Phaeodactylum tricornutum is an eukaryotic microalgae that is an important model system for synthetic biology and biotechnology. We are developing genetic tools for manipulation of the P. tricornutum genome, including the delivery of Cas9 for gene editing using conjugative plasmids. Our interests lie in using P. tricornutum as a platform for synthesis of value added chemicals and enhanced biofuel production. Currently, we are working on enhancing rates of homologous recombination to facilitate integration of large, synthetic gene clusters.
Publications related to this area of research:
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Cochrane, Ryan R, Brumwell, Stephanie L, Arina Shrestha, Daniel J Giguere, Samir Hamadache, Gregory B Gloor, Edgell, David R, and Bogumil J Karas. (2020) Cloning of Thalassiosira pseudonana’s
Mitochondrial Genome in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli. Biology 9.11 (2020), p. 358.
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Cochrane, Ryan R, Brumwell, Stephanie L, Maximillian PM Soltysiak, Samir Hamadache, Jennifer G Davis, Jiayi Wang, Samuel Q Tholl, Preetam Janakirama, Edgell, David R, and Bogumil J Karas. (2020) Rapid method for generating designer algal mitochondrial genomes. Algal Research (2020), p. 102014.
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Slattery, Samuel S, Wang, Helen, Daniel J Giguere, Kocsis, Csanad, Bradley L Urquhart, Bogumil J Karas, and Edgell, David R. (2020) Plasmid-based complementation of large deletions in Phaeodactylum tricornutum biosynthetic genes generated by Cas9 editing. Scientific Reports 10.1 (2020), pp. 1–12.
Wang, H., Slattery, S.S., Karas, B.J. and D. R. Edgell (2018) Delivery of the Cas9 or TevCas9 system into Phaeodactylum tricornutum via conjugation of plasmids from a bacterial donor. Bio-protocol, 8(16):e2974. DOI: 10.21769/BioProtoc.2974.
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Slattery, S.S., Diamond, A., Therrien, J., Jazey, T., Lee, K., Klassen, Z., Desgagne-Penix, I., Karas, B.J., and D.R Edgell (2018) An expanded plasmid-based genetic toolbox enables Cas9 genome editing and stable maintenance of synthetic pathways in Phaeodactylum tricornutum. ACS Synthetic Biology, 7 (2), 328-338.
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