2. ESR training
The ESR training included:
• Training by research.
• Network-wide training courses.
• In-house transferable skills training.
• Secondments.
The training programme for ProteinFactory has been completed. All ESRs have followed the consortium’s network-wide training events, where they have presented the plans and progress of their research.
3. Scientific progress
All research in this project was carried out with two well-known bacterial cell factories: the Gram-negative Escherichia coli and the Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis. Importantly, all scheduled Milestones and Deliverables have been reached.
3.1 Progress per WP
Five interlinked Work Packages (WPs) addressed the key problems in this field:
• WP1 aimed at a fundamental understanding of basic principles of membrane protein insertion. New molecular interactions relevant for membrane protein biogenesis were identified and algorithms were developed to predict interacting amino acid residues and membrane protein structures.
• WP2 aimed to deliver a time-resolved proteomic analysis of chassis strains' responses to protein production stress. Strategies to counteract or avoid detrimental effects of secretion stress were developed along with a high-throughput screening technology for strain improvement.
• WP3 aimed to integrate information from WP1 and WP2 in models that accurately predict cellular responses to overproduction stress. Several predictive models for the general protein secretion pathway and the utilization of resources by protein-producing bacteria were developed.
• WP4 used the acquired knowledge to generate industrially-useable E. coli strains for secretion of therapeutic proteins and membrane proteins. Indeed, the work has delivered several E. coli strains with improved properties in the production of membrane and secretory proteins.
• WP5 was aimed to generate industrially-useable B. subtilis strains for enzyme secretion and, indeed, the work has delivered strains and strategies for improved secreted protein production.
4. Exploitation
Several E. coli and B. subtilis strains have been constructed with improved protein secretion properties and several systems and technologies were developed which have a high potential for exploitation. In total, eight project results have the potential for exploitation.
5. Dissemination
The project already resulted in 6 publications in peer-reviewed open access journals and five additional manuscripts have been submitted. Approximately 30 further publications will appear in the next few years. About half of the publications from ProteinFactory are joint publications between partner groups.
All ESRs have contributed to (inter)national scientific meetings where about 50 oral or poster presentations were given. A particularly high exposure of ProteinFactory was realized through the organization of the “International Conference on Recombinant Protein Production’ (RPP9), organized in Dubrovnik, Croatia, from 22 to 25 April, 2017 (
http://www.rpp2017.eu(opens in new window)). At the end of the meeting, the ESRs of ProteinFactory were called to the stage to receive credits for their hard work and dedication to make RPP9 a great success.
A joint networking event was organized in conjunction with the RPP9 Conference with two other doctoral training programmes: the EU-funded eCHO ITN and the Vienna-based BioToP at BOKU.
Likewise, a joint networking event was organized on 24 April 2019 with the BioToP programe in conjuction with the RPP10 Conference on Crete, Greece.
