Integration of (S)-2,3-oxidosqualene enables E. coli to become Iron Man E. coli with improved overall tolerance

While representing a model bacterium and one of the most used chassis in biomanufacturing, performance of Escherichia coli is often limited by severe stresses. A super-robust E. coli chassis that could efficiently tolerant multiple severe stresses is thus highly desirable. Sterols represent a featured composition that distinguishes eukaryotes from bacteria and all archaea, and play a critical role in maintaining the membrane integrity of eukaryotes. All sterols found in nature are directly synthesized from (S)-2,3-oxidosqualene. However, in E. coli, (S)-2,3-oxidosqualene is not present.

In this study, we sought to introduce (S)-2,3-oxidosqualene into E. coli. By mining and recruiting heterologous enzymes and activation of endogenous pathway, the ability of E. coli to synthesize (S)-2,3-oxidosqualene was demonstrated. Further analysis revealed that this non-native chemical confers E. coli with a robust and stable cell membrane, consistent with a figurative analogy of wearing an "Iron Man's armor"-like suit. The obtained Iron Man E. coli (IME) exhibited improved tolerance to multiple severe stresses, including high temperature, low pH, high salt, high sugar and reactive oxygen species (ROS). In particular, the IME strain shifted its optimal growth temperature from 37 °C to 42-45 °C, which represents the most heat-resistant E. coli to the best of our knowledge. Intriguingly, this non-native chemical also improved E. coli tolerance to a variety of toxic feedstocks, inhibitory products, as well as elevated synthetic capacities of inhibitory chemicals (e.g., 3-hydroxypropionate and fatty acids) due to improved products tolerance. More importantly, the IME strain was effectively inhibited by the most commonly used antibiotics and showed no undesirable drug resistance.

Introduction of the non-native (S)-2,3-oxidosqualene membrane lipid enabled E. coli to improve tolerance to various stresses. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of introducing eukaryotes-featured compound into bacteria for enhancing overall tolerance and chemical production.