BRIGE: Enhanced Bioplastic Production in Aquatic Microorganisms

1032599Benton项目摘要每年全球使用数百万吨塑料，其中绝大多数是合成聚合物，如聚乙烯、聚丙烯和聚苯乙烯。合成塑料是理想的，因为它们易于生产，价格低廉，并且具有非常可再现的机械特性。然而，使用合成聚合物也有不利之处，包括缺乏环境友好的合成和处置方法，以及依赖外国石油进行制造。生物基天然聚合物（由活细胞产生）已被证明具有与广泛使用的合成聚合物相似的物理和机械性能。生物聚合物是可生物降解的，使得它们的一次性使用比合成聚合物容易得多。此外，它们基于细胞的生产减少了我们对外国石油的依赖。生物聚合物广泛使用的主要障碍是经济上的，因为它们的生产成本通常是天然聚合物的两倍。目的和知识价值这项工作将开发一种检测方法，以筛选水生微生物产生生物聚合物的能力。具体来说，将完成以下工作：1.创建一个快速的PCR为基础的检测，以筛选特定的III型PHA酶，最好的特点酶参与生物聚合物的合成在蓝藻。2.创建定制的寡核苷酸微阵列，以在各种水生微生物中同时筛选多种生物聚合物合成途径基因。3.筛选当地分离的水生微生物物种（包括蓝细菌）以及市售菌株的组合，以确定哪些菌株在遗传上能够生产生物聚合物。其智力价值在于，这种测定法将能够迅速增加筛选当地分离菌株产生生物聚合物的能力。这将极大地减少培养优化时间，消除生物聚合物成本效益的主要瓶颈。更广泛的影响这个项目将扩大学生在传统上在工程学科，包括妇女，非洲裔美国人和西班牙裔美国人代表性不足的群体的参与。这将通过以下方式实现：1。与当地初中和高中合作，以确定学生将受益于接触实践工程师和当前的工程本科生。2.描述路易斯安那州与石油供应减少有关的研究需求，并挑战中学生提出帮助解决问题的想法。有创造性想法的学生将获得少量的供应资金，以资助科学博览会项目的创建。3.招募目前路易斯安那州立大学工程本科生，将接受培训，成为有效的导师。培训后，这些学生将提供一对一的援助，以初中和高中学生，因为他们对他们的科学博览会项目的工作。这将对巴吞鲁日地区产生巨大的影响，因为年轻的学生将被介绍给工程职业生涯的兴奋，本科生将被培训为下一代导师。

1032599BentonProject SummaryMillions of tons of plastics are used worldwide each year, with the vast majority being synthetic polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene. Synthetic plastics are desirable because they are easy to produce, inexpensive, and have very reproducible mechanical characteristics. There are, however, downsides associated with the use of synthetic polymers including a lack of environmentally friendly synthesis and disposal methods and the reliance on foreign oil for their manufacture. Bio-based natural polymers (produced by living cells) have been shown to have physical and mechanical properties similar to those of widely used synthetic polymers. Biopolymers are biodegradable, making their disposable much easier than synthetic polymers. Additionally, their cell-based production lessens our dependence on foreign petroleum. The major hurdle to the widespread use of biopolymers is an economic one, as their production costs are often double that of natural polymers. Objectives and Intellectual Merit This work will develop an assay to screen aquatic microorganisms for the ability to produce biopolymers. Specifically the following will be accomplished: 1. Create a rapid PCR-based assay to screen for specific type-III PHA synthases, the best characterized enzymes involved in biopolymer synthesis in cyanobacteria. 2. Create custom oligonucleotide microarrays to screen for multiple biopolymer synthesis pathway genes simultaneously in a variety of aquatic microorganisms. 3. Screen a combination of locally isolated aquatic microorganism species, including cyanobacteria, as well as commercially available strains to determine which are genetically capable of biopolymer production. The intellectual merit lies in the fact that this assay will enable a rapid increase in screening locally isolated strains for the ability to produce biopolymers. This will tremendously reduce culture optimization time eliminating a major bottleneck in biopolymer cost effectiveness. Broader Impact This project will broaden the participation among students in groups traditionally underrepresented in engineering disciplines, including women, African-Americans, and Hispanic-Americans. This will be accomplished through: 1. Working with local middle and high schools to identify students which would benefit from exposure to practicing engineers and current engineering undergraduate students. 2. Describing the research needs in Louisiana related to decreasing oil supplies and challenging the middle and high school students to come up with ideas to help solve the problems. Students with creative ideas will receive a small amount of supply money to fund creation of a science fair project. 3. Recruit current LSU engineering undergraduates that will be trained to become effective mentors. After training these students will offer one-on-one assistance to the middle and high school students as they work on their science fair projects. This will have a tremendous impact on the Baton Rouge area, as younger students will be introduced to the excitement of a career in engineering and undergraduate students will be trained to serve as the next generation of mentors.