Harnessing evolution: leveraging bacterial isoprenoid pathway diversity toward improved bioengineering strategies

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Microbiology
• Metabolic Engineering

Background:

• Isoprenoids are essential molecules found in all life forms, synthesized via the mevalonate (MEV) and methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathways.
• Understanding these pathways is crucial for biological and biotechnological applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the heterogeneity in MEV and MEP pathway usage across bacterial genera.
• To investigate rare bacteria with unusual pathway complements (both or neither).
• To explore potential non-isoprenogenic roles of MEP pathway intermediates.

Main Methods:

• Bioinformatic analysis of bacterial genomes to identify MEV and MEP pathway genes.
• Comparative analysis of pathway presence/absence and gene content across diverse bacterial taxa.
• Literature review on known functions of MEP pathway intermediates.

Main Results:

• Significant inter- and intra-genus variation in the utilization of MEV and MEP pathways was observed.
• Rare bacterial species exhibiting unique pathway combinations (encoding both or neither pathway) were identified.
• Evidence suggests non-isoprenogenic functions for MEP pathway intermediates, potentially influencing evolutionary selection.

Conclusions:

• Bacterial isoprenoid biosynthesis pathways display extensive heterogeneity, impacting microbial metabolism.
• The diverse evolutionary strategies for isoprenoid synthesis offer opportunities for metabolic engineering.
• Further research into MEP intermediate functions could unlock novel biotechnological applications.