Imaging lipid genesis using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry: a proof-of-concept investigation
EMSL Project ID
48948
Abstract
Supersonic jets and race cars powered by advanced biofuels have become a reality. These are substantially more energy-dense than widely available bioethanol supplements, and thus ‘critical’ to national security and climate change according to the US Congress. However, advanced biofuels have not yet reached economic viability for everyday use. The production of such biofuels typically employs microorganisms (e.g. algae) that act as ‘micro-factories’ synthesizing bio-oil in the form of lipid droplets (LDs). Key aspects of LD biology however remain unknown. This limits our capability for process optimization and yield enhancement. The proposed - proof-of-concept - work will enable unique insight into this uncharted territory. Our strategy is to explore the use of Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (nanoSIMs) for directly imaging LD production with atomic resolution. The experiments will be designed and prepared at the University of Idaho and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and nanoSIMs imaging will be performed at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL, July 20th-August 18th 2015). EMSL houses a state-of-the-art nano-SIMs facility, where the urgently needed insight and novel ways of unraveling the LD biology unknowns will be enabled. The results will be published in an international peer-reviewed journal and will enable further experiments and proposal applications to EMSL, as well as to Federal Agencies for direct funding.
Project Details
Project type
Limited Scope
Start Date
2015-07-20
End Date
2015-09-19
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)