(Press-News.org) Contact information: Mario Aguilera
scrippsnews@ucsd.edu
858-534-3624
University of California - San Diego
Scripps oceanography researchers engineer breakthrough for biofuel production
Prospects for economic and sustainable fuel alternative enhanced with discovery
Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have developed a method for greatly enhancing biofuel production in tiny marine algae.
As reported in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Scripps graduate student Emily Trentacoste led the development of a method to genetically engineer a key growth component in biofuel production.
In the quest to loosen humanity's dependence on traditional fossil fuel consumption, and with it rising concentrations of carbon dioxide and their damaging impacts on the environment, finding economically viable fuels from biological sources has been elusive.
A significant roadblock in algal biofuel research surrounds the production of lipid oils, the fat molecules that store energy that can be produced for fuel. A catch-22 has stymied economically efficient biofuel production because algae mainly produce the desired lipid oils when they are starved for nutrients. Yet if they are limited in nutrients, they don't grow well. With a robust diet algae grow well, but they produce carbohydrates instead of the desired lipids for fuel.
In a significant leap forward that clears the lipid production hurdle, Trentacoste and her colleagues used a data set of genetic expression (called "transcriptomics" in laboratories) to target a specific enzyme inside a group of microscopic algae known as diatoms (Thalassiosira pseudonana). By metabolically engineering a "knock-down" of fat-reducing enzymes called lipases, the researchers were able to increase lipids without compromising growth. The genetically altered strains they developed, the researchers say, could be produced broadly in other species.
"These results demonstrate that targeted metabolic manipulations can be used to increase accumulation of fuel-relevant molecules.… with no negative effects on growth," said Trentacoste. "We have shown that engineering this pathway is a unique and practical approach for increasing lipid yields."
"Scientifically this is a huge achievement," said Mark Hildebrand, a marine biology professor at Scripps and a coauthor of the study. "Five years ago people said you would never be able to get more lipids without affecting growth negatively. This paper shows that there isn't an intrinsic barrier and gives us hope of more new things that we can try—it opens the door to a lot more work to be done."
In addition to lowering the cost of biofuel production by increasing lipid content, the new method has led to advances in the speed of algal biofuel crop production due to the efficient screening process used in the new study.
"Maintaining high growth rates and high biomass accumulation is imperative for algal biofuel production on large economic scales," the authors note in the paper.
"It seems especially fitting that Scripps-UC San Diego is displaying so much leadership in the field of sustainable biofuels from algae, for instance with the California Center for Algae Biotechnology starting here, given the history of the institution playing such a pivotal role in climate change research," said paper coauthor William Gerwick, a distinguished professor of oceanography and pharmaceutical sciences
at Scripps's Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine
and UC San Diego's Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. "But these advances do not happen in isolation, and the current project is a great illustration of how different labs can collaborate to achieve greater advances than possible singly."
###
In addition to Trentacoste, Hildebrand, and Gerwick, coauthors include Roshan Shrestha, Sarah Smith, Corine Gle, and Aaron Hartmann. With a graduate student leading the research and two others contributing, the study underscores the value of a Scripps-UC San Diego education and the leadership role of students in cutting edge research.
The National Institutes of Health, California Energy Commission, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Department of Energy, and National Science Foundation supported the research.
Scripps oceanography researchers engineer breakthrough for biofuel production
Prospects for economic and sustainable fuel alternative enhanced with discovery
2013-11-21
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Study shines light on what makes digital activism effective
2013-11-21
Study shines light on what makes digital activism effective
Digital activism is usually nonviolent and tends to work best when social media tools are combined with street-level organization, according to new research from the University of Washington.
The findings ...
Preventing marijuana-induced memory problems with over-the-counter painkillers
2013-11-21
Preventing marijuana-induced memory problems with over-the-counter painkillers
In addition to being used as a recreational drug, marijuana has been used for centuries to treat a variety of conditions, from chronic pain to epilepsy. However, its medical value is greatly limited ...
Fungus-fighting drug may make mild flu meaner
2013-11-21
Fungus-fighting drug may make mild flu meaner
Mice given a drug commonly used in patients to fight systemic fungal infections more often succumb to what would otherwise be a mild case of the flu. The evidence reported in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports on November 21st ...
