Genetically engineered (GE) cyanobacteria are potential photosynthetic platform for bioproducts, in that genetic transformation with 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 such organisms before the synthetic biology approach could be used for commercial application. One possible bio-risk concern is the survivability of such GE cyanobacteria in the event they were to escape into the environment. Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP1 is a thermophilic strain of cyanobacteria that has an optimum growth temperature of 55°C and cannot survive below 30°C. If this is true, then the thermophilic property of T. elongatus BP1 could serve as a natural bio-safety feature to limit the spread of GE organisms if they were to break containment and gain access to the environment. In this study, both the wild-type and several GE T. elongatus BP1 cell cultures with different transgenes were placed in the greenhouse for 4 weeks during 3 different seasons (winter, spring and summer), where temperature can be significantly lower than optimal. Their growth was monitored by measuring optical density at 730 nm. A sample of the greenhouse culture was then added to fresh media and placed in optimal growth conditions to determine whether the cells are able to recuperate from greenhouse conditions. The experimental results indicate that the thermophilic nature of T. elongatus BP1 could be effective as a biosafety feature in the winter and spring seasons but may not necessarily be in the summer season.

Survivability of genetically engineered Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP1 in different temperature conditions

2019 Spring National Meeting

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