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Liu X, Tang K, Hu J. Application of Cyanobacteria as Chassis Cells in Synthetic Biology. Microorganisms 2024; 12:1375. [PMID: 39065143 PMCID: PMC11278661 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12071375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Revised: 06/30/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Synthetic biology is an exciting new area of research that combines science and engineering to design and build new biological functions and systems. Predictably, with the development of synthetic biology, more efficient and economical photosynthetic microalgae chassis will be successfully constructed, making it possible to break through laboratory research into large-scale industrial applications. The synthesis of a range of biochemicals has been demonstrated in cyanobacteria; however, low product titers are the biggest barrier to the commercialization of cyanobacterial biotechnology. This review summarizes the applied improvement strategies from the perspectives of cyanobacteria chassis cells and synthetic biology. The harvest advantages of cyanobacterial products and the latest progress in improving production strategies are discussed according to the product status. As cyanobacteria synthetic biology is still in its infancy, apart from the achievements made, the difficulties and challenges in the application and development of cyanobacteria genetic tool kits in biochemical synthesis, environmental monitoring, and remediation were assessed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jinlu Hu
- School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China; (X.L.); (K.T.)
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2
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Effect of hydrodynamic parameters on hydrogen production by Anabaena sp. in an internal-loop airlift photobioreactor. BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s43153-022-00245-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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3
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Kumar Sharma A, Kumar Ghodke P, Manna S, Chen WH. Emerging technologies for sustainable production of biohydrogen production from microalgae: A state-of-the-art review of upstream and downstream processes. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 342:126057. [PMID: 34597808 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Biohydrogen (BioH2) is considered as one of the most environmentally friendly fuels and a strong candidate to meet the future demand for a sustainable source of energy. Presently, the production of BioH2 from photosynthetic organisms has raised a lot of hopes in the fuel industry. Moreover, microalgal-based BioH2 synthesis not only helps to combat current global warming by capturing greenhouse gases but also plays a key role in wastewater treatment. Hence, this manuscript provides a state-of-the-art review of the upstream and downstream BioH2 production processes. Different metabolic routes such as direct and indirect photolysis, dark fermentation, photofermentation, and microbial electrolysis are covered in detail. Upstream processes (e.g. growth techniques, growth media) also have a great impact on BioH2 productivity and economics, which is also explored. Technical and scientific obstacles of microalgae BioH2 systems are finally addressed, allowing the technology to become more innovative and commercial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Kumar Sharma
- Department of Chemistry, Centre for Alternate and Renewable Energy Research, R&D, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies (UPES), School of Engineering, Energy Acres Building, Bidholi, Dehradun 248007, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Praveen Kumar Ghodke
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kozhikode 673601, Kerala, India
| | - Suvendu Manna
- Department of Health Safety, Environment and Civil Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248007, India
| | - Wei-Hsin Chen
- Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan; Research Center for Smart Sustainable Circular Economy, Tunghai University, Taichung 407, Taiwan; Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung 411, Taiwan.
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4
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Xu W, Wang Y. Post-translational Modifications of Serine/Threonine and Histidine Kinases and Their Roles in Signal Transductions in Synechocystis Sp. PCC 6803. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2020; 193:687-716. [PMID: 33159456 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-020-03435-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, a popular model organism for researches in photosynthesis and biofuel production, contains plant-like photosynthetic machineries which significantly contribute to global carbon fixation. There are 12 eukaryotic-type Ser/Thr kinases (SpkA-L) and 49 His kinases (Hik1-49) of two-component systems in the genome of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. They are the key regulators in sensing and transmitting stimuli including light- and glucose-mediate signal transduction. Proteomic studies were able to identify all the kinases. The majority of kinases no matter whether they have a predicted transmembrane domain were identified in the membrane fractions. Six Ser/Thr kinases (SpkA-D, F and G) and ten His kinases (Hik4, 12, 14, 21, 26-27, 29, 36, 43, and 46) were identified to have one or more of the three types of post-translational modifications: phosphorylation, acetylation, and thiol oxidation. Interestingly, SpkG has the phosphorylatable threonine residue that was aligned with the phosphorylated threonine residue in the activation loop of human CDK7, demonstrating conserved phosphorylation between cyanobacterial and human kinases. Transcriptomics and proteomics revealed differential expression of the kinases in heterotrophic and photoheterotrophic compared with photoautotrophic conditions, indicating their roles in regulating the growth modes of cyanobacteria. In summary, this review focuses on the discussions on post-transcriptional modifications, transcriptomic, and proteomic studies of Ser/Thr and His kinases. This together with our published review in 2019 present a complete story of an overview of sequences, domain architectures, and biochemical and physiological functions of cyanobacterial kinases with adequate details in the context of high throughput systems. We also emphasize the importance of discovering upstream molecules and substrates to understand the exact functions of the kinases in vivo. As an attempt, a model is proposed in which Hik31, His33, Sll1334, and IcfG are hypothesized to be critical for switching between autotrophic and heterotrophic modes based on the results from the phenotypes of the gene knockout strains combined with their post-translational modifications, and gene expression profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wu Xu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, 70504, USA.
| | - Yingchun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1 West Beichen Rd, Beijing, 100101, China.
