Description
The general objective of this coordinated project is the generation of a biological net zero CO2 emissions platform addressing the replacement of petrochemicals as the source of added-valued polymers and fine chemicals by synthetic microbiomes composed by Synechococcus elongatus and native or engineered heterotrophic strains. This bottom-up approach allows a radical change in the paradigm of the bioproduction of complex chemicals. As a proof-of-concept we address here the bio-based production of TPA as a first step toward the production of Bio-PET, and two kinds of biopolymers: exo-polysaccharides (EPS) and poly-hydroxyalkanoates (PHA). This project is clearly aligned with the claims of EU initiative Blue bioeconomy towards a strong and sustainable EU algae sector and in general with the goals of EU Green Deal since microalgae and in particular cyanobacteria contribute to the planets sustainability, mainly by transforming CO2 into O2, using the energy of sunlight, and they are the primary producers of biomass for aquatic systems, thus supporting life on Earth. The general goal of the project will be carried out by the coordination of three different subprojects. The teams of these subprojects will work together within the different Work Packages and tasks of the project, nevertheless each subproject will achieve some specific goals and will have specific responsibilities in the work plan. The specific objectives of the SYNBAC subproject are oriented to exploit the sucrose secretion of S. elongatus, optimized through synthetic biology and systems metabolic engineering, to biopolymer production from secondary converters. We will generate synthetic communities that will include natural or engineered organisms for the production of the target molecules at high selectivity, rate, yield, and titer. In these consortia, metabolic engineering will be used to implement the necessary control measures for adjusting the consortium to desired phenotypes. The main goals of SYNBAC are: i) to generate an artificial microbial consortia-based platform for PHA production. Azohydromonas lata strain is a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) producer that is able to grow on the sucrose produced by S. elongatus. The objective is to develop the great potential of this bacterium focusing on three fundamental aspects: a) the deregulation of PHB production, b) the production of more valuable bioplastics like poly(4-hydroxybutyrate) (PH4B) and c) the control of its autolytic system. ii) to generate an artificial microbial consortia-based platform for EPS production. Microbacterium sp. has the ability to secrete high amounts of a mannose rich EPS to the extracellular medium growing on sucrose as a sole carbon and energy source. The objectives are: a) to study the EPS biosynthesis mechanisms and its regulatory elements; b) to optimize the EPS production in order to settle the best operational conditions to establish a consortium with the sucrose producer S. elongatus; c) to explore the industrial applications of this EPS based on its peculiar structure.
This project is suported by the Recovery and Resilience Funds from the European Union.
Members
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