
Research Focus:
Research in the Applied Biocatalysis group focusses on whole-cell biocatalysis and aims at the development of efficient and stable bioprocesses via an integrated biocatalyst and reaction engineering approach. Specifically, redox biotransformations (oxygenases, dehydrogenases, hydrogenases), in vivo cascades / orthogonal pathways, and fermentative approaches are targeted via enzyme, metabolic, reaction, and process engineering to develop and apply engineered microbial cells for the eco-efficient production of bulk and fine chemicals as well as fuels and bioactives from renewable as well as fossil resources. The renewables considered include sunlight, water and CO2 and thus the exploitation of photosynthesis with H2 formation by means of O2-tolerant hydrogenases as a major focus. Cyanobacteria, E. coli, and Pseudomonads constitute the host strains mainly employed. Following a systems biotechnology approach, special emphasis lies on biocatalyst and process efficiency with the ultimate goal to develop environment-friendly and industrially feasible processes via rational biocatalyst and process engineering.
Inhalt:
Weiterführende Recherchen können Sie in unserem Publikationsverzeichnis durchführen.
2023 (3)
- Toepel, J., Karande, R., Bühler, B., Bühler, K., Schmid, A. (2023):
Photosynthesis driven continuous hydrogen production by diazotrophic cyanobacteria in high cell density capillary photobiofilm reactors
Bioresour. Technol. 373 , art. 128703
Volltext (DOI) - Toepel, J., Karande, R., Klähn, S., Bühler, B. (2023):
Cyanobacteria as whole-cell factories: current status and future prospectives
Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 80 , art. 102892
Volltext (DOI) - Tüllinghoff, A., Djaya-Mbissam, H., Toepel, J., Bühler, B. (2023):
Light‐driven redox biocatalysis on gram‐scale in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 via an in vivo cascade
Plant Biotechnol. J. 21 (10), 2074 - 2083
Volltext (DOI)
2022 (6)
- Bertelmann, C., Mock, M., Koch, R., Schmid, A., Bühler, B. (2022):
Hydrophobic outer membrane pores boost testosterone hydroxylation by cytochrome P450 BM3 containing cells
Front. Catal. 2 , art. 887458
Volltext (DOI) - Bretschneider, L., Heuschkel, I., Bühler, K., Karande, R., Bühler, B. (2022):
Rational orthologous pathway and biochemical process engineering for adipic acid production using Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120
Metab. Eng. 70 , 206 - 217
Volltext (DOI) - Grund, M., Jakob, T., Toepel, J., Schmid, A., Wilhelm, C., Bühler, B. (2022):
Heterologous lactate synthesis in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 causes a growth condition-dependent carbon sink effect
Appl. Environ. Microb. 88 (8), e00063-22
Volltext (DOI) - Opel, F., Siebert, N.A., Klatt, S., Tüllinghoff, A., Hantke, J.G., Toepel, J., Bühler, B., Nürnberg, D.J., Klähn, S. (2022):
Generation of synthetic shuttle vectors enabling modular genetic engineering of cyanobacteria
ACS Synth. Biol. 11 (5), 1758 - 1771
Volltext (DOI) - Theodosiou, E., Tüllinghoff, A., Toepel, J., Bühler, B. (2022):
Exploitation of hetero- and phototrophic metabolic modules for redox-intensive whole-cell biocatalysis
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 10 , art. 855715
Volltext (DOI) - Tüllinghoff, A., Uhl, M.B., Nintzel, F.E.H., Schmid, A., Bühler, B., Toepel, J. (2022):
Maximizing photosynthesis-driven Baeyer-Villiger oxidation efficiency in recombinant Synechocystis sp. PCC6803
Front. Catal. 1 , art. 780474
Volltext (DOI)
2021 (6)
- Bretschneider, L., Heuschkel, I., Ahmed, A., Bühler, K., Karande, R., Bühler, B. (2021):
Characterization of different biocatalyst formats for BVMO‐catalyzed cyclohexanone oxidation
Biotechnol. Bioeng. 118 (7), 2719 - 2733
Volltext (DOI) - Bretschneider, L., Heuschkel, I., Wegner, M., Lindmeyer, M., Bühler, K., Karande, R., Bühler, B. (2021):
Conversion of cyclohexane to 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid using recombinant Pseudomonas taiwanensis in a stirred-tank bioreactor
Front. Catal. 1 , art. 683248
Volltext (DOI) - Bretschneider, L., Wegner, M., Bühler, K., Bühler, B., Karande, R. (2021):
One-pot synthesis of 6-aminohexanoic acid from cyclohexane using mixed-species cultures
Microb. Biotechnol. 14 (3), 1011 - 1025
Volltext (DOI) - Bühler, K., Bühler, B., Klähn, S., Krömer, J.O., Dusny, C., Schmid, A. (2021):
Biocatalytic production of white hydrogen from water using cyanobacteria
In: Rögner, M. (ed.)
