Navigation Links
Self-destructing bacteria improve renewable biofuel production
Date:12/7/2009

TEMPE, Ariz.- An Arizona State University research team has developed a process that removes a key obstacle to producing lower-cost, renewable biofuels. The team has programmed a photosynthetic microbe to self-destruct, making the recovery of high-energy fats--and their biofuel byproducts--easier and potentially less costly.

"The real costs involved in any biofuel production are harvesting the goodies and turning them into fuel," said Roy Curtiss, director of the Biodesign Institute's Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology and professor in the School of Life Sciences. "This whole system that we have developed is a means to a green recovery of materials not requiring energy dependent physical or chemical processes."

Curtiss is part of a large, multidisciplinary ASU team that has been focusing on optimizing photosynthetic microbes, called cyanobacteria, as a source of renewable biofuels. These microbes are easy to genetically manipulate and have a potentially higher yield than any plant crops currently being used as transportation fuels.

But, until now, harvesting the fats from the microbes required many cost-intensive processing steps. Cyanobacteria have a multi-layer, burrito-like, protective set of outer membranes that help the bacteria thrive in even harsh surroundings, creating the pond scum often found in backyard swimming pools.

To get the cyanobacteria to more easily release their precious, high fat cargo, Curtiss and postdoctoral researcher Xinyao Liu, placed a suite of genes into photosynthetic bacteria that were controlled by the simple addition of trace amounts of nickel to the growth media.

"Genetics is a very powerful tool," said Liu. "We have created a very flexible system that we can finely control."

The genes were taken from a mortal bacterial enemy, called a bacteriaphage, which infect the bacteria, eventually killing the microbes by causing them to burst like a balloon. The scie
'/>"/>

