PARK AND VEVA REILLY DISTINGUISHED SEMINAR - “Genetic and Metabolic Engineering of Clostridium pasteurianum for Production of Butanol as a Renewable Biofuel” by Michael Pyne, PhD, Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Waterloo
ABSTRACT:
The
Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol
(ABE)
fermentation
by
anaerobic
bacteria
from
the
genus
Clostridium
was
one
of
the
first
large-scale
industrial
bioprocesses,
operating
globally
for
the
production
of
acetone
during
the
first
half
of
the
20th
Century.
Feedstock
and
product
recovery
costs
prevented
the
ABE
process
from
remaining
profitable
and
acetone
production
was
overtaken
by
the
developing
petroleum
industry.
Today,
as
a
result
of
mounting
environmental
and
political
concerns
surrounding
the
consumption
of
finite
resources,
we
are
in
the
midst
of
a
potential
revival
of
the
ABE
fermentation,
this
time
for
the
production
of
butanol,
a
superior
biofuel
to
ethanol.
Among
the
clostridia,
Clostridium
pasteurianum
harnesses
immense
industrial
potential
owing
to
its
unique
metabolic
capacity
to
ferment
cheap
and
abundant
waste
glycerol
into
butanol.
Currently,
metabolic
engineering
of
C.
pasteurianum
has
been
fundamentally
impeded
due
to
a
lack
of
genetic
tools
and
techniques
available
for
the
manipulation
and
improvement
of
this
promising
bacterium.
This
talk
focusses
on
recent
work
in
the
development
of
genetic
methods
for
modifying
the
central
fermentative
metabolism
of
C.
pasteurianum.
We
have
sequenced
the
organism’s
complete
genome
and
developed
an
electroporation-based
methodology
allowing
high-level
transfer
of
foreign
DNA.
We
have
also
produced
genetic
mutants
through
the
development
of
chromosomal
gene
disruption
and
downregulation
methodologies.
We
are
currently
investigating
the
use
of
advanced
chromosomal
engineering
techniques
based
on
homologous
recombination
to
engineer
the
central
fermentative
metabolism
of
C.
pasteurianum.
Collectively
these
tools
should
contribute
to
the
advancement
of
C.
pasteurianum
as
a
potential
industrial
host
for
the
economical
production
of
butanol
from
low-value,
crude
glycerol.
Biosketch:
Michael
received
his
PhD
in
Chemical
Engineering
from
the
University
of
Waterloo
in
April
2014
working
under
the
supervision
of
Professor
C.
Perry
Chou
and
Professor
Murray
Moo-Young
of
the
University
of
Waterloo
and
Dr.
Duane
Chung,
CEO
of
Algaeneers
Inc.
and
Neemo
Inc.
He
completed
a
BSc
in
Honours
Biochemistry
and
Biotechnology
from
Wilfrid
Laurier
University
in
2008.
Collectively,
Michael
has
authored
10
research
papers
and
book
chapters,
and
is
an
inventor
on
one
US
patent
application.
His
doctoral
accomplishments
have
been
recognized
through
several
awards
and
scholarships,
including
an
NSERC
Alexander
Graham
Bell
Canada
Graduate
Scholarship,
the
Dr.
M.
Chandrashekar
Memorial
Award
in
Sustainable
Energy,
the
Murray
Moo-Young
Biotechnology
Award,
and
a
Sandford
Fleming
Teaching
Assistantship
Excellence
Award.
Michael
is
currently
a
Postdoctoral
Fellow
at
the
University
of
Waterloo
in
the
same
lab
where
he
obtained
his
PhD
and
in
collaboration
with
industrial
partners,
Algaeneers
Inc.
and
Neemo
Inc.