Using Cupriavidus necator H16 to provide a roadmap for increasing electroporation efficiency in non-model bacteria

Bacteria are a treasure trove of metabolic reactions, but most industrial biotechnology applications rely on a limited set of established host organisms. In contrast, adopting non-model bacteria for the production of various chemicals of interest is often hampered by their limited genetic amenability coupled with their low transformation efficiency. In this study, we propose a series of steps that can be taken to increase electroporation efficiency in non-model bacteria. As a test strain, we use Cupriavidus necator H16, a lithoautotrophic bacterium that has been engineered to produce a wide range of products from CO2 and hydrogen. However, its low electroporation efficiency hinders the high-throughput genetic modifications required to develop C. necator into an industrially relevant host organism. First, we propose a species-independent technique based on natively methylated DNA and Golden Gate assembly to increase one-pot cloning and electroporation efficiency by 70-fold. Second, bioinformatic tools were used to predict defense systems and develop a restriction avoidance strategy that was used to introduce suicide plasmids by electroporation to obtain a domesticated strain. The results are discussed in the context of metabolic engineering of non-model bacteria. Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.