Modelling of the metabolism of Escherichia coli for the bio-based production of 1,4-BDO

English. The search for greener ways of producing plastic has been a very popular field for the last few years. One avenue of research focuses on separating plastic production from the fossil fuel industry by finding bio-based alternatives. This is the case of the research conducted by our collaborators at Biotechnology who are trying to use Escherichia coli to produce 1,4-butanediol, a precursor to many plastic products. In this project we explore genome-scale metabolic models and flux balance analysis as computational tools to model the metabolism of E. coli with the objective to guide experimental research. We incorporated enzymatic constrains by means of the ECMpy modelling approach. We successfully added the pathway that produces 1,4-butanediol to the model and, by combining the overexpression and suppression of key reactions, we managed to get the model to achieve theoretical production.

English. Plastic is a very versatile material and ever since its invention humanity has found an incredible amount of uses for it. However, the success and widespread use of plastic has resulted in some environmental problems that stem from its slow decomposition rate and its oil-based production. One very well-known example of the issues plastic can cause is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch formed by all sorts of plastic trash thrown into the ocean. Furthermore, being made from oil makes plastic both a material that con- tributes to climate change from its production but also a limited material since oil is a non-renewable resource. One of the routes we are exploring to try and combat these issues is to research biological-based plastic production which is the central point of my thesis work titled “Modelling of E. coli for the bio-based production of 1,4-BDO”. Essentially, what the title means is that my job is to create a computer program that emulates the behavior of E. coli cells, which are a common bacteria used in biotechnology, to make predictions and try and figure out ways to improve the cells’ production of our desired chemical (1,4-BDO) before doing experiments with live cells, which are expensive.