Abstract:
This disclosure provides methods and compositions related to microbial gene expression. In one aspect, a synthetic polypeptide having a xylose import activity.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/192,517, filed Jul. 14, 2015, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT 
       [0002]    This invention was made with government support under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The government has certain rights in this invention. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0003]    This disclosure relates generally to microbial gene expression. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0004]    In order to cost effectively produce biofuels from renewable plant biomass, all sugars, including all pentose and hexose sugars present in the raw lignocellulosic starting material, must be converted efficiently into the final products (1). The yeast,  Saccharomyces cerevisiae , is an excellent host microbe for a range of industrial applications, from chemical and commodity production, to biofuel synthesis (2-4). However,  S. cerevisiae  does not readily uptake and use pentose sugars. This includes xylose, the most abundant pentose, and the second most abundant sugar next to glucose, found in biomass (5). While native xylose-utilizing organisms exist, they largely lack well-developed genetic tools for host engineering or exhibit low product and inhibitor tolerances. Therefore, it is important to engineer  S. cerevisiae  for more efficient xylose utilization, so that maximal carbon can be converted into biofuel. 
         [0005]    Generating a yeast strain that utilizes xylose, especially in a glucose/xylose mix has been an object of extensive research for several decades (6). Great success has been achieved in boosting the native yeast utilization capability. Two approaches are now used routinely to provide for xylose utilization: overexpression of a heterologous xylose isomerase (XI) (7-11), and overexpression of the native or heterologous xylose reductase (XR) and xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) (12, 13). Both pathways result in the transformation of xylose to xylulose, and benefit from additional overexpression of xylulokinase (XKS) to shunt the carbon into pentose-phosphate pathway (PPP) (14, 15). Further overexpression of genes encoding enzymes in the pentose-phosphate pathway, such as the transaldolase (TAL1) and the transketolase (TKL1), leads to further improvements in xylose assimilation rates (7, 16-18). Recently, it has also been shown that xylose utilization can be achieved via replacement of the native  S. cerevisiae  xylose utilization and PPP genes with those from the xylose-utilizing yeast Scheffersomyces stipites (19). 
         [0006]    The improvements in intracellular xylose consumption have led to a bottleneck in xylose uptake (20). To date there has been no discovery of a sugar transporter that, in  S. cerevisiae , allows for xylose uptake comparable to glucose uptake.  S. cerevisiae  has numerous monosaccharide transporters (HXT1-17 and GAL2), but all of them have greater specificity for hexose sugars. While a few of these (HXT1, 2, 4, 5, 7 and GAL2) can import xylose, they display rates of uptake so low that they cannot provide for growth on xylose (6, 21-25). Further, xylose uptake in these native transporters is repressed in the presence of glucose, limiting the use of these transporters in mixed sugar sources (26, 27). 
         [0007]    Several strategies have been employed to tackle the issues with xylose transport. Much work has been devoted to bioprospecting and characterizing heterologous xylose-transporters in  S. cerevisiae , resulting in the identification of several membrane proteins that can transport xylose (22, 28-33). These studies have shown that increasing xylose transport does increase utilization and final product formation, proving that xylose import is the limiting factor in utilization. However, these transporters have had limited efficacy either due to reduced growth rates, problems with substrate affinities, transport rates, or substrate inhibition. 
         [0008]    Recently, a few studies have attempted to improve transport by engineering native transporters with encouraging results. Using a combination of bioinformatics, and mutagenesis, Young and colleagues, identified a xylose transport sequence motif, and were able to produce a mutant HXT7 strain that grew on xylose, but not glucose (34). Although this strain still showed glucose inhibition, another group was able to bypass this problem using growth to screen for glucose insensitivity (35). This approach resulted in the discovery of Gal2 and Hxt7 variants that bypass glucose inhibition. Unfortunately, the modifications that eliminated glucose repression also resulted in diminished uptake rates (Vmax). Though impressive, the resulting growth on xylose remained modest in both these studies and would benefit from further optimization. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    Herein is described, a synthetic polypeptide which comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein said synthetic polypeptide has a xylose import activity, and the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide comprises an amino acid with a polar side chain at position 79. 
         [0010]    Also described herein, a genetically modified microorganism which comprises a gene encoding a synthetic polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein said synthetic polypeptide has a xylose import activity, and the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide comprises an amino acid with a polar side chain at position 79. 
         [0011]    In some embodiments, the amino acid with a polar side chain is glycine, serine, threonine, cysteine, tyrosine, asparagine, glutamine, lysine, arginine, histidine, aspartic acid, and glutamine acid. 
         [0012]    In some embodiments, the polar side chain is a polar uncharged side chain. 
         [0013]    In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism is a prokaryote. In some embodiments, the prokaryote is a bacteria. 
         [0014]    In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism is a eukaryote. In some embodiments, the eukaryote is a fungus. In some embodiment, the fungus is a yeast. In some embodiments, the yeast is a  Saccharomyces . In some embodiments, the  Saccharomyces  is  Saccharomyces cerevisiae.    
         [0015]    In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism imports more xylose than microorganisms without the gene encoding a synthetic polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein said synthetic polypeptide has a xylose import activity, and the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide comprises an amino acid with a polar side chain at position 79. 
         [0016]    In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism in its unmodified state is unable to import xylose as a carbon source. 
         [0017]    In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism has a doubling time between 4 to 100 hours. 
         [0018]    In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism has a xylose transport rate between 125 to 250 nmol·min −1 ·mg −1 . 
         [0019]    In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism comprises one or more enzymes heterologous to the genetically modified microorganism for producing a biofuel. 
         [0020]    Also described herein, a nucleic acid sequence encoding a synthetic polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein said synthetic polypeptide has a xylose import activity, and the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide comprises an amino acid with a polar side chain at position 79. 
         [0021]    In some embodiments, an expression cassette comprises the nucleic acid sequence operably linked to a promoter. 
         [0022]    Also described herein, a method for increasing xylose uptake in an microorganism which comprises introducing into an microorganism at least one heterologous expression cassette operably linked to a promoter that drives expression in the microorganism, said expression cassette comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a synthetic polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein said synthetic polypeptide has a xylose import activity, and the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide comprises an amino acid with a polar side chain at position 79. 
         [0023]    Also described herein, a method for culturing microorganisms capable of using xylose as a carbon source which comprises providing a genetically modified microorganism which comprises a gene encoding a synthetic polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein said synthetic polypeptide has a xylose import activity, and the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide comprises an amino acid with a polar side chain at position 79; and culturing the genetically modified microorganism in a media. 
         [0024]    In some embodiments, the media contains a pentose such as xylose, lyxose, ribose, ribulose, xylulose, and arabinose. 
         [0025]    Details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. Note that the relative dimensions of the following figures may not be drawn to scale. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0026]      FIG. 1A  shows growth of the parent strain (JBEI_ScMO001) and four representative xylose-evolved strains. Genotype of each strain listed below picture of growth. 
           [0027]      FIG. 1B  shows growth curves of the parent strain and fastest growing evolved strains. OD 600  was measured every 18 minutes for 72 hours. Y-axis is shown in log base 10 scale. The strains in panels  FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 1B  were grown on or in SD, 2% xylose media at 30° C. 
           [0028]      FIG. 1C  illustrates genomic sequencing of the evolved strain (JBEI_ScMO002) disclosed the presence of three SNPs, two in coding regions. 
           [0029]      FIG. 2A  shows topology prediction of Hxt7 was generated using Spoctopus (36). Red boxes indicate transmembrane regions (12 in total), green lines denoted cytosolic regions, and red lines represent extracellular domains. The Hxt7(F79S) mutation is marked by a blue star, and is predicted to reside in the middle of transmembrane helix one. 
           [0030]      FIG. 2B  shows a homology model of the Hxt7 structure. The theoretical structure of Hxt7 was generated from the structure of  E. coli  XylE with bound xylose (PDB: 4GBY) Left: Side and top view of XylE structure; zoom inset of Phe (pink) homologous to the mutated F79 of Hxt7 in close proximity to xylose (gray). Right: Side and top view of the predicted structure of Hxt7. Each peptide is colored from N (blue) to C-terminus (red). 
           [0031]      FIG. 3  is an example of a graph showing HXT7(F79S) is responsible for growth on xylose. HXT7, HXT7(F79S) or empty vector (EV) were expressed in strains wild-type (JBEI-9005 EV; JBEI-9006 HXT7(F79S); JBEI-9007 HXT7) or deleted (Δ) for hxt7 (JBEI-9008 EV; JBEI-9009 HXT7(F79S); JBEI-9010 HXT7). The strains were grown in SD, 2% xylose media at 30° C., and the OD 600  was measured every 15 minutes for 60 hours. Y-axis is shown in log base 10 scale. 
           [0032]      FIG. 4  is an example of a graph showing Xylose uptake kinetics of  S. cerevisiae  strains expressing HXT7, or HXT7(F79S). Initial xylose uptake (10 s) was measured at 30° C. over a concentration range of 10 to 300 mM xylose. To arrive at Michaelis-Menton kinetic parameters, global curve fitting analysis was applied to the mean of three independent measurements at each concentration for both HXT7 (solid line, open circle; JBEI-9012), and HXT7(F79S) (dashed line, open square; JBEI-9011). 
           [0033]      FIG. 5  is an example of a graph showing YDL176W(D504H) does not contribute significantly to growth on xylose. YDL176W(D504H) or empty vector (EV) were expressed in strains wild-type (JBEI-9013 EV; JBEI-9014 YDL176W(D504H)) or deleted (Δ) for ydl176w (JBEI-9015 EV; JBEI-9016 YDL176W(D504H)). The strains were grown in SD, 2% xylose media at 30° C., and the OD 600  was measured every 15 minutes for 60 hours. Experiment was conducted in triplicate, and representative curved are shown. For YDL176W(D504H) (green), only two of the three clones showed growth. Y-axis is shown in log base 10 scale. 
           [0034]      FIG. 6  is an example of a graph showing HXT7(F79S) is responsible for xylose uptake. Strains expressing HXT7 (JBEI-9010) or HXT7(F79S) (JBEI-9009) were grown at 30° C., and the amount of xylose consumed from SD, 2% xylose media was examined after 48 hours. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0035]    Reference will now be made in detail to some specific examples of the invention including the best modes contemplated by the inventors for carrying out the invention. Examples of these specific embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention is described in conjunction with these specific embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to the described embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
         [0036]    In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. Particular example embodiments of the present invention may be implemented without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process operations have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention. Various techniques and mechanisms of the present invention will sometimes be described in singular form for clarity. However, it should be noted that some embodiments include multiple iterations of a technique or multiple instantiations of a mechanism unless noted otherwise. 
         [0037]    As used herein, the term “heterologous” means not normally found in the host organism. For example, a “heterologous gene” is a gene that is not normally found in the host organism. As used herein, a “heterologous promoter” refers to a promoter that does not naturally occur adjacent a referenced gene or nucleic acid encoding a reference polypeptide, or a promoter that is not naturally operably linked to the referenced gene or nucleic acid encoding a reference polypeptide. 
         [0038]    Herein is described, a synthetic polypeptide which comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein said synthetic polypeptide has a xylose import activity, and the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide comprises an amino acid with a polar side chain at position 79. In some embodiments, the synthetic polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or 99% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2. 
         [0039]    In some embodiments, the synthetic polypeptide comprises 1 to 12 membrane spanning domains located at the corresponding positions of the membrane spanning domains of Hxt7. 
         [0040]    Hxt7 (GenBank Accession No. NM_001180650) is a multi-pass membrane protein involved in transmembrane transporter activity, specifically it is a high-affinity glucose transporter and more specifically a hexose transporter. Hxt7 is a member of the major facilitator superfamily and is expressed at high basal levels relative to other Hxts. Genes for Hxt6 and Hxt7 are almost identical and located in tandem 3′ adjacent to Hxt3 on Chromosome IV. Hxt7&#39;s expression is repressed by high glucose levels. The topology of the Hxt7 hexose transporter follows that of a major facilitator protein that contains twelve membrane spanning domain. 
         [0041]    The F79S mutation maps to a region that falls in the outer membrane region of a transmembrane helix. Further, while no Hxt protein is currently structurally elucidated, using the structure of a YYY protein as a scaffold suggests that the F79S mutation may directly impact the protein ligand (in this case glucose vs. xylose) binding interaction ( FIG. 2 ). 
         [0042]    Hxt7 Wild-Type Amino Acid Sequence 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                 (SEQ ID NO: 1) 
               
               
                   
                 MSQDAAIAEQ TPVEHLSAVD SASHSVLSTP SNKAERDEIK 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 AYGEGEEHEP VVEIPKRPAS AYVTVSIMCI MIAFGGFVFG 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 WDTGTISGFI NQTDFIRRFG MKHKDGTNYL SKVRTGLIVS 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 IFNIGCAIGG IILSKLGDMY GRKVGLIVVV VIYIIGIIIQ 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 IASINKWYQY FIGRIISGLG VGGIAVLSPM LISEVSPKHL 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 RGTLVSCYQL MITAGIFLGY CTNFGTKNYS NSVQWRVPLG 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 LCFAWALFMI GGMTFVPESP RYLAEVGKIE EAKRSIAVSN 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 KVAVDDPSVL AEVEAVLAGV EAEKLAGNAS WGELFSSKTK 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 VLQRLIMGAM IQSLQQLTGD NYFFYYGTTI FKAVGLSDSF 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 ETSIVLGIVN FASTFVGIYV VERYGRRTCL LWGAASMTAC 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 MVVYASVGVT RLWPNGQDQP SSKGAGNCMI VFACFYIFCF 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 ATTWAPIPYV VVSETFPLRV KSKAMSIATA ANWLWGFLIG 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 FFTPFITGAI NFYYGYVFMG CLVFMFFYVL LVVPETKGLT 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 LEEVNTMWEE GVLPWKSASW VPPSRRGANY DAEEMTHDDK 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 PLYKRMFSTK 
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0043]    Hxt7 F79S Amino Acid Sequence 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                 (SEQ ID NO: 2) 
               
               
                   
                 MSQDAAIAEQ TPVEHLSAVD SASHSVLSTP SNKAERDEIK 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 AYGEGEEHEP VVEIPKRPAS AYVTVSIMCI MIAFGGFVSG 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 WDTGTISGFI NQTDFIRRFG MKHKDGTNYL SKVRTGLIVS 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 IFNIGCAIGG IILSKLGDMY GRKVGLIVVV VIYIIGIIIQ 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 IASINKWYQY FIGRIISGLG VGGIAVLSPM LISEVSPKHL 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 RGTLVSCYQL MITAGIFLGY CTNFGTKNYS NSVQWRVPLG 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 LCFAWALFMI GGMTFVPESP RYLAEVGKIE EAKRSIAVSN 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 KVAVDDPSVL AEVEAVLAGV EAEKLAGNAS WGELFSSKTK 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 VLQRLIMGAM IQSLQQLTGD NYFFYYGTTI FKAVGLSDSF 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 ETSIVLGIVN FASTFVGIYV VERYGRRTCL LWGAASMTAC 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 MVVYASVGVT RLWPNGQDQP SSKGAGNCMI VFACFYIFCF 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 ATTWAPIPYV VVSETFPLRV KSKAMSIATA ANWLWGFLIG 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 FFTPFITGAI NFYYGYVFMG CLVFMFFYVL LVVPETKGLT 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 LEEVNTMWEE GVLPWKSASW VPPSRRGANY DAEEMTHDDK 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 PLYKRMFSTK 
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0044]    Hxt7 Wild-Type Coding Sequence 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
           
               
                 (SEQ ID NO: 3) 
               
               
                 ATGTCACAAGACGCTGCTATTGCAGAGCAAACTCCTGTGGAGCATCTCTC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TGCTGTTGACTCAGCCTCCCACTCGGTTTTATCTACACCATCAAACAAGG 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 CTGAAAGAGATGAAATAAAAGCTTATGGTGAAGGTGAAGAGCACGAACCT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GTCGTTGAAATTCCAAAGAGACCAGCTTCTGCCTATGTCACTGTCTCTAT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TATGTGTATCATGATCGCCTTTGGTGGTTTCGTTTTCGGTTGGGATACTG 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GTACCATTTCTGGTTTCATCAATCAAACCGATTTCATCAGAAGATTTGGT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 ATGAAGCATAAAGATGGTACTAATTATTTGTCTAAGGTTAGAACTGGTTT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GATTGTCTCCATTTTCAACATTGGTTGTGCCATTGGTGGTATTATTCTTT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 CCAAATTGGGTGATATGTACGGTCGTAAGGTGGGTTTGATTGTCGTTGTT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GTCATCTACATCATCGGTATTATTATTCAAATTGCATCTATCAACAAATG 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GTACCAATATTTCATCGGTAGAATTATTTCCGGTTTGGGTGTTGGTGGTA 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TTGCCGTTTTATCTCCTATGTTGATTTCTGAAGTATCCCCAAAGCATTTA 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 AGGGGTACTTTAGTCTCTTGCTACCAATTGATGATTACTGCCGGTATTTT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 CTTGGGTTACTGTACCAACTTCGGTACTAAGAACTACTCCAACTCTGTGC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 AATGGAGAGTTCCATTAGGTTTGTGTTTTGCCTGGGCTTTGTTTATGATT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GGTGGTATGACATTTGTTCCAGAGTCTCCACGTTATTTGGCTGAAGTCGG 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TAAGATCGAAGAAGCCAAACGTTCTATTGCCGTTTCTAACAAGGTTGCTG 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TTGATGATCCATCTGTTTTGGCTGAAGTCGAAGCTGTCTTGGCTGGTGTA 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GAGGCAGAGAAATTAGCTGGTAATGCATCCTGGGGTGAATTGTTTAGTAG 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 CAAGACAAAGGTCCTTCAGCGTTTGATCATGGGTGCTATGATTCAATCTC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TACAACAATTGACAGGTGATAACTATTTCTTCTACTATGGTACTACTATT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TTCAAGGCTGTTGGTTTGAGTGACTCTTTCGAAACCTCTATTGTCTTGGG 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TATTGTTAACTTTGCTTCCACCTTTGTTGGTATTTACGTTGTTGAGAGAT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 ATGGTCGTCGTACTTGTTTGCTATGGGGTGCTGCATCCATGACTGCTTGT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 ATGGTTGTCTATGCTTCCGTGGGTGTCACCAGATTATGGCCAAATGGTCA 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 AGACCAACCATCTTCCAAGGGTGCTGGTAACTGTATGATTGTCTTTGCCT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GTTTCTATATTTTCTGTTTTGCTACTACATGGGCTCCAATTCCTTATGTC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GTTGTTTCTGAAACTTTCCCATTGAGAGTCAAGTCTAAGGCTATGTCTAT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TGCTACAGCTGCTAATTGGTTGTGGGGTTTCTTGATTGGTTTCTTCACTC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 CATTTATTACTGGTGCTATTAACTTCTACTACGGTTACGTTTTCATGGGC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TGTTTGGTCTTCATGTTCTTCTATGTTTTGTTAGTTGTTCCAGAAACTAA 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GGGTTTGACTTTGGAAGAAGTCAACACCATGTGGGAAGAAGGTGTTCTAC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 CATGGAAGTCTGCCTCATGGGTTCCACCATCCAGAAGAGGTGCCAACTAC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GACGCTGAAGAAATGACTCACGATGACAAGCCATTGTACAAGAGAATGTT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 CAGCACCAAATAA 
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0045]    Hxt7 F79S Coding Sequence 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
           
               
                 (SEQ ID NO: 4) 
               
               
                 ATGTCACAAGACGCTGCTATTGCAGAGCAAACTCCTGTGGAGCATCTCTC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TGCTGTTGACTCAGCCTCCCACTCGGTTTTATCTACACCATCAAACAAGG 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 CTGAAAGAGATGAAATAAAAGCTTATGGTGAAGGTGAAGAGCACGAACCT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GTCGTTGAAATTCCAAAGAGACCAGCTTCTGCCTATGTCACTGTCTCTAT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TATGTGTATCATGATCGCCTTTGGTGGTTTCGTTTCCGGTTGGGATACTG 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GTACCATTTCTGGTTTCATCAATCAAACCGATTTCATCAGAAGATTTGGT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 ATGAAGCATAAAGATGGTACTAATTATTTGTCTAAGGTTAGAACTGGTTT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GATTGTCTCCATTTTCAACATTGGTTGTGCCATTGGTGGTATTATTCTTT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 CCAAATTGGGTGATATGTACGGTCGTAAGGTGGGTTTGATTGTCGTTGTT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GTCATCTACATCATCGGTATTATTATTCAAATTGCATCTATCAACAAATG 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GTACCAATATTTCATCGGTAGAATTATTTCCGGTTTGGGTGTTGGTGGTA 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TTGCCGTTTTATCTCCTATGTTGATTTCTGAAGTATCCCCAAAGCATTTA 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 AGGGGTACTTTAGTCTCTTGCTACCAATTGATGATTACTGCCGGTATTTT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 CTTGGGTTACTGTACCAACTTCGGTACTAAGAACTACTCCAACTCTGTGC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 AATGGAGAGTTCCATTAGGTTTGTGTTTTGCCTGGGCTTTGTTTATGATT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GGTGGTATGACATTTGTTCCAGAGTCTCCACGTTATTTGGCTGAAGTCGG 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TAAGATCGAAGAAGCCAAACGTTCTATTGCCGTTTCTAACAAGGTTGCTG 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TTGATGATCCATCTGTTTTGGCTGAAGTCGAAGCTGTCTTGGCTGGTGTA 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GAGGCAGAGAAATTAGCTGGTAATGCATCCTGGGGTGAATTGTTTAGTAG 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 CAAGACAAAGGTCCTTCAGCGTTTGATCATGGGTGCTATGATTCAATCTC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TACAACAATTGACAGGTGATAACTATTTCTTCTACTATGGTACTACTATT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TTCAAGGCTGTTGGTTTGAGTGACTCTTTCGAAACCTCTATTGTCTTGGG 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TATTGTTAACTTTGCTTCCACCTTTGTTGGTATTTACGTTGTTGAGAGAT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 ATGGTCGTCGTACTTGTTTGCTATGGGGTGCTGCATCCATGACTGCTTGT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 ATGGTTGTCTATGCTTCCGTGGGTGTCACCAGATTATGGCCAAATGGTCA 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 AGACCAACCATCTTCCAAGGGTGCTGGTAACTGTATGATTGTCTTTGCCT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GTTTCTATATTTTCTGTTTTGCTACTACATGGGCTCCAATTCCTTATGTC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GTTGTTTCTGAAACTTTCCCATTGAGAGTCAAGTCTAAGGCTATGTCTAT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TGCTACAGCTGCTAATTGGTTGTGGGGTTTCTTGATTGGTTTCTTCACTC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 CATTTATTACTGGTGCTATTAACTTCTACTACGGTTACGTTTTCATGGGC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 TGTTTGGTCTTCATGTTCTTCTATGTTTTGTTAGTTGTTCCAGAAACTAA 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GGGTTTGACTTTGGAAGAAGTCAACACCATGTGGGAAGAAGGTGTTCTAC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 CATGGAAGTCTGCCTCATGGGTTCCACCATCCAGAAGAGGTGCCAACTAC 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 GACGCTGAAGAAATGACTCACGATGACAAGCCATTGTACAAGAGAATGTT 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 CAGCACCAAATAA 
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0046]    Also described herein, a genetically modified microorganism which comprises a gene encoding a synthetic polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein said synthetic polypeptide has a xylose import activity, and the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide comprises an amino acid with a polar side chain at position 79. In some embodiments, the amino acid a the polar side chain is glycine, serine, threonine, cysteine, tyrosine, asparagine, glutamine, lysine, arginine, histidine, aspartic acid, or glutamine acid. In some embodiments, the polar amino acid is a polar, uncharged amino acid. In some embodiments, the polar, uncharged amino acid is glycine, serine, threonine, cysteine, tyrosine, asparagine, or glutamine. 
         [0047]    In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism is a fungus. In some embodiments, the fungus is a yeast. In some embodiments, the yeast is a  Saccharomyces  such as  Saccharomyces cerevisiae . In some embodiments, the yeast is  Pichia stipitis, Pachysolen tannophilus , and  Candida shehatae.    
         [0048]    In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism imports more xylose than microorganisms without the gene encoding a synthetic polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein said synthetic polypeptide has a xylose import activity, and the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide comprises an amino acid with a polar side chain at position 79. 
         [0049]    In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism in its unmodified state is unable to import xylose as a carbon source. 
         [0050]    In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism has a doubling time between 4 to 100 hours. In some embodiments, the doubling time is between 4 to 90 hours. In some embodiments, the doubling time is between 4 to 80 hours. In some embodiments, the doubling time is between 4 to 70 hours. In some embodiments, the doubling time is between 4 to 60 hours. In some embodiments, the doubling time is between 4 to 50 hours. In some embodiments, the doubling time is between 4 to 40 hours. In some embodiments, the doubling time is between 4 to 30 hours. In some embodiments, the doubling time is between 4 to 20 hours. In some embodiments, the doubling time is between 4 to 10 hours. In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism has a doubling time of less than 9 hours. 
         [0051]    In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism has a xylose transport rate between 125 to 250 nmol·min −1 ·mg −1 . In some embodiments, the xylose transport rate is between 150 to 250 nmol·min −1 ·mg −1 . In some embodiments, the xylose transport rate is between 175 to 250 nmol·min −1 ·mg −1 . In some embodiments, the xylose transport rate is between 200 to 250 nmol·min −1 ·mg −1 . In some embodiments, the xylose transport rate is between 225 to 250 nmol·min −1 ·mg −1 . In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism has a xylose transport rate of greater than 186.4 nmol·min −1 ·mg −1 . 
         [0052]    In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism comprises one or more biosynthetic pathways and/or enzymes heterologous to the genetically modified microorganism for producing a biofuel, valuable chemical, compound of interest, or a precursor thereof. Suitable biosynthetic pathways and/or enzymes, and nucleic acids encoding thereof, for use in the present invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,670,825; 7,736,882; 7,915,026; 7,985,567; 8,097,438; 8,114,645; 8,163,980; 8,257,957; 8,288,147; 8,420,833; 8,535,916; 8,569,023; 8,759,632; 8,765,403; 8,828,684; 8,852,902; 9,040,282; and U.S. Patent Application Pub. Nos. 2015/0087042, 2015/0044747, 2015/0044734, 2014/0370595, 2014/0295517, 2014/0134689, 2014/0038248, 2014/0030789, 2013/0280766, 2013/0267696, 2013/0267012, 2013/0245339, 2013/0115668, 2013/0059295, 2013/0052692, 2012/0288905, 2012/0219998, 2012/0219971, 2012/0190090, 2012/0142979, 2012/0115195, 2011/0229958, 2011/0097769, 2011/0021790, 2011/0014667, 2011/0008829, 2010/0242345, 2010/0218283, 2010/0205855, 2010/0180491, and 2010/0170148 (hereby incorporated by reference in regards in the biosynthetic pathways and/or enzymes, and nucleic acids encoding thereof). 
         [0053]    Also described herein, a nucleic acid sequence encoding a synthetic polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein said synthetic polypeptide has a xylose import activity, and the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide comprises an amino acid with a polar side chain at position 79. In some embodiments, an expression cassette comprises the nucleic acid sequence operably linked to a promoter. 
         [0054]    Also described herein, a method for increasing xylose uptake in an microorganism which comprises introducing into an microorganism at least one heterologous expression cassette operably linked to a promoter that drives expression in the microorganism, said expression cassette comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a synthetic polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein said synthetic polypeptide has a xylose import activity, and the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide comprises an amino acid with a polar side chain at position 79. 
         [0055]    Also described herein, a method for culturing microorganisms capable of using xylose as a carbon source which comprises providing a genetically modified microorganism which comprises a gene encoding a synthetic polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 70% amino acid sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein said synthetic polypeptide has a xylose import activity, and the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide which comprises an amino acid with a polar side chain at position 79; and culturing the genetically modified microorganism in a media. 
         [0056]    In some embodiments, the media contains a pentose such as xylose, lyxose, ribose, ribulose, xylulose, or arabinose, or a mixture thereof. In some embodiments, the media comprises a mixed carbon source such as a mixture of pentoses and hexoses. In some embodiments, the mixed carbon source is a lignocellulosic biomass such as those from energy crops such as switch grass and elephant grass. Lignocellulosic biomass used in the production of biofuels is composed of carbohydrate polymers (cellulose, hemicellulose) and an aromatic polymer (lignin). Cellulosic materials generally include about 40-60% cellulose, about 20-40% hemicellulose, and 10-30% lignin. The carbohydrate polymers contain different sugar monomers (six carbon sugars (hexoses) and five carbon sugars (pentoses)) that are tightly bound to lignin. In some embodiments, the mixed carbon source is waste biomass. One challenge to biomass fermentation is the high percentage of pentoses in the hemicellulose, such as xylose, or wood sugar which unlike hexoses such as glucose are difficult to ferment. 
         [0057]    In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism further comprises one or more genetic modifications that improve xylose utilization. In some embodiments, the genetically modified microorganism further comprises one or more motif modifications that reduce glucose repression. 
         [0058]    An example of the methods described above is set forth in Example 1 and is not meant to be limiting. 
       Example 1 
       [0059]    The following example is intended to be examples of the embodiments disclosed herein, and are not intended to be limiting. 
         [0060]    Renewable plant biomass, after saccharification, is typically and primarily a mixture of glucose and xylose.  S. cerevisiae  is a dominant host microbe for industry applications, for the production of a large number of chemicals and commodities including biofuels. Enhancing xylose utilization has been a major focus in  Saccharomyces cerevisiae  strain-engineering efforts. The incentive for these studies arises from the need to use all sugars in the typical mixed-carbon sources that represent standard renewable plant-biomass-based carbon sources. In general, yeast is cultivated solely on glucose. Native yeast has a minor but negligible ability to metabolize xylose, which along with the lack of any native mechanism to uptake xylose, contributes to its sole grown on glucose. While major advances have been made in developing utilization pathways, the efficient import of five carbon sugars into the cell remains an important bottleneck in this endeavor. Regardless of improvements in the xylose utilization pathways, if the cell cannot import the carbon source it cannot use it. 
         [0061]    Here we use a semi-engineered  S. cerevisiae  BY4742 strain, engineered with an established xylose utilization pathway, and imposed a laboratory evolution regime with xylose as the sole carbon source. We obtained several evolved strains with improved growth phenotypes and evaluated the best candidate using genome resequencing. We observed remarkably few single nucleotide polymorphisms in the evolved strain, among which we confirmed a single amino acid change in the HXT7 coding sequence to be responsible for the evolved phenotype. The mutant HXT7(F79S) shows improved xylose uptake rates (Vmax=186.4±20.1 nmol·min −1 ·mg −1 ), and allows the  S. cerevisiae  strain to show significant growth with xylose as the sole carbon source. 
         [0062]    In the present study, we used an evolutionary engineering approach to address the problem of xylose import. Starting with a  S. cerevisiae  strain that has been semi-engineered to enhance intracellular xylose consumption, we report the discovery of a mutation in HXT7 that shows improved xylose uptake rates, and allows  S. cerevisiae  to show significant growth with xylose as the sole carbon source. This mutation, F79S, is predicted to lie within the first transmembrane region and is distinct from any mutations discovered to date. 
         [0063]    Evolution of a Xylose Utilizing Strain. 
         [0064]    Since xylose import into the cell is a limiting factor in  S. cerevisiae  growth and utilization of xylose, we hypothesized that we could select for increased xylose uptake by subjecting a  S. cerevisiae  strain engineered with an improved cytosolic xylose metabolic pathway to evolution in xylose media (i.e. xylose as the sole carbon source). A BY4742 strain deleted for the XR, gre3, and overexpressing the  Piromyces  sp. xylose isomerase, pspXI, and XKS1 (JBEI_ScMO001) was sub-cultured in synthetic defined (SD), 2% xylose media.  FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C  illustrate an example of laboratory evolution of a xylose utilizing strain. After several rounds of sub-culturing, the culture was plated onto solid xylose media and the fastest growing colonies were selected ( FIG. 1A ). The clones were assayed for growth and xylose consumption and the best performing strains were further evolved in SD, 2% xylose. This process was repeated until strains were obtained where growth could be seen in one day. The doubling time of the fastest-growing strains in xylose were reduced to approximately nine hours, down from an initial doubling time of over 150 hours for the unevolved strain ( FIG. 1B ). Colonies that showed improved xylose utilization were confirmed to be  S. cerevisiae  via 16S sequencing. Other eukaryotic contaminants, such as  Aureobasidium pullulans  were also detected, but not selected for sequencing. 
         [0065]    The fastest-growing, xylose-utilizing  S. cerevisiae  strain (JBEI_ScMO002) was selected and analyzed for mutations by whole-genome sequencing. Sequencing revealed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in three genes, including a mutation in the hexose transporter, HXT7. Additional mutations were found in YDL176W, a gene predicted to be involved in fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase degradation, as well as in an intergenic region on the left telomere of chromosome eight ( FIG. 1C ). Because the mutation in chromosome eight was in a heterochromatic region it was not pursued further. 
         [0066]    Hxt7(F79S) Confers Growth in Xylose Medium. 
         [0067]    Since Hxt7 is a known hexose transporter that can also transport pentose sugars with low affinity, the HXT7(F79S) mutation was our most likely candidate for conferring growth in xylose.  FIGS. 2A and 2B  show an example of structural models of Hxt7. Like other Hxt proteins, SPOCTOPUS software (36) predicted Hxt7 to be a 12-pass transmembrane protein with the F79S mutation located in the first predicted membrane helix ( FIG. 2A ). Since there is no solved structure for any of the Hxt transport proteins, Phyre software (37) was used to predict the structure of Hxt7 based upon its closest homolog with a solved structure, the bacterial XylE ( FIG. 2B ). The model predicted that residue F79 resides in the middle of helix one, facing internally towards the central pore. The recently solved structure of XylE has the added benefit that it was crystallized in complex with xylose and glucose, conveying fundamental information about substrate binding (38). Intriguingly, Hxt7 F79 lies in close proximity to the bound-xylose in the pore of the XylE structure, and therefore suggests that the residue is poised to affect xylose binding and transport. 
         [0068]    To test if the HXT7(F79S) mutation was indeed responsible for the improved growth in xylose, we individually cloned each mutated gene, HXT7(F79S) or YDL176W(D504W), into low-copy plasmids and transformed the resulting plasmids into gre3Δ strains overexpressing pspXI, XKS1, and TAL1. The plasmids were also transformed into a strain that contained additional deletions in the genes of interests (hxt7; ydl176w). The transformants were examined for growth in SD, 2% xylose medium. Both the gre3Δ and gre3Δ hxt7Δ strains expressing HXT7(F79S) grew in xylose medium, reaching a maximum optical density (OD600) of between 2.0-2.4 after 40 hours. The two strains transformed with empty vector plasmids showed no growth after 60 hours ( FIG. 3 ). To eliminate the possibility that an extra copy of HXT7 permits growth in xylose media, wild-type HXT7 was also expressed in the gre3Δ and gre3Δ hxt7Δ strains and tested for growth. The strains did not grow in the xylose medium ( FIG. 3 ), confirming that the xylose growth is specific to the HXT7(F79S) mutation. 
         [0069]    YDL176W(D504H) did not contribute significantly to the growth of the evolved strain in xylose. Strains expressing the YDL176W(D504H) alone showed no growth in SD, 2% xylose medium, while strains expressing YDL176W(D504H) along with a wild-type genomic copy only showed marginal growth to OD 0.6 after 60 hours ( FIG. 5 ). 
         [0070]    Finally, to verify that the growth seen in the HXT7(F79S) strains were indeed due to increased xylose uptake, the amount of xylose consumed from the media was examined after 48 hours. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis established that strains expressing wild-type HXT7 only consumed 0.5±0.4 g/L xylose, while strains expressing the mutant HXT7F79S consumed 3.2±0.5 g/L ( FIG. 6 ), corroborating that the growth seen in HXT7F79S expressing strains is due to increased xylose uptake. 
         [0071]    Kinetic Measurement of Hxt7 and Hxt7(F79S) Mutant. 
         [0072]    In order to understand how HXT7(F79S) affected transport, the kinetic properties of the mutant and wild-type transporters were assayed with radioactive sugar uptake assays ( FIG. 4 ). Strains deleted for all hexose transporters that can transport xylose (hxt1Δ, hxt2Δ, hxt4Δ, hxt5Δ, hxt7Δ, gal2Δ) were transformed with low-copy plasmids expressing either HXT7 or HXT7(F79S). The wild-type Hxt7 transporter was confirmed to be a low-affinity xylose transporter with a Km of 161.4±22 mM, and a Vmax of 101.6±6.5 nmol·min −1 ·mg −1  for xylose, similar to previously published values (22, 35). The Hxt7(F79S) mutant transporter displayed a similar xylose substrate affinity of 228.8±45.9 mM, but showed about a two-fold increase in xylose transport velocity (Vmax=186.4±20.1 nmol·min −1 ·mg −1 ) over its wild-type counterpart. 
       Materials and Methods 
       [0073]    Strains and Media. 
         [0074]    A complete list of strains and plasmids used in this study can be found in Tables 1 and 2, and are available through the JBEI registry (http://public-registry.jbei.org (39). Yeast cells were grown in standard rich (yeast extract-peptone) or synthetic defined media (SD, yeast nitrogen base with CSM amino acids (Sunrise Science Products) for plasmid selection) with 2% sugar, unless otherwise stated. For yeast kanamycin resistance selection, 250 ug/ml of geneticin (G418) was used in rich medium. Bacteria were grown in LB with 50 ug/ml carbenicillin. 
         [0075]      S. cerevisiae  strains were transformed with plasmids using the conventional lithium acetate method (40). DNA cloning was performed using standard techniques; T4 DNA polymerase-mediated (Fermentas) ligations or Gibson assembly in  Escherichia coli , or homologous recombination in  S. cerevisiae . Plasmids were recovered from  S. cerevisiae  by lysing the cells mechanically with glass beads, followed by plasmid mini-prep (Qiagen). Chromosomal gene deletions were generated by integration of PCR products flanked by loxP sites (41). 
         [0076]    Strain Evolution. 
         [0077]    A BY4742 gre3Δ strain expressing  Piromyces  sp. XI (Pi-xylA), and XKS1 from two high-copy plasmids was evolved in SD, -URA-HIS with 2% xylose. The 4 mL culture was maintained at 30° C., shaking at 200 revolutions/min. Mutants with increased specific growth rates were selected through dilution of the culture when turbidity was seen. At period intervals, the culture(s) were plated onto solid SD-URA-HIS, 2% xylose medium, and several of the fastest-growing colonies were selected for independent evolution in liquid culture. This process was repeated, selecting for the fastest growing isolates at each round, until culture saturation was achieved within one to two days of dilution. In total, the evolution process took approximately three months until satisfactory growth was achieved. At the end of the process, about one dozen clones were re-streaked and tested individually for xylose growth. One of the best performing clones, 7a2c (JBEI_ScMO002), was selected and prepared for genome sequencing. 
         [0078]    Genome Sequencing. 
         [0079]    Five μg of total gDNA was extracted from the parental and evolved strains, and sent to the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI, Walnut creek) for whole genome resequencing. Burrows-Wheeler Aligner (BWA) was used to align reads, and Bcftools to assign SNPs and indels. Sequencing files were analyzed using Integrated Genome Viewer software (42). 
         [0080]    Xylose Growth Experiments. 
         [0081]    Strains were grown overnight in SD-LEU-URA 1.4% glucose, 0.6% xylose medium. Cells were pelleted and resuspended to a final OD600 of 0.1 in 1 mL of SD-LEU-URA 2% xylose medium in a 24-well plate. The plate was then placed into the BioTek Synergy 4, preheated to 30° C., and the growth was monitored by taking the OD600 every fifteen minutes, for 60 hours. 
         [0082]    Analysis of Xylose Concentrations. 
         [0083]    The concentrations of sugars were quantified on an Agilent Technologies 1200 series HPLC equipped with an Aminex H column. Samples were filtered through 0.45 μm VWR filters to remove cells, and 5 μl of each sample was injected onto the column, preheated to 50° C. The column was eluted with 4 mM H2SO4 at a flow rate of 600 μl/min for 25 min. Sugars were monitored by refractive index detector, and concentrations were calculated by comparison of peak areas to known standards. 
         [0084]    Radioactive Sugar Uptake. 
         [0085]    Uptake of 14C-xylose was used to determine the Michaelis-Menten parameters for Hxt7(F79S). 1-14C-xylose was purchased from American Radiolabeled Chemicals. Twelve mL overnight cultures grown in SD-URA medium with 1.4% glucose 0.6% xylose were diluted to an OD600 of 0.1/ml in 50 mL of media and allowed to grow until mid-log phase (OD600 0.5 to 0.8). 20 ODs of cells were centrifuged at 3000×g for 5 min and washed once with 10 mL of 0.1 M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 6.8. Cultures were then resuspended in 300 μl of 0.1 M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 6.8, and warmed to 30° C. 25 ul of cells were then mixed with an equal amount of radiolabeled sugar solutions, producing final mixed sugar concentrations between 10 mM and 400 mM. Ten seconds after mixing, the samples were filtered through 0.2 μm Whatman Nuclepore filters (GE Healthcare), and washed with 10 mL ice-cold 0.1 M potassium phosphate, 500 mM xylose buffer. Filters were subsequently placed in 4 mL Ecoscint XR scintillation fluid (National Diagnostics) and counted in a LS 6500 scintillation counter (Beckman-Coulter). KaleidaGraph software (Synergy Software) was used to plot the data, and to arrive at Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters for each transporter. All assays were performed in biological triplicate. One outlier with accelerated uptake was discarded from the 300 mM HXT7(F79S) data set. 
         [0086]    Protein Structure Prediction. 
         [0087]    The predicted Hxt7 structure ( FIG. 2B ) was generated using Phyre (37), and the published XylE structures (PDB: 4GBY and 4GBZ). Three-dimensional, structural images were created with PyMOL (Schrödinger, LLC.). 
       Discussion 
       [0088]    The need to engineer a  S. cerevisiae  strain that can consume both pentose and hexose sugars, ideally together, is well recognized as important for engineering yeast to produce fuels and commodity chemicals. The main impediment to the realization of this goal is the lack of necessary xylose transporters in  S. cerevisiae . Specifically, two aspects of xylose transport need improvement before the goal of co-utilization can be reached: (1) transport rates, (2) glucose inhibition. The latter problem has been recently addressed using an elegant selection approach to generate glucose insensitive Gal2 and Hxt7 variants (35). Here we show the generation of an endogenous xylose transporter that has high rates of transport while maintaining high growth rates on xylose. 
         [0089]    In our efforts we compiled several commonly used cytosolic xylose utilization genes and genetic modifications that served as our semi-engineered strain and as the basal strain for lab evolution ( FIG. 1A ). A lab evolution regime, using serial dilution and plating on solid medium, and 2% xylose as the sole carbon source led to the appearance of colonies that could sustain significant growth on the xylose sugar ( FIG. 1B ). The phenotype was tracked to a single mutation in the Hxt7 protein and is distal and different from all the mutations tracked to this protein to date. The HXT7(F79S) mutation allows for an improvement in xylose transport rates (Vmax), as well as provides for growth on xylose. 
         [0090]    Lab evolution of  S. cerevisiae  is a commonly used strategy to obtain variants that have improved xylose utilization phenotypes. Several such studies are reported in the literature and each has resulted in the identification of key metabolic and regulatory genes (43-47). Our study is the first lab evolution to find a mutation in a plasma membrane sugar transporter (HXT7), highlighting the importance of selecting appropriate starting strains and selective pressures to obtain desired phenotypes. While evolutionary selection is a powerful approach, it cannot sample all possible mutations in the amount of time given in the lab. Directed evolution approaches have produced heterologous transporters with improved kinetics, such as the  Candida intermedia  Gxs1 pump, and the Scheffersomyces stipitus Xut3 transporter (48), and may be a good next step for further HXT7 engineering. 
         [0091]    Native  S. cerevisiae  sugar transporters all have much greater specificity and uptake rates for C6 sugars. Several of the native C6 transporters can leak in xylose, and the one with the best xylose specificity, Hxt7, only displays a Km of 161 mM. Hxt7 also exhibits a meager uptake rate of 101 nmol·min −1 ·mg −1 , does not alone support growth on xylose, and is inhibited by the presence of other sugars (22). Some heterologous xylose-transporters have been identified, and have helped improve xylose utilization (31). However, their performance has been hampered by reduced growth rates, problems with substrate affinities, transport rates, or substrate inhibition. Recently success in engineering of native transporters has resulted in the identification of a xylose transport sequence motif (34), and the generation of glucose insensitive strains (35). These approaches also resulted in diminished uptake rates (Vmax), and resulted in modest growth on xylose, which are not advantageous to future mixed sugar co-utilization. The HXT7(F79S) mutation alone enhanced the xylose transport rate (Vmax), which enables growth on xylose in a minimally engineered background strain. The mutation decreases doubling times from over 150 hours to nine hours ( FIG. 1B ), and doubles xylose transport rates to 186.4 nmol·min −1 ·mg −1  ( FIG. 4 ), without affecting xylose affinity. 
         [0092]    Using the structure of the bacterial homolog of the yeast Hxt proteins, XylE (38), we were able to predict the structure of Hxt7 ( FIG. 2B ), and to address possible mechanisms of action for Hxt7(F79S). The model predicts that the mutated residue, F79, faces inward towards the central sugar-binding pore. The mutated Phenylalanine (Phe) residue of Hxt7 aligns with a Phe residue that participates in xylose binding for XylE, providing support for the importance of this residue in Hxt7 sugar transport. The amino acid substitution from a Phe to a Serine (Ser) shifts the Hxt7 sugar-transporting pore towards polarity. This perhaps provides for increased xylose transport rates by allowing for additional hydrogen bonding between Ser and xylose; by allowing for additional water molecules to enter, thereby contributing to substrate binding through water-mediated hydrogen binding; or by allowing for a conformational change that favors xylose transport. Because we do not observe an increase in xylose affinity (Km) with Hxt7(F79S), the latter two mechanisms are more likely. Further structural information for the yeast Hxt proteins will enhance our understanding of xylose transport, and help to solidify the exact mechanism of how the HXT7(F79S) mutation affects xylose transport. 
         [0093]    Both of the mutations found in the evolved strain were reasonable candidates for impacting sugar utilization. The native HXT7 transporter had been previously shown to provide for the highest intracellular accumulation of xylose in  S. cerevisiae  (26). The only other mutation in our xylose evolved strain, YDL176W(D504H), had an almost indiscernible impact on this phenotype by itself ( FIG. 5 ). Although YDL176W is largely uncharacterized, it is predicted to be involved in fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (Fbp1) degradation and a member of the glucose-induced degradation (GID) complex (49-51), making it a likely target for affecting sugar utilization. When  S. cerevisiae  are starved of glucose for prolonged periods of time, gluconeogenic enzymes such as Fbp1 are induced (52). Therefore, one possible explanation for this mutation is that it resulted not from the adaptation to xylose, but instead from long-term glucose starvation. Alternatively, components of the GID complex have been implicated in degradation of Hxt7 (53). Perhaps Yd1176W(D504H) could be altering the degradation of Hxt7, explaining the slight growth improvement seen at 60 hours ( FIG. 5 ). 
         [0094]    This invention has very broad applicability. All industries and research ventures that use  S. cerevisiae  yeast microbial hosts as their platform to convert sugar to a desired product may find this mutant transporter useful. Moreover, the xylose utilization phenotype reported here is due to a single nucleotide substitution, making this discovery easily transferable to established industrial strains. The HXT7(F79S) mutation allows yeast to better use xylose, thus allowing it to use the main sugars (glucose and xylose) present in the mixes that arise from saccharification of plant biomass. This ability would be desirable specifically to industries and ventures that are manufacturing bulk compounds and chemicals and that wish to have inexpensive and sustainable biomass as the feedstock. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                   S. cerevisiae  strains used in this work 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Name 
                 Genotype 
                 Source 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 JBEI_ScMO001 
                 BY4742; gre3Δ pRS426.XKS1 pRS423.XI 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                   
                 study 
               
               
                 JBEI_ScMO002 
                 BY4742; gre3Δ pRS426.XKS1 pRS423.XI 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                 xylose evolved 
                 study 
               
               
                 JBEI-9005 
                 BY4742; gre3Δ pMOXYL3 pRS416 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                   
                 study 
               
               
                 JBEI-9006 
                 BY4742; gre3Δ pMOXYL3 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                 pRS416.HXT7(F79S) 
                 study 
               
               
                 JBEI-9007 
                 BY4742; gre3Δ pMOXYL3 pRS416.HXT7 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                   
                 study 
               
               
                 JBEI-9008 
                 BY4742; gre3Δ hxt7Δ::loxpKanMX 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                 pMOXYL3 pRS416 
                 study 
               
               
                 JBEI-9009 
                 BY4742; gre3Δ hxt7Δ::loxpKanMX 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                 pMOXYL3 pRS416.HXT7(F79S) 
                 study 
               
               
                 JBEI-9010 
                 BY4742; gre3Δ hxt7Δ::loxpKanMX 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                 pMOXYL3 pRS416.HXT7 
                 study 
               
               
                 JBEI-9011 
                 BY4742; hxt1Δ::loxp hxt2Δ::loxpLEU2 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                 hxt4ΔKanMX hxt5Δ::loxp hxt7Δ::loxp 
                 study 
               
               
                   
                 gal2Δ::loxp pRS416.HXT7(F79S) 
               
               
                 JBEI-9012 
                 BY4742; hxt1Δ::loxp hxt2Δ::loxpLEU2 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                 hxt4ΔKanMX hxt5Δ::loxp hxt7Δ::loxp 
                 study 
               
               
                   
                 gal2Δ::loxp pRS416.HXT7 
               
               
                 JBEI-9013 
                 BY4742; gre3Δ; pMOXYL3 pRS413 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                   
                 study 
               
               
                 JBEI-9014 
                 BY4742; gre3Δ pMOXYL3 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                 pRS413.YDL176W(D504H) 
                 study 
               
               
                 JBEI-9015 
                 BY4742; gre3Δ ydl176wΔloxpKanMX 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                 pMOXYL3 pRS413 
                 study 
               
               
                 JBEI-9016 
                 BY4742; gre3Δ ydl176wΔloxpKanMX 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                 pMOXYL3 pRS413.YDL176W(D504H) 
                 study 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Description of plasmids used in this work 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Name 
                 Description 
                 Source 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 pRS426.XKS1 
                 High copy, URA3 plasmid, expressing 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                 XKS1 under control of a TDH3p and a 
                 study 
               
               
                   
                 CYC1t 
               
               
                 pRS423.XI 
                 High copy, HIS3 plasmid, expressing 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                 yeast codon optimized,  piromyces   
                 study 
               
               
                   
                 species XI under control of a TDH3p 
               
               
                   
                 and a CYC1t 
               
               
                 pMOXL3 
                 High copy, Leu2d plasmid, expressing 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                 TAL1 under control of a TEF1p and 
                 study 
               
               
                   
                 a ADH1t, and XKS1 and  piromyces   
               
               
                   
                 species X1, separately under control 
               
               
                   
                 of a TDH3p and a CYC1t 
               
               
                 pRS416 
                 Empty, low copy, URA3 plasmid 
               
               
                 pRS413 
                 Empty, low copy, HIS3 plasmid 
               
               
                 pRS416.HXT7 
                 pRS416, expressing HXT7(F79S) under 
                 This 
               
               
                 (F79S) 
                 control of 500bp of its native promoter 
                 study 
               
               
                   
                 and terminator 
               
               
                 pRS416.HXT7 
                 pRS416, expressing HXT7 under control 
                 This 
               
               
                   
                 of 500 bp of its native promoter and 
                 study 
               
               
                   
                 terminator 
               
               
                 pRS413.YDL176W 
                 pRS413, expressing YDL176W(D504H) 
                 This 
               
               
                 (D504H) 
                 under control of 500bp of its native 
                 study 
               
               
                   
                 promoter and terminator 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0095]    In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of invention. 
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