Research Expertise
Biochemical engineering, molecular biology, microbial biotechnology, genetic engineering, metabolic engineering, protein engineering
Research Interests
My major research interests include recombinant protein production, biofuel production, and bioprocessing technology. I have applied biological sciences and engineering theories to develop novel and effective bioprocesses for the production of recombinant proteins (including industrial enzymes and therapeutic proteins) and metabolites (including biohydrogen, biodiesel, and biobutanol). Such bioprocess development includes upstream technology for biological strain construction, midstream technology for bioreaction (i.e. cultivation), and downstream processing for bioproduct recovery and purification.
Background
Recombinant DNA technology is a bio-tool developed in 1970 and plays a pivot role in today's biosciences and bioengineering. Its application presents tremendous impacts in biochemical, biomedical, pharmaceutical, agricultural, food, and environmental industries. While acting as a novel tool for unraveling scientific mysteries, it also provides an efficient means to produce desired proteins in large amounts. In addition, it can be adopted for genetic manipulation of microbial strains to obtain desired traits for enhancing biomanufacturing.
Brief Research Description
Our strategies for enhancing biomanufacturing are mainly focused on developing effective microbial host/vector systems using recombinant DNA technology. Several industrial enzymes (e.g. penicillin acylases and lipases), therapeutic proteins (e.g. human CD83), reporter proteins, metabolites (e.g. biohydrogen, biodiesel, and biobutanol) are used as target products for various biotechnological explorations, including: identification of expression limiting steps, protein secretion (i.e. periplasmic or extracellular expression), surface display, posttranslational issues, physiological manipulation of host strains, in-vivo protein misfolding (i.e. soluble expression), in-vitro protein refolding, fusion-protein technology, molecular manipulation of proteins, pathway knockouts, pathway constructions, etc.
Selected Publications
- Y. Xu, L. Zhang, W. Yao, S. S. Yedahalli, S. Brand, M. Moo-Young, and C. P. Chou, "Bioprocess development for production, purification, and structural characterization of recombinant hCD83ext as a therapeutic protein", Protein Expression and Purification, in press (2009)
- Y. Xu, A. Yasin, R. Tang, J. M. Scharer, M. Moo-Young, and C. P. Chou, "Heterologous expression of lipase in Escherichia coli is limited by folding and disulfide bond formation", Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 81, 79-87 (2008)
- N. Narayanan and C. P. Chou, "Physiological improvement to enhance Escherichia coli cell-surface display via reducing extracytoplasmic stress", Biotechnology Progress, 24, 293-301 (2008)
- C. P. Chou "Minireview: Engineering cell physiology to enhance recombinant protein production in Escherichia coli," Applied Microbial Biotechnology, 76:521-532 (2007)
- M.-S. Wu, K.-L. Pan, and C. P. Chou "Effect of heat-shock proteins for relieving physiological stress and enhancing the production of penicillin acylase in Escherichia coli," Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 96: 956-966 (2007)
- Y. Xu, S. Rosenkranz, C.-L. Weng, J. M. Scharer, M. Moo-Young, and C. P. Chou "Characterization of the T7 promoter system for expressing penicillin acylase in Escherichia coli," Applied Microbial Biotechnology, 72: 529-536 (2006)
- Y. Xu, C.-L. Weng, N. Narayanan, M.-Y. Hsieh, W. A. Anderson, J. M. Scharer, M. Moo-Young, and C. P. Chou "Chaperone-mediated folding and maturation of penicillin acylase precursor in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli," Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 71: 6247-6253 (2005)
- K.-L. Pan, H.-C. Hsiao, C.-L. Weng, M.-S. Wu, and C. P. Chou "Roles of DegP for prevention of protein misfolding in the periplasm upon overexpression of penicillin acylase in Escherichia coli," Journal of Bacteriology, 185, 3020-3030 (2003)
- H.-L. Chin, Z.-S. Chen, and C. P. Chou "Fedbatch operation using Clostridium acetobutylicum suspension culture as biocatalyst for enhancing hydrogen production," Biotechnology Progress, 19, 383-388 (2003)
- Y.-H. Lin, H.-C. Hsiao, and C. P. Chou "Strain improvement to enhance the production of recombinant penicillin acylase in high-cell-density Escherichia coli cultures," Biotechnology Progress, 18, 1458-1461 (2002)
- W.-J. Lin, S.-W. Huang, and C. P. Chou "DegP-coexpression minimizes inclusion body formation upon overproduction of recombinant penicillin acylase in Escherichia coli," Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 73, 484-492 (2001)
- C. P. Chou, W.-J. Lin, B.-Y. Kuo, and C.-C. Yu "Genetic strategies to enhance penicillin acylase production in Escherichia coli," Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 27, 766-773 (2000)
- C. P. Chou, W.-C. Wang, and M.-I. Lin "An approach for enhancing heterologous production of Providencia rettgeri penicillin acylase in Escherichia coli," Biotechnology Progress, 16, 315-318 (2000)
- C. P. Chou, C.-C. Yu, W.-J. Lin, B.-Y. Kuo, and W.-C. Wang "Novel strategy for efficient screening and construction of host/vector systems to overproduce penicillin acylase in Escherichia coli," Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 65, 219-226 (1999)
- C. P. Chou, C.-C. Yu, J.-H. Tseng, M.-I. Lin, and H.-K. Lin "Genetic manipulation to identify limiting steps and develop strategies for high-level expression of penicillin acylase in Escherichia coli," Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 63, 263-272 (1999)
