Lignin is an energy-dense, heterogeneous polymer comprised of phenylpropanoid monomers used by plants for structure, water transport, and defense, it the second most abundant biopolymer on Earth after cellulose. In production fuels chemicals from biomass, lignin typically underused as a feedstock burned process heat because its inherent heterogeneity recalcitrance make difficult to selectively valorize. nature, however, some organisms have evolved metabolic pathways that enable utilization...

In the present study, 26-residue amphipathic alpha-helical antimicrobial peptide V13KL (Y. Chen et al., J. Biol. Chem. 2005, 280:12316-12329, 2005) was used as framework to study effects of hydrophobicity on mechanism action peptides. Hydrophobicity systematically decreased or increased by replacing leucine residues with less hydrophobic alanine more nonpolar face helix, respectively. helix demonstrated correlate helicity (measured circular dichroism spectroscopy) and self-associating...

Biological funneling is used to convert lignin-derived species muconic acid, which separated and catalytically upgraded adipic acid.

Renewable electricity can be leveraged to produce fuels and chemicals from CO₂, offering sustainable routes reduce the carbon intensity of our energy products-driven economy.

Biofuels derived from algal lipids represent an opportunity to dramatically impact the global energy demand for transportation fuels. Systems biology analyses of oleaginous algae could greatly accelerate commercialization algal-derived biofuels by elucidating key components involved in lipid productivity and leading initiation hypothesis-driven strain-improvement strategies. However, higher-level systems analyses, such as transcriptomics proteomics, are highly dependent upon available...

Abstract Methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG), with nearly 60% of emissions derived from anthropogenic sources. Microbial conversion methane to fuels and value-added chemicals offers a means reduce GHG emissions, while also valorizing this otherwise squandered high-volume, high-energy gas. However, date, advances in biocatalysis have been constrained by low-productivity limited genetic tractability natural methane-consuming microbes. Here, leveraging recent identification...

Biorefinery process development relies on techno-economic analysis (TEA) to identify primary cost drivers, prioritize research directions, and mitigate technical risk for scale-up through of detailed designs. Here, we conduct TEA a model 2000 dry metric ton-per-day lignocellulosic biorefinery that employs two-step pretreatment enzymatic hydrolysis produce biomass-derived sugars, followed by biological lipid production, recovery, catalytic hydrotreating renewable diesel blendstock (RDB). On...

Abstract Biological methane utilization, one of the main sinks greenhouse gas in nature, represents an attractive platform for production fuels and value-added chemicals. Despite progress made our understanding individual parts knowledge how whole-cell metabolic network is organized coordinated limited. Attractive growth methane-conversion rates, a complete expert-annotated genome sequence, as well large enzymatic, 13 C-labeling, transcriptomic datasets make Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum 20Z...

The green microalga Chlorella vulgaris has been widely recognized as a promising candidate for biofuel production due to its ability store high lipid content and natural metabolic versatility. Compartmentalized genome-scale models constructed from genome sequences enable quantitative insight into the transport metabolism of compounds within target organism. These have long utilized generate optimized design strategies an improved process. Here, we describe reconstruction, validation,...

The sugar dehydration products, furfural and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), are commonly formed during high-temperature processing of lignocellulose, most often in thermochemical pretreatment, liquefaction, or pyrolysis. Typically, these two aldehydes considered major inhibitors microbial conversion processes. Many microbes can convert compounds to their less toxic, dead-end alcohol counterparts, furfuryl 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfuryl alcohol. Recently, the genes responsible for aerobic...

Critical to the success of three-dimensional (3D) printing living materials with high performance is development new ink and 3D geometries that favor long-term cell functionality. Here we report use freeze-dried live cells as solid filler enable a material system for direct writing catalytically active microorganisms tunable densities various self-supporting porous geometries. Baker's yeast was used an exemplary whole-cell biocatalyst, printed structures displayed resolution, large scale,...

Microbial communities comprised of phototrophs and heterotrophs hold great promise for sustainable biotechnology. Successful application these relies on the selection appropriate partners. Here we construct four community metabolic models to guide strain selection, pairing phototrophic, sucrose-secreting Synechococcus elongatus with heterotrophic Escherichia coli K-12, W, Yarrowia lipolytica, or Bacillus subtilis. Model simulations reveae exchanges that sustain in minimal media devoid any...

Mutations in the S region of hepatitis B virus (HBV) envelope gene are associated with immune escape, occult infection, and resistance to therapy. We previously identified naturally occurring mutations that alter HBV virion secretion. Here we used transcomplementation assay confirm I110M, G119E, R169P domain viral proteins impair secretion an M133T mutation rescues I110M G119E mutants. The impaired detection secreted surface antigen (HBsAg), suggesting escape. mutant protein is defective...

The feasibility of heterotrophic–phototrophic symbioses was tested via pairing yeast strains Cryptococcus curvatus, Rhodotorula glutinis, or Saccharomyces cerevisiae with a sucrose-secreting cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus. phototroph S. elongatus showed no growth in standard BG-11 medium extract, but grew well alone supplemented nitrogen base without amino acids (YNB w/o aa). Among three species, C. curvatus and R. glutinis adapted to the YNB aa, sucrose, various concentrations NaCl...

Abstract Microalgae are promising biocatalysts for applications in sustainable fuel, food, and chemical production. Here, we describe culture collection screening, down-selection, development of a high-productivity, halophilic, thermotolerant microalga, Picochlorum renovo . This microalga displays rapid growth rate high diel biomass productivity (34 g m −2 day −1 ), with composition well-suited downstream processing. P. exhibits broad salinity tolerance (growth at 107.5 L salinity)...

Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and methanol, commonly called wood alcohol, are common by-products of modern industrial processes. They can, however, be consumed as feedstock by bacteria known methanotrophs, which can serve useful vectors for biotransformation bioproduction. Successful implementation in settings relies upon efficient growth bioconversion, the optimization culturing conditions these remains an ongoing effort, complicated wide variety characteristics present methanotroph...

ABSTRACT Actinobacillus succinogenes , a Gram-negative facultative anaerobe, exhibits the native capacity to convert pentose and hexose sugars succinic acid (SA) with high yield as tricarboxylic (TCA) cycle intermediate. In addition, A. is capnophilic, incorporating CO 2 into SA, making this organism an ideal candidate host for conversion of lignocellulosic emerging commodity bioproduct sourced from renewable feedstocks. work, we report development facile metabolic engineering capabilities...

Phototrophic organisms exhibit a highly dynamic proteome, adapting their biomass composition in response to diurnal light/dark cycles and nutrient availability. Here, we used experimentally determined compositions over the course of growth determine constrain objective function (BOF) genome-scale metabolic model Chlorella vulgaris UTEX 395 time. Changes BOF, which encompasses all metabolites necessary produce biomass, influence state network thus directly affecting predictions. Simulations...