Biotechnology/Systems biology

New impulses for electrobiotechnology

For some time, electrobiotechnology research teams have been investigating how electric power from microbial metabolic processes can be utilized. It is thought possible to use this electricity for the biotechnological production of oxygen-sensitive enzymes or biochemicals. The key is to remove the oxygen from the bacterial metabolism. In the "e-MICROBe" project, biochemist Miriam Agler-Rosenbaum from the University of Jena is researching how this can be achieved.

Building houses from fungi

Fungi are usually eaten or used to make cheese or beer. However, for Vera Meyer they are more than that. As a biotechnologist and artist, she is well aware of the diversity of the species and their potential, for the bioeconomy in particular. This is because fungi can not only be used to produce new composites and packaging, but also clothing, furniture and building materials. Meyer's vision of living in fungi houses not only drives her research: as an artist, she forms these multi-talents into sculptures in order to bring the diversity of fungi to a wider public.

The smut whisperer

Plant parasites have always been a plague for farmers. One of the most dangerous parasites are smuts, which preferentially infest food crops such as grain or corn. They attack the inside of plant cells and block the plant's defenses. However, they are very selective when it comes to choosing a host plant and are therefore difficult to control. Jan Schirawski, a geneticist from Jena, has specialized in the genome of smut.

Blue light activates new enzyme reaction

Enzymes are the driving forces behind chemical reactions in living cells. They are therefore also called biocatalysts and are used in biotechnological processes to enable reactions. Scientists at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (WWU) and the University of Pavia have now discovered an enzyme that has a mechanism that is so far unknown in this combination: In addition to its normal function, blue light can trigger another reaction, but this requires the presence of a specific molecule, as the team reports in the technical journal

BioEconomy HUB: Sugar instead of oil

The coal exit has been decided. In 2038, the extraction and use of the fossil raw material is to come to an end nationwide. This was laid down by the German government in the Coal Exit Act at the beginning of July. Regions like Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg are now facing the challenge of structural change. In Central Germany, the bioeconomy as a promising economic sector is expected to guarantee the urgently needed innovation push.

Bacteria break down herbicides

Whether cereal, fruit or vegetable cultivation: agriculture is dependent on pesticides in many places. They should secure yields and thereby the supply of food to the people. But the use of pesticides is controversial because they not only kill off pests, but also harm people and nature. Now researchers have identified bacteria that can break down the herbicide linuron.

Extract nutrients from spent grain

During the brewing of beer, many residues accumulate. For example, an average of 20 kilograms of spent grains are produced per hectoliter of beer.  With regard to the annual beer production in Germany, this is about two million tons of spent grains and about one million tons of spent grains press water. These residues contain valuable substances, some of which are used in agriculture as animal feed, but the majority ends up in waste. Researchers want to change that.

Coral antibiotic from the cell factory

Nature's biodiversity harbors an almost immeasurable treasure of biologically active substances that can be of benefit to humans. A well-known example is the antibiotic penicillin, which is extracted from the mold Penicillium chrysogenum. Less known is the antibiotic Erogorgiaene. It is produced in small quantities by the horn coral Antillogorgia elisabethae. A team from the TU Munich has now succeeded with international partners in producing this active ingredient in bacteria.

Making the rhizosphere fit for the future

Whether wheat or corn, after two successive hot summers, farmers in many places are threatened with enormous crop failures this year due to persistent drought. Plants suffer from drought stress because the soil dries out and the root system is not supplied with sufficient water and nutrients. The challenges of climate change are therefore causing researchers to work hard to find promising scenarios for agriculture in the future. 

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