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Fuad Hossain M, Ratnayake R, Mahbub S, Kumara KW, Magana-Arachchi D. Identification and culturing of cyanobacteria isolated from freshwater bodies of Sri Lanka for biodiesel production. Saudi J Biol Sci 2020; 27:1514-1520. [PMID: 32489288 PMCID: PMC7253897 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2020.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study was carried out to investigate cyanobacteria as a potential source for biodiesel production isolated from fresh water bodies of Sri Lanka. Semi mass culturing and mass culturing were carried out to obtain biomass for extracting total lipids. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) or biodiesel was produced from extracted lipid by trans-esterification reaction. FAME component was identified using gas chromatography (GC). Atotal of 74 uni-algal cultures were obtained from Biofuel and Bioenergy laboratory of the National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS), Kandy, Sri Lanka. The total lipid content was recorded highest in Oscillatoria sp. (31.9 ± 2.01% of dry biomass) followed by Synechococcus sp. (30.6 ± 2.87%), Croococcidiopsis sp. (22.7 ± 1.36%), Leptolyngbya sp. (21.15 ± 1.99%), Limnothrixsp. (20.73 ± 3.26%), Calothrix sp. (18.15 ± 4.11%) and Nostoc sp. (15.43 ± 3.89%), Cephalothrixsp. (13.95 ± 4.27%), Cephalothrix Komarekiana (13.8 ± 3.56%) and Westiellopsisprolifica (12.80 ± 1.97%). FAME analysis showed cyanobacteria contain Methyl palmitoleate, Linolelaidic acid methyl ester, Cis-8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid methyl ester, Cis-10-heptadecanoic acid methyl ester, Methyl myristate, Methyl pentadecanoate, Methyl octanoate, Methyl decanoate, Methyl laurate, Methyl tridecanoate, Methyl palmitoleate, Methyl pentadeconoate, Methyl heptadeconoate, Linolaidic acid methyl ester, Methyl erucate, Methyl myristate, Myristoloeic acid, Methyl palmitate, Cis-9-oleic acid methyl ester, Methyl arachidate and Cis-8,11,14-ecosatrieconoic acid methyl ester. The present study revealed that cyanobacteria isolated from Sri Lanka are potential source for biodiesel industry because of their high fatty acid content. Further studies are required to optimize the mass culture conditions to increase thelipid content from cyanobacterial biomass along with the research in the value addition to the remaining biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md. Fuad Hossain
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Gono Bishwabidyalay, Savar, Dhaka 1344, Bangladesh
- National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, Sri Lanka
- Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
| | - R.R. Ratnayake
- National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, Sri Lanka
| | - Shamim Mahbub
- Department of Chemistry & Physics, Gono Bishwabidyalay, Savar, Dhaka 1344, Bangladesh
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6
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Chaves JE, Melis A. Engineering isoprene synthesis in cyanobacteria. FEBS Lett 2018; 592:2059-2069. [PMID: 29689603 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The renewable production of isoprene (Isp) hydrocarbons, to serve as fuel and synthetic chemistry feedstock, has attracted interest in the field recently. Isp (C5 H8 ) is naturally produced from sunlight, CO2 and H2 O photosynthetically in terrestrial plant chloroplasts via the terpenoid biosynthetic pathway and emitted in the atmosphere as a response to heat stress. Efforts to institute a high capacity continuous and renewable process have included heterologous expression of the Isp synthesis pathway in photosynthetic microorganisms. This review examines the premise and promise emanating from this relatively new research effort. Also examined are the metabolic engineering approaches applied in the quest of renewable Isp hydrocarbons production, the progress achieved so far, and barriers encountered along the way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie E Chaves
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Anastasios Melis
- Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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7
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Evaluation of light energy to H 2 energy conversion efficiency in thin films of cyanobacteria and green alga under photoautotrophic conditions. ALGAL RES 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2017.09.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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8
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A Review of Hydrogen Production by Photosynthetic Organisms Using Whole-Cell and Cell-Free Systems. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2017; 183:503-519. [DOI: 10.1007/s12010-017-2576-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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9
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Nagarajan D, Lee DJ, Kondo A, Chang JS. Recent insights into biohydrogen production by microalgae - From biophotolysis to dark fermentation. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2017; 227:373-387. [PMID: 28089136 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2016.12.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2016] [Revised: 12/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/27/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
One of the best options to alleviate the problems associated with global warming and climate change is to reduce burning of fossil fuels and search for new alternative energy resources. In case of biodiesel and bioethanol production, the choice of feedstock and the process design influences the GHG emissions and appropriate methods need to be adapted. Hydrogen is a zero-carbon and energy dense alternative energy carrier with clean burning properties and biohydrogen production by microalgae can reduce production associated GHG emissions to a great extent. Biohydrogen can be produced through dark fermentation using sugars, starch, or cellulosic materials. Microalgae-based biohydrogen production is recently regarded as a promising pathway for biohydrogen production via photolysis or being a substrate for anaerobic fermentation. This review lists the methods of hydrogen production by microalgae. The enzymes involved and the factors affecting the biohydrogen production process are discussed. The bottlenecks in microalgae-based biohydrogen production are critically reviewed and future research areas in hydrogen production are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dillirani Nagarajan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Duu-Jong Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Akihiko Kondo
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada-ku, Kobe 657-8501, Japan; Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 3-5 Sanbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0075, Japan; Biomass Engineering Program, RIKEN, 1-7-22 Suehiro, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
| | - Jo-Shu Chang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Research Center for Energy Technology and Strategy, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
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10
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Judd S, van den Broeke LJP, Shurair M, Kuti Y, Znad H. Algal remediation of CO₂ and nutrient discharges: A review. WATER RESEARCH 2015; 87:356-366. [PMID: 26451978 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2015.08.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2015] [Revised: 07/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The recent literature pertaining to the application of algal photobioreactors (PBRs) to both carbon dioxide mitigation and nutrient abatement is reviewed and the reported data analysed. The review appraises the influence of key system parameters on performance with reference to (a) the absorption and biological fixation of CO2 from gaseous effluent streams, and (b) the removal of nutrients from wastewaters. Key parameters appraised individually with reference to CO2 removal comprise algal speciation, light intensity, mass transfer, gas and hydraulic residence time, pollutant (CO2 and nutrient) loading, biochemical and chemical stoichiometry (including pH), and temperature. Nutrient removal has been assessed with reference to hydraulic residence time and reactor configuration, along with C:nutrient ratios and other factors affecting carbon fixation, and outcomes compared with those reported for classical biological nutrient removal (BNR). Outcomes of the review indicate there has been a disproportionate increase in algal PBR research outputs over the past 5-8 years, with a significant number of studies based on small, bench-scale systems. The quantitative impacts of light intensity and loading on CO2 uptake are highly dependent on the algal species, and also affected by solution chemical conditions such as temperature and pH. Calculations based on available data for biomass growth rates indicate that a reactor CO2 residence time of around 4 h is required for significant CO2 removal. Nutrient removal data indicate residence times of 2-5 days are required for significant nutrient removal, compared with <12 h for a BNR plant. Moreover, the shallow depth of the simplest PBR configuration (the high rate algal pond, HRAP) means that its footprint is at least two orders of magnitude greater than a classical BNR plant. It is concluded that the combined carbon capture/nutrient removal process relies on optimisation of a number of process parameters acting synergistically, principally microalgal strain, C:N:P load and balance, CO2 and liquid residence time, light intensity and quality, temperature, and reactor configuration. This imposes a significant challenge to the overall process control which has yet to be fully addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Judd
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Qatar University, Qatar; Cranfield Water Science Institute, Cranfield University, UK.
| | | | | | - Yussuf Kuti
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Qatar University, Qatar
| | - Hussein Znad
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Curtin University, Australia
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Bernstein HC, Charania MA, McClure RS, Sadler NC, Melnicki MR, Hill EA, Markillie LM, Nicora CD, Wright AT, Romine MF, Beliaev AS. Multi-Omic Dynamics Associate Oxygenic Photosynthesis with Nitrogenase-Mediated H2 Production in Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142. Sci Rep 2015; 5:16004. [PMID: 26525576 PMCID: PMC4630603 DOI: 10.1038/srep16004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, the proposed mechanisms of nitrogenase-driven photosynthetic H2 production by the diazotrophic unicellular cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142 have assumed that reductant and ATP requirements are derived solely from glycogen oxidation and cyclic-electron flow around photosystem I. Through genome-scale transcript and protein profiling, this study presents and tests a new hypothesis on the metabolic relationship between oxygenic photosynthesis and nitrogenase-mediated H2 production in Cyanothece 51142. Our results show that net-positive rates of oxygenic photosynthesis and increased expression of photosystem II reaction centers correspond and are synchronized with nitrogenase expression and H2 production. These findings provide a new and more complete view on the metabolic processes contributing to the energy budget of photosynthetic H2 production and highlight the role of concurrent photocatalytic H2O oxidation as a participating process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans C Bernstein
- Chemical and Biological Signature Science, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352.,Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA, 99352
| | - Moiz A Charania
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA, 99352
| | - Ryan S McClure
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA, 99352
| | - Natalie C Sadler
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA, 99352
| | - Matthew R Melnicki
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA, 99352
| | - Eric A Hill
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA, 99352
| | - Lye Meng Markillie
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA, 99352
| | - Carrie D Nicora
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA, 99352
| | - Aaron T Wright
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA, 99352
| | - Margaret F Romine
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA, 99352
| | - Alexander S Beliaev
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA, 99352
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Gonzalez-Ballester D, Jurado-Oller JL, Fernandez E. Relevance of nutrient media composition for hydrogen production in Chlamydomonas. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2015; 125:395-406. [PMID: 25952745 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-015-0152-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Microalgae are capable of biological H2 photoproduction from water, solar energy, and a variety of organic substrates. Acclimation responses to different nutrient regimes finely control photosynthetic activity and can influence H2 production. Hence, nutrient stresses are an interesting scenario to study H2 production in photosynthetic organisms. In this review, we mainly focus on the H2-production mechanisms in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the physiological relevance of the nutrient media composition when producing H2.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Gonzalez-Ballester
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, Edif. Severo Ochoa, 14071, Córdoba, Spain,
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Yang W, Catalanotti C, Wittkopp TM, Posewitz MC, Grossman AR. Algae after dark: mechanisms to cope with anoxic/hypoxic conditions. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2015; 82:481-503. [PMID: 25752440 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.12823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2014] [Revised: 02/28/2015] [Accepted: 03/03/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular, soil-dwelling (and aquatic) green alga that has significant metabolic flexibility for balancing redox equivalents and generating ATP when it experiences hypoxic/anoxic conditions. The diversity of pathways available to ferment sugars is often revealed in mutants in which the activities of specific branches of fermentative metabolism have been eliminated; compensatory pathways that have little activity in parental strains under standard laboratory fermentative conditions are often activated. The ways in which these pathways are regulated and integrated have not been extensively explored. In this review, we primarily discuss the intricacies of dark anoxic metabolism in Chlamydomonas, but also discuss aspects of dark oxic metabolism, the utilization of acetate, and the relatively uncharacterized but critical interactions that link chloroplastic and mitochondrial metabolic networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenqiang Yang
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Claudia Catalanotti
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Tyler M Wittkopp
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Matthew C Posewitz
- Department of Chemistry and Geochemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, 80401, USA
| | - Arthur R Grossman
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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How close we are to achieving commercially viable large-scale photobiological hydrogen production by cyanobacteria: a review of the biological aspects. Life (Basel) 2015; 5:997-1018. [PMID: 25793279 PMCID: PMC4390889 DOI: 10.3390/life5010997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Photobiological production of H2 by cyanobacteria is considered to be an ideal source of renewable energy because the inputs, water and sunlight, are abundant. The products of photobiological systems are H2 and O2; the H2 can be used as the energy source of fuel cells, etc., which generate electricity at high efficiencies and minimal pollution, as the waste product is H2O. Overall, production of commercially viable algal fuels in any form, including biomass and biodiesel, is challenging, and the very few systems that are operational have yet to be evaluated. In this paper we will: briefly review some of the necessary conditions for economical production, summarize the reports of photobiological H2 production by cyanobacteria, present our schemes for future production, and discuss the necessity for further progress in the research needed to achieve commercially viable large-scale H2 production.
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15
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Thiel T, Pratte BS. Regulation of Three Nitrogenase Gene Clusters in the Cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413. Life (Basel) 2014; 4:944-67. [PMID: 25513762 PMCID: PMC4284476 DOI: 10.3390/life4040944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2014] [Revised: 11/21/2014] [Accepted: 12/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413 fixes nitrogen under aerobic conditions in specialized cells called heterocysts that form in response to an environmental deficiency in combined nitrogen. Nitrogen fixation is mediated by the enzyme nitrogenase, which is very sensitive to oxygen. Heterocysts are microxic cells that allow nitrogenase to function in a filament comprised primarily of vegetative cells that produce oxygen by photosynthesis. A. variabilis is unique among well-characterized cyanobacteria in that it has three nitrogenase gene clusters that encode different nitrogenases, which function under different environmental conditions. The nif1 genes encode a Mo-nitrogenase that functions only in heterocysts, even in filaments grown anaerobically. The nif2 genes encode a different Mo-nitrogenase that functions in vegetative cells, but only in filaments grown under anoxic conditions. An alternative V-nitrogenase is encoded by vnf genes that are expressed only in heterocysts in an environment that is deficient in Mo. Thus, these three nitrogenases are expressed differentially in response to environmental conditions. The entire nif1 gene cluster, comprising at least 15 genes, is primarily under the control of the promoter for the first gene, nifB1. Transcriptional control of many of the downstream nif1 genes occurs by a combination of weak promoters within the coding regions of some downstream genes and by RNA processing, which is associated with increased transcript stability. The vnf genes show a similar pattern of transcriptional and post-transcriptional control of expression suggesting that the complex pattern of regulation of the nif1 cluster is conserved in other cyanobacterial nitrogenase gene clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Thiel
- Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63121, USA.
| | - Brenda S Pratte
- Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63121, USA.
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Hydrogen photoproduction by immobilized n2-fixing cyanobacteria: understanding the role of the uptake hydrogenase in the long-term process. Appl Environ Microbiol 2014; 80:5807-17. [PMID: 25015894 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01776-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
We have investigated two approaches to enhance and extend H2 photoproduction yields in heterocystous, N2-fixing cyanobacteria entrapped in thin alginate films. In the first approach, periodic CO2 supplementation was provided to alginate-entrapped, N-deprived cells. N deprivation led to the inhibition of photosynthetic activity in vegetative cells and the attenuation of H2 production over time. Our results demonstrated that alginate-entrapped ΔhupL cells were considerably more sensitive to high light intensity, N deficiency, and imbalances in C/N ratios than wild-type cells. In the second approach, Anabaena strain PCC 7120, its ΔhupL mutant, and Calothrix strain 336/3 films were supplemented with N2 by periodic treatments of air, or air plus CO2. These treatments restored the photosynthetic activity of the cells and led to a high level of H2 production in Calothrix 336/3 and ΔhupL cells (except for the treatment air plus CO2) but not in the Anabaena PCC 7120 strain (for which H2 yields did not change after air treatments). The highest H2 yield was obtained by the air treatment of ΔhupL cells. Notably, the supplementation of CO2 under an air atmosphere led to prominent symptoms of N deficiency in the ΔhupL strain but not in the wild-type strain. We propose that uptake hydrogenase activity in heterocystous cyanobacteria not only supports nitrogenase activity by removing excess O2 from heterocysts but also indirectly protects the photosynthetic apparatus of vegetative cells from photoinhibition, especially under stressful conditions that cause an imbalance in the C/N ratio in cells.
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Fernández-Sevilla JM, Acién-Fernández FG, Molina-Grima E. Photobioreactors Design for Hydrogen Production. MICROBIAL BIOENERGY: HYDROGEN PRODUCTION 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-8554-9_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Hallenbeck PC. Bioenergy from Microorganisms: An Overview. MICROBIAL BIOENERGY: HYDROGEN PRODUCTION 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-8554-9_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Tsygankov A, Kosourov S. Immobilization of Photosynthetic Microorganisms for Efficient Hydrogen Production. MICROBIAL BIOENERGY: HYDROGEN PRODUCTION 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-8554-9_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Photobiological hydrogen production: Bioenergetics and challenges for its practical application. JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY C-PHOTOCHEMISTRY REVIEWS 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochemrev.2013.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Ketseoglou I, Bouwer G. Optimization of photobioreactor growth conditions for a cyanobacterium expressing mosquitocidal Bacillus thuringiensis Cry proteins. J Biotechnol 2013; 167:64-71. [PMID: 23732832 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2013.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2013] [Revised: 05/20/2013] [Accepted: 05/24/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
An Anabaena strain (PCC 7120#11) that was genetically engineered to express Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis cry genes has shown good larvicidal activity against Anopheles arabiensis, a major vector of malaria in Africa. Response surface methodology was used to evaluate the relationship between key growth factors and the volumetric productivity of PCC 7120#11 in an indoor, flat-plate photobioreactor. The interaction of input CO₂ concentration and airflow rate had a statistically significant effect on the volumetric productivity of PCC 7120#11, as did the interaction of airflow rate and photosynthetic photon flux density. Model-based numerical optimization indicated that the optimal factor level combination for maximizing PCC 7120#11 volumetric productivity was a photosynthetic photon flux density of 154 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and air enriched with 3.18% (v/v) CO₂ supplied at a flow rate of 1.02 vessel volumes per minute. At the levels evaluated in the study, none of the growth factors had a significant effect on the median lethal concentration of PCC 7120#11 against An. arabiensis larvae. This finding is important because loss of mosquitocidal activity under growth conditions that maximize volumetric productivity would impact on the feasibility of using PCC 7120#11 in malaria vector control programs. The study showed the usefulness of response surface methodology for determination of the optimal growth conditions for a cyanobacterium that is genetically engineered to have larvicidal activity against malaria vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Ketseoglou
- School of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
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Expression of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 [FeFe]-hydrogenase genes in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. Appl Environ Microbiol 2012; 78:8579-86. [PMID: 23023750 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01959-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
H(2) generated from renewable resources holds promise as an environmentally innocuous fuel that releases only energy and water when consumed. In biotechnology, photoautotrophic oxygenic diazotrophs could produce H(2) from water and sunlight using the cells' endogenous nitrogenases. However, nitrogenases have low turnover numbers and require large amounts of ATP. [FeFe]-hydrogenases found in other organisms can have 1,000-fold higher turnover numbers and no specific requirement for ATP but are very O(2) sensitive. Certain filamentous cyanobacteria protect nitrogenase from O(2) by sequestering the enzyme within internally micro-oxic, differentiated cells called heterocysts. We heterologously expressed the [FeFe]-hydrogenase operon from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 using the heterocyst-specific promoter P(hetN). Active [FeFe]-hydrogenase was detected in and could be purified from aerobically grown Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120, but only when the organism was grown under nitrate-depleted conditions that elicited heterocyst formation. These results suggest that the heterocysts protected the [FeFe]-hydrogenase against inactivation by O(2).
