Objectif
Evolution of the ability of microorganisms to degrade xenobiotic compounds, including many environmental pollutants, is slow and limited by a whole set of physiological and regulatory bottlenecks. This Project aims at harnessing natural mechanisms of generation of diversity and selection to accelerate in vivo evolution of the bacterial biodegradative gene inventory and to understand how they function in relation to the genomes of the strains bearing the enzymatic activities. Specifically, we propose to develop auto-evolving bacterial strains designed to rapidly activate a massive mutagenesis program on the molecular bottlenecks for biodegradation of target aromatics as soon as they face a given non-degradable compound. The workplan includes [i] reconstruction of ancestral catabolic enzymes to be included in an expanded biodegradative gene inventory [ii] in vivo selection for the best assembly of ancestral biodegradative genes with the potential to deal with recalcitrant compounds or mixtures thereof and [iii] a mutagenesis phase engineered to be triggered upon induction by an external signal. The result of these steps is the generation/selection of novel catabolic pathways towards an otherwise non-degradable compound. The proof of concept will involve the catabolism of test recalcitrant compounds (e.g. chloroaromatic pollutants) by bacteria endowed with a rapid evolving capacity in chemostats. This Project which builds on sound Synthetic Biology approaches will provide a proof-of-principle of a general approach to evolutionary engineering. The frame has potential impact in both environmental clean-up and the production of high-added value compounds. We argue that PROACTIVE and the technologies that are expected to emerge from it, can make a difference in the way new reactions are pursued in many biotechnological endeavours, and it will open new avenues to address otherwise intractable environmental pollution problems.
Champ scientifique
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencessynthetic biology
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollution
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsgenomes
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymes
Appel à propositions
FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IIF
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Régime de financement
MC-IIF - International Incoming Fellowships (IIF)Coordinateur
28006 Madrid
Espagne