Characterization of the xylose isomerase from Propionibacterium acidipropionici and expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for lignocellulosic ethanol production

• Grant number: 12/05827-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: June 01, 2012
• End date: February 28, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães Pereira
• Grantee: Beatriz Temer
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The growing concern for environmental issues leads to the search for fuels generated from renewable sources as an alternative to fossil fuel use, generating less greenhouse gas, responsible for aggravating the greenhouse effect. In Brazil, the production of ethanol from sugar cane using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used. The ethanol production generates a significant amount of bagasse, lignocellulosic material, that could be used as carbon source and could yield 16 times more ethanol than the fermentation of sucrose using the same amount of sugar cane used today. The use of lignocellulosic biomass to produce second generation ethanol is a highly promising strategy, and development of technologies to optimize this production is the focus of study by many researchers. One of the challenges is to find a micro-organism able to efficiently consume both pentose and hexose. The bacterium Propionibacterium acidipropionici, used in many industrial processes is able to efficiently ferment xylose, using the enzyme xylose isomerase to convert xylose to xylulose. This study aims to study the characteristics of xilose isomerase, as well as the genes responsible for its expression during the fermentation of xylose by P. acidipropionici and develop a yeast capable of fermenting xylose. Genetic engineering strategies will be used in order to express the gene responsible for production of xylose isomerase from P. acidipropionici in a strain of S. cerevisiae. Later studies of evolutionary engineered will be conduced whit this yeast to select mutants that presents higher rates of xylose consumption. (AU)

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)

TEMER, BEATRIZ; DOS SANTOS, LEANDRO VIEIRA; NEGRI, VICTOR AUGUSTI; GALHARDO, JULIANA PIMENTEL; MELLO MAGALHAES, PEDRO HENRIQUE; JOSE, JULIANA; MARSCHALK, CIDNEI; RIBEIRO CORREA, THAMY LIVIA; CARAZZOLLE, MARCELO FALSARELLA; GUIMARAES PEREIRA, GONCALO AMARANTE. Conversion of an inactive xylose isomerase into a functional enzyme by co-expression of GroEL-GroES chaperonins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. BMC Biotechnology, v. 17, SEP 9 2017. (12/05827-8)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

TEMER, Beatriz. Expression of a xylose isomerase from Propionibacterium acidipropionici in Saccharomyces cerevisiae aiming the production of lignocellulosic ethanol. 2014. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia Campinas, SP.