Accelerating the photobiological production of essential amino acids through systems metabolic engineering of cyanobacteria

To realize the transition to the sustainable production of chemicals, food, and feed additives, some parameters need to be considered: competition for agricultural resources, lack of critical raw material, and energy-consuming processing.

In this proposal, we take all these parameters into account and propose a direct bio-conversion of solar energy and carbon dioxide to branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) using cyanobacteria as production cells.

BCAA consists of the essential amino acids, L-leucine, L-valine, and L-isoleucine, and has been studied as an agent for initiating muscle protein anabolism in muscle-wasting syndromes and aging, but foremost as a nutritional supplement to promote muscle building.

In this project, we will develop recombinant cyanobacteria strains for the overproduction of BCAA, with a focus on L-leucine and L-valine.

The endogenous metabolic networks for BCAA biosynthesis will be optimized by systems metabolic engineering, guided by analyses of genome-scale metabolic models and multi-omics data.

Our team consists of the PI, one Ph.D. student, and one postdoc; together we cover all technical and scientific aspects of the project, including microalgae physiology, genetic engineering, synthetic biology, computational bio-design, and quantitative omics. The proposed project will contribute to a global carbon-neutral society and to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: 2.

Zero Hunger, and 12. Responsible consumption and production, and 13. Climate action.