University of Kentucky-led research could be path to new energy sources

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://agrilife.org/today/2011/07/11/uk-research/

University of Kentucky-led research could be path to new energy sources

July 11, 2011 By: Paul Schattenberg

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While scientists previously established that oil and coal have their roots in the organisms that lived on the planet over 500 million years ago, researchers only are sure of one organism that directly contributed to these natural resources. That organism is the algae Botryococcus braunii which left behind its chemical fingerprints – an oil that over geological time has turned into oil and coal shale deposits.

“Even more exciting is that this unique algae, B. braunii, still exists today and has been the target of studies from the large chemical and petrochemical industries,” said Chappell.

This algae is very slow growing, so it is not necessarily a good source for biofuels. However, if scientists can capture its genetic blueprints for the biosynthesis of these high value oils, then these genes could be used to generate alternative production platforms.

This team of investigators isolated the necessary genes, characterized the biochemical traits encoded by these genes, and then genetically engineered yeast to produce this very high-value oil. This work has provided the first example of recreating a true direct replacement for oil and coal shale deposits.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1106222108