Comparative analysis of the PHA production by Burkholderia spp and modified Escherichia coli

• Grant number: 22/00158-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2022
• End date: December 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Metabolism and Bioenergetics
• Principal Investigator: Jonas Contiero
• Grantee: Matheus Victor Maso Lacôrte e Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisa em Bioenergia (IPBEN). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/50249-6 - A novel strategy for anaerobic production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), AP.TEM

Abstract

Plastics of petrochemical origin have become a mandatory resource for man, however, this need generates major environmental and human health problems. One of the solutions for this situation is the biodegradable plastic of microbial origin, Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), which is a renewable, biodegradable, and biocompatible biopolymer, in addition to presenting malleable thermal and mechanical characteristics depending on its use. Being this product of great medical interest, it can be used in implants and medicines, as well as scaffolds in tissue engineering. Despite all these advantages, the production of PHA is still very expensive, compared to conventional plastic, with a large part of its cost related to the carbon source used in the production and the solvent used for the extraction. In view of this, several studies are carried out to find cheaper carbon sources and, in partnership, genetic modifications to give the PHA production machinery, delete competing pathways and allow the use of specific carbon sources. Therefore, this work aims to make a comparative analysis between the yield of PHA production by B. glumae and modified E. coli, using sucrose as a carbon source, in order to evaluate the quality of the genetic modification, through the insertion of an operon.(AU)