Scientists have found that it is possible to alter the genetic
makeup of the bacterium E. coli to and induce it to produce
biodiesel. Most microbes, including E. coli, make and process
fatty acids, one of the ingredients of biodiesel; however, what
they do with it often leaves something to be desired when it
comes to fuel production. By modifying E. coli, scientists are
able to make it produce fatty esters, which are the primary
components of biodiesel. Engineering bacteria to do a
scientist's bidding is a good way to obtain desired materials,
such as natural compounds for drugs, or in this case, fuels.
Since E. coli is a well known and often-studied microorganism,
and is able to produce fatty acids before any alteration, it is
an excellent workhorse for synthetic biology. The changes
performed here include removing the enzymes involved in some
competing pathways in order to enhance fatty acid production.
Additional pathways were added in to convert those fatty acids
to fatty esters, which make for better bio