title: Trash to treasure: production of biofuels and commodity chemicals via syngas fermenting microorganisms.
abstract: Fermentation of syngas is a means through which unutilized organic waste streams can be converted biologically into biofuels and commodity chemicals. Despite recent advances, several issues remain which limit implementation of industrial-scale syngas fermentation processes. At the cellular level, the energy conservation mechanism of syngas fermenting microorganisms has not yet been entirely elucidated. Furthermore, there was a lack of genetic tools to study and ultimately enhance their metabolic capabilities. Recently, substantial progress has been made in understanding the intricate energy conservation mechanisms of these microorganisms. Given the complex relationship between energy conservation and metabolism, strain design greatly benefits from systems-level approaches. Numerous genetic manipulation tools have also been developed, paving the way for the use of metabolic engineering and systems biology approaches. Rational strain designs can now be deployed resulting in desirable phenotypic traits for large-scale production.
authors.affiliation: University of California San Diego, Department of Bioengineering, La Jolla, CA 92039, United States.
authors.forename: Haythem
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Latif
authors.affiliation: The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kogle Allé 6, Hørsholm 2970, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ahmad A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Zeidan
authors.affiliation: The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kogle Allé 6, Hørsholm 2970, Denmark.
authors.forename: Alex T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.affiliation: University of California San Diego, Department of Bioengineering, La Jolla, CA 92039, United States; The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kogle Allé 6, Hørsholm 2970, Denmark. Electronic address: kzengler@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zengler
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000378:metabolism; D056804:Biofuels / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D003246:Conservation of Energy Resources; D005285:Fermentation; D060847:Metabolic Engineering; D049490:Systems Biology
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D056804:Biofuels