Physiological and metabolic responses of Zymomonas mobilis to lignocellulosic hydrolysate

Vazquez, Julio Rivera; Trujillo, Edna; Wenger, Zach; Botts, Michael; Coon, Joshua J.; Amador-Noguez, Daniel

doi:10.1128/spectrum.00610-25

Physiological and metabolic responses of Zymomonas mobilis to lignocellulosic hydrolysate

Journal Article · Wed Sep 17 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Microbiology Spectrum

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00610-25· OSTI ID:2588682

^[1]; Trujillo, Edna ^[2]; Wenger, Zach ^[1]; Botts, Michael ^[1]; ^[3]; ^[1]

Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Genome Center of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)
Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI (United States)

Zymomonas mobilis is a promising biocatalyst for the sustainable conversion of lignocellulosic sugars into biofuels and bioproducts, yet its response to lignocellulosic hydrolysates remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the physiological response of Z. mobilis to ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX)-pretreated switchgrass hydrolysate using a systems-level approach integrating LC–MS/MS-based lipidomics and shotgun proteomics. Growth on hydrolysate induced substantial shifts in fatty acid and membrane phospholipid composition, alongside broad proteomic remodeling. Notably, Z. mobilis exhibited a stress response characterized by the upregulation of heat shock proteins and efflux transporters and the downregulation of cell motility proteins. Unexpectedly, hydrolysate exposure also led to a robust upregulation of the Entner–Doudoroff pathway, the ethanol fermentation pathway, and other central carbon metabolism enzymes, indicating a substantial cellular investment potentially driven by additional nutrient availability in hydrolysate. These findings provide new insights into the metabolic adaptations of Z. mobilis to lignocellulosic hydrolysates, informing strategies to enhance its biofuel production capabilities.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), Madison, WI (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0018409; SC0018998

OSTI ID:: 2588682

Journal Information:: Microbiology Spectrum, Journal Name: Microbiology Spectrum Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 13; ISSN 2165-0497

Publisher:: American Society for Microbiology (ASM)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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