CgGzf3 mediates the coordinated regulation of xylose and amino acid metabolism in Candida glycerinogenes

Abstract

Xylose is an abundant carbon source in lignocellulosic biomass, making it extremely important to construct microbial metabolic factories capable of efficiently utilizing xylose. Candida glycerinogenes is a strain with high stress tolerance, and it serves as an efficient platform for energy conversion via lignocellulosic feedstocks. Through transcriptional analysis of genes related to the xylose-highly assimilating strain C. glycerinogenes-cgS35P, it was found that CgGzf3, a transcription factor associated with amino acid metabolism, is involved in the regulation of xylose metabolism. The inhibition of CgGzf3 expression by antisense RNA increased the xylose consumption of the engineered strain by 33.7% and the ethanol yield by 30.4%. Yeast one-hybrid assays confirmed that CgGzf3 directly binds to the promoter regions of key xylose metabolism genes. Antisense RNA inhibits the expression of CgGzf3, which upregulates fermentation metabolism genes and thereby shifts xylose metabolism toward ethanol fermentation. Additionally, the key amino acid biosynthesis genes Arg1, Glt1, and Car2 were upregulated by 1.8-fold, 1.6-fold, and 1.3-fold, respectively. The intracellular amino acid content of the recombinant strain C. glycerinogenes-cgreGzf3 also increased. This study reveals for the first time that the amino acid metabolism transcription factor CgGzf3 is involved in the regulation of xylose metabolism, providing new experimental evidence for the intrinsic connection between xylose metabolism and amino acid metabolism.

Graphical abstract

The transcription factor CgGzf3 directly affects xylose metabolism by regulating the promoters of key genes, and can indirectly influence xylose assimilation by modulating amino acid anabolic metabolism. Inhibition of CgGzf3 by antisense RNA shifts the overall xylose assimilation toward ethanol fermentation metabolism

Keywords

Candida glycerinogenes / CgGzf3 / Xylose metabolism / Amino acid metabolism

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(32570041)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Jiangnan University