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 (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- social sciences economics and business economics production economics productivity
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
33615 Bielefeld
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.