Yeast pheromone based control of biotechnological processes (HeSPro)
Industrial biotechnological processes were introduced in the 1940`s and since then are dominated by mono-septic cultures. These processes are limited to the metabolic properties of a single microorganism. However, it seems beneficial to use and combine metabolic features of different species. When microbial consortia are applied to carry out metabolic conversions it is necessary to tightly control the composition of the individual sub-populations and their metabolic activities. Until now, the temporal control of metabolic activities performed by individual organisms in consortia-based processes is restricted and the establishment of reproducible processes is challenging.
In the present project, a novel synthetic biology approach is used to control growth and performance of yeasts in bioreactors: the use of controlled intra- and inter-species communication based on the pheromone systems of diverse yeast species (Groß et al. (2011) Letters in Applied Microbiology 52:521–526; Hennig et al. (2015) Journal of Biological Engineering 9:13). This should help to implement tight process control allowing to influence the composition of yeast consortia and to control several metabolic conversions in defined chronological sequences.
The aim of this project is to integrate artifical intra- and inter-species communication modules of yeasts into biotechnological applications. To realise this, the Institute of Genetics (IfG) and the Institute of Food Technology and Bioprocess Engineering (ILB) are cooperating. The synthetic biology procedures for defined cell communication developed by the IfG, mainly for biosensor applications, will further be expanded and modified. To transfer these functionalised yeasts to biotechnological processes is task of the ILB.
Project funding:
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Projekt-ID: BL 345/18-1
Project head:
© Christian Hüller
Senior Professor Bioengineering
NameProf. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Thomas Bley
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Projekt staff:
© Mann
Project researcher
NameDr.-Ing. Christiane Haas
Bioprocess engineering
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Project partner:
Technische Universität Dresden
Institute of Genetics
Group "Biological Sensor-Actor Systems"
Dr. Kai Ostermann
01062 Dresden
Project term:
01.10.2015 - 30.09.2018