Photosynthesis: Biotechnological applications with microalgae
De Gruyter, Berlin ; Boston, p. 279 - 306
Volltext (DOI) - Bühler, K., Krömer, J.O., Klähn, S., Bühler, B., Dusny, C., Schmid, A. (2021):
Weißer Wasserstoff made in Leipzig
Biospektrum 27 (3), 335
Volltext (DOI) - Lupacchini, S., Appel, J., Stauder, R., Bolay, P., Klähn, S., Lettau, E., Adrian, L., Lauterbach, L., Bühler, B., Schmid, A., Toepel, J. (2021):
Rewiring cyanobacterial photosynthesis by the implementation of an oxygen-tolerant hydrogenase
Metab. Eng. 68 , 199 - 209
Volltext (DOI)
2020 (5)
- Schäfer, L., Bühler, K., Karande, R., Bühler, B. (2020):
Rational engineering of a multi-step biocatalytic cascade for the conversion of cyclohexane to polycaprolactone monomers in Pseudomonas taiwanensis
Biotechnol. J. 15 (11), art. 2000091
Volltext (DOI) - Schäfer, L., Karande, R., Bühler, B. (2020):
Maximizing biocatalytic cyclohexane hydroxylation by modulating cytochrome P450 monooxygenase expression in P. taiwanensis VLB120
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 8 , art. 140
Volltext (DOI) - Till, P., Toepel, J., Bühler, B., Mach, R.L., Mach-Aigner, A.R. (2020):
Regulatory systems for gene expression control in cyanobacteria
Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 104 (5), 1977 - 1991
Volltext (DOI) - Willrodt, C., Gröning, J.A.D., Nerke, P., Koch, R., Scholtissek, A., Heine, T., Schmid, A., Bühler, B., Tischler, D. (2020):
Highly efficient access to (S)-sulfoxides utilizing a promiscuous flavoprotein monooxygenase in a whole-cell biocatalyst format
ChemCatChem 12 (17), 4664 - 4671
Volltext (DOI) - Wohlgemuth, R., Bühler, B. (2020):
Molecular and engineering aspects of biocatalysis
Biotechnol. J. 15 (11), art. 2000499
Volltext (DOI)
2019 (8)
- Grund, M., Jakob, T., Wilhelm, C., Bühler, B., Schmid, A. (2019):
Electron balancing under different sink conditions reveals positive effects on photon efficiency and metabolic activity of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
Biotechnol. Biofuels 12 , art. 43
Volltext (DOI) - Heuschkel, I., Hoschek, A., Schmid, A., Bühler, B., Karande, R., Bühler, K. (2019):
Data on mixed trophies biofilm for continuous cyclohexane oxidation to cyclohexanol using Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
Data Brief 25 , art. 104059
Volltext (DOI) - Heuschkel, I., Hoschek, A., Schmid, A., Bühler, B., Karande, R., Bühler, K. (2019):
Mixed-trophies biofilm cultivation in capillary reactors
MethodsX 6 , 1822 - 1831
Volltext (DOI) - Hoschek, A., Bühler, B., Schmid, A. (2019):
Stabilization and scale‐up of photosynthesis‐driven ω‐hydroxylation of nonanoic acid methyl ester by two‐liquid phase whole‐cell biocatalysis
Biotechnol. Bioeng. 116 (8), 1887 - 1900
Volltext (DOI) - Hoschek, A., Heuschkel, I., Schmid, A., Bühler, B., Karande, R., Bühler, K. (2019):
Mixed-species biofilms for high-cell-density application of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 in capillary reactors for continuous cyclohexane oxidation to cyclohexanol
Bioresour. Technol. 282 , 171 - 178
Volltext (DOI) - Hoschek, A., Toepel, J., Hochkeppel, A., Karande, R., Bühler, B., Schmid, A. (2019):
Light‐dependent and aeration‐independent gram‐scale hydroxylation of cyclohexane to cyclohexanol by CYP450 harboring Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
Biotechnol. J. 14 (8), art. 1800724
Volltext (DOI) - Ütkür, F.Ö., Schmid, A., Bühler, B. (2019):
