PROSPECTS FOR ALGAEin Industrial Biotechnology Targeted manipulation of metabolic pathways ......
Transcript of PROSPECTS FOR ALGAEin Industrial Biotechnology Targeted manipulation of metabolic pathways ......
PROSPECTS FOR ALGAE
ARI PATRINOS
SYNTHETIC GENOMICS INC.
Products from metabolic engineering
– Ethanol
– 1,3-Propanediol
– Polyhydroxyalkanoates
– Organic acids
– Vitamins
– Amino acids
– Nutritional oils
Improved bioprocess economics
– Product yield (g/g)
– Product concentration (g/L)
– Productivity (g/L/h)
Role of Metabolic Engineering in Industrial Biotechnology
Targeted manipulation of metabolic pathways
Microalgae
Microalgae have exceptionally high oil productivity and growth rates compared to terrestrial plants
• Key issues – Cost vs plant biodiesel feedstock – Low photosynthetic efficiency – Limited genetic tools
• Opportunities
– Improve photosynthetic efficiency using novel photoreceptors – Increase oil content to reduce cost – Tailor fatty acid composition for biodiesel
Algae and CO2 Capture
• In order to grow, algae use sunlight, water and CO2 in the process of photosynthesis
• 1 kg of algae can capture ~2 kg of CO2
• As algae can grow at rates of 30 g/m2/day or more, 1 km2 of algae could capture 30,000 MT of CO2 per year
CO2
Sunlight Seawater
Algae
Carbon Partitioning in Algae
Triose Phosphate
Protein
Carbohydrates
Lipids
CO2
Carbon Partitioning in Algae
Protein
Carbohydrates
Lipids
CO2
Triose Phosphate
Lipids
Hydrocarbons
Alcohols
Hydrogen
CO2 +
CO2 → Biofuels & Biochemicals
Methyl Esters
Limitations of Conventional Metabolic Engineering
• Flux control distributed over the entire pathway
– Amplification of any one gene does not increase pathway flux
• Enzymes from different sources show wide variation in kinetic properties
• In-vitro kinetics may not predict in-vivo behavior of a complex pathway
– Rational selection of best pathway genes difficult
How can we manipulate carbon partitioning?
• Culture conditions – Species selection – Nutrient supply – Growth module design
• Genetic modification
– Classical mutagenesis – Metabolic engineering
• Synthetic genomics – Utilize new genome information – Introduce entire pathways – Test multiple gene configurations – Eliminate side reactions
Synthetic Chromosomes Optimize Production
Cutting-edge technology that enables the design and construction of synthetic chromosomes that optimize production
Anneal overlapping
synthetic oligonucleotides
DNA fragments
Overlapping fragments assembled by
homologous recombination
Chromosome
Transplantation
Synthetic
Chromosome
Synthetic
Chromosome
Anneal overlapping
synthetic oligonucleotides
DNA fragments
Overlapping fragments assembled by
homologous recombination
Chromosome
Transplantation
Synthetic
Chromosome
Synthetic
Chromosome
The Potential of Synthetic Genomics
From reading to writing the genome code
…and synthesizing cells that make useful products
Pharmaceuticals
Substitutes for Petrochemicals
Bio-Energy
T A
G C
Sunlight
Plant Biomass
CO2
DNA Synthesizer
Completely assembled
Synthetic Chromosome
Synthetic Biocatalyst Challenge
London Taxicab
aka. Nature’s Best
Top Speed < 60 mph
Durability ~ 350,000 miles
Formula 1 Racecar
aka. Synthetic Cell
Top Speed > 200 mph
Durability < 800 miles
Goal: 350,000 miles
A New Generation of Designer Cells
Designing food and fuels based on Carbon Dioxide as the source of carbon
Synthetic
Cells
CO2
Plastics
Fuels
Food
Sunlight
Chemicals