PI: Prof Kevin O’Connor (UCD)
Prof Eoin Casey (UCD)FI: Dr Gerard Cagney (UCD)
Prof David O’Connell (UCD)Staff: Postdoctorate Researchers:
Dr Tanja Narancic
Postgraduate Researchers:
Nadia Lamari (January 2018 – July 2020)
Michelle Rich (January 2019)
Federico Cerrone (from October 2017)
Si Liu (from 2021)The overall goal of this project is to establish a versatile Synthetic/Systems Biology and Omics resource within the Conversion platform that can be applied to research questions relevant to the bioeconomy. The programme is centred on solving two significant global bioconversion challenges: creating synthetic pathways in microorganisms to make complex products (polymers) as well as the use of gaseous substrates to make chemicals. The focus was renewed in 2021 to include projects targeting CO 2 utilization.Publications:Tiso T, Narancic T, Wei R, Pollet E, Beagan N, Schröder K, Honak A, Jiang M, Kenny ST, Wierckx N, Perrin R, Avérous L, Zimmermann W, O’Connor K, Blank LM. Towards bio-upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate. Metab Eng. 2021 Jul;66:167-178. doi: 10.1016/j.ymben.2021.03.011. Epub 2021 Apr 16. PMID: 33865980.
Lynch C, Jordan L and O’Connell DJ. Redesigning Spent Media from Cell Culture Bioprocess to Feed New Bacterial Fermentations, chapter 5 in Cell Culture Engineering and Technology, Springer – https://link.springer.com/book/9783030798703
Liu S, Narancic T, Davis C, O’Connor KE. CRISPR-Cas9 Editing of the Synthesis of Biodegradable Polyesters Polyhydroxyalkanaotes (PHA) in Pseudomonas putida KT2440. Methods Mol Biol. 2022;2397:341-358. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1826-4_17. PMID: 34813072.
Narancic T, Salvador M, Hughes GM, Beagan N, Abdulmutalib U, Kenny ST, Wu H, Saccomanno M, Um J, O’Connor KE, Jiménez JI. Genome analysis of the metabolically versatile Pseudomonas umsongensis GO16: the genetic basis for PET monomer upcycling into polyhydroxyalkanoates. Microb Biotechnol. 2021 Nov;14(6):2463-2480. doi: 10.1111/1751-7915.13712. Epub 2021 Jan 6. PMID: 33404203; PMCID: PMC8601165.
Narancic T, O’Connor KE. Plastic waste as a global challenge: are biodegradable plastics the answer to the plastic waste problem? Microbiology (Reading). 2019 Feb;165(2):129-137. doi: 10.1099/mic.0.000749. Epub 2018 Nov 30. PMID: 30497540.
Ruiz C, Kenny ST, Narancic T, Babu R, Connor KO. Conversion of waste cooking oil into medium chain polyhydroxyalkanoates in a high cell density fermentation. J Biotechnol. 2019 Dec 20;306:9-15. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2019.08.020. Epub 2019 Aug 30. PMID: 31476332.
T Narancic, F Cerrone, N Beagan, KE O’Connor (2020) Recent Advances in Bioplastics: Application and Biodegradation. Polymers 10.3390/polym12040920
G McGauran, S Linse and DJ O’Connell (2020) Single Step Purification of Glycogen Synthase Kinase Isoforms from Small Scale Transient Expression in HEK293 Cells with a Calcium-Dependent Fragment Complementation System. Methods in Molecular Biology 10.1007/978-1-0716-0191-4_22
Saranya Ramesh Kumar, P. Shaiju, Kevin E. O’Connor, Ramesh Babu P (2020) Bio-based and biodegradable polymers – State-of-the-art, challenges and emerging trends. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, 21:75-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsc.2019.12.005.
R Wei, T Tiso, J Bertling, K O’Connor, LM Blank, UT Bornscheuer (2020). Possibilities and limitations of biotechnological plastic degradation and recycling. Nature Catalysis 3:867-871. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-020-00521-w
Rich M. H., K.E. O’ Connor, and Narancic T. 2020. Non-canonical (unusual) amino acids as a toolbox for antimicrobial and anticancer peptide synthesis. Amino Acids, peptides and proteins. Book chapter. Volume 44. Editors Maxim Ryadnov and Ferenc Hudecz. Royal Society of Chemistry. ISBN 978-1-78801-689-6.
Tanja Narancic, Nick Weirckx, Si Liu, and Kevin E O’Connor. 2020. Converting Petrochemical Plastic to Biodegradable Plastic. The Handbook of Polyhydroxyalkanoates. Page 315-330. ISBN 9780429296611
McGauran G, Dorris E, Borza R, Morgan N, Shields DC, Matallanas D, Wilson AG, O’Connell DJ. Resolving the Interactome of the Human Macrophage Immunometabolism Regulator (MACIR) with Enhanced Membrane Protein Preparation and Affinity Proteomics. Proteomics. 2020 Oct;20(19-20):e2000062. doi: 10.1002/pmic.202000062. Epub 2020 Sep 9. PMID: 32864787.
Drummond E, Flynn S, Whelan H, Nongonierma AB, Holton TA, Robinson A, Egan T, Cagney G, Shields DC, Gibney ER, Newsholme P, Gaudel C, Jacquier JC, Noronha N, FitzGerald RJ, Brennan L. Casein Hydrolysate with Glycemic Control Properties: Evidence from Cells, Animal Models, and Humans. J Agric Food Chem. 2018 May 2;66(17):4352-4363. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.7b05550. Epub 2018 Apr 24. PMID: 29638124.
