Transcriptional control of Clostridium autoethanogenum using CRISPRi

Gas fermentation by Clostridium autoethanogenum is a commercial process for the sustainable biomanufacturing of fuels and valuable chemicals using abundant, low-cost C1 feedstocks (CO and CO2) from sources such as inedible biomass, unsorted and non-recyclable municipal solid waste, and industrial emissions. Efforts toward pathway engineering and elucidation of gene function in this microbe have been limited by a lack of genetic tools to control gene expression and arduous genome engineering methods. To increase the pace of progress, here we developed an inducible CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) systemfor C. autoethanogenum and applied that system toward transcriptional repression of genes with ostensibly crucial functions in metabolism.

Automated summary

Gas fermentation by Clostridium autoethanogenum is a commercial process for sustainable biomanufacturing of fuels and chemicals using low-cost C1 feedstocks, but progress in pathway engineering and gene function elucidation is hindered by a lack of genetic tools.Efforts towards pathway engineering and elucidation of gene function in this microbe have been limited by a lack of genetic tools to control gene expression and arduous genome engineering methods.