Masters thesis defense by Aiden Morgado
Advisor: Christopher Brigham, Ph.D. (Associate Teaching Professor, BNG)
Committee members: Milana Vasudev, Ph.D. and Tracie Ferreira, Ph.D.
Abstract: The global accumulation of petroleum-based plastics, coupled with the vast underutilization of chitin-rich shellfish waste, underscores the need for microbial platforms capable of converting renewable waste streams into biopolymers. Cupriavidus necator, a leading producer of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), cannot naturally degrade chitin, whereas Serratia marcescens possesses a highly efficient chitinolytic system that includes genes ctb, chiR, chiB, chiW, and chiX. This project aims to engineer C. necator with these S. marcescens genes to enable extracellular chitin depolymerization and subsequent assimilation of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine for PHA biosynthesis. The cloned construct will be evaluated first in E. coli and subsequently in C. necator to assess functional secretion and chitinase activity using colloidal chitin agar, followed by growth and polymer production studies in liquid media, with PHB quantified through crotonic acid conversion and HPLC analysis. Together, these experiments establish a proof-of-concept system for transforming chitin waste into biodegradable bioplastic precursors.
Textile Building 219
Christopher J Brigham
5089998219
cbrigham@umassd.edu