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Droplet-based microfluidic platform for high-throughput screening of Streptomyces
Ran Tu1,2, Yue Zhang1,2, Erbing Hua3
1Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China.
Communications Biology
|June 1, 2021
Summary
This study introduces a novel droplet microfluidic platform for screening Streptomyces mycelium, enabling faster and more relevant industrial strain engineering. The method significantly improves the screening of microbial producers and promoter variants.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Biotechnology
- Synthetic Biology
Background:
- Streptomyces are crucial industrial microorganisms for producing proteins and drugs.
- Existing screening methods using flow cytometry are limited as they do not represent the filamentous stationary phase relevant for industrial cultivation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a droplet-based microfluidic platform for relevant, reliable, and rapid screening of Streptomyces mycelium.
- To characterize promoter strengths and screen for hyperproducers under industry-relevant conditions.
Main Methods:
- Development of a droplet-based microfluidic platform for Streptomyces mycelium screening.
- Characterization of native and heterologous constitutive promoters in Streptomyces lividans 66.
- Screening of engineered promoter variants and a random mutant library for hyperproducers.
Main Results:
- Achieved an enrichment ratio of up to 334.2 for Streptomyces mycelium screening.
- Successfully identified engineered promoter variants with desired strengths.
- Discovered hyperproducers of cellulases with 69.2-111.4% increased production compared to wild type.
Conclusions:
- The droplet-based microfluidic platform offers a fast, simple, and powerful solution for industrial Streptomyces engineering.
- This method facilitates more relevant screening conditions, improving the efficiency of strain development.
- The platform is applicable for promoter characterization and screening of microbial producers.
