Synthetic biology approaches for the production of plant secondary metabolites in microalgae
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Plant Sciences
Abstract
Theme: Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy
Plants produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites that may have industrial applications as fuels, commodity chemicals, and therapeutic drugs. However, they are often produced in quantities that are too low for extraction to be economically viable. An alternative approach involves transferring the metabolic pathways required for biosynthesis of these natural products from the plant to a host that is better suited for industrial production. Microalgae possess unique properties that make them attractive prospects for such a host, including their capacity for phototrophic growth on waste streams such as carbon dioxide and wastewater. However, microalgae are relatively underdeveloped as industrial hosts, compared to more established platforms such as yeast. Synthetic biology is a novel development of genetic engineering that aims to facilitate the rational design and modification of biological systems by using a systematic engineering approach. This PhD project will the leverage tools and techniques developed in synthetic biology towards the metabolic engineering of plant secondary metabolites in microalgal hosts. This will involve discovering pathways in plants, transferring these pathways to algae, and using the knowledge gained in the process to construct synthetic metabolic pathways that generate novel products.
ENWW:
- Genomic analysis for identification of novel plant metabolic pathways
- Systems biology analysis of transcriptomic and metabolomic data
- Computational tools for the automated assembly and screening of synthetic metabolic pathways
Plants produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites that may have industrial applications as fuels, commodity chemicals, and therapeutic drugs. However, they are often produced in quantities that are too low for extraction to be economically viable. An alternative approach involves transferring the metabolic pathways required for biosynthesis of these natural products from the plant to a host that is better suited for industrial production. Microalgae possess unique properties that make them attractive prospects for such a host, including their capacity for phototrophic growth on waste streams such as carbon dioxide and wastewater. However, microalgae are relatively underdeveloped as industrial hosts, compared to more established platforms such as yeast. Synthetic biology is a novel development of genetic engineering that aims to facilitate the rational design and modification of biological systems by using a systematic engineering approach. This PhD project will the leverage tools and techniques developed in synthetic biology towards the metabolic engineering of plant secondary metabolites in microalgal hosts. This will involve discovering pathways in plants, transferring these pathways to algae, and using the knowledge gained in the process to construct synthetic metabolic pathways that generate novel products.
ENWW:
- Genomic analysis for identification of novel plant metabolic pathways
- Systems biology analysis of transcriptomic and metabolomic data
- Computational tools for the automated assembly and screening of synthetic metabolic pathways
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Alison Smith (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Stefan Grossfurthner (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BB/M011194/1 | 01/10/2015 | 31/03/2024 | |||
| 1804450 | Studentship | BB/M011194/1 | 01/10/2016 | 31/03/2021 | Stefan Grossfurthner |
| Description | Production of the target compound was achieved by metabolic engineering of a microalgal species, using an approach that has not been published in the literature for said species. |
| Exploitation Route | The novel microalgal strain will be a useful experimental system for investigating: i) the fundamental biology of microalgal metabolism and, ii) further metabolic engineering strategies for optimising production of the target compound in microalgae. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Description | Cambridge University Synthetic Biology Society (synbiosoc) |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Impact | The aim of the Cambridge University Synthetic Biology Society (synbiosoc) is to raise awareness for the field of synthetic biology and provide opportunities for students to engage with the field. The society achieves this primarily through student-led practical projects held at the Biomakespace - an open-access, community-based molecular biology lab - and talks by guest speakers that are active in the field. As a member of the society committee (2016 - Vice-president, 2017 - President, 2018 - Treasurer), I contributed towards these aims by raising funds, setting strategic goals for the society, co-ordinating members, representing the student community on the Cambridge Synthetic Biology SRI steering committee, and represenging synbiosoc on the SynBioUK committee (where I was involved with writing the constitution of the organisation as a founding member). In these capacities, I contributed towards the provision of practical synthetic biology education to students through extracurricular activities and resources. |
| URL | https://cusbs.soc.srcf.net/ |
| Title | Automated algal subculturing with the Opentrons platform |
| Description | Microalgal cell culture involves the process of subculturing, which is time-consuming and repetitive. We purchased an Opentrons automated liquid-handling platform and are currently developing protocols that will largely automate the process of algal subculturing. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The method is still in the process of being developed but has resulted in increased awareness of liquid-handling platforms for automating lab protocols and how to work with them. |
| Description | Cafe Synthetique |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk on algal synthetic biology at Cafe Synthetique, a monthly meetup for the Cambridge synthetic biology community that features informal talks and discussion. My presentation focused on the use of algae as a chassis organism in synthetic biology and the unique features they provide. I also described the potential for using automation to accelerate certain worfklows in algal synthetic biology, which started a discussion on the maturity of automated technologies and their utility in an academic research setting. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Plant and Life Science Marquee at Cambridge Science Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I volunteered at the Plant Metabolism stall in the Plant and Life Science Marquee, as part of the Cambridge Science Festival. The purpose of the event was public outreach and each stall presented their research interests to the public in an interactive and engaging manner. The focus of our stall was to convey the diversity of algal species in the environment, their ecological functions, and applications in industry. This was done through posters, microscopy, live demonstrations of algal phototaxis, and a creative "Make your own algae" activity. The stall was well-attended by families in particular and many attendees remarked that they were previously unaware of how prevalent the use of algae in industry is. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |