Skip to Content
Uncategorized

Smarter Biofuel Bugs

A molecular sensor boosts biodiesel production

Source: “Design of a dynamic sensor-
regulator system for production of chemicals and fuels derived from fatty acids”
Jay Keasling et al.
Nature Biotechnology, published online
March 25, 2012

RESULTS: Synthetic biologists in California demonstrated a way to triple the amount of biodiesel a type of bacteria can make from sugar. They equipped the bacteria with a protein that senses the level of certain biological chemicals in a cell and changes gene activity in response. This creates a feedback loop that continually optimizes fuel production.

WHY IT MATTERS: Biofuels have trouble competing with fossil fuels in part because organisms are inefficient factories: they make too much of one ingredient or another. The researchers reduced that waste. This new approach could ultimately make biofuels less expensive.

METHODS: The researchers started with a strain of designer E. coli that creates biodiesel from two biological building blocks: fatty acids and ethanol. They engineered the bacteria to produce a naturally occurring protein that can sense the amount of fatty acids in a cell and regulate the activity of various genes in response. The researchers modified the bacterial genome to specify which genes the protein would control—directing it, for example, to slow production of ethanol when fatty-acid levels are low and to speed it up when they are high.

NEXT STEPS: Yields need to improve further for commercial production; even at triple what they were, they’re still at only 28 percent of the theoretical maximum. The researchers will now try to introduce similar gene-regulating mechanisms that can improve other parts of the process or be used to make a variety of chemicals in addition to biodiesel.

Keep Reading

Most Popular

Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build

“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”

Meet the people who use Notion to plan their whole lives

The workplace tool’s appeal extends far beyond organizing work projects. Many users find it’s just as useful for managing their free time.

Learning to code isn’t enough

Historically, learn-to-code efforts have provided opportunities for the few, but new efforts are aiming to be inclusive.

Deep learning pioneer Geoffrey Hinton has quit Google

Hinton will be speaking at EmTech Digital on Wednesday.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.