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CRISPR/Cas9 modifies euglena to create potential biofuel source

Mutant microalgae produce wax esters for biofuel feedstock with improved cold flow

CRISPR/Cas9 modifies euglena to create potential biofuel source
2024-09-13
(Press-News.org)

News about biofuels sometimes mentions used cooking oil as a feedstock, but if these substances contain animal fat, they can solidify in colder temperatures. This happens because, chemically, the fatty acids of these and many other saturated fats have long carbon chains with single bonds. Enter the euglena. An Osaka Metropolitan University team has found a way to have one species of this microalgae produce wax esters with shorter carbon chains than usual.

Using CRISPR/Cas9 to edit the genome of Euglena gracilis, Dr. Masami Nakazawa and her team at the Graduate School of Agriculture’s Department of Applied Biochemistry produced stable mutants that created wax esters two carbons shorter than the wild-type species.

This improvement in the cold flow of the wax esters makes them more applicable as feedstock for biofuels. Among the factors favorable to using Euglena gracilis as a biofuel source are its ability to grow easily through photosynthesis and anaerobic production of wax esters.

“This achievement is expected to serve as a fundamental technology for replacing some petroleum-based production of wax esters with biological sources,” Dr. Nakazawa affirmed.

The findings were published in Bioresource Technology.

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About OMU 

Established in Osaka as one of the largest public universities in Japan, Osaka Metropolitan University is committed to shaping the future of society through “Convergence of Knowledge” and the promotion of world-class research. For more research news, visit https://www.omu.ac.jp/en/ and follow us on social media: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.

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CRISPR/Cas9 modifies euglena to create potential biofuel source

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[Press-News.org] CRISPR/Cas9 modifies euglena to create potential biofuel source
Mutant microalgae produce wax esters for biofuel feedstock with improved cold flow