Reductive sulfate assimilation, the biological process by which sulfur-containing amino acids and key derivatives are synthesized from sulfate, is broadly shared among bacteria, fungi, and plants. It is the major, if not sole source of methionine and cysteine for Saccharomyces cerevisiae during wine fermentation. Two obligate intermediates formed in the...
Gadusol is a UV-B-absorbent compound found in fish and other marine organisms where it is presumed to play a role as a sunscreen and antioxidant. In light of commercial potential as a replacement for problematic synthetic sunscreens, a process to produce recombinant gadusol in the yeast Saccharomcyces cerevisiae was investigated....
The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, commonly used in winemaking, baking, and brewing, also serves as a host for the production of therapeutically valuable pharmaceuticals. Recently, the Bakalinsky laboratory constructed a recombinant yeast strain expressing two zebrafish (Danio rerio) genes in order to produce a UV-protective “sunscreen” compound called gadusol. An antioxidant...
Global warming and on-going depletion of fossil fuels have stimulated research to develop renewable sources of energy. Current renewable energy use comprises only 10% of the energy consumed in the US and is focused mostly on generating electricity. The majority of the energy consumed by the US transportation sector is...
The studies described in this thesis were motivated by ongoing efforts to develop lignocellulosic biomass as an efficient and practical source of renewable energy. Enormous problems complicate these efforts to reduce reliance on greenhouse gas-generating fossil fuels. Simply obtaining the fermentable sugars available in the cellulose and hemicellulose components of...
Lignocellulosic biomass represents a vast and renewable source of fermentable sugar for
production of biofuels. However, native lignocellulose—comprised of cellulose,
hemicellulose and lignin—is refractory to degradation because the crystalline cellulose is
not easily hydrolyzed by cellulases. Standard chemical treatments of lignocellulose to
reduce the crystallinity of cellulose prior to enzymatic...