Genetic elements to bioengineer acidophiles
This technology is a retron-based genetic engineering platform for Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans to enable targeted genome edits for improved bioleaching and biomining performance.
Unmet Need: Efficient genetic tools for engineering acidophile bioleaching technologies
Current methods for engineering bioleaching microbes rely on genetic toolkits developed for model, neutral-pH organisms (e.g., E. coli) and are adapted case-by-case to acidophiles like Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans . Under extremely acidic, metal-rich conditions, DNA delivery and stable integration are inefficient, and there are few reliable strong promoters, selection markers, and reporter systems. These limitations prevent precise control and optimization of key bioleaching pathways. Robust, standardized genetic engineering tools tailored to acidophiles are thus needed to enable faster, more reliable development of high-performing bioleaching strains.
The Technology: Retron-based efficient acidophile editing for enhanced bioleaching
This technology is a retron-based genetic engineering approach to introduce targeted edits in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans , driven by an inducible expression system with a GFP readout. Key retron components are evaluated and tuned in E. coli to identify configurations that support reliable expression, regulation, and editing before transfer into the acidophile host. The approach is applied to modify a sulfur-metabolism–related target (e.g., petA2) to enable strain optimization under bioleaching-relevant conditions and is positioned for future compatibility with CRISPR/Cas and retron library recombineering in additional acidophiles.
This technology has been validated using Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans strains.
Applications:
- Industrial biomining
- Metal bioleaching/biorecovery
- Acidophile genetic engineering platform
Advantages:
- Targeted genome editing in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans
- Faster, more reliable strain engineering workflow
- Enhanced bioleaching performance via pathway optimization
Lead Inventor:
Patent Information:
Patent Pending
Related Publications:
Tech Ventures Reference:
IR CU26019
Licensing Contact: Dovina Qu