Our Project:

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the most common greenhouse gas that overheats our planet. Here we present a proof of concept for making prolific producers of antibiotics autotrophic chassis by implementing a variant of the Calvin cycle in Streptomyces. To turn these bacteria into autotrophs, we cloned GC-rich sequences encoding RubisCO (Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase Oxygenase) and PRK (Phosphoribulokinase), key genes for the Calvin cycle. We have developed new genetic tools for the integration of these genes into the Streptomyces genome. Furthermore, to obtain antibiotic production in a minimal medium and to implement a CO₂ fixation module, we engineered genetic tools via the CRISPR-dCas9 system to switch off the expression of genes of interest (see our CRISPRi tuto). Finally, we compared various Streptomyces strains, their phenotypic characteristics, and genomes to determine the best chassis for thisproject. We also produce a STREPTObook containing all useful protocols and information on Streptomyces. The CO2CURE project will enable faster, more affordable, and sustainable bioproduction of antibiotics and many other useful derivatives. We also hope that our STREPTObook will help other iGEM teams to work on this fancy chassis!