聚球藻UTEX 2973中光碳驱动的高密度燃料合成

Light and carbon dioxide-driven synthesis of high-density fuel in Synechococcus elongates UTEX 2973

摘要:

发展“液态阳光”被认为是解决化石燃料枯竭的关键技术之一。β-石竹烯是高性能的萜烯化合物，作为潜在的航空高密度燃料备受瞩目。新型光合蓝细菌底盘聚球藻UTEX 2973倍增时间短至1.5 h且耐受高温高光，利用光和CO2合成β-石竹烯具有很大的发展前景。为此，文中在聚球藻UTEX 2973中通过构建β-石竹烯合成途径、优化相关关键合酶、增强前体供应等一系列策略实现了在摇瓶中约121.22 μg/L β-石竹烯的合成 (96 h)。在此基础上，通过培养条件的优化实现在光生物反应器中进行高密度培养，最终β-石竹烯产量达到约212.37 μg/L (96 h)。这是目前报道的蓝细菌底盘中β-石竹烯的最高产量，为未来利用光和CO2直接合成高密度燃料打下基础。

Abstract:

Development of “liquid sunshine” could be a key technology to deal with the issue of fossil fuel depletion. β-caryophyllene is a terpene compound with high energy density and has attracted attention for its potential application as a jet fuel. The high temperature and high light-tolerant photosynthetic cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 (hereafter Synechococcus 2973), whose doubling time is as short as 1.5 h, has great potential for synthesizing β-caryophyllene using sunlight and CO2. In this study, a production of ~121.22 μg/L β-caryophyllene was achieved at 96 h via a combined strategy of pathway construction, key enzyme optimization and precursor supply enhancement. In addition, a final production of ~212.37 μg/L at 96 h was realized in a high-density cultivation. To our knowledge, this is the highest production reported for β-caryophyllene using cyanobacterial chassis and our study provide important basis for high-density fuel synthesis in cyanobacteria.