Towards a hybrid model-driven platform based on flux balance analysis and a machine learning pipeline for biosystem design.

Journal: Synthetic and systems biotechnology
Published Date:

Abstract

Metabolic modeling and machine learning (ML) are crucial components of the evolving next-generation tools in systems and synthetic biology, aiming to unravel the intricate relationship between genotype, phenotype, and the environment. Nonetheless, the comprehensive exploration of integrating these two frameworks, and fully harnessing the potential of fluxomic data, remains an unexplored territory. In this study, we present, rigorously evaluate, and compare ML-based techniques for data integration. The hybrid model revealed that the overexpression of six target genes and the knockout of seven target genes contribute to enhanced ethanol production. Specifically, we investigated the influence of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) on ethanol biosynthesis in through shake flask experiments. The findings indicate a noticeable increase in ethanol yield, ranging from 6 % to 10 %, in SDH subunit gene knockout strains compared to the wild-type strain. Moreover, in pursuit of a high-yielding strain for ethanol production, dual-gene deletion experiments were conducted targeting glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) and SDH. The results unequivocally demonstrate significant enhancements in ethanol production for the engineered strains 41, 51, 61, 42, 52, and 62, with improvements of 21.6 %, 27.9 %, and 22.7 %, respectively. Overall, the results highlighted that integrating mechanistic flux features substantially improves the prediction of gene knockout strains not accounted for in metabolic reconstructions. In addition, the finding in this study delivers valuable tools for comprehending and manipulating intricate phenotypes, thereby enhancing prediction accuracy and facilitating deeper insights into mechanistic aspects within the field of synthetic biology.

Authors

  • Debiao Wu
    State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, People's Republic of China.
  • Feng Xu
    Orthopedics Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
  • Yaying Xu
    State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, People's Republic of China.
  • Mingzhi Huang
    State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, People's Republic of China.
  • Zhimin Li
    Department of Dermatology, Air Force Medical Center, PLA, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
  • Ju Chu
    State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, People's Republic of China.

Keywords

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