Genetically engineered (GE) cyanobacteria have become an exciting platform for renewable energy production, in that inserting a series of transgenes can enable the conversion of CO2, water and sunlight to biofuels (e.g. ethanol). However, it is important to understand the bio-risk of these organisms before the synthetic biology approach can be used for commercial application. One possible bio-risk concern is the stability of transgenes within such GE organisms if they were to escape into the environment. In this study, synthetic genes of interest are inserted into the chromosome of Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP1 through genetic transformation via homologous recombination. Once the genetic transformation is verified by PCR and the transformants will be cultured with and without antibiotic pressure for an extended period of time. During this time, the expression and the stability of transgene(s) will be monitored by performing two-step reverse transcription PCR and the traditional PCR respectively to assess how stable the transgenes within our GE cyanobacteria. Understanding these characteristics can be valuable to the biotechnology community that are considering using the GE cyanobacteria approach for biofuel production and policy makers that want to safely regulate these GE organisms for commercial production.

Assessing the stability and expression of transgenes in genetically engineered cyanobacteria for biofuel production

2019 Spring National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.