectrum, to improve evasion from visual predators. Furthermore, we identify four novel structural proteins of the brochosome (BSM) for the first time. Inhibiting their synthesis by RNAi alters brochosome morphology, impacting the optical properties of the cuticle surface. Evolutionary origin analysis of BSM suggests that brochosomes likely originated from a process involving duplication-divergence. Our study reveals that leafhoppers employ a unique camouflage strategy by secreting brochosomes as anti-reflection nano-coatings, enabling them to evade natural predators and contributing to their evolutionary success.

ecology↗