Over-utilization of fossil fuels as primary energy sources is a major contributor to anthropogenic climate change. Over the next 50 years, the effects of climate change will become more acute, while depletion of fossil fuel reserves may contribute to an energy shortage. Continued development of alternative fuel sources that are both renewable and carbon-neutral (i.e. do not net-release greenhouse gases) is imperative to provide economically viable methods to combat climate change and decrease reliance on nonrenewable fuels.

Biofuels are fuels produced from recent biological processes, rather than from prehistoric ones. As such, production of biofuels is renewable and nearly carbon-neutral (nearly all carbon released from burning of biofuel is the result of recent carbon fixation - only processing requires input of energy). While some common feedstocks (e.g. corn, trees, sugarcane) can be effectively utilized as biofuels, such processing requires disproportionate amounts of land and reduces the crops’ availability as food stock. Algal biofuel feedstocks, which do not overlap with food supplies, have recently gained much attention due to their high productivity in a given area. However, processing lipids from algae poses a technical challenge , and current extraction methods cause death to the algae. This can complicate maintenance of viable algal feedstocks.

Our project has two goals: to improve the algal lipid production process and to simplify lipid extraction. The algae we have chosen to work with is Nannochloropsis oceanica, due to its high lipid content. We have identified the genes responsible for key enzymes involved in the lipid production and usage, and plan on altering regulation of certain targets to make the process more efficient. As for making the lipids easier to extract, we have identified a lipid transporter in Arabidopsis thaliana and plan on expressing it in Nannochloropsis oceanica to facilitate extracellular lipid excretion. If successful, algal lipid content could be increased and made accessible extracellularly, eliminating the need for killing and reculturing algal feedstocks.

Questions? Comments? Contact us @ uconnigem@gmail.com!