Anaerobic C-H oxyfunctionalization: Coupling of nitrate reduction and quinoline hydroxylation in recombinant Pseudomonas putida
Biotechnol. J. 14 (8), art. 1800615
Volltext (DOI) - Volmer, J., Lindmeyer, M., Seipp, J., Schmid, A., Bühler, B. (2019):
Constitutively solvent-tolerant Pseudomonas taiwanensis VLB120ΔCΔttgV supports particularly high styrene epoxidation activities when grown under glucose excess conditions
Biotechnol. Bioeng. 116 (5), 1089 - 1101
Volltext (DOI)
2018 (1)
- Hoschek, A., Schmid, A., Bühler, B. (2018):
In situ O2 generation for biocatalytic oxyfunctionalization reactions
ChemCatChem 10 (23), 5366 - 5371
Volltext (DOI)
2017 (6)
- Hoschek, A., Bühler, B., Schmid, A. (2017):
Overcoming the gas-liquid mass transfer of oxygen by coupling photosynthetic water oxidation with biocatalytic oxyfunctionalization
Angew. Chem.-Int. Edit. 56 (47), 15146 - 15149
Volltext (DOI) - Kadisch, M., Julsing, M.K., Schrewe, M., Jehmlich, N., Scheer, B., von Bergen, M., Schmid, A., Bühler, B. (2017):
Maximization of cell viability rather than biocatalyst activity improves whole-cell ω-oxyfunctionalization performance
Biotechnol. Bioeng. 114 (4), 874 - 884
Volltext (DOI) - Kadisch, M., Schmid, A., Bühler, B. (2017):
Hydrolase BioH knockout in E. coli enables efficient fatty acid methyl ester bioprocessing
J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 44 (3), 339 - 351
Volltext (DOI) - Kadisch, M., Willrodt, C., Hillen, M., Bühler, B., Schmid, A. (2017):
Maximizing the stability of metabolic engineering-derived whole-cell biocatalysts
Biotechnol. J. 12 (8), art. 1600170
Volltext (DOI) - Theodosiou, E., Breisch, M., Julsing, M.K., Falcioni, F., Bühler, B., Schmid, A. (2017):
An artificial TCA cycle selects for efficient α-ketoglutarate dependent hydroxylase catalysis in engineered Escherichia coli
Biotechnol. Bioeng. 114 (7), 1511 - 1520
Volltext (DOI) - Volmer, J., Schmid, A., Bühler, B. (2017):
The application of constitutively solvent-tolerant P. taiwanensis VLB120ΔCΔttgV for stereospecific epoxidation of toxic styrene alleviates carrier solvent use
Biotechnol. J. 12 (7), art. 1600558
Volltext (DOI)
2016 (2)
- Ladkau, N., Assmann, M., Schrewe, M., Julsing, M.K., Schmid, A., Bühler, B. (2016):
Efficient production of the Nylon 12 monomer ω-aminododecanoic acid methyl ester from renewable dodecanoic acid methyl ester with engineered Escherichia coli
Metab. Eng. 36 , 1 - 9
Volltext (DOI) - Willrodt, C., Hoschek, A., Bühler, B., Schmid, A., Julsing, M.K. (2016):
Decoupling production from growth by magnesium sulfate limitation boosts de novo limonene production
Biotechnol. Bioeng. 113 (6), 1305 - 1314
Volltext (DOI)
2015 (5)
- Lindmeyer, M., Jahn, M., Vorpahl, C., Müller, S., Schmid, A., Bühler, B. (2015):
Variability in subpopulation formation propagates into biocatalytic variability of engineered Pseudomonas putida strains
Front. Microbiol. 6 , art. 1042
Volltext (DOI) - Lindmeyer, M., Meyer, D., Kuhn, D., Bühler, B., Schmid, A. (2015):
Making variability less variable: matching expression system and host for oxygenase-based biotransformations
J. Ind. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 42 (6), 851 - 866
Volltext (DOI) - Theodosiou, E., Frick, O., Bühler, B., Schmid, A. (2015):
Metabolic network capacity of Escherichia coli for Krebs cycle-dependent proline hydroxylation
Microb. Cell. Fact. 14 , art. 108
