Rapidly directional biotransformation of tauroursodeoxycholic acid through engineered Escherichia coli.

Bear bile powder is a precious medicinal material. It is characterized by high content of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) at a ratio of 1.0-1.5 to taurochenodeoxycholic acid (TCDCA). Here, we reported the biotransformation of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) through Escherichia coli engineered with a two-step mimic biosynthetic pathway of TUDCA from taurochenodeoxycholic acid (TCDCA). Two 7α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (7α-HSDH) and two 7β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (7β-HSDH) genes (named as α1, α2, β1, and β2) were selected and synthesized to create four pathway variants using ePathBrick. All could convert TCDCA to TUDCA and the one harboring α1 and β2 (pα1β2) showed the strongest capability. Utilizing the oxidative and reductive properties of 7α- and 7β-HSDH, an ideal balance between TUDCA and TCDCA was established by optimizing the fermentation conditions. By applying the optimal condition, E. coli containing pα1β2 (BL-pα1β2) produced up to 1.61 ± 0.13 g/L of TUDCA from 3.23 g/L of TCDCA at a ratio of 1.3 to TCDCA. This study provides a potential approach for bear bile substitute production from cheap and readily available chicken bile.