The objectives of this project are to produce new knowledge on the molecular genetics and enzymology of anaerobic butyric clostridia that will allow beneficial genetic alterations of the cell metabolism for a variety of applications. Butyric acid clostridia have an excellent potential for industrial applications to produce commodity and specialty chemicals. The current knowledge base on the genetics, regulation and metabolism of these cells has been limited, but considerable progress has been made by work on previous grants. This project will continue the study of gene regulation, develop further the expression systems in clostridia, and evaluate other factors involved in the regulation of metabolic pathways in clostridia.
