Topic "Metabolic Engineering"
A few words
To study the plasticity of the metabolism and the dialogue between the synthetic pathway
Metabolic engineering is part of a sustainable development approach focused on the energy transition, to replace chemical synthesis by fermentation processes, a much more environmentally friendly technology. The design of artificial biosynthetic pathways involves the transfer, expression and functional coupling of multiple enzymatic steps within the same host organism, which may have physiological consequences for the cell. This question of homeostasis between endogenous and synthetic metabolism is addressed by studying the plasticity of host cell metabolism and the dialogue between the introduced synthetic pathway and the endogenous host metabolism. A multiscale understanding of these phenomena requires the implementation of new omics approaches, in particular the analysis of enzymatic activities directly in vivo and a physiological analysis of the metabolism, in particular in relation with the cellular compartmentalization
Ongoing projects
Project
Localisation intracellulaire chez l’organisme hôte des produits du métabolisme hétérologue
We are studying the distribution of intermediates and end products of this biosynthetic pathway within the different cellular membrane compartments in order to understand their influence on the functioning of the organelles accumulating these molecules. In plants, these compounds are synthesized in the (chloro)plastids, with numerous exchanges with the cytosol and mitochondria for the precursors, and with the endoplasmic reticulum for the final products. Knowing the precise cellular location of each of these elements during the process of heterologous synthesis in yeast, which lacks plastids, should allow us to resolve many of the questions previously encountered by researchers in this field. Mastering this localization appears to be a necessary step to be able to develop engineering strategies for intracellular compartmentalization.
Project
Biosensor of antioxidant molecules produced in yeast.
Our project aims to develop an innovative technology for measuring antioxidant potential in vivo, radically different from existing chemical and analytical assay methods. The development of our biosensor system and its implementation in yeast at first and then in other antioxidant producing microorganisms later, will allow to follow the synthesis of the molecules produced thanks to their antioxidant potential, directly in vivo, thus avoiding the more polluting and energy consuming extraction and chemical analysis steps.