Engineered genetic bioaugmentation vectors and pathways for bioremediation

人类对环境的影响是对人类生存的最大威胁。外源性物质对自然环境的污染在遏制和补救方面造成了重大挑战。在这些污染的环境中，微生物群落已被证明通过抵抗、分解和/或同化外来物质而进化并适应在异生物质存在下生长。事实上，这些生物体也可以提供丰富的降解和分解代谢生物合成基因和途径，用于工程生物合成途径和生物修复宿主。本项目将寻求使用合成生物学方法来开发和优化基于质粒的生物强化策略，用于污染环境的生物修复。具体而言，通过工程质粒编码的降解和分解代谢生物合成途径，例如去除重金属和同化塑料。这将为净化提供新的方法，并提供循环经济的机会。将采用替代策略，包括自适应实验室进化和使用工程化质粒和途径。然后，通过接合将进化/工程改造的质粒转移回土著细菌群落，并在代谢和遗传水平上研究修饰质粒的影响。与此同时，将研究土著细菌群落中的质粒扩散，以使用基因组分析方法评估吸收、扩散（水平遗传转移）和寿命。除了科学研究之外，该博士项目的一个关键部分将是与负责任的研究和创新（RRI）同事和外部利益相关者，如国家和政府间监管机构，非政府组织和环境压力团体进行合作。该博士项目将提供合成生物学概念方法，技能和技术的培训，以及生物技术的广泛方面，微生物基因表达调控、进化和环境微生物学、分子生物学和生物分析方法。该项目将适合对现代环境生物技术和可持续生物经济未来职业感兴趣的个人。

Anthropogenic impact upon the environment is the biggest existential threat to humanity. Contamination of the natural environment with xenobiotics causes significant challenges in terms of containment and remediation. In these polluted environments microbial communities have been shown to evolve and adapt to grow in the presence of xenobiotics by resistance, decomposition and/or assimilation of the foreign substance. Indeed, these organisms can also provide a rich source of degradative and catabolic biosynthetic genes and pathways for use in engineered biosynthetic pathways and hosts for bioremediation.This project will seek to use Synthetic Biology approaches to develop and optimise plasmid-based bioaugmentation strategies for bioremediation of contaminated environments. Specifically, by engineering plasmid-encoded degradative and catabolic biosynthetic pathways, for example to remove heavy metals and assimilation of plastics. This will provide novel approaches for decontamination and also provide circular economy opportunities. Alternative strategies will be employed including Adaptive Laboratory Evolution and use of Engineered Plasmids and Pathways. The evolved/engineered plasmids will then be transferred back into the indigenous bacterial community by conjugation and the impact of the modified plasmids will be studied at both the metabolic and the genetic levels. In parallel plasmid dispersal amongst the indigenous bacterial community will be studied to assess uptake, spread (horizontal genetic transfer) and longevity using genomic profiling approaches. In addition to the scientific research a key part of this PhD project will be to engage with Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) colleagues and external stakeholders such as national and inter-governmental regulatory authorities, NGOs, and environmental pressure groups.This PhD project will provide training in the conceptual approaches, skills and techniques of synthetic biology, plus in broad aspects of biotechnology, microbial gene expression regulation, evolutionary and environmental microbiology, molecular biology and bio-analytical methods. This project would suit individuals interested in future careers in modern environmental biotechnology, and the sustainable bioeconomy.