Strategic Enhancement of biofuels production using Bacillus subtilis as a model orgasm. Adual approach of gene essentiallity mapping and optimization.
Abstract
With the increasing demand for renewable energy, optimizing biofuel production has become a critical research focus. This study investigates the genetic and metabolic engineering of Bacillus subtilis, a versatile microorganism known for its robust metabolic capabilities and amenability to genetic modification, with the aim of enhancing its biofuel production potential. Building upon prior work, this research focuses on two primary strategies: identifying essential lipid biosynthesis genes involved in solvent stress resistance and optimizing lipid biosynthesis pathways crucial for maintaining membrane stability during fermentation. Thus far, growth curve analysis (OD600) has been completed, revealing that strains with knockouts in the PS and PE genes exhibited significantly slower growth compared to the wild-type strain IA1 (168), underscoring the importance of these genes in maintaining cellular growth and stability. This finding highlights the potential challenges that come with engineering lipid biosynthesis pathways for solvent tolerance and biofuel production. Ongoing efforts will focus on membrane fluidity assessments using laurdan florescence spectroscopy and lipid extractions to evaluate how these modifications affect the overall robustness of the engineered strains under stress conditions.
Start Time
16-4-2025 1:30 PM
End Time
16-4-2025 2:30 PM
Room Number
304
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Subtype
Grad/Comp Orals
Presentation Category
Science, Technology and Engineering
Faculty Mentor
Robert Standaert
Strategic Enhancement of biofuels production using Bacillus subtilis as a model orgasm. Adual approach of gene essentiallity mapping and optimization.
304
With the increasing demand for renewable energy, optimizing biofuel production has become a critical research focus. This study investigates the genetic and metabolic engineering of Bacillus subtilis, a versatile microorganism known for its robust metabolic capabilities and amenability to genetic modification, with the aim of enhancing its biofuel production potential. Building upon prior work, this research focuses on two primary strategies: identifying essential lipid biosynthesis genes involved in solvent stress resistance and optimizing lipid biosynthesis pathways crucial for maintaining membrane stability during fermentation. Thus far, growth curve analysis (OD600) has been completed, revealing that strains with knockouts in the PS and PE genes exhibited significantly slower growth compared to the wild-type strain IA1 (168), underscoring the importance of these genes in maintaining cellular growth and stability. This finding highlights the potential challenges that come with engineering lipid biosynthesis pathways for solvent tolerance and biofuel production. Ongoing efforts will focus on membrane fluidity assessments using laurdan florescence spectroscopy and lipid extractions to evaluate how these modifications affect the overall robustness of the engineered strains under stress conditions.