"Solar Salt Works and the Economics of Biodiversity"
3-4 June, Marsala Solar Salt Works, Trapani (Sicily)
A perspective on the biotechnological potential
of solar salt works
Angela Corcelli
Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences and Sensory Organs
University of Bari Aldo Moro
Bari, Italy
Corcelli’s lab
Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
…
•
•
•
•
•
Simona
Lobasso
Francesca
Patrizia Lopalco
Maristella Baronio
Rita Vitale
Roberto Angelini
Christian
Maristella Baronio
Patrizia Lopalco
Rita Vitale
Simona Lobasso
11 giugno 2010
Roberto Angelini
1760
Margherita di Savoia, south Italy
the largest salina in Europe
Salinibacter ruber
Dunaliella
Halobacterium salinarum
&
Haloquadratum walsbyi
Dunaliella
Salinibacter ruber
Halobacterium salinarum
Lyophilized purple membranes isolated from
Halobacterium salinarum
bacteriorhodopsin
the purple membrane lattice
molecular structure of bacteriorhodopsin
the photocycle of a bacteriorhodopsin (BR) mutant
BR is a photoactivated proton pump
Angela Corcelli, Human Physiology
BEMC 2014
Special lipids from the salterns
archaeal glycolipids, archaeal cardiolipins & halocapnine
Novel lipids from the purple membranes and not only
Biomaterials of interesting chemical physical properties
Haloquadratum walsbyi
(square cells can be easily recognized by phase contrast microscopy)
AFM
NAO staining
SUBLIMI SAPONETTI M, BOBBA F, SALERNO G,
SCARFATO A, CORCELLI A., CUCOLO A . Morphological an
structural aspects of the extremely halophilic archaeon
Haloquadratum walsbyi. PLOS ONE, 2011
Lobasso S, Saponetti MS, Polidoro F, Lopalco P, Urbanija J, Kralj-Iglic V,
Corcelli A. Archaebacterial lipid membranes as models to study the interaction of
10-N-nonyl acridine orange with phospholipids.
Chem Phys Lipids. 2009, 157(1):12-20.
A bacteriorhodopsin variant
is among the pigments of square cells
square cells
photovoltaic panels
Bacteriorhodopsin (BR) from square cells
1) Isolation of red-purple membrane domains
- biochemical and functional analyses
2) BR isolation by phenylsepharose chromatograhy
- from Haloquadratum walsbyi
- from biomass of salterns
ISOLATION OF BACTERIORHODOPSIN from square cells
It is possible to isolate bacteriorhodopsin
from the biomass of salterns?
Bioreactor/hollow fibers







starting volume 40 liters
operating volume 3 liters
hollow fibers 0.2 µm2 mesh, 0.047 m2 surface area
flux rate 1.7 liter/day
operating pressure never exceeding 800 mbar
22 days
Concentration factor 25
Hollow fibers
In collaboration with CNR-IRSA Bari
….a recent paper
Chem Commun (Camb). 2013
Hybrid Supramolecular Complexes based on Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Wrapped by an Archaeal Glycolipid
C. Ingrosso, G. V. Bianco, M. Corricelli, A. Corcelli, S. Lobasso,
G. Bruno, A. Agostiano, M. Striccoli, M. L. Curri
S-TGD-1
TEM micrographs of a (A) SWNT and of a (B) SWNT modified by the S-TGD-1 glycolipid.
Longitudinal
view
of
the
suggested
hybrid
supramolecular
complexes formed of S-TGD-1 wrapped
around higher (A) and lower (B)
diameter nanotubes.
collaborations
• Morris Kates, Ottawa, Ca
• Nick Russell, England
• Aharon Oren, Israel
• Antonio Ventosa, Spain
• Dennis Bamford and Elina Roine, Finland
• Angela Agostiano, Bari, Italy
• Francesco Babudri, Bari
Funds & Acknowledgments
•
•
•
•
University of Bari
Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche
Regione Puglia
Italian Minister of Defense
• Saline di Margherita di Savoia
Electron cryomicroscopy of C23 (left) and HBSQ001 (right).
500 nm
Square cells in culture
PM
SQmem
SQgrad
SQcells
1.5
1.0
hν
on
0.5
1 nmol H+
0
-0.5
hν
off
1 min
-1.0
-1.5
4.5
Prot=0.1mg/ml, vol=1.3ml
5.5
6.5
7.5
8.5
9.5
10.5
Bacteriorhodopsin from square cells
1) Isolation of red-purple membrane domains
- biochemical and functional analyses
2) BR isolation by phenylsepharose chromatograhy
- from Haloquadratum walsbyi
- from biomass of salterns