Engineering biological systems for a variety of environmental and industrial processes requires platforms with capabilities and complex adaptations that cannot be readily introduced into traditional chassis (i.e., Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae). It obviates a need for cross-cutting approach that not only leverages new genomic tools and design principles but also takes advantage of systems biology methods to interrogate the genetic and functional diversity at a whole-organism level. Using model cyanobacterial systems (Synechococcus and Cyanothece spp.), we are conducting systems-level analysis of modules involved in photosynthetic energy conservation and reductant generation; CO2 fixation; photosynthate production; and biosynthesis of metobolic intermediates and monomers. Coupled with regulatory network reconstruction, this approach is providing testable predictions of reductant fluxes, reductant partitioning to carbon metabolism and other sinks as well as anabolic and biosynthetic pathways that lead to macromolecular synthesis. This presentation summarizes the progress in developing photoautotrophic platforms for metabolic engineering and biotechnology applications.

Moving beyond traditional synthetic biology chassis: Cyanobacteria as metabolic engineering platforms

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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