15 NSFBIO - Synthetic Biology for Lignin Utilization

15 NSFBIO - 木质素利用的合成生物学

• 批准号: BB/P011918/1
• 负责人: John McGeehan
• 金额: $ 51.1万
• 依托单位: University of Portsmouth
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2017 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FP011918%2F1
• 关键词: 15; NSFBIO; Synthetic; Biology; Lignin

Our current reliance on fossil fuels is unsustainable and there is a clear need to find alternative sources of renewable fuels and chemicals to meet the needs of an expanding global population. A vast amount of work has been done in developing the technologies to turn waste plant material (biomass) into sugar that can be fermented to produce bioethanol for our cars, trains and planes. This relies on enzymes, like those used in washing detergents, to break down the plant material so that that it can be converted into biofuels - a direct alternative to fossil fuels. Although the technology now exists to do this, it is simply too expensive. So how can we make it cheaper?Plant cell walls contain cellulose and it is this polymer that can be broken down into sugars to make fuels. However, up to one-third of plant material is made up of a sticky brown compound called lignin. This is currently vastly underused in commercial plants and it is mainly burned to generate power. This is a huge waste, and one of the reasons that biofuels are currently so expensive. Lignin is actually a very valuable compound, and with the right enzymes, can be turned into useful products such as chemicals, plastics and even carbon-fibre. Not only would these materials be renewable and sustainable, their high value would make biofuels cheaper.As usual, nature already has the answer. We have found microbes that can live on lignin as a food source and have evolved powerful enzymes break this resistant compound apart. We plan to research these enzymes and link them together in new systems to make them efficient. We will use genetics to help us evolve better enzymes, work out their 3D structures and use advanced computer models to work out the best combinations. If we succeed, we have the potential to make biofuel production commercially viable and create a new range of plant-based products. The result will be transportation fuels that don't rely on dwindling fossil fuel reserves, are sustainable and are kinder to the environment.

我们目前对化石燃料的依赖是不可持续的，显然需要找到可再生燃料和化学品的替代来源，以满足不断增长的全球人口的需求。在开发将废弃植物材料（生物质）转化为糖的技术方面已经做了大量的工作，糖可以发酵为我们的汽车、火车和飞机生产生物乙醇。这依赖于酶，如洗涤剂中使用的酶，来分解植物材料，以便将其转化为生物燃料-化石燃料的直接替代品。虽然现在有技术可以做到这一点，但它实在太昂贵了。那么，我们如何才能使它更便宜呢？植物细胞壁含有纤维素，正是这种聚合物可以分解成糖来制造燃料。然而，多达三分之一的植物材料是由一种称为木质素的粘性棕色化合物组成的。目前，这在商业工厂中的使用率极低，主要用于燃烧发电。这是一种巨大的浪费，也是生物燃料目前如此昂贵的原因之一。木质素实际上是一种非常有价值的化合物，使用合适的酶，可以转化为有用的产品，如化学品，塑料甚至碳纤维。这些材料不仅是可再生和可持续的，而且它们的高价值将使生物燃料更便宜。我们已经发现了可以以木质素为食物来源的微生物，并进化出了强大的酶来分解这种抗性化合物。我们计划研究这些酶，并将它们连接到新的系统中，使它们更有效。我们将利用遗传学来帮助我们进化出更好的酶，设计出它们的3D结构，并利用先进的计算机模型来设计出最佳组合。如果我们成功了，我们有可能使生物燃料生产在商业上可行，并创造一系列新的植物产品。其结果将是运输燃料，不依赖于日益减少的化石燃料储备，是可持续的，是金德对环境友好。

项目成果

Comparative Performance of PETase as a Function of Reaction Conditions, Substrate Properties, and Product Accumulation

PETase 的性能比较随反应条件、底物性质和产物积累的变化

• DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202102517
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: ChemSusChem
• 影响因子: 8.4
• 作者: Erickson E

Characterization and engineering of a plastic-degrading aromatic polyesterase.

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1718804115
• 发表时间: 2018-05-08
• 期刊: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
• 影响因子: 11.1
• 作者: Austin HP;Allen MD;Donohoe BS;Rorrer NA;Kearns FL;Silveira RL;Pollard BC;Dominick G;Duman R;El Omari K;Mykhaylyk V;Wagner A;Michener WE;Amore A;Skaf MS;Crowley MF;Thorne AW;Johnson CW;Woodcock HL;McGeehan JE;Beckham GT
• 通讯作者: Beckham GT

Enabling microbial syringol conversion through structure-guided protein engineering

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1820001116
• 发表时间: 2019-07-09
• 期刊: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• 影响因子: 11.1
• 作者: Machovina, Melodie M.;Mallinson, Sam J. B.;DuBois, Jennifer L.
• 通讯作者: DuBois, Jennifer L.