Project: Industrial biocatalysis using living cells
The potential of non-pathogenic Pseudomonas as a platform host for Industrial Biotechnology has been discussed for decades in Europe, mainly inspired by its metabolic versatility, ease of genetic programming and high solvent tolerance. These properties enable growth in the presence of a second phase of toxic solvents, such as styrene or octanol, or high concentrations of inherently toxic compounds originating from cheap renewable feedstocks (e.g., biomass hydrolysates), like furaldehydes. Furthermore, Pseudomonas displays an extensive enzymatic inventory (e.g., hydrocarbon degradation pathways), and the potential to regenerate redox cofactors at a high rate (Blank et al., FEBS J. 2008 275/20). On this background, it comes as a surprise that Pseudomonas strains are still a minor player as genomic and metabolic chassis for the Bio-Industry, where most key processes are still dominated by Bacillus, Corynebacterium glutamicum, and Escherichia coli. We argue that by tackling and overcoming the few molecular bottlenecks that still make non-pathogenic Pseudomonas less efficacious than bacterial alternatives, we can contribute to place European Bio- Industry into a prime position within the global Biotechnology scenario. Novel biocatalytic processes, must successfully overcome economic barriers before realization. This necessitates high solvent tolerance, a high rate of redox cofactor regeneration, carbon efficiency, and biocatalytic stability. Preferably, these parameters determining whole-cell biocatalyst performance are optimized simultaneously. Explicitly, this performance has to be transferable to industrial environments, including large scale fermenters, which will be a main focus of Pseudomonas 2.0. The transfer of excellent academic research findings into industrially useful technology will be achieved by truly cooperative work between the 6 academic partners and Rexim-Evonik and DSM, 2 of the major European chemical companies. The outcomes of the project Pseudomonas 2.0 will propel the development of Industrial Biotechnology in Europe, supporting a bio-refinery approach in the chemical industry on the basis of the European Lead Market Initiative.
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