Biosensors for synthetic biology

合成生物学生物传感器

• 批准号: RGPIN-2017-06703
• 负责人: Martin, Vincent
• 金额: $ 3.64万
• 依托单位: Concordia University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=711927
• 关键词: Biosensors; synthetic; biology

Microbes are incredibly efficient chemical factories. As a result of the rapid advances in molecular biology and genomics it is now possible to engineer microbes to produce a large plethora of chemicals with yields approaching those of ethanol from yeast. With the goal of reducing their environmental footprint, the chemical manufacturing industry is directing increasing levels of resource towards developing more sustainable bio-based processes. For the past 12 years, my NSERC-funded research program has focused on the development of tools and technology to study and engineer biochemical pathway and microbial strains for the production of chemicals and natural products. This research has focused on two main themes: 1) engineering microbes that can simultaneously degrade cellulose and transform glucose to commodity chemicals and 2) engineering microbes for the synthesis of complex natural products. Over the next five years I will focus my research program on the development of transcription factor-based biosensors as tools for optimizing synthetic biochemical pathways in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Synthetic transcription factors will be engineered to sense new ligands and used as biosensors to engineer high yielding adipic acid and alkaloid producing strains of yeast. The proposed research will provide new and much needed regulatable promoters for yeast and new methods to engineer them. This research will benefit from the yeast engineering expertise that is unique to the Martin lab. Finally, the proposed research program will provides graduate students with a broad range of skills, preparing them for careers in academia and industry.

微生物是极其高效的化工厂。由于分子生物学和基因组学的快速发展，现在可以对微生物进行改造，以生产大量化学物质，其产量接近酵母乙醇的产量。为了减少环境足迹，化学制造行业正在将越来越多的资源用于开发更可持续的生物基工艺。在过去的 12 年里，我的 NSERC 资助的研究项目专注于开发工具和技术，以研究和设计用于生产化学品和天然产物的生化途径和微生物菌株。这项研究主要集中在两个主题：1）能够同时降解纤维素并将葡萄糖转化为商品化学品的工程微生物；2）用于合成复杂天然产物的工程微生物。在接下来的五年中，我的研究计划将集中于开发基于转录因子的生物传感器，作为优化酿酒酵母合成生化途径的工具。合成转录因子将被设计来感知新的配体，并用作生物传感器来设计高产己二酸和生物碱的酵母菌株。拟议的研究将为酵母提供急需的新型可调节启动子以及改造它们的新方法。这项研究将受益于马丁实验室独有的酵母工程专业知识。最后，拟议的研究计划将为研究生提供广泛的技能，为他们在学术界和工业界的职业生涯做好准备。