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Magnuson A, Styring S. Molecular Chemistry for Solar Fuels: From Natural to Artificial Photosynthesis. Aust J Chem 2012. [DOI: 10.1071/ch12114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The world needs new, environmentally friendly, and renewable fuels to exchange for fossil fuels. The fuel must be made from cheap, abundant, and renewable resources. The research area of solar fuels aims to meet this demand. This paper discusses why we need a solar fuel, and proposes solar energy as the major renewable energy source to feed from. The scientific field concerning artificial photosynthesis is expanding rapidly and most of the different scientific visions for solar fuels are briefly reviewed. Research strategies for the development of artificial photosynthesis to produce solar fuels are overviewed, with some critical concepts discussed in closer detail.
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Masukawa H, Kitashima M, Inoue K, Sakurai H, Hausinger RP. Genetic engineering of cyanobacteria to enhance biohydrogen production from sunlight and water. AMBIO 2012; 41 Suppl 2:169-73. [PMID: 22434447 PMCID: PMC3357757 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-012-0275-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
To mitigate global warming caused by burning fossil fuels, a renewable energy source available in large quantity is urgently required. We are proposing large-scale photobiological H(2) production by mariculture-raised cyanobacteria where the microbes capture part of the huge amount of solar energy received on earth's surface and use water as the source of electrons to reduce protons. The H(2) production system is based on photosynthetic and nitrogenase activities of cyanobacteria, using uptake hydrogenase mutants that can accumulate H(2) for extended periods even in the presence of evolved O(2). This review summarizes our efforts to improve the rate of photobiological H(2) production through genetic engineering. The challenges yet to be overcome to further increase the conversion efficiency of solar energy to H(2) also are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hajime Masukawa
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan.
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Scoma A, Giannelli L, Faraloni C, Torzillo G. Outdoor H₂ production in a 50-L tubular photobioreactor by means of a sulfur-deprived culture of the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. J Biotechnol 2011; 157:620-7. [PMID: 21771618 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2011.06.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2011] [Revised: 06/15/2011] [Accepted: 06/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In the past decade, H₂ production using the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been extensively studied under laboratory-scale photobioreactors, while information on outdoor cultures is still lacking. In this paper, the results of experiments conducted with sulfur-deprived cultures of C. reinhardtii carried out in a 50-L horizontal tubular photobioreactor are presented. Hydrogen production experiments were carried out under both artificial and direct solar light. In both cases, the H₂ output attained was 18-20% of what obtained in the laboratory. However, no significant changes in the H₂ production were observed when cells grown outdoors were tested under laboratory conditions. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements showed that outdoor cultures were subjected to strong photo-inhibition, due to the combination of high solar light intensity and sulfur-deprivation. Indeed, H₂ production was only achieved outdoors when cultures were previously acclimated to sunlight, a condition that caused a number of physiological changes, namely: (i) a decrease in the chlorophyll content per unit of dry weight; (ii) an increase in the photosynthesis and respiration rates, and (iii) a higher induction of the xanthophyll cycle pigments as compared to non-acclimated cultures. It was concluded that the reduced H₂ output achieved in the 50-L photobioreactor was due to the different illumination pattern to which the cultures were exposed (one-sided vs. two-sided illumination provided in the laboratory), as well as to the great difference in the mixing times (60 min vs. 15.5s achieved in the lab-scale photobioreactor). To the very best of our knowledge this is the first time that H₂ production with green algae has been achieved by means of solar light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Scoma
- Istituto per lo Studio degli Ecosistemi del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-ISE), via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy
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Chiang CL, Lee CM, Chen PC. Utilization of the cyanobacteria Anabaena sp. CH1 in biological carbon dioxide mitigation processes. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2011; 102:5400-5405. [PMID: 21232935 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.10.089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2010] [Revised: 10/18/2010] [Accepted: 10/20/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Before switching totally to alternative fuel stage, CO(2) mitigation process has considered a transitional strategy for combustion of fossil fuels inevitably. In comparison to other CO(2) mitigation options, such as oceanic or geologic injection, the biological photosynthetic process would present a far superior and sustainable solution under both environmental and social considerations. The utilization of the cyanobacteria Anabaena sp. CH1 in carbon dioxide mitigation processes is analyzed in our research. It was found that an original developed photobioreactor with internal light source exhibits high light utilization. Anabaena sp. CH1 demonstrates excellent CO(2) tolerance even at 15% CO(2) level. This enables flue gas from power plant to be directly introduced to Anabaena sp. CH1 culture. Double light intensity and increased 47% CO(2) bubble retention time could enhance CO(2) removal efficiencies by 79% and 67%, respectively. A maximum CO(2) fixation rate of 1.01 g CO(2)L(-1)day(-1) was measured experimentally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Ling Chiang
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, 250, Kuo-Kuang Road, Taichung 402, Taiwan.
