**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** A SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE TO PETROLEUM-BASED PLASTICS IS POLYHYDROXYALKONOATES (PHAS),BIOPOLYMERS PRODUCED BY BACTERIA. PHAS HAVE SIMILAR PROPERTIES AS SYNTHETIC PLASTICS, ARE 100%BIODEGRADABLE, AND CAN BE PRODUCED FROM A VARIETY OF SUBSTRATES. HOWEVER, PHAS ARE INHIBITEDBY HIGHER PRODUCTION COSTS DUE PRIMARILY TO THE BACTERIAL STRAIN AND CARBON SOURCE. THEPRODUCTION OF PHAS FROM LIGNIN FROM PLANT BIOMASS IS ARGUABLY ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING ROUTESFOR BOOSTING THE VALORIZATION OF LIGNIN AND PHAS. THE METABOLICALLY VERSATILERHODOPSEUDOMONAS PALUSTRIS CGA009 IS ABLE TO PRODUCE PHAS FROM LIGNIN BREAKDOWNPRODUCTS, BUT THERE IS STILL LIMITED KNOWLEDGE ON ITS PHA METABOLISM. AMONG THE PROTEINSINVOLVED IN PHA PRODUCTION, PHASINS ARE THE DOMINATE PROTEINS SURROUNDING PHA GRANULES ANDARE FOUND IN ALL PHA-PRODUCING BACTERIA. PHASINS HAVE BEEN APPLIED IN A WIDE RANGE OFBIOTECHNICAL APPLICATIONS SUCH AS PROTEIN PURIFICATION, ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION, DRUG DELIVERY,AND IMPROVING AGRICULTURAL YIELDS. FOUR GENES IN R. PALUSTRIS' GENOME ARE PREDICTED TO BE PHASINSBY BIOINFORMATICS, BUT THEY HAVE YET TO BE EXPERIMENTALLY CONFIRMED OR CHARACTERIZED. THUS, THEAIMS OF THIS PROPOSAL ARE:• AIM 1: DETERMINE CHANGES IN GENE EXPRESSION FOR R. PALUSTRIS' FOUR PREDICTED PHASINS OVER TIMEAND ON DIFFERENT CARBON SOURCES• AIM 2: EXPERIMENTALLY VERIFY THE PRESENCE OF R. PALUSTRIS' FOUR PREDICTED PHASINS VIA PROTEOMICS ANALYSESULTIMATELY, THIS STUDY FURTHER DEVELOPS A NON-MODEL BACTERIUM FOR OPTIMIZED BIOPLASTICPRODUCTION USING LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS AS THE RENEWABLE CARBON SOURCE. NOT ONLY DOES THISSTUDY PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO PHA METABOLISM, BUT IT ALSO ADDS REVENUE DIVERSITY FOR FARMERS BYUTILIZING LIGNIN AS THE RENEWABLE CARBON SOURCE. THUS, THIS PROPOSAL ALIGNS WITH SEVERAL OF AFRI'SCORE PRIORITY AREAS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY EXPANDING MY SKILLS AS A RESEARCHER AND FUTUREPROFESSOR.

Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS

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