Surface display of eugenol oxidase and dioxygenase complex as a sustainable biocatalyst for efficient bioconversion of lignin-derived 4-n-propylguaiacol to vanillin

Abstract Background Vanillin is a widely utilized flavor compound of significant value in the food and pharmaceutical sectors, which can be obtained through natural extraction, chemical synthesis, or biotechnological processes. However, the yield from vanilla pods is insufficient to meet market dema...

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Main Authors: Yongqing Tian, Yige Yang, Minmin Ni, Jing Wo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-03-01
Series:Microbial Cell Factories
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12934-025-02680-6
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author Yongqing Tian
Yige Yang
Minmin Ni
Jing Wo
author_facet Yongqing Tian
Yige Yang
Minmin Ni
Jing Wo
author_sort Yongqing Tian
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Vanillin is a widely utilized flavor compound of significant value in the food and pharmaceutical sectors, which can be obtained through natural extraction, chemical synthesis, or biotechnological processes. However, the yield from vanilla pods is insufficient to meet market demand, and chemically synthesized vanillin not only encounters limitations in its application within the food and pharmaceutical industries but also needs to address environmental concerns and unsustainable raw material sources. Hence, it is imperative to explore alternative approaches to develop an efficient and cost-effective green vanillin. To address the challenges encountered in vanillin biosynthesis, such as substrate uptake limitations and product-induced inhibition of cell growth,we leveraged the advantages of surface display technology and artificial multi-enzyme scaffolds to construct a hybrid surface-display biocatalytic system by assembling Eugenol oxidase (EUGO) and dioxygenase (NOV1), which can convert lignin biowaste 4-n-propylguaiacol (4-PG) into vanillin on the surface of Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). Results To assemble bioactive macromolecules of EUGO and NOV1 on the surface of E. coli BL21(DE3), we utilized Lpp-OmpA-SpyCatcher (LOAS) as an anchoring motif and displayed EUGO-linker-NOV1-SpyTag (ELNS) by covalent interaction between SpyTag andSpyCatcher to allow their spatial proximity. After optimization of the reaction system, our self-assembly display system exhibited highly efficiency in converting 4-PG into vanillin and reached a final concentration of vanillin at 12.58 g/L, 2.5 times higher than that achieved by thewhole-cell biocatalytic system. The LOAS-ELNS display system was applied to the sustainable biosynthesis of vanillin from lignin-derived 4-n-propylguaiacol at least 10 times. Conclusions This work provided a generalized approach to co-expressing proteins and offered an efficient, eco-friendly, and renewable method for the biosynthesis of vanillin from 4-PG.
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spelling doaj-art-e1d1c7018def491da3b043e7d816cc292025-08-20T03:05:46ZengBMCMicrobial Cell Factories1475-28592025-03-0124111210.1186/s12934-025-02680-6Surface display of eugenol oxidase and dioxygenase complex as a sustainable biocatalyst for efficient bioconversion of lignin-derived 4-n-propylguaiacol to vanillinYongqing Tian0Yige Yang1Minmin Ni2Jing Wo3Institute of Engineering Biology and Health, Collaborative Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of TechnologyInstitute of Engineering Biology and Health, Collaborative Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of TechnologyJiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, School of Petrochemical Engineering, Changzhou UniversityInstitute of Engineering Biology and Health, Collaborative Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of TechnologyAbstract Background Vanillin is a widely utilized flavor compound of significant value in the food and pharmaceutical sectors, which can be obtained through natural extraction, chemical synthesis, or biotechnological processes. However, the yield from vanilla pods is insufficient to meet market demand, and chemically synthesized vanillin not only encounters limitations in its application within the food and pharmaceutical industries but also needs to address environmental concerns and unsustainable raw material sources. Hence, it is imperative to explore alternative approaches to develop an efficient and cost-effective green vanillin. To address the challenges encountered in vanillin biosynthesis, such as substrate uptake limitations and product-induced inhibition of cell growth,we leveraged the advantages of surface display technology and artificial multi-enzyme scaffolds to construct a hybrid surface-display biocatalytic system by assembling Eugenol oxidase (EUGO) and dioxygenase (NOV1), which can convert lignin biowaste 4-n-propylguaiacol (4-PG) into vanillin on the surface of Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). Results To assemble bioactive macromolecules of EUGO and NOV1 on the surface of E. coli BL21(DE3), we utilized Lpp-OmpA-SpyCatcher (LOAS) as an anchoring motif and displayed EUGO-linker-NOV1-SpyTag (ELNS) by covalent interaction between SpyTag andSpyCatcher to allow their spatial proximity. After optimization of the reaction system, our self-assembly display system exhibited highly efficiency in converting 4-PG into vanillin and reached a final concentration of vanillin at 12.58 g/L, 2.5 times higher than that achieved by thewhole-cell biocatalytic system. The LOAS-ELNS display system was applied to the sustainable biosynthesis of vanillin from lignin-derived 4-n-propylguaiacol at least 10 times. Conclusions This work provided a generalized approach to co-expressing proteins and offered an efficient, eco-friendly, and renewable method for the biosynthesis of vanillin from 4-PG.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12934-025-02680-6VanillinSurface displayEugenol oxidaseSpyCatcher-SpyTagWhole-cell biocatalyst
spellingShingle Yongqing Tian
Yige Yang
Minmin Ni
Jing Wo
Surface display of eugenol oxidase and dioxygenase complex as a sustainable biocatalyst for efficient bioconversion of lignin-derived 4-n-propylguaiacol to vanillin
Microbial Cell Factories
Vanillin
Surface display
Eugenol oxidase
SpyCatcher-SpyTag
Whole-cell biocatalyst
title Surface display of eugenol oxidase and dioxygenase complex as a sustainable biocatalyst for efficient bioconversion of lignin-derived 4-n-propylguaiacol to vanillin
title_full Surface display of eugenol oxidase and dioxygenase complex as a sustainable biocatalyst for efficient bioconversion of lignin-derived 4-n-propylguaiacol to vanillin
title_fullStr Surface display of eugenol oxidase and dioxygenase complex as a sustainable biocatalyst for efficient bioconversion of lignin-derived 4-n-propylguaiacol to vanillin
title_full_unstemmed Surface display of eugenol oxidase and dioxygenase complex as a sustainable biocatalyst for efficient bioconversion of lignin-derived 4-n-propylguaiacol to vanillin
title_short Surface display of eugenol oxidase and dioxygenase complex as a sustainable biocatalyst for efficient bioconversion of lignin-derived 4-n-propylguaiacol to vanillin
title_sort surface display of eugenol oxidase and dioxygenase complex as a sustainable biocatalyst for efficient bioconversion of lignin derived 4 n propylguaiacol to vanillin
topic Vanillin
Surface display
Eugenol oxidase
SpyCatcher-SpyTag
Whole-cell biocatalyst
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12934-025-02680-6
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