Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39747058›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

A synthetic methylotroph achieves accelerated cell growth by alleviating transcription-replication conflicts.

Xin Meng, Guipeng Hu, Xiaomin Li, Cong Gao, Wei Song, Wanqing Wei, Jing Wu, Liming Liu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Xin MengSchool of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wux, China.
Guipeng HuSchool of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
Xiaomin LiSchool of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wux, China.
Cong GaoSchool of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wux, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8505-2026
Wei SongSchool of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.ORCID 0000-0002-2278-2205
Wanqing WeiSchool of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wux, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8768-5273
Jing WuSchool of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
Liming LiuSchool of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wux, China. mingll@jiangnan.edu.cn.ORCID 0000-0003-3022-936X

Funding

National Science Foundation of China | Key Programme 22038005
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Microbial utilization of methanol for valorization is an effective way to advance green bio-manufacturing technology. Although synthetic methylotrophs have been developed, strategies to enhance their cell growth rate and internal regulatory mechanism remain underexplored. In this study, we design a synthetic methanol assimilation (SMA) pathway containing only six enzymes linked to central carbon metabolism, which does not require energy and carbon emissions. Through rational design and laboratory evolution, E. coli harboring with the SMA pathway is converted into a synthetic methylotroph. By self-adjusting the expression of TOPAI (topoisomerase I inhibitor) to alleviate transcriptional-replication conflicts (TRCs), the doubling time of methylotrophic E. coli is reduced to 4.5 h, approaching that of natural methylotrophs. This work has the potential to overcome the growth limitation of C1-assimilating microbes and advance the development of a circular carbon economy.

Indexed as

Escherichia coliMetabolic EngineeringMethanolTranscription, GeneticCarbonDNA ReplicationEscherichia coli ProteinsCarbonEscherichia coli ProteinsMethanol

Identifiers

PMID39747058
PMCPMC11695965

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.