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Title: Light-driven carbon dioxide reduction to methane by nitrogenase in a photosynthetic bacterium

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [2]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195,
  2. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322,
  3. Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061
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Nitrogenase is an ATP-requiring enzyme capable of carrying out multielectron reductions of inert molecules. A purified remodeled nitrogenase containing two amino acid substitutions near the site of its FeMo cofactor was recently described as having the capacity to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) to methane (CH4). Here, we developed the anoxygenic phototroph, Rhodopseudomonas palustris, as a biocatalyst capable of light-driven CO2 reduction to CH4 in vivo using this remodeled nitrogenase. Conversion of CO2 to CH4 by R. palustris required constitutive expression of nitrogenase, which was achieved by using a variant of the transcription factor NifA that is able to activate expression of nitrogenase under all growth conditions. Also, light was required for generation of ATP by cyclic photophosphorylation. CH4 production by R. palustris could be controlled by manipulating the distribution of electrons and energy available to nitrogenase. Furthermore, this work shows the feasibility of using microbes to generate hydrocarbons from CO2 in one enzymatic step using light energy.

Research Organization:
Utah State Univ., Logan, UT (United States); Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Center for Biological Electron Transfer and Catalysis (BETCy)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0012518
OSTI ID:
1319953
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1436487
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Vol. 113 Journal Issue: 36; ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher:
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 52 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (21)

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Genetic regulation of biological nitrogen fixation journal August 2004
Versatile suicide vectors which allow direct selection for gene replacement in Gram-negative bacteria journal May 1993
PII signal transduction proteins: pivotal players in post-translational control of nitrogenase activity journal December 2011
Functional Genomic Analysis of Three Nitrogenase Isozymes in the Photosynthetic Bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris journal November 2005
Nitrogenase reduction of carbon-containing compounds journal August 2013
Calvin Cycle Flux, Pathway Constraints, and Substrate Oxidation State Together Determine the H2 Biofuel Yield in Photoheterotrophic Bacteria journal March 2011
Metabolic versatility in methanogens journal October 2014
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Non-growing Rhodopseudomonas palustris Increases the Hydrogen Gas Yield from Acetate by Shifting from the Glyoxylate Shunt to the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle journal December 2013
Production of Hydrogen Gas from Light and the Inorganic Electron Donor Thiosulfate by Rhodopseudomonas palustris journal October 2010
Life Cycle Assessment of High-Rate Anaerobic Treatment, Microbial Fuel Cells, and Microbial Electrolysis Cells journal May 2010
How Posttranslational Modification of Nitrogenase Is Circumvented in Rhodopseudomonas palustris Strains That Produce Hydrogen Gas Constitutively journal December 2011
Carbon dioxide fixation as a central redox cofactor recycling mechanism in bacteria journal June 2010
A Broad Host Range Mobilization System for In Vivo Genetic Engineering Transposon Mutagenesis in Gram Negative Bacteria journal November 1983
Regulation of Uptake Hydrogenase and Effects of Hydrogen Utilization on Gene Expression in Rhodopseudomonas palustris journal August 2006
Carbon dioxide reduction to methane and coupling with acetylene to form propylene catalyzed by remodeled nitrogenase journal November 2012
Regulation of benzoate-CoA ligase in Rhodopseudomonas palustris journal October 1991

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Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
nitrogenase
Rhodopseudomonas
bioenergy
methane
engineered bacterium