Volltext (DOI) - Volmer, J., Schmid, A., Bühler, B. (2015):
Guiding bioprocess design by microbial ecology
Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 25 , 25 - 32
Volltext (DOI) - Willrodt, C., Hoschek, A., Bühler, B., Schmid, A., Julsing, M.K. (2015):
Coupling limonene formation and oxyfunctionalization by mixed-culture resting cell fermentation
Biotechnol. Bioeng. 112 (9), 1738 - 1750
Volltext (DOI)

Projekt: Neue Grüne Chemie als Beitrag zur nachhaltigen Bioökonomie (NeuGChem)
(Antrags-Nr. 100328904)
Die Maßnahme Neue Grüne Chemie erweitert die Infrastruktur des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Umweltforschung GmbH – UFZ.
Der neue Ansatz der "Neuen Grünen Chemie" zielt auf neue Verfahren ab, die Ressourcen wie Mineralien und CO2 konsequent im Kreis führen, keine landwirtschaftlichen Nutzflächen in Anspruch nehmen und nur in geringem Maß klimarelevante Emissionen verursachen. Dabei wird CO2 durch Algen assimiliert, daraus aber keine Biomasse gebildet, sondern die organische Säure Glykolat. Diese Säure soll dann ohne Ernte- und Aufarbeitungsaufwand in einem zweiten Prozessschritt anstelle von Glukose für die mikrobielle Herstellung von Grundbausteinen der chemischen Industrie genutzt werden. Perspektivisch können praktisch alle Produkte auf dieser Grundlage hergestellt werden, die heute auf Glukose (oder Stärke) als Kohlenstoffquelle basieren.
Die Bioreaktoranlage zur Kultivierung von heterotrophen Mikroorganismen wird dabei zur Entwicklung des zweiten Prozessschrittes sowie für die Evaluierung der Kopplung beider Prozessschritte verwendet.

Project: New Green Chemistry a contribution to a sustainable bioeconomy
(Proposal-no: 100328904)
The action New Green Chemistry extends the intrastructure at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ.
The "New Green Chemistry" approach aims at new processes, which consistently move ressources such as minerals and CO2 in circles, do not utilize agricultural areas and only cause minor climate-relevant emissions. Thereby, CO2 is assimilated by algae, but not to form biomass, but the organic acid glycolate. This acid is then used in a second process step in place of glucose and without harvesting and purification efforts for the microbial production of building blocks of the chemical industry. Prospectively, largely all products, which today are based on glucose (or starch) as carbon source, may be produced in this way.
The bioreactor equipment financed by this project will be utilized for the cultivation of heterotrophic microorganisms to develop the second process step and evaluate the coupling of both process steps.
Lecturer: Prof. Bruno Bühler
When: Fridays in the winter semester, 1 pm – 3 pm or according to announcement
Where: MLU Halle, Weinberg-Campus, Hoher Weg 8, SR 101 HW or SR 107 HW according to announcement
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Lecture: “Whole-Cell Biocatalysis” in the 3rd semester module “Applied Biocatalysis”
Lecturer: Prof. Bruno Bühler
When: Fridays in the winter semester, 10 am - 12 am or according to announcement
Where: MLU Halle, Weinberg-Campus, Hoher Weg 8, SR 101 HW or SR 107 HW according to announcement
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Project Seminar/ practical course on Applied Biocatalysis
Responsible Supervisor: Prof. Bruno Bühler
When: One week in the winter semester break according to announcement
Where: UFZ, Leipzig
Under construction