Metabolic Fluxes Assessment in Complex Network of Rhamnolipids Production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

• Grant number: 11/21228-4
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): October 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal researcher: Jonas Contiero
• Grantee: Roberta Barros Lovaglio
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 15/05412-0 - Quantifying metabolic flux rerouting in dependence of rhamnolipid synthesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Despite the numerous advantages of biosurfactants, such as low toxicity, biodegradability and high stability, these compounds are not widely used because of the high cost of production. The application of metabolic engineering tools allows the identification of flow deviations in metabolic pathways involved in the synthesis of ramnolipídios, which can be overcome by genetically modified strains, contributing significantly to the increased production of these metabolites. Therefore this study aims to study the carbon flux in metabolic pathways used by Pseudomonas aeruginosa to produce rhamnolipids and from results establish a stoichiometric model for the production as well as propose genetic modifications in order to direct the carbon flow to increase the production of glycolipid produced by this species. It is also proposed to study the relationship of the gene rhlG with the production of rhamnolipids and also assess whether there are differences in the metabolism of hydrophilic and hydrophobic carbon sources by mutants deleted in the gene mentioned above.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

LOVAGLIO, R. B.; SILVA, V. L.; FERREIRA, H.; HAUSMANN, R.; CONTIERO, J. Rhamnolipids know-how: Looking for strategies for its industrial dissemination. BIOTECHNOLOGY ADVANCES, v. 33, n. 8, p. 1715-1726, DEC 2015. Web of Science Citations: 22.