Toward sustainable diesel production using microbial cells: unravelling isoprenoid pathway regulation through systems biology

甲基赤藓糖醇焦磷酸（MEP）途径是类异戊二烯生成的重要生化途径。它在十年前才被完全阐明，对这一途径的监管控制尚不清楚。本项目的目的是阐明MEP途径在大肠杆菌中控制的机制，使用一种新的系统生物学方法。了解MEP途径的控制是了解这一重要途径的稳态控制的必要条件，并使大肠杆菌的生物技术工程能够生产出广泛的工业上有用的类异戊二烯（包括生物燃料、药品、工业化学品、中性药品、食品添加剂、香水等）。

The methylerythritol pyrophosphate (MEP) pathway for isoprenoid production is an essential biochemical pathway. It was only fully elucidated a decade ago, and the regulatory controls over this pathway are not understood. The objective of this project is to elucidate the mechanisms by which the MEP pathway is controlled in E. coli using a novel systems biology approach. Understanding control of the MEP pathway is required to gain insight into homeostatic control of this essential pathway, and enable biotechnological engineering of E. coli in order to produce a wide range of industrially useful isoprenoids (including biofuels, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, neutraceuticals, food additives, perfumes and many more).