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27
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Koksharova OA. Application of molecular genetic and microbiological techniques in ecology and biotechnology of cyanobacteria. Microbiology (Reading) 2010. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026261710060020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
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Allakhverdiev SI, Thavasi V, Kreslavski VD, Zharmukhamedov SK, Klimov VV, Ramakrishna S, Los DA, Mimuro M, Nishihara H, Carpentier R. Photosynthetic hydrogen production. JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY C-PHOTOCHEMISTRY REVIEWS 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochemrev.2010.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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Sakurai H, Masukawa H, Kitashima M, Inoue K. A feasibility study of large-scale photobiological hydrogen production utilizing mariculture-raised cyanobacteria. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2010; 675:291-303. [PMID: 20532748 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-1528-3_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2023]
Abstract
In order to decrease CO(2) emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, the development of new renewable energy sources sufficiently large in quantity is essential. To meet this need, we propose large-scale H(2) production on the sea surface utilizing cyanobacteria. Although many of the relevant technologies are in the early stage of development, this chapter briefly examines the feasibility of such H(2) production, in order to illustrate that under certain conditions large-scale photobiological H(2) production can be viable. Assuming that solar energy is converted to H(2) at 1.2% efficiency, the future cost of H(2) can be estimated to be about 11 (pipelines) and 26.4 (compression and marine transportation) cents kWh(-1), respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidehiro Sakurai
- Research Institute for Photobiological Hydrogen Production, Kanagawa University, 2946 Tsuchiya, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1293, Kanagawa, Japan.
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Harb MK, Niksch T, Windhager J, Görls H, Holze R, Lockett LT, Okumura N, Evans DH, Glass RS, Lichtenberger DL, El-khateeb M, Weigand W. Synthesis and Characterization of Diiron Diselenolato Complexes Including Iron Hydrogenase Models. Organometallics 2009. [DOI: 10.1021/om800748p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad K. Harb
- Institut für Anorganische and Analytische Chemie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, August-Bebel-Strasse 2, 07743 Jena, Germany, Chemistry Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, 22110 Irbid, Jordan, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany, and Department of Chemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
| | - Tobias Niksch
- Institut für Anorganische and Analytische Chemie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, August-Bebel-Strasse 2, 07743 Jena, Germany, Chemistry Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, 22110 Irbid, Jordan, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany, and Department of Chemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
| | - Jochen Windhager
- Institut für Anorganische and Analytische Chemie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, August-Bebel-Strasse 2, 07743 Jena, Germany, Chemistry Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, 22110 Irbid, Jordan, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany, and Department of Chemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
| | - Helmar Görls
- Institut für Anorganische and Analytische Chemie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, August-Bebel-Strasse 2, 07743 Jena, Germany, Chemistry Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, 22110 Irbid, Jordan, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany, and Department of Chemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
| | - Rudolf Holze
- Institut für Anorganische and Analytische Chemie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, August-Bebel-Strasse 2, 07743 Jena, Germany, Chemistry Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, 22110 Irbid, Jordan, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany, and Department of Chemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
| | - L. Tori Lockett
- Institut für Anorganische and Analytische Chemie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, August-Bebel-Strasse 2, 07743 Jena, Germany, Chemistry Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, 22110 Irbid, Jordan, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany, and Department of Chemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
| | - Noriko Okumura
- Institut für Anorganische and Analytische Chemie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, August-Bebel-Strasse 2, 07743 Jena, Germany, Chemistry Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, 22110 Irbid, Jordan, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany, and Department of Chemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
| | - Dennis H. Evans
- Institut für Anorganische and Analytische Chemie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, August-Bebel-Strasse 2, 07743 Jena, Germany, Chemistry Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, 22110 Irbid, Jordan, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany, and Department of Chemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
| | - Richard S. Glass
- Institut für Anorganische and Analytische Chemie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, August-Bebel-Strasse 2, 07743 Jena, Germany, Chemistry Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, 22110 Irbid, Jordan, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany, and Department of Chemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
| | - Dennis L. Lichtenberger
- Institut für Anorganische and Analytische Chemie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, August-Bebel-Strasse 2, 07743 Jena, Germany, Chemistry Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, 22110 Irbid, Jordan, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany, and Department of Chemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
| | - Mohammad El-khateeb
- Institut für Anorganische and Analytische Chemie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, August-Bebel-Strasse 2, 07743 Jena, Germany, Chemistry Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, 22110 Irbid, Jordan, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany, and Department of Chemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
| | - Wolfgang Weigand
- Institut für Anorganische and Analytische Chemie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, August-Bebel-Strasse 2, 07743 Jena, Germany, Chemistry Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, 22110 Irbid, Jordan, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Strasse der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany, and Department of Chemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721
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Allakhverdiev SI, Kreslavski VD, Thavasi V, Zharmukhamedov SK, Klimov VV, Nagata T, Nishihara H, Ramakrishna S. Hydrogen photoproduction by use of photosynthetic organisms and biomimetic systems. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2008; 8:148-56. [PMID: 19247505 DOI: 10.1039/b814932a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Hydrogen can be important clean fuel for future. Among different technologies for hydrogen production, oxygenic natural and artificial photosyntheses using direct photochemistry in synthetic complexes have a great potential to produce hydrogen, since both use clean and cheap sources: water and solar energy. Artificial photosynthesis is one way to produce hydrogen from water using sunlight by employing biomimetic complexes. However, splitting of water into protons and oxygen is energetically demanding and chemically difficult. In oxygenic photosynthetic microorganisms such as algae and cyanobacteria, water is split into electrons and protons, which during primary photosynthetic process are redirected by photosynthetic electron transport chain, and ferredoxin, to the hydrogen-producing enzymes hydrogenase or nitrogenase. By these enzymes, e- and H+ recombine and form gaseous hydrogen. Biohydrogen activity of hydrogenase can be very high but it is extremely sensitive to photosynthetic O2. In contrast, nitrogenase is insensitive to O2, but has lower activity. At the moment, the efficiency of biohydrogen production is low. However, theoretical expectations suggest that the rates of photon conversion efficiency for H2 bioproduction can be high enough (>10%). Our review examines the main pathways of H2 photoproduction by using of photosynthetic organisms and biomimetic photosynthetic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suleyman I Allakhverdiev
- Institute of Basic Biological Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region 142290, Russia.
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Yoon JH, Shin JH, Park TH. Characterization of factors influencing the growth of Anabaena variabilis in a bubble column reactor. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2008; 99:1204-10. [PMID: 17383870 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2007.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2006] [Revised: 02/13/2007] [Accepted: 02/13/2007] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The combined effect of superficial gas velocity, pH, initial phosphate concentration, and light intensity on cell growth was investigated for the mass production of cyanobacterial cells. The light intensity was manipulated to maintain a specific irradiation rate (q(i)) at a constant level for high cell density culture. The optimum condition for the batch culture was achieved at a superficial gas velocity of 2.0 cm/s, pH 7.0, and an initial phosphate concentration of 55 mg/l when the specific irradiation rate was controlled above 11.5 micromol/s/g dry cell. In this condition, the specific growth rate and cell productivity were 1.47 day(-1) and 0.98 g dry cell/l/day, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jong Hyun Yoon
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744, Republic of Korea
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Berberoğlu H, Barra N, Pilon L, Jay J. Growth, CO2 consumption and H2 production of Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413-U under different irradiances and CO2 concentrations. J Appl Microbiol 2007; 104:105-21. [PMID: 17922826 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2007.03559.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
AIMS The objective of this study is to develop kinetic models based on batch experiments describing the growth, CO(2) consumption, and H(2) production of Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413-U(TM) as functions of irradiance and CO(2) concentration. METHODS AND RESULTS A parametric experimental study is performed for irradiances from 1120 to 16100 lux and for initial CO(2) mole fractions from 0.03 to 0.20 in argon at pH 7.0 +/- 0.4 with nitrate in the medium. Kinetic models are successfully developed based on the Monod model and on a novel scaling analysis employing the CO(2) consumption half-time as the time scale. CONCLUSIONS Monod models predict the growth, CO(2) consumption and O(2) production within 30%. Moreover, the CO(2) consumption half-time is an appropriate time scale for analysing all experimental data. In addition, the optimum initial CO(2) mole fraction is 0.05 for maximum growth and CO(2) consumption rates. Finally, the saturation irradiance is determined to be 5170 lux for CO(2) consumption and growth whereas, the maximum H(2) production rate occurs around 10,000 lux. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY The study presents kinetic models predicting the growth, CO(2) consumption and H(2) production of A. variabilis. The experimental and scaling analysis methods can be generalized to other micro-organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Berberoğlu
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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De Lacey AL, Fernandez VM, Rousset M, Cammack R. Activation and Inactivation of Hydrogenase Function and the Catalytic Cycle: Spectroelectrochemical Studies. Chem Rev 2007; 107:4304-30. [PMID: 17715982 DOI: 10.1021/cr0501947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 364] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio L De Lacey
- Instituto de CatAlisis, CSIC, Marie Curie 2, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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Ihara M, Nakamoto H, Kamachi T, Okura I, Maeda M. Photoinduced hydrogen production by direct electron transfer from photosystem I cross-linked with cytochrome c3 to [NiFe]-hydrogenase. Photochem Photobiol 2007; 82:1677-85. [PMID: 16836469 DOI: 10.1562/2006-05-07-ra-893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The photosynthetic reaction center is an efficient molecular device for the conversion of light energy to chemical energy. In a previous study, we synthesized the hydrogenase/photosystem I (PSI) complex, in which Ralstonia hydrogenase was linked to the cytoplasmic side of Synechocystis PSI, to modify PSI so that it photoproduced molecular hydrogen (H2). In that study, hydrogenase was fused with a PSI subunit, PsaE, and the resulting hydrogenase-PsaE fusion protein was self-assembled with PsaE-free PSI to give the hydrogenase/PSI complex. Although the hydrogenase/PSI complex served as a direct light-to-H2 conversion system in vitro, the activity was totally suppressed by adding physiological PSI partners, ferredoxin (Fd) and ferredoxin-NADP+-reductase (FNR). In the present study, to establish an H2 photoproduction system in which the activity is not interrupted by Fd and FNR, position 40 of PsaE from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803, corresponding to the Fd-binding site on PSI, was selected and targeted for the cross-linking with cytochrome c3 (cytc3) from Desulfovibrio vulgaris. The covalent adduct of cytc3 and PsaE was stoichiometrically assembled with PsaE-free PSI to form the cytc3/PSI complex. The NADPH production by the cytc3/PSI complex coupled with Fd and FNR decreased to approximately 20% of the original activity, whereas the H2 production by the cytc3/PSI complex coupled with hydrogenase from Desulfovibrio vulgaris was enhanced 7-fold. Consequently, in the simultaneous presence of hydrogenase, Fd, and FNR, the light-driven H2 production by the hydrogenase/cytc3/PSI complex was observed (0.30 pmol Hz/mg chlorophyll/h). These results suggest that the cytc3/PSI complex may produce H2 in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaki Ihara
- Bioengineering, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako 351-0198, Japan.
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Sakurai H, Masukawa H. Promoting R & D in photobiological hydrogen production utilizing mariculture-raised cyanobacteria. MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2007; 9:128-45. [PMID: 17340220 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-006-6073-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2006] [Accepted: 08/25/2006] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
This review article explores the potential of using mariculture-raised cyanobacteria as solar energy converters of hydrogen (H(2)). The exploitation of the sea surface for large-scale renewable energy production and the reasons for selecting the economical, nitrogenase-based systems of cyanobacteria for H(2) production, are described in terms of societal benefits. Reports of cyanobacterial photobiological H(2) production are summarized with respect to specific activity, efficiency of solar energy conversion, and maximum H(2) concentration attainable. The need for further improvements in biological parameters such as low-light saturation properties, sustainability of H(2) production, and so forth, and the means to overcome these difficulties through the identification of promising wild-type strains followed by optimization of the selected strains using genetic engineering are also discussed. Finally, a possible mechanism for the development of economical large-scale mariculture operations in conjunction with international cooperation and social acceptance is outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidehiro Sakurai
- Department of Biology, School of Education, and Major in Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Nishiwaseda 1, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 169-8050, Japan.
