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Project properties |
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| Title | Genome scale comparison of the metabolism of lipid producing yeasts. |
| Group | Systems and Synthetic Biology |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 36 |
| Supervisor(s) | Maria Suarez Diez |
| Examiner(s) | Prof. Maria Suarez Diez (SSB) Dr. Rob Smith |
| Contact info | robert1.smith@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2025/02/03 |
| End date | |
| Description | Using palm oil is not sustainable and triggers deforestation of tropical jungle. Microbial production of oils from sustainable feedstocks, such as side or waste streams, is a promising alternative however productivities need to be further increased. Cutaneotrichosporon oleaginosus and Yarrowia lipolytica are oleaginous yeasts that can accumulate large amounts of lipids. Even though they are relatively similar organisms, vast differences appear in their metabolic pathways and the way the accumulate lipids. We want to learn more about their metabolism and understand the different metabolic pathways these yeasts use.
Genome scale metabolic models (GEM) can be used to understand metabolic pathways and their activities in different conditions. GEMs for both organisms are available. In addition, fermentation data for wild type and mutant strains of both organisms have been generated in our lab. The goal of this project is to integrate the data and the models to perform an extensive comparison of the metabolic space of both organisms. |
| Used skills | Advanced constraint based modelling and comparative genomics. |
| Requirements | Command line computer tools. Basic constraint-based modelling and/or Python knowledge. |