Contact: Joe Caspermeyer
joseph.caspermeyer@asu.edu
480-727-0369
Arizona State University
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Shuttle brings space-grown strep bacteria back for study
2. The worlds oldest bacteria
3. Bacteria from sponges make new pharmaceuticals
4. Boston University biomedical engineers find chink in bacterias armor
5. University of Leicester scientists discover technique to help friendly bacteria
6. Spaceflight shown to alter ability of bacteria to cause disease
7. A tiny pinch from a z-ring helps bacteria cells divide
8. Legionnaires bacterial proteins work together to survive
9. Scripps research team blocks bacterial communication system to prevent deadly staph infections
10. NSF awards Stevens team $1 million for research on smart, bacteria-repellent nanohydrogels
11. Chemical compound present in detergents produce bacteria alterations in agricultural soils
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:6/18/2013)... expecting a very large "dead zone" in the Gulf ... in the Chesapeake Bay this year, based on several ... of Michigan, Louisiana State University, and the Louisiana ... of Mexico hypoxic "dead" zone will be between 7,286 ... the ten largest recorded. That would range from an ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... awarded $12.7 million to match nine academic research ... to explore new treatments for patients in eight ... and schizophrenia. The collaborative pilot initiative, called Discovering ... by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences ... , The process of developing a new therapeutic ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... Bethesda, MD, June 18, 2013: The Association for Molecular ... Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) on ... for membership on June 3, 2013. , The ... individuals and share a common vision for the advancement ... "Basic biomedical and translational research is more important now ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):NOAA, partners predict possible record-setting deadzone for Gulf of Mexico 2NOAA, partners predict possible record-setting deadzone for Gulf of Mexico 3NOAA, partners predict possible record-setting deadzone for Gulf of Mexico 4NIH to fund collaborations with industry to identify new uses for existing compounds 2NIH to fund collaborations with industry to identify new uses for existing compounds 3NIH to fund collaborations with industry to identify new uses for existing compounds 4
... sites of fundamental geodynamic, geochemical and biological processes and ... for us. Scientific marine drilling and coring is crucial ... (sub-) seafloors to advance our knowledge in the Earth ... (ESF) European Collaborative Research (EUROCORES) programme EuroMARC is an ...
... Calif., November 23, 2008 -- Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ... Nature Medicine that supports the broad ... antibody platform, showing that its PS-targeting drug bavituximab ... models. Bavituximab is in clinical ...
... Futronic Technology Company Limited, a,global provider of ... of FS22, a high performance fingerprint access and,attendance ... launched,FS21M (mid-range device) and FS20 (low cost device), ... and attendance control device.,FS22 uses a powerful Digital ...
Cached Biology News:Europe cores in EUROCORES: Ocean drilling in EuroMARC 2Europe cores in EUROCORES: Ocean drilling in EuroMARC 3Europe cores in EUROCORES: Ocean drilling in EuroMARC 4Europe cores in EUROCORES: Ocean drilling in EuroMARC 5Nature Medicine study shows Peregrine's bavituximab can cure lethal virus infections 2Nature Medicine study shows Peregrine's bavituximab can cure lethal virus infections 3Futronic Launches FS22 Fingerprint Access Control Device 2
(Date:6/18/2013)... , June 18, 2013  AMRI (NASDAQ: ... Burlington, Mass. , site has received ... Administration (DEA) registration to handle Schedule 2 and ... acknowledgement of Burlington,s physical ... documentation. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120229/NY61160LOGO ) ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... ZIONA, Israel , June 18, 2013 ... complex bulk Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), generic and innovative intermediates, ... announced today that the company has been granted a ... indicated in the US and Europe ... US Patent number 8,410,176 B2 is titled Intermediate Compounds ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... Canada (PRWEB) June 18, 2013 ... oversight of pharmaceutical advertising and promotion, and review ... Viewers will learn how to apply these principles ... examples:, ,     The fundamentals on FDA ... and promotional labeling ,     Assessing traditional and ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... , June 18, 2013 ... has announced the addition of the ... Microspheres, & Nanoparticles], Devices [Disposables & Reusable, ... Auto Injectors] & Therapeutics [Diabetes & Oncology] ... to their offering.      (Logo: ...
Breaking Biology Technology:AMRI Burlington Receives DEA Approval to Handle Controlled Substances 2Mapi Pharma Granted United States Patent for Pain Relief Medication "Tapentadol" 2Drug Advertising and Promotion Labeling: FDA Regulations, New Webinar Hosted by Xtalks 2Injectable Drug Delivery Market by Formulations, Devices & Therapeutics - Global Forecasts to 2017 2Injectable Drug Delivery Market by Formulations, Devices & Therapeutics - Global Forecasts to 2017 3
... Novocell, Inc. , a preclinical stage diabetes ... award totaling $20 million from the California Institute for Regenerative ... scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), led ... million. The funding will advance Novocell,s development of a first ...
... Nev., Oct. 28 PDL BioPharma, Inc. (PDL) (Nasdaq: ... a $300 million securitization transaction intended to monetize certain ... closing of the transaction, which is expected to occur ... QHP Royalty Sub LLC ("QHP"), a newly-formed wholly-owned subsidiary ...
... Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX ) announced ... joint venture between Cadila Pharmaceuticals in India, has ... will be used to produce pandemic and seasonal ... virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine technology to produce commercial-scale ...
Cached Biology Technology:Novocell Receives a Disease Team Award for $20 Million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to Develop a Stem Cell Therapy for the Treatment of Diabetes 2PDL BioPharma Announces Pricing of $300,000,000 Securitization Transaction 2PDL BioPharma Announces Pricing of $300,000,000 Securitization Transaction 3Novavax and CPL Biologicals Break Ground on New Influenza Vaccine Manufacturing Facility in India 2Novavax and CPL Biologicals Break Ground on New Influenza Vaccine Manufacturing Facility in India 3Novavax and CPL Biologicals Break Ground on New Influenza Vaccine Manufacturing Facility in India 4Novavax and CPL Biologicals Break Ground on New Influenza Vaccine Manufacturing Facility in India 5
SDS-OutT Precipitation Reagent...
Physical Form: saline suspension with ethanol Particle Dim: mean particle size 50 μm Matrix: HyperD F. Useful for the removal of detergents from protein samples....
Designed for use with the Agencourt SprintPrep 384 kit and all MCPrep reagent kits. Used with flat bottom 96-well microplates such as deep well plates used to culture bacteria....
ID clarifier: non-treated with lid...
Biology Products: