date:Sep 14, 2012
pre-existing biosynthetic pathway, explained Jin. Then we had to give it the ability to transfer GDP-fucose to lactose. We solved that problem by inserting a gene from another organism.
The engineer said the next step was to modify the E. Coli strain so that it would assimilate lactose: Because the engineered mutant cannot use the lactose for its own growth, it instead uses lactose to make great quantities of 2FL, the HMO that many researchers want to study, said Jin.
As a result of the new t