After having completed my studies in Pisa, I have moved to Barcelona to pursue a PhD and try to get more experience on chloroplast metabolism and plant metabolic engineering to boost pigment accumulation in plant leaves. This colourful trip allowed me to live in different places, Barcelona, Valencia, Switzerland and expanded my horizons. After the PhD I have worked for a period for the dutch seed company Enza Zaden before moving to Aveiro, Portugal to investigate functional chloroplasts in animal cells. In the end, I have landed to Denmark, in the University of Southern Denmark, where I am hoping to combine everything I have learned in my experiences to study innovative ways to accumulate pigments in microalgae.
And maybe also to try some of the surf tricks i got in Portugal in the north!
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Decoding microalgae isoprenoid metabolism for a sustainable production of industrially relevant compounds
L. MORELLI, F. PRUCKNER, P. PATWARI, M. FABRIS
SDU Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M DK-5230, Denmark
Isoprenoids, diverse compounds with applications ranging from pharmaceuticals to renewable energy, originate from two fundamental building blocks: Isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP) obtained through the cytosolic mevalonate (MVA) and plastidial methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathways. Compared to other organisms, diatoms, such as Phaeodactylum tricornutum have access to both pathways, rendering them exceptional resources for metabolic engineering. However, the subcellular localization of enzymes, enzymatic mechanisms, and compound translocation have yet to be characterized.
Our research aimed to uncover the roles of the MVA and MEP pathways in generating essential precursors for squalene accumulation in P. tricornutum aiming to optimize its yield. Squalene is highly valued in cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries but presents challenges in sustainable large-scale production. To address this, we studied the central carbon metabolism of Botryococcus braunii, a slow-growing microalga reliant on the MEP pathway and naturally producing high squalene titers. Employing synthetic biology tools, we overexpressed its genes in P. tricornutum strains, evaluating then, their impact on squalene productivity and diatom metabolism.
Our findings not only shed light on the intricate interplay between the MVA and MEP pathways in secondary metabolite synthesis but also showcased significant progress toward sustainably producing valuable compounds through algal biotechnology.