Sandia National Labs Academic Programs Collaboration Report

Engineering super algae Partnership enables engineering the future of renewable biofuels/bioproducts through phycoviruses

CONTRIBUTOR Spotlight

Todd Lane has conducted 30 years of research in microbiology and the molecular biology and biochemistry of microalgae. Lane’s recent research focuses on the characterization, detection and prevention of crashes in algal cultivation systems. This work includes the development of methods for pond-side detection of biocontaminants and the manipulation of pond ecology to inhibit grazers and prevent crashes.

Domestic production of next generation renewable biofuels and bioproducts is key to enhancing U.S. energy security. One LDRD team working in this field realized they could facilitate a new system capable of introducing entire metabolic pathways into algae by genetically engineering a new class of viral vectors based on the ubiquitous class of viruses that naturally infect algae. The genetically tractable algal species Tetraselmis striata, known to be easily infected with an isolated virus, is emerging as a potential biotechnology strain and was selected as the project’s algal/viral model system. A novel DNA virus, TsV-N1, that infects T. striata has been isolated with a much smaller genome (30 kB) than most algal viruses, so the team engineered a specialized transducing virus from the TsV-N1 viral chassis to transfer specific, defined DNA fragments with the virus to the host upon infection. Georgia Tech, one of Sandia’s academic partners, was instrumental in identifying a potential chemical compound that can protect algae from deleterious species and prevent pond crashes. These compounds represent several “lead targets” for the engineering of resistance into microalgal production strains through the types of mechanisms that Sandia is developing. Progress made in this three-year project already represents a significant advance in the ability to rapidly create wholescale genetic changes in microalgae—an important first step toward production of critical renewable biofuels.

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2021-2022 Collaboration Report