Objective Wax esters (WEs) are neutral lipids of major industrial importance, used as components of lubricants, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Large-scale production of WEs is based on chemical processes, which utilize mainly petroleum-derived feedstocks and generate hazardous waste. With diminishing fossil reserves, demand on industrial raw materials and predicted effects of global warming, there is a strong need for alternative bio-based production of WEs from renewable resources.Since WE synthesis requires only two enzymes: fatty acyl reductase (FAR) and wax synthase (WS), metabolic engineering approaches enabled WE production in genetically modified plants, bacteria and yeast. Interestingly, to date there are no reports on establishing WE synthesis in oleaginous microalgae, which due to fast growth rate and high oil content are strong candidates for the WE-producing platforms. Among them, a green alga Monoraphidium neglectum is a particularly promising species due to its favourable fatty acid profile.The main goal of the project is to establish WE production in M. neglectum using genetic engineering and its further enhancement via optimisation of culture conditions or/and further modification of lipid metabolism. In the first stage of the project, I will develop a vector toolkit for efficient gene expression in M. neglectum. Then, I will use the toolkit to introduce different combinations of FARs and WSs to microalgae cells. I will also investigate whether WE accumulation in M. neglectum can be modulated by stress conditions. Finally, the cultures of WE-producing transgenic microalgae be scaled up to verify their productivity and WE yield. In parallel, I will test several strategies to boost WE production by modification of carbon flux in a model green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and use the most successful ones to further modify M. neglectum. The outcome of this project will be a valuable contribution to the future development of new strategies to produce WEs. Fields of science engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologymetabolic engineeringnatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologyphycologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculeslipidsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymes Keywords microalgae metabolic engineering wax esters fatty alcohols Programme(s) HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme Topic(s) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01-01 - MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 Call for proposal HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships Coordinator UNIVERSITAET BIELEFELD Net EU contribution € 189 687,36 Address UNIVERSITAETSSTRASSE 25 33615 Bielefeld Germany See on map Region Nordrhein-Westfalen Detmold Bielefeld, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost No data
