In the field of industrial fermentation, environmental sensitivity remains a critical bottleneck constraining production efficiency and stability. Temperature fluctuations can cause sudden drops in microbial activity, while acid-base imbalances disrupt metabolic pathways. The energy costs and equipment investments required for temperature control and acid regulation to maintain optimal fermentation conditions not only increase corporate burdens but also conflict with the development principles of green biotechnology.

The SILK project (Stability-Integrated Industrialization Leveraging Key Plasmids) is leveraging Xinjiang's unique extreme microbial resources as its "silk thread," aiming to pioneer a novel approach to solving this challenge.

Xinjiang, situated in the heart of the Eurasian continent, features vast deserts, extreme diurnal temperature fluctuations, and highly saline-alkaline soils—all of which have fostered an exceptionally resilient microbial ecosystem. In these harsh conditions, bacteria have evolved formidable environmental adaptability through prolonged natural selection. The "code" for these capabilities lies hidden within their natural plasmids.

These plasmids act as microbial survival kits, carrying genetic elements that confer critical functions like extreme temperature tolerance and stable pH resistance. Some gene sequences help bacterial strains maintain protein structural stability under high temperatures, while others regulate intracellular osmotic pressure, enabling normal metabolism in hypersaline environments.

The core work of the SILK project team involves precisely isolating target plasmids from these extremophiles. Using high-throughput sequencing and functional annotation techniques, they screen for genetic fragments with clearly defined stress-resistant functions. These fragments are then modularized and standardized to construct expression modules directly applicable to industrial strains.

When these "customized" modules are integrated into industrial fermentation workhorses like E. coli and yeast, they act like golden threads woven into silk, enabling the host strains to maintain stable fermentation performance across broader temperature and pH ranges. This significantly reduces reliance on precise environmental control in industrial production.

From concept to practice, every step of the SILK project resonates deeply with the cultural essence of "silk." Much like the ancient Silk Road, it weaves together the bonds of natural evolution and human innovation, centered on the core values of 'connection' and "resilience."

Over two millennia ago, the Silk Road, with silk as its core commodity, linked Eastern textile techniques with Western spices and technologies. As caravans traversed deserts and mountains, their adaptability to harsh environments fostered mutual prosperity through cultural exchange. Today, the SILK project employs plasmids from Xinjiang's extreme microorganisms as "molecular silk threads," constructing a "modern genetic Silk Road."

These circular plasmids, much like silk's inherent flexibility and extensibility, preserve the "primordial wisdom" of natural evolution while being "woven" through biotechnology to adapt to the needs of diverse industrial strains.

If the value of ancient silk lay in its strength and versatility—capable of being woven into magnificent garments or serving as a writing medium to meet diverse needs—then the plasmids in the SILK project represent "genetic silk" at the molecular level. Each functionalized gene fragment acts like a "silk thread unit" in silk production: some are "heat-resistant threads" ensuring strains remain stable during high-temperature fermentation; others are "alkali-resistant threads" enabling strains to stably produce enzymes in alkaline substrates.

These "threads" can be flexibly combined into diverse "genetic fabrics" tailored to specific industrial needs, much like ancient silk artisans wove satin, gauze, crepe, and satin for different purposes. They provide customized, stable solutions for varied fermentation scenarios.

More profoundly, the Silk Road embodied a "cyclical exchange" transcending geography and civilizations—goods and knowledge traveled eastward, spread through the Western Regions to the West, and returned with new technologies and concepts, forming an endless innovation loop. The circular structure of plasmids in the SILK project itself echoes this philosophy of "cyclicality": Plasmids are sourced from Xinjiang's extreme environments ("source collection"), undergo laboratory modification and validation ("technical refinement"), and are applied in industrial production ("output delivery").