Development of a Sustainable Production Platform for Renewable Petroleum Based Oils in Algae

这个项目的主要目标是对藻类进行基因工程改造，以生产可再生的、生态可持续的石油级油，这种油适合加工成可燃燃料（适用于内燃发动机的辛烷值）和其他石油基产品。该项目利用首席研究员（pi）最近在分离相当独特的支链不饱和烃（甲基化三萜）的生物合成编码基因方面的成功，以及开发新的工具来设计陆生植物高水平萜烯生产的代谢分流。这些项目的具体目标是充分表征这些独特的三萜生物合成酶，评估用这些基因改造的转基因藻类积累相应的高水平石油基油的能力，最后评估生物反应器的设计和操作策略，以培养高密度的藻类，提高对太阳辐射的捕获效率。拟议的合作研究将基因工程原理证明与藻类培养的新工艺工程进展结合在一起，需要评估这些农业养殖和藻类培养的替代平台，以可再生的、温室气体中性的生物燃料取代大宗商品规模的化石燃料。这项提议的工作代表了化学家、生物化学家和工程师之间的跨学科努力，涉及本科生、研究生和博士后助理，旨在为如何利用新兴技术设计代谢途径以提高价值提供新的见解。

Joseph Chappell University of Kentucky CBET-0828817 Wayne R Curtis Pennsylvania State University, University Park CBET 0828648 Intellectual merit The primary objective of this project is to genetically engineer algae for the production of renewable and ecologically sustainable petroleum grade oils that are suitable for processing into combustible fuels (octanes suitable for internal combustible engines) and other petroleum-based products. This project leverages the Principal Investigators (PIs) recent success in isolating the genes coding for the biosynthesis of rather unique branched-chain, unsaturated hydrocarbons (methylated triterpenes), and the development of novel tools to engineer metabolic shunts for high-level terpene production in terrestrial plants. The PIs' specific aims are to fully characterize these unique triterpene biosynthetic enzymes, to assess the capacity of transgenic algae engineered with the respective genes for their ability to accumulate high-levels of the corresponding petroleum-based oils, and finally to evaluate bioreactor design and operational strategies for growing high density algal cultures and improving the capture efficiency for solar radiation. The proposed collaborative research brings together genetic engineering proof-of-principle with novel process engineering advances in algae culture required to evaluate these alterative platforms of agri-culture and alga-culture for commodity-scale displacement of fossil fuels with renewable, green-house-gas neutral biofuels. Broader impacts The proposed work represents a strong interdisciplinary effort between chemists, biochemists and engineers, involving undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral associates, in an effort to shed new insights into how metabolic pathways might be engineered for enhanced value using emerging technologies.