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Model-Based Construction And Optimisation Of Versatile Chassis Yeast Strains For Production Of Valuable Lipid And Aromatic Compounds

Project description

Rational design of novel yeast strains producing lipid and aromatic compounds

Biotechnology harnesses biological processes for industrial and other purposes. Yeast are akin to tiny factories which are widely utilised for their metabolites, enzymes and proteins. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is perhaps the oldest and most used. The EU-funded CHASSY project plans to unlock the full potential of yeast by redesigning metabolic circuits and expanding the host range to include the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica (able to accumulate significant amounts of lipids or triglycerides) and the thermotolerant yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus. The team will use synthetic biology tools to construct new strains for cell factories producing three high-value products: the oleochemicals docosanol and octanoic acid, and the aromatic molecule amorfrutin 1.

Objective

CHASSY will unlock the full potential of the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Yarrowia lipolytica and Kluyveromyces marxianus as cell factories for production of high value compounds which have applications in the cosmetic, nutraceutical and white biotechnology sectors. Current cell factory strains for these classes of product are restricted to proof-of-principle levels because of limited precursor supply, poor product tolerance and lack of versatility. CHASSY addresses these challenges by redesigning metabolic circuits and expanding the host range to include the oleaginous yeast, Y. lipolytica and the thermotolerant yeast, K. marxianus. The systems biology approach will integrate model-based design, construction and analysis of yeast strains, resulting in reconfigured metabolic networks optimised for the production of lipid and aromatic molecules. Construction of the chassis strains, using new and existing synthetic biology tools, will be directed by knowledge derived from a thorough systems biology comparison of the three yeast species, conducted using integrative data analysis and genome scale metabolic models. The chassis strains will be used to build cell factories to produce three specific high value products: the oleochemicals, Docosanol and Octanoic acid; and the aromatic molecule, Amorfrutin 1. These new cell factory strains will be evaluated under industrial conditions to produce data that will further improve the chassis platforms. The major outcomes of this project will be (1) a new set of chassis yeast strains that are widely applicable for development of industrial cell factories; (2) the knowledge and technology to readily build and evaluate new chassis tailored to specific applications; (3) prototype cell factory strains producing three high value metabolites for commercial exploitation; (4) a dissemination and exploitation strategy to ensure that European SMEs benefit from the knowledge base, platform chassis and resources generated in CHASSY.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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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.

RIA - Research and Innovation action

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-NMBP-2016-2017

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK - NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, CORK
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 1 228 732,49
Total cost

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.

€ 1 228 732,49

Participants (9)

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