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According to a recent report by the American Physicist Organization Network, American scientists have used synthetic biology methods to modify the strains of E. coli and a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce a drug substance, the precursor of myrrhane. Tests have shown that the myrrhane produced by the hydrogenation of myrrhe is a “green†biofuel and has the potential to replace D2 diesel. The research was published in the journal Nature Communications.
"This is the first time that scientists have reported that narcampane is an alternative to D2 diesel. It is also the first report that it can produce methanide via E. coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae." The lead author of this study is the United BioEnergy Research Institute under the U.S. Department of Energy. JBEI) metabolic engineering (changing the metabolic pathways of cells through genetic engineering) project director Li Xiaotai (transliteration) said.
Increasing fuel costs and concerns about burning fossil fuels will intensify the global warming trend, driving scientists to make every effort to find carbon-neutral renewable energy. Liquid biofuels extracted from cellulosic biomass of perennial pasture and other non-food plants and agricultural wastes have been considered as potential alternatives to gasoline, diesel, and aviation kerosene.
However, the existing mainstream bio-fuel ethanol can only be used in gasoline engines in limited quantities, and cannot be used in diesel engines or aviation jet engines. In addition, ethanol can also corrode oil pipelines and oil tanks, and people urgently need to Advanced biofuels compatible with engines, transportation and storage equipment.
The Joint Bio-Energy Research Institute is one of the three bio-energy research centers established by the US Department of Energy in 2007. They are stepping up development of bio-fuels that are cost-effective at the national level. One of the subjects studied was sesquiterpenes with 15 carbon atoms (diesel fuel typically has 10 to 24 carbon atoms).
Jay Cosling, co-author of the study and director of the Joint Bio-Energy Research Institute, said: "The sesquiterpene has a particularly high energy content and its physical and chemical properties are the same as those of diesel and aviation fuel, even though plants are natural sources. But genetic modification of bacteria is the most convenient and cost-effective method for large-scale manufacturing of advanced biofuels."
In the previous study, Li Xiaotai’s team genetically modified a new mevalonate pathway (a metabolic reaction that is critical for biosynthesis) in E. coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, causing the two microorganisms to overproduce chemical Substance Nicotinic acid diphosphate (FPP) can be synthesized into an ideal terpene using an enzyme. In the latest study, Li Xiaotai and colleagues used the mevalonate pathway to produce the precursor pyrisane of methanide (a member of the terpenoid family), and produced alkane by hydrogenation.
The tests of the fuel properties performed by the scientists on myrrhane show that they have potential as biofuels. Li Xiaotai said: "The properties of myrrhane and D2 diesel are almost the same, but they have a bifurcated ring chemical structure, which makes their freezing point and cloud point lower. As a biofuel, this is a big advantage. We can Designing a mevalonate pathway to produce bisporene, the platform is almost identical to the platform used to make the anti-mosquito drug artemisinin. The only modification we need to make is to introduce an alkenoid synthase and further modify the pathway. Increase the amount of myrrheene produced by E. coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae."
Li Xiaotai's team wanted to incorporate olefinic reductase into the body of E. coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae to replace the chemical treatment step of the hydrogenation reaction of coriene, so that all chemical reactions were carried out in the microorganisms. He said: "This kind of enzyme-promoted hydrogenation reaction is very challenging and it is also our long-term goal. We will also study the feasibility of using the sugar extracted from biomass as a carbon source for the production of borerite." Xia)
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