CAREER: Metabolic Flux Analysis of Photoautotropic Organisms

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John A. MorganBES-0348458The majority of industrial chemicals are currently synthesized from fossil fuels, which are a rapidly depleting and non-renewable resource. Photosynthetic organisms have the potential to biosynthesize these chemicals through the fixation of CO2 with energy obtained from sunlight. Currently, the transformation of CO2 into valuable chemicals is inefficient as a result of the competition for central metabolic precursors. To improve production, the metabolic pathways can be manipulated by genetic methods. However, a rationale for selecting genes to alter is lacking, which stems from the poor understanding of the influence of genetic and environmental interactions on the rates of metabolic conversions. Therefore, a technique that analyzes metabolic fluxes under various conditions is needed. The objective of this project is to develop a novel mathematical tool and mass spectrometry methods to quantify metabolic fluxes in unicellular photosynthetic organisms. Based upon results from this work, it may be possible to engineer plant metabolic pathways for the more efficient production of food, feed and medicinal metabolites in the future. The primary educational objective is to integrate metabolic and cellular engineering principles and methodologies into the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. As a result of this educational plan, a diverse group of students will be able to think critically about methods to produce chemicals from renewable resources, one of the key future problems facing society.