Tuesday, July 28, 2009 - 2:00 PM
S88

Automated microbial strain engineering

Kevin A. Jarrell1, Gabriel Reznik1, Michelle Pynn1, Jun Wu2, and P. Somasundaran2. (1) Modular Genetics, Inc., 325 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, (2) IUCRC for Particulate and Surfactant Systems, Columbia University, 905 S. W. Mudd Building, 500 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027

Modular Genetics, Inc. (Modular) has automated gene engineering and microbial strain engineering.  The company uses its automated system to rapidly develop engineered microorganisms that produce useful microbial products, including natural product drug-leads, biosurfactants and other products.  As an example, Modular can introduce any desired gene engineering event into the Bacillus chromosome using automated high throughput engineering methods.  The methods have been used to develop thousands of engineered Bacillus strains, and one of those strains will be described.  Modular specifically deleted about 25 kb of the Bacillus genome in order to produce a strain that secretes a particular acyl amino acid.  Several different forms of the molecule are produced by the engineered bacterium, and various forms have been purified and analyzed.  The molecules are highly water soluble, and have excellent surfactant properties.  One particular form specifically inhibits Staphylococus aureus.  Significantly, these novel molecules are produced naturally by fermentation, and are purified using green-chemistry methods.  Modular is grateful to the United Soybean Board for supporting work that showed that these biosurfactants can be produced efficiently using fermentation media derived from soybeans.  The implications of this work for the development of a robust sustainable-chemistry industry will be discussed.


Web Page: www.modulargenetics.com

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