Genetic enhancement of cellulose production by Consenzeae myxofaciens

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Cosenzeae myxofaciens, also referred to as Proteus myxofaciens is a Gram-negative bacterium in the same**family as species such as P.mirabilis. This strain is industrially important for its ability to produce large**quantities of biocellulose. Biocellulose displays properties different from plant-based cellulose, notably its**long fiber length and unique composition, making it particularly useful in applications in the biomedical,**electronic and food science fields. Bacterial biocellulose has been traditionally produced by bacteria such as**Gluconeobactobacter xylinus, a bacterium with an absolute requirement for oxygen in order to grow. However,**C.myxofaciens is a facultative microbe, able to grow in the presence or absence of oxygen, making the strain**much more useful to industry. Our laboratory has begun to develop genetic tools to modify this organism with**the ultimate goal of making the bacterium less of a potential pathogen, with increased and more stable**biocellulose production. These tools include the creation of a library of transposon insertions, and methods of**effectively introducing foreign DNA into C.myxofaciens in order to specifically inactivate genes by specifically**deleting them (markerless deletion). The aim of this proposal is to use these technologies to create genetically**modified C.myxofaciens strains that are safer and are able produce biocellulose at reduced cost and at a greater**yield.