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UK funding (162 007 £) : 13TSB_SynBio - Production de chitosane dans les micro-organismes Ukri01/10/2013 UK Research and Innovation, Royaume Uni
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13TSB_SynBio - Production de chitosane dans les micro-organismes
| Abstract | Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide consisting of many molecules of the sugar glucosamine, linked together in a chain. Chitosan has many important agricultural, industrial and biomedical applications, including use to promote blood clotting in wound dressings. Chitosan is normally made by chemical treatment of the shells of crabs and other crustaceans, which contain a similar polysaccharide, chitin, a chain of molecules of the sugar N-acetylglucosamine. Chemical treatment of chitin results in conversion of the N-acetylglucosamine to glucosamine, giving chitosan. The aim of this project is to free chitosan production from its dependence on marine sources by making a microorganism which can produce chitosan from renewable plant-based materials. Most microorganisms naturally produce N-acetylglucosamine and incorporate it into their cell walls. In the case of fungi, the cell wall is largely made of chitin, but this is not currently an economical source of material for chitosan production, since cell walls are only a small part of the total mass of fungi. Many bacteria also produce polysaccharides made of glucosamine or N-acetylglucosamine, which they use to attach to surfaces. In this project, we aim to use the techniques of synthetic biology to generate an artificial metabolic pathway to produce large amounts of chitosan. We will assemble sets of genes from fungi and bacteria which encode enzymes which, starting with sugars derived from plant biomass, can synthesise large amounts of the activated form of N-acetylglucosamine, assemble N-acetylglucosamine into long chains, secrete the chains from the cell, and convert the N-acetylglucosamine to glucosamine, giving a product similar to the chitosan derived from crustacean shells. We will assemble many such pathways and select the best for further development. We will then test different growth conditions to determine the best conditions to maximize chitosan production, and test these conditions on a larger scale. By this means, we hope to develop a novel process for chitosan production which does not rely on marine resources. This project will also lay a solid foundation for the development of similar processes to produce other important polysaccharides with industrial and biomedical applications. |
| Category | Research Grant |
| Reference | BB/L004488/1 |
| Status | Closed |
| Funded period start | 01/10/2013 |
| Funded period end | 31/03/2015 |
| Funded value | £162 007,00 |
| Source | https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FL004488%2F1 |
Participating Organisations
| University of Edinburgh | |
| Innovate UK | |
| EPSRC | |
| BioTangents | |
| Unilever |
Cette annonce se réfère à une date antérieure et ne reflète pas nécessairement l’état actuel. L’état actuel est présenté à la page suivante : University OF Edinburgh CHARITY, Edinburgh, Royaume Uni.
