Analysis of the dynamics and robustness of metabolic networks in a genetically engineered Pseudomonas fluorescens with inducible exo-polysaccharide pr

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Pseudomonas fluorescens is a bacterium which can be made to produce the industrially important and medically relevant exo-polysaccharide alginate. Aliginate is a type of gum which is generally obtained from brown algae. It is used by the food industry to increase viscosity and as an emulsifier of their products, and it is also used in medicine in indigestion tablets. Extracting alginate from brown algae is a complex process and a cleaner method is to make bacteria excrete this polysaccharide. The alginate can then be easily recovered from fermentors. However, the yield of alginate production in Pseudomonas fluorescens is generally low and we hope to increase the production of this valuable product by understanding the biological system more fully. In this project, we will develop a Systems Biology approach to explore the dynamics and robustness of metabolic processes in genetically engineered Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteria in which the level of alginate production can be controlled over a wide range. Targeted and random gene interruption mutants affected in alginate synthesis and mutants expressing modified levels of key enzymes will also be included in the studies and this shall help us increase our knwoledge of this complex biological process.