Associate Professor Lee Yuan Kun

Research Interest

Photosynthetic carbon dioxide removal

Photosynthesis remains the only mean for recycling of carbon dioxide. To achieve a realistic productivity and carbon dioxide removal for industrial application, we use genetic engineering and physiological approaches to enhance the rate of carbon dioxide fixation, channelling of fixed carbon to high carbon products of photosynthetic algae, and release of the carbon products into the culture media. Through over expression of genes encoding for rate-limiting enzymes in Calvin recycle and glycerol cycle, the photosynthetic efficiency of alga Duniella was increased by 4-folds, and the total glycerol yield increased by 10-folds.

Microbe-host interactions & probiotics

Probiotcis being defined as microorganisms, which impart beneficial effects to the human host, is another major research interest of this laboratory. The effect of diet on the cross-talk between the gastrointestinal microbiota and the host is the focus of the study. Diet was found to interfere with the cell-cell and cell-organ interactions and thus may explain the many diseases that are associated with diet and lifestyle, and open opportunity for disease prevention and treatment.

Microbial fermentation

Microbial fermentation processes and microbial enzymes in the production of pharmaceutical, food and waste treatment are also research interests of this laboratory.

Current Projects

• Cell adhesion
• Immunomodulation
• Signaling pathways
• Carbohydrate as signaling molecule
• Probiotics as oral vaccine vector
• Photosynthetic microalgae for carbon dioxide capture
• Algal lipid & biofuel production

Recent Publications

1. Tan KW, Lee YK (2016) The dilemma for lipid productivity in microalgae: importance of substrate provision in improving oil yield without sacrificing growth. Biotechnol Biofuels 9:255.
2. Tan KW, Lin H, Shen H, Lee YK (2016) Nitrogen-induced metabolic changes and molecular determinants of carbon allocation in Dunaliella tertiolecta. Scientific Reports, 6:37235.
3. Huang JJ, Bunjamin G, Teo ES, Ng DB, Lee YK(2016) An enclosed rotating floating photobioreactor (RFP) powered by flowing water for mass cultivation of photosynthetic microalgae. Biotechnology for Biofuels, 9:218.
4. Yao L, Shen H, Wang N, Tatlay J, Li L, Tan TW, Lee YK (2016) Elevated acetyl-CoA by amino acid recycling fuels microalgal neutral lipid accumulation in exponential growth phase for biofuel production. Plant Biotechnology Journal, DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12648.
5. Yao L, Tan T, Ng YK, Ban KH, Shen H, Lin H, Lee YK (2015) RNA-Seq transcriptomic analysis with Bag2D software identifies key pathways enhancing lipid yield in a high lipid-producing mutant of the non-model green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta. Biotechnology for Biofuels, 8:191.
6. Sybesma W, Kort R, Lee YK (2015) Locally sourced probiotics, the next opportunity for developing countries? Trends in Biotechnology, 33(4): 197-200.
7. Nakayama J, Watanabe K, Jiang JH, Matsuda K, Chao SH, Haryono P, La-Ongkham O, Sarwoko MA, Sujaya IN, Zhao L, Chen KT, Chen YP, Chiu HH, Hidaka T, Huang NX, Kiyohara C, Kurakawa T, Sakamoto N, Sonomoto K, Tashiro K, Tsuji H, Chen MJ, Leelavatcharamas V, Liao CC, Nitisinprasert S, Rahayu ES, Ren FZ, Tsai YC, Lee YK (2015) Diversity in gut bacterial community of school-age children in Asia. Scientific Reports, 5: 8397.
8. Chow Y, TU WY, Wang D, Ng DH, Lee YK (2015) The Role of Micronutrients and Strategies for Continual Glycerol Synthesis in the Microalgae Dunaliella tertiolecta. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 112(10): 2163-71.
9. Wang HK, Ng YK, Koh E, Yao L, Chien AS, Lin HX, Lee YK (2015) RNA-Seq reveals transcriptomic interactions of Bacillus subtilis natto and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis in whole soybean solid-state co-fermentation. Food Microbiology, 51: 25-32.
10. Wang S, Hibberd ML, Pettersson S, Lee YK (2014) Enterococcus faecalis from healthy infants modulates inflammation through MAPK signaling pathways. PLoS One, 9(5): e97523.
11. Lin H, Fang L, Low CS, Chow Y, Lee YK (2013) Presence of Glycerol Uptake in Dunaliella tertiolecta under Hyperosmotic Stress. FEBS Journal, 280(4): 1064-72.
12. Fang L, Lin HX, Low CS, Wu MH, Chow Y, Lee YK (2012) Expression of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase leads to enhanced photosynthesis and increased glycerol production in Dunaliella bardawil. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 10(9): 1129-35.
13. Are A, Aronsson L, Wang S, Greicius G, Lee YK, Gustafsson JA, Pettersson S, Arulampalam V (2008) Enterococcus faecalis from newborn babies regulate endogenous PPARgamma activity and IL-10 levels in colonic epithelial cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 105: 1943-48.
14. Lim LH, Li HY, Huang CH, Lee BW, Lee YK, Chua KY (2008) The effect of heat-killed wild type Lactobacillus casei Shirota on allergic immune responses in an allergy mouse model. International Archieves of Allergy & Immunology, 148(4): 297-304.
15. Wang S, Ng LH, Chow WL, Lee YK (2008) Infant intestinal Enterococcus faecalis down-regulates inflammatory responses in human intestinal cell lines. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 14(7): 1067-76.

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