A system for large scale production of recombinant proteins

• Grant number: 08/56027-6
• Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Regular Program Grants
• Start date: January 01, 2010
• End date: December 31, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Biochemistry of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Felipe Santiago Chambergo Alcalde
• Grantee: Felipe Santiago Chambergo Alcalde
• Host Institution: Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades (EACH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In 2005, the Brazilian production of sugarcane bagasse summed 106,470 million tons. The utilization of this lignocellulosic residue for ethanol production is viable. It requires, however, a mixture of large amounts of enzymes essential for the hydrolysis of such residue to obtain fermentable sugars. The filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei possesses an efficient secretory system that could be used in large-scale production of either homologous or heterologous proteins of industrial interest. Our proposal aims the construction of a system for large-scale production of enzymes by means of substitution or modification of T. reesei promoters capable of driving a large production and efficient secretion of enzymes involved in the degradation of biomass. The establishment of T. reesei mutant strains with prospective industrial use will allow the large-scale production of the necessary enzymes for biomass hydrolysis at a consequent lower cost, favouring the diffusion of biomass utilization as source for biofuels. (AU)