Sortase A-Mediated Metabolic Enzyme Ligation in Escherichia coli

We demonstrate metabolic enzyme ligation using a transpeptidase (Staphylococcal sortase A) in the microbial cytoplasm for the redirection of metabolic flux through metabolic channeling. Here, sortase A expression was controlled by the lac promoter to trigger metabolic channeling by the addition of isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). We tested covalent linking of pyruvate-formate lyase and phosphate acetyltransferase by sortase A-mediated ligation and evaluated the production of acetate. The time point of addition of IPTG was not critical for facilitating metabolic enzyme ligation, and acetate production increased upon expression of sortase A. These results show that sortase A-mediated enzyme ligation enhances an acetate-producing flux in E. coli. We have validated that sortase A-mediated enzyme ligation offers a metabolic channeling approach to redirect a central flux to a desired flux.