The long-term goal of this joint research project is improve the growth and structural characteristics of an industrial strain of fungus presently used by Ecovative Design LLC to produce commercial biomaterials. Unlike the synthetic materials they replace (such as styrofoam), these "green" biomaterials are produced from renewable resources and can be easily degraded after their useful life is over. We have identified specific genes of this fungus as initial targets for molecular manipulations such as overexpression or gene inactivation by knockout. Gibson Assembly was used to create nine novel recombinant DNA constructs suitable for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the fungus. The correct orientation of the fragments making up each recombinant DNA molecule was verified via restriction enzyme digestion and PCR. Genetic reprogramming of the fungus using these constructs is currently underway, and results of these experiments will be reported. This research was supported by a grant to Ecovative Design from DARPA (BAA-15-05).
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