BRIGE: Towards Efficient Production of Next-Generation Cellulosic Biofuels: A Synthetic Microbial Consortia Approach

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。“PI：林晓霞提案号：0926926智力特长PI？的长期研究目标是开发一种新的微生物群落系统，用于从可再生木质素纤维素原料中高效和稳健地生产先进的生物燃料。她目前的工作重点是生产高级醇（如丁醇），与乙醇相比，高级醇是潜在的石油替代品，具有特别好的性能（如高能量密度和与现有运输基础设施的兼容性）。受自然界中普遍存在的协同微生物财团的启发，PI将探索工程合成微生物财团的有前途的方向，该财团由各种微生物菌株组成，每种菌株都专门从事将纤维素生物质转化为燃料分子的特定子任务。在这个为期两年的BRIGE提案中，PI？目的是开发高效、稳定的重组大肠杆菌。大肠杆菌菌株可在合成微生物聚生体中工作以将纤维素/半纤维素衍生的糖转化成丁醇燃料分子。更具体地说，PI将在开发此类菌株的过程中解决以下两个关键部分。目标1：工程师设计用于丁醇生产的高效戊糖专家。目标2：提高丁醇耐受性。如果该项目成功完成，将为最终实现高效和稳健的纤维素生物燃料生产微生物财团奠定坚实的基础，这可能会导致大规模和成本效益的下一代生物炼油工艺。此外，该项目将推进对微生物代谢和生理学的基本理解，如酒精毒性，并将产生几种重组微生物工程策略，这些策略对广泛的应用有价值。 在与上述研究工作的协同作用下，PI建议开展教育和宣传活动，旨在i）促进本科热力学课程的积极学习; ii）促进科学和工程领域的妇女。她将与密歇根大学的妇女科学与工程项目（WISE）合作，为K-12学校的女生组织一个工程夏令营，并指导本科和研究生的女学生。更广泛的影响拟议的研究将导致高效和强大的重组E。能够将纤维素/半纤维素衍生的糖转化为异丁醇的大肠杆菌菌株。这些菌株将用于合成微生物财团，以实现纤维素生物燃料的综合生物加工（CBP），这将可能导致可持续的下一代生物燃料的大规模和成本效益的生产。此外，该项目将促进对微生物代谢和生理学（如酒精毒性）的基本理解，并将产生许多重组微生物（如高效戊糖专家）和与之相关的工程策略，这些策略对广泛的应用有价值。拟议的教育和推广计划将大大提高教育经验的i）许多化学工程本科生在密歇根大学;和ii）范围从K-12到本科生和研究生的女学生。以女学生为中心的外联活动最终将有助于扩大妇女对科学和工程学科的参与。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."PI: Lin, XiaoxiaProposal Number: 0926926Intellectual MeritThe PI?s long-term research goal is to develop a novel microbial consortium system for efficient and robust production of advanced biofuels from renewable lignincellulosic feedstocks. Her current focus is on the production of higher alcohols (e.g. butanol), which, compared to ethanol, are potential petroleum substitutes with exceptionally better properties (e.g. high energy densities and compatibility with existing transportation infrastructure). Inspired by the ubiquitous existence of synergistic microbial consortia in nature, the PI will explore the promising directionof engineering synthetic microbial consortia, which consist of various microbial strains, each specialized in a specific sub-task in converting cellulosic biomass to fuel molecules. In this two-yearBRIGE proposal, the PI?s objective is to develop efficient and robust recombinant E. coli strainscapable of working in synthetic microbial consortia to convert cellulose/hemicellulose derived sugars into butanol fuel molecules. More specifically, the PI will address the following two key components in the development of such strains.Aim 1: Engineer efficient pentose specialist for butanol production.Aim 2: Enhance butanol tolerance.When completed successfully, the proposed project will lay a solid foundation for the ultimaterealization of efficient and robust microbial consortia for cellulosic biofuel production, which canpotentially lead to large-scale and cost-effective next-generation bio-refinery processes. In addition,the project will advance basic understanding of microbial metabolism and physiology, such as alcohol toxicity, and will generate several recombinant microorganism engineering strategiesthat can be valuable for a broad range of applications. In synergy with the research efforts described above, the PI proposes education and outreach activities that aim to i) stimulate active learning in an undergraduate thermodynamics course; and ii) promote women in science and engineering. In collaboration with the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program at the University of Michigan, she will organize an engineering summer camp for K-12 school girls and mentor undergraduate and graduate female students.Broader impactsThe proposed research will lead to efficient and robust recombinant E. coli strains capable of converting cellulose/hemicellulose derived sugars into isobutanol. Such strains will be utilizedin synthetic microbial consortia to enable consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) for cellulosic biofuels, which will potentially lead to large-scale and cost-effective production of sustainable next-generation biofuels. In addition, the project will advance basic understanding of microbial metabolism and physiology, such as alcohol toxicity, and will generate a number of recombinantmicroorganisms (e.g. efficient pentose specialists) and the engineering strategies associated withthem which are valuable for a broad range of applications. The proposed education and outreach plan will greatly enhance the educational experiences of i) many chemical engineering undergraduate students at the University of Michigan; and ii) a spectrum of female students ranging from K-12 to undergraduate and graduate students. The outreach activities centered around female students will ultimately help in broadening the participation of women in science and engineering disciplines.