Stensjö group

Photobiological Technologies for cyanobacterial production för fuel and health.
Our research
Our research focuses on engineering robust cyanobacterial strain for sustainable production of biobased chemical and fuels.
We apply and develop advanced synthetic biology, CRISPR-based gene regulation, protein engineering, and systems biology to optimize metabolic pathways for the direct conversion of solar energy and water into raw materials, including isobutene, a key precursor for fuels. We are actively exploring innovative cultivation technologies to enhance productivity and enable sustained production.
Our shared goal is to develop efficient photosynthetic microbial cell factories for the production of solar products using microalgae/cyanobacteria.

Our research projects
Iterative and systematic genetic engineering of cyanobacteria for biobased production.
- We develop cyanobacterial strains through stepwise genetic modifications and protein engineering. (See image 1 jpg, 201 kB. and image 2 jpg, 167 kB..)
Photobiological production of essential amino acids (BCAAs).
AI and CRISPR technologies as tools for metabolic engineering.
Designing cultivation systems for optimized bioproduction.

Previous research projects
- Protein profiling of filamentous N2 fixing cyanobacteria for H2 production.
- Redox regulation in multicellular cyanobacteria – a proteomics approach.
- The relationship between oxidative stress and cyanotoxin production in cyanobacteria.
- Characterization of proteins involved in stress tolerance in cyanobacteria: Structural and functional characterization of ferritin-like proteins in Nostoc punctiforme.

Gruppmedlemmar
Publications
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Part of Communications Biology, 2025
- DOI for Development of a CRISPR activation system for targeted gene upregulation in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
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Part of Microbial Cell Factories, 2025
- DOI for Structure-guided engineering of α-ketoisocaproate dioxygenase increases isobutene production in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
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Part of Bioresource Technology, 2025
- DOI for Sustained isobutene production by Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 entrapped in polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel beads
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Part of Microbial Cell Factories, 2025
- DOI for dCas12a-mediated CRISPR interference for multiplex gene repression in cyanobacteria for enhanced isobutanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol production
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Machine learning predicts system-wide metabolic flux control in cyanobacteria
Part of Metabolic engineering, p. 171-182, 2024
- DOI for Machine learning predicts system-wide metabolic flux control in cyanobacteria
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Optimal energy and redox metabolism in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
Part of npj Systems Biology and Applications, 2023
- DOI for Optimal energy and redox metabolism in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
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Synthetic biology in marine cyanobacteria: Advances and challenges
Part of Frontiers in Microbiology, 2022
- DOI for Synthetic biology in marine cyanobacteria: Advances and challenges
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Part of Green Chemistry, p. 9602-9619, 2022
- DOI for A combined photobiological-photochemical route to C10 cycloalkane jet fuels from carbon dioxide via isoprene
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Part of Archives of Microbiology, 2022
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Part of Physiologia Plantarum, p. 579-590, 2021
- DOI for Photoautotrophic production of renewable ethylene by engineered cyanobacteria: Steering the cell metabolism towards biotechnological use
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Part of Physiologia Plantarum, p. 555-567, 2021
- DOI for Photosynthetic hydrogen production: Novel protocols, promising engineering approaches and application of semi‐synthetic hydrogenases
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Part of Metabolic engineering communications, 2021
- DOI for Isobutene production in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 by introducing α-ketoisocaproate dioxygenase from Rattus norvegicus
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Doing synthetic biology with photosynthetic microorganisms
Part of Physiologia Plantarum, p. 624-638, 2021
- DOI for Doing synthetic biology with photosynthetic microorganisms
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Part of PLOS ONE, 2019
- DOI for The Dps4 from Nostoc punctiforme ATCC 29133 is a member of His-type FOC containing Dps protein class that can be broadly found among cyanobacteria
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Part of Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Bioenergetics, 2019
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Part of Journal of Biological Chemistry, p. 16635-16646, 2018
- DOI for Differential biochemical properties of three canonical Dps proteins from the cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme suggest distinct cellular functions
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Part of FEMS Microbiology Letters, 2018
- DOI for Homologous overexpression of NpDps2 and NpDps5 increases the tolerance for oxidative stress in the multicellular cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme
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Harnessing transcription for bioproduction in cyanobacteria
Part of Physiologia Plantarum, p. 148-155, 2018
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Part of PLOS ONE, 2018
- DOI for Design and characterization of a synthetic minimal promoter for heterocyst-specific expression in filamentous cyanobacteria
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Part of Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Bioenergetics, p. 1766-1776, 2016
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Part of FEMS Microbiology Letters, 2015
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Part of Molecular Biotechnology, p. 1003-1009, 2015
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Part of Environmental Microbiology, p. 829-844, 2014
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Production of Squalene in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
Part of PLoS ONE, 2014
- DOI for Production of Squalene in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
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Part of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, p. 3809-3818, 2014
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Part of BMC Genomics, 2014
- DOI for Analysis of the early heterocyst Cys-proteome in the multicellular cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme reveals novel insights into the division of labor within diazotrophic filaments
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Part of International journal of hydrogen energy, p. 8828-8833, 2012
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Part of Applied and Environmental Microbiology, p. 273-276, 2012
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Part of Ambio, p. 163-168, 2012
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Part of FEMS Microbiology Letters, p. 152-159, 2011
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Part of Journal of Proteome Research, p. 1772-1784, 2011
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Synthetic Biology in Cyanobacteria: Engineering and Analyzing Novel Functions
Part of Methods in Enzymology, p. 539-579, 2011
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Part of BMC Research Notes, 2011
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Part of Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Bioenergetics, p. 1152-1161, 2011
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Part of Environmental Microbiology, p. 2826-2837, 2010
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Part of Applied and Environmental Microbiology, p. 880-890, 2010
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Part of Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Bioenergetics, p. 252-263, 2009
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Part of BMC Microbiology, p. 53, 2009
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Characterization of the hupSL promoter activity in Nostoc punctiforme ATCC 29133
Part of BMC Microbiology, p. 54, 2009
- DOI for Characterization of the hupSL promoter activity in Nostoc punctiforme ATCC 29133
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Characterization of the hupSL promoter activity in Nostoc punctiforme ATCC 29133
Part of BMC Microbiology, p. 54, 2009
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Biomimetic and Microbial Approaches to Solar Fuel Generation
Part of Accounts of Chemical Research, p. 1899-1909, 2009
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Part of Journal of Proteome Research, p. 187-198, 2009
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Transcription of the extended hyp-operon in Nostoc sp. strain PCC 7120
Part of BMC Microbiology, p. 69, 2008
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Part of Journal of Proteome Research, p. 1615-1628, 2008
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Part of Photosynthesis. Energy from the Sun, 2007
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Part of Journal of Proteome Research, p. 621-635, 2007
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Part of Planta, p. 1010-1023, 2006
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Part of Plant Physiology, p. 71-84, 2004
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Part of Plant Physiology, p. 844-846, 2003
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Part of Physiologia Plantarum, p. 496-502, 2000