Engineering Saccharomyces boulardii for probiotic supplementation of
antioxidants
Abstract
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Antioxidants are known for their health beneficial effects by reducing
oxidative damage, increasing free radical scavenging rate, blocking and
terminating oxidation reactions. They have been widely used as
supplements in food, cosmetics, nutraceuticals and medicines. Emerging
researches increasingly indicate that the development of diverse
research methodologies and the exploration of new microorganisms for
heterogeneous synthesis of antioxidants play an indispensable role in
socioeconomic development. In this study, we engineered Saccharomyces
boulardii for probiotic supplementation of antioxidants such as
L-ergothioneine (EGT). We first constructed double knockout of ura3 and
trp1 gene in S. boulardii, to facilitate plasmid-based expressions. To
further enable effective genome editing of S. boulardii, we implemented
the PiggyBac system to transpose the heterologous gene expression
cassettes into the chromosomes of S. boulardii. By using enhanced green
fluorescent protein (EGFP) as the reporter gene, we achieved random
chromosomal integration of EGFP expression cassette. EGT-producing
strains were subsequently obtained via the PiggyBac transposon system.
One isolated S. boulardii mutant produced EGT at 17.50 mg/L after 120 h
cultivation. In summary, we have applied the PiggyBac transposon system
to S. boulardii for the first time for genetic engineering. The
engineered probiotic yeast S. boulardii has been endowed with new
antioxidant properties and produces EGT. It has potential applications
in developing novel therapeutics and dietary supplements for the
prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders.