Functional characterization of a novel flavin reductase from a deep-sea sediment metagenomic library and its application for indirubin production

Microbial synthesis is a desirable approach to produce indirubin but suffers from low synthetic efficiency. Insufficient supply of reduced flavins is one major factor limiting synthetic efficiency. To address this, a novel flavin reductase, MoxB, was discovered through screening of the metagenomic library. MoxB showed a strong preference for NADH over NADPH as the electron source for FMN/FAD reduction and exhibited the highest activity at pH 8.0 and 30 degrees C. It displayed remarkable thermostability by maintaining 80% of full activity after incubation at 60 degrees C for 1 h. Furthermore, MoxB showed great organic solvent tolerance and its activity could be significantly increased by bivalent metal ions. In addition, heterologous expression of the moxB gene in the indirubin-producing E. coli significantly improved indirubin production up to 15.12-fold. This discovery expands the understanding of flavin reductases and provides a promising catalytic tool for microbial indirubin production.IMPORTANCEMuch effort has been exerted to produce indirubin using engineered Escherichia coli, but high-level production has not been achieved so far. Insufficient supply of reduced flavins is one key factor limiting the catalytic efficiency. However, the flavin reductases involved in indirubin biosynthesis have not been hitherto reported. Discovery of the novel flavin reductase MoxB provides a useful tool for enhancing indirubin production by E. coli. Overexpression of MoxB in indirubin-producing E. coli increased indirubin production by 15.12-fold in comparison to the control strain. Our results document the function of flavin reductase that reduces flavins during indirubin biosynthesis and provide an important foundation for using the flavin reductases to improve indirubin production by engineered microorganisms. Much effort has been exerted to produce indirubin using engineered Escherichia coli, but high-level production has not been achieved so far. Insufficient supply of reduced flavins is one key factor limiting the catalytic efficiency. However, the flavin reductases involved in indirubin biosynthesis have not been hitherto reported. Discovery of the novel flavin reductase MoxB provides a useful tool for enhancing indirubin production by E. coli. Overexpression of MoxB in indirubin-producing E. coli increased indirubin production by 15.12-fold in comparison to the control strain. Our results document the function of flavin reductase that reduces flavins during indirubin biosynthesis and provide an important foundation for using the flavin reductases to improve indirubin production by engineered microorganisms.