Engineering thermophilic bacteria for robust next-generation bioprocesses

The limited number of well-characterized model bacteria cannot address all the challenges in a circular bioeconomy. Therefore, there is a growing demand for novel platform organisms with enhanced resistance to extreme conditions, versatile metabolic capabilities, and the ability to utilize cost-effective renewable resources while efficiently generating desirable biobased products. Gram-negative (G-) thermophilic bacteria are attractive microbial platforms, promising significant advances in industrial and environmental applications and bioprocess robustness. 
 
This lecture will summarize our recent effort in developing and applying genetic and systems metabolic engineering tools for Caldimonas thermodepolymerans, a facultative G- thermophile that efficiently converts a spectrum of plant biomass sugars into high quantities of polyhydroxyalkanoates—fully biodegradable substitutes for synthetic plastics—and other valuable bioproducts. Due to its thermophilic nature, polymer production capacity, and environmental resilience, this bacterium is an attractive candidate for next-generation industrial bioprocesses.
 
Our current work includes optimizing the DNA transformation protocol, developing and testing plasmid-based tools for genome editing, including thermophilic CRISPR/Cas technology, developing a genome-scale metabolic model, and making initial progress in engineering chassis strains with enhanced bioproduction properties and facilitated genetic manipulation. Our work pioneers the biotechnological domestication of C. thermodepolymerans and related G- thermophiles, paving the way for better understanding their extremophilic nature and boosting their bioproduction potential.

Learning Objectives:

1.  Discover how thermophiles can contribute to bioprocess robustness and sustainability.

2. Discuss what the major bottlenecks are when domesticating non-canonical microbial hosts.

3. Evaluate the properties of bacterial bioplastics: polyhydroxyalkanoates.