Newborn babies have built-in body awareness ability
2013-11-21
Newborn babies have built-in body awareness ability
Scientists identify gene that regulates body weight in humans and mice
2013-11-21
Scientists identify gene that regulates body weight in humans and mice
Research has pointed to the importance of genetic factors in human obesity and has shown that heritability plays a role in 40% to 90% of cases. Now investigators reporting online November 21 in The American ...
Scientists find the invisibility cloak that shields HIV-1 from the immune system
2013-11-21
Scientists find the invisibility cloak that shields HIV-1 from the immune system
Of the two major types of HIV, only one, HIV-1, typically causes AIDS in infected people who don't receive treatment. A study published by Cell Press November 21st in the journal Immunity reveals ...
Stanford scientists think mysterious virus could be a signal of a weak immune system
2013-11-21
Stanford scientists think mysterious virus could be a signal of a weak immune system
Genomic analysis of transplant patients finds an opportunistic microorganism whose elevated presence could be used an indicator in treatment
STANFORD, Calif. — More than ...
Different cellular mechanisms behind regenerated body parts
2013-11-21
Different cellular mechanisms behind regenerated body parts
Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered that two separate species of salamander differ in the way their muscles grow back in lost body parts. Their findings on the species-specific ...
HIV and parenting needs to be discussed, new study finds
2013-11-21
HIV and parenting needs to be discussed, new study finds
A team from Royal Holloway University and St. Mary's Hospital, London, interviewed young people aged 18-23 who had transmitted HIV from their mothers – known as 'perinatally acquired HIV' (PAH). Previously ...
Genetic defect keeps verbal cues from hitting the mark
2013-11-21
Genetic defect keeps verbal cues from hitting the mark
Gene found in human speech problems affects singing, not learning in songbirds
DURHAM, N.C. -- A genetic defect that profoundly affects speech in humans also disrupts the ability of songbirds to sing effective courtship ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Fig trees convert atmospheric CO2 to stone
Intra-arterial tenecteplase for acute stroke after successful endovascular therapy
Study reveals beneficial microbes that can sustain yields in unfertilized fields
Robotic probe quickly measures key properties of new materials
Climate change cuts milk production, even when farmers cool their cows
Frozen, but not sealed: Arctic Ocean remained open to life during ice ages
Some like it cold: Cryorhodopsins
Demystifying gut bacteria with AI
Human wellbeing on a finite planet towards 2100: new study shows humanity at a crossroads
Unlocking the hidden biodiversity of Europe’s villages
Planned hydrogen refuelling stations may lead to millions of euros in yearly losses
Planned C-sections increase the risk of certain childhood cancers
Adults who have survived childhood cancer are at increased risk of severe COVID-19
Drones reveal extreme coral mortality after bleaching
New genetic finding uncovers hidden cause of arsenic resistance in acute promyelocytic leukemia
Native habitats hold the key to the much-loved smashed avocado’s future
Using lightning to make ammonia out of thin air
Machine learning potential-driven insights into pH-dependent CO₂ reduction
Physician associates provide safe care for diagnosed patients when directly supervised by a doctor
How game-play with robots can bring out their human side
Asthma: patient expectations influence the course of the disease
UNM physician tests drug that causes nerve tissue to emit light, enabling faster, safer surgery
New study identifies EMP1 as a key driver of pancreatic cancer progression and poor prognosis
XPR1 identified as a key regulator of ovarian cancer growth through autophagy and immune evasion
Flexible, eco-friendly electronic plastic for wearable tech, sensors
Can the Large Hadron Collider snap string theory?
Stuckeman professor’s new book explores ‘socially sustainable’ architecture
Synthetic DNA nanoparticles for gene therapy
New model to find treatments for an aggressive blood cancer
Special issue of Journal of Intensive Medicine analyzes non-invasive respiratory support
[Press-News.org] Scripps oceanography researchers engineer breakthrough for biofuel productionProspects for economic and sustainable fuel alternative enhanced with discovery