| 项目编号: | 1402896
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| 项目名称: | Activators to Maximize Algal Oil Production |
| 作者: | Concetta DiRusso
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| 承担单位: | University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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| 批准年: | 2013
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| 开始日期: | 2014-06-01
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| 结束日期: | 2018-05-31
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| 资助金额: | USD550000
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| 资助来源: | US-NSF
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| 项目类别: | Standard Grant
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| 国家: | US
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| 语种: | 英语
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| 特色学科分类: | Engineering - Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems
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| 英文关键词: | algal oil
; lipid production
; oil
; production
; biomass production
; algae
; lipid activator
; cell
; hit compound
; oil storage
; biofuel production
; activator
; commercial production
; sustainable energy production
; other oil-seed bearing plant
; storage
; biochemistry
; growth
|
| 英文摘要: | Proposal Number: 1402896
P.I.: DiRusso, Concetta
Institution: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Title: Activators to Maximize Algal Oil Production
Petroleum fossil fuels are an essential, but limited source of energy. In the search for sustainable renewable fossil fuel source replacement, the microalgae have garnered much interest. Algae are attractive due to rapid growth and ability to accumulate lipid to 20-40% dry weight, potentially yielding 100-fold more oil per acre than soybeans or other oil-seed bearing plants. Additionally, various algal species grow well in poor quality water and under a large variety of environmental conditions. During photosynthesis algae fix CO2 into biomass thus addressing concerns due to carbon emissions. In addition to biofuels, algae can be used to produce a wide range of other byproducts. However, at the present time algal oils are not ready for commercialization due to high costs in producing and processing sufficient biomass given the primitive state of knowledge of algal biology and biotechnology. Current methods of inducing algal lipid production and storage requires conditions that stresses the cells and stops growth; this limits the total yield of biomass and oil. In preliminary studies the PI's identified 3 families of small synthetic chemicals that induce oil storage in algae without affecting growth. The proposed studies will investigate the 3 best hits from each family to provide: [1] important information on basic algal biology and biochemistry leading to lipid storage, [2] insight on maximizing both algal oil and biomass production, and [3] products (the lipid inducers) useful for commercial production of algal biofuels. The knowledge base generated will advance our understanding of algal biochemistry and molecular biology. This information will be useful in the fields of stress biology, biofuel production and in the production of other high value co-products. The lipid activators will also be useful products that will find a market in the biofuels industry and in the research community as experimental tools. Additionally, the proposed experiments will provide workforce enhancement by training undergraduate and graduate students as well as post-doctoral fellows. The scientific team will bring their findings and expertise to the lay public by offering a short course in biofuels for sustainable energy production.
Global energy demand continues to increase and fossil fuel sources will likely become limited within the century. One attractive sustainable alternative is oil derived from algal sources. However, knowledge of the biochemistry and molecular biology of the microalgae is incomplete and there are no known methods to induce oil storage in algae without inducing a stress response that stops growth as occurs when cells are starved of essential nutrients. Therefore, there is a pressing need to experimentally define components and mechanisms that lead to lipid synthesis and storage without stress induction if these organisms are to be employed as commercially viable sources of bioenergy. In preliminary work, the investigators conducted a screen of 44,000 synthetic chemicals for those that would increase lipid production without stopping cellular growth and subset of 360 were identified with these properties. This set was rescreened and final hits were further divided into three groups based on structural similarities. From each group the compound with the highest activity was selected as a hit lead. The goal of the present proposal is to characterize these 3 selected hit compounds as activators of lipid production. The research objectives are to: [1] further assess the potency and specificity of the hit compounds to induce lipid synthesis and storage without inducing a global stress response or limiting the photosynthetic capacity in C. reinhardtii and additional algal species; [2] assess alterations in the metabolome, of cells treated with one hit compound from each structural group to define the metabolic shifts and impacted pathways that contribute to lipid accumulation upon compound treatment; and [3] assess alterations in the proteome of cells treated with hit compounds to define the proteins and biochemical pathways that contribute to lipid accumulation upon compound treatment. The expected outcomes include: [1] important information on basic algal biology and biochemistry leading to lipid storage, [2] insight on maximizing both algal oil and biomass production, and [3] products (the lipid inducers) useful for commercial production of algal biofuels. This information will be useful in the fields of stress biology, biofuel production and in the production of other high value co-products. The lipid activators will also be useful products that will find a market in the biofuels industry and in the research community as experimental probes.
This award by the Biotechnology, Biochemical, and Biomass Engineering Program of the CBET Division is co-funded by the Systems and Synthetic Biology Program of the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology. |
| 资源类型: | 项目
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| 标识符: | http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/96638
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| Appears in Collections: | 影响、适应和脆弱性
气候减缓与适应
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| Recommended Citation: | |
Concetta DiRusso. Activators to Maximize Algal Oil Production. 2013-01-01.
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