Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

Traditionally, plant derived nutritional supplements have predominated the market. Nevertheless, with the dramatic increase in profitability within the nutraceutical and functional food markets, new environments are being investigated. Recently, the sea has begun to show promise as an abundant, hitherto untapped source of nutraceuticals. Marine microorganisms, in particular, represent a relatively neglected source of extracts and natural products derived from marine macroalgae, microalgae, cyanobacteria, bacteria and fungi. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a benzoquinone compound with ten isoprenoid units, is a product of interest to the nutraceutical market. CoQ10 is the only ubiquinone found in humans. It is an essential component of the mitochondria and involved in the body's electron transport chain which produces adenosine triphosphate. Excellent therapeutic effects of CoQ10 on various diseases have been reported, being approved as a drug in Japan for the treatment of heart disease since 1974, as well as having various antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects which have recently been exploited in several cosmetic products. In these roles, CoQ10 becomes a highly desired ingredient in both the dietary supplement and cosmetic industries and therefore of particular interest to our supporting organization. Our proposed research aims at developing a novel bioprocess for the production of CoQ10, a food supplement and nutraceutical with demonstrated human health benefits. Central to this bioprocess is the development of a microbial "biological factory" with enhanced capacity to produce CoQ10. The starting point for genetically engineering this factory will be both Escherichia coli and a marine bacterium. This marine bacterium is pigmented and naturally produces elevated levels of CoQ10. By the genetic modification of these host strains through a combination of rational metabolic pathway engineering and random mutagenesis we will raise CoQ10 productivity and engineer platform strains that will eventually be used in a novel large scale process for commercial CoQ10 production.