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Serebryakova LT, Tsygankov AA. Two-Stage System for Hydrogen Production by Immobilized CyanobacteriumGloeocapsa alpicolaCALU 743. Biotechnol Prog 2007; 23:1106-10. [PMID: 17691817 DOI: 10.1002/bp070168p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies showed that cell suspensions of unicellular nondiazotrophic cyanobacterium G. alpicola grown under nitrate-limiting conditions intensively produces H2 via fermentation of endogenous glycogen with hydrogen yield more then 90% of theoretical maximum (3.8 mol H2 per mol glucose). H2 production is realized by a Hox hydrogenase on the stages of NAD(P)H generation. Exploiting this property, the two-stage cyclic system for sustained hydrogen production was developed using a photobioreactor (PhBR) with G. alpicola immobilized on glass fiber TR-0.3. Immobilization of the cells on the matrix occurred during growth directly in PhBR operated in continuous mode; the density of culture immobilized achieved 37 g Chl alpha cm(-2). The first stage of the cycle was the photosynthetic incubations of G. alpicola in the flow of the culture medium, which contained limiting concentrations of nitrate for efficient glycogen accumulation and activation of hydrogenase. The second stage was the fermentation of glycogen, with H2 production realized in darkness with continuous Ar sparging and without medium flow. Standardization of optimal parameters for both stages provided a stable cyclic regime of the system: photosynthesis (24 hours)-fermentation (24 hours). The total amount of H2 evolved in one cycle was 957.6 mL L(-1)(matrix), and the overage rate of H2 production during the cycle (48 hours) was about 20 mL h(-1) L(-1)(matrix). Ten consequent cycles was carried out in this regime with reproducible H2 production, although PhBR with the same sample of immobilized culture was operated over a period of more then three months.
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Ihara M, Nakamoto H, Kamachi T, Okura I, Maeda M. Photoinduced Hydrogen Production by Direct Electron Transfer from Photosystem I Cross-Linked with Cytochrome c3to [NiFe]-Hydrogenase. Photochem Photobiol 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-1097.2006.tb09830.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Fan Q, Lechno-Yossef S, Ehira S, Kaneko T, Ohmori M, Sato N, Tabata S, Wolk CP. Signal transduction genes required for heterocyst maturation in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. J Bacteriol 2006; 188:6688-93. [PMID: 16952961 PMCID: PMC1595475 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01669-05] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
How heterocyst differentiation is regulated, once particular cells start to differentiate, remains largely unknown. Using near-saturation transposon mutagenesis and testing of transposon-tagged loci, we identified three presumptive regulatory genes not previously recognized as being required specifically for normal heterocyst maturation. One of these genes has a hitherto unreported mutant phenotype. Two previously identified regulatory genes were further characterized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Fan
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1312, USA
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Using reverse micelles as microreactor for hydrogen production by coupled systems of Nostoc/R. palustris and Anabaena/R. palustris. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2006. [DOI: 10.1007/s11274-006-9224-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Pinzon NM, Ju LK. Modeling Culture Profiles of the Heterocystous N2-Fixing CyanobacteriumAnabaenaflos-aquae. Biotechnol Prog 2006. [DOI: 10.1002/bp060163c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Kruse O, Rupprecht J, Mussgnug JH, Dismukes GC, Hankamer B. Photosynthesis: a blueprint for solar energy capture and biohydrogen production technologies. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2005; 4:957-70. [PMID: 16307108 DOI: 10.1039/b506923h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Solar energy capture, conversion into chemical energy and biopolymers by photoautotrophic organisms, is the basis for almost all life on Earth. A broad range of organisms have developed complex molecular machinery for the efficient conversion of sunlight to chemical energy over the past 3 billion years, which to the present day has not been matched by any man-made technologies. Chlorophyll photochemistry within photosystem II (PSII) drives the water-splitting reaction efficiently at room temperature, in contrast with the thermal dissociation reaction that requires a temperature of ca. 1550 K. The successful elucidation of the high-resolution structure of PSII, and in particular the structure of its Mn(4)Ca cluster provides an invaluable blueprint for designing solar powered biotechnologies for the future. This knowledge, combined with new molecular genetic tools, fully sequenced genomes, and an ever increasing knowledge base of physiological processes of oxygenic phototrophs has inspired scientists from many countries to develop new biotechnological strategies to produce renewable CO(2)-neutral energy from sunlight. This review focuses particularly on the potential of use of cyanobacteria and microalgae for biohydrogen production. Specifically this article reviews the predicted size of the global energy market and the constraints of global warming upon it, before detailing the complex set of biochemical pathways that underlie the photosynthetic process and how they could be modified for improved biohydrogen production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olaf Kruse
- University of Bielefeld, Department of Biology, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany.
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Prince RC, Kheshgi HS. The photobiological production of hydrogen: potential efficiency and effectiveness as a renewable fuel. Crit Rev Microbiol 2005; 31:19-31. [PMID: 15839402 DOI: 10.1080/10408410590912961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Photosynthetic microorganisms can produce hydrogen when illuminated, and there has been considerable interest in developing this to a commercially viable process. Its appealing aspects include the fact that the hydrogen would come from water, and that the process might be more energetically efficient than growing, harvesting, and processing crops. We review current knowledge about photobiological hydrogen production, and identify and discuss some of the areas where scientific and technical breakthroughs are essential for commercialization. First we describe the underlying biochemistry of the process, and identify some opportunities for improving photobiological hydrogen production at the molecular level. Then we address the fundamental quantum efficiency of the various processes that have been suggested, technological issues surrounding large-scale growth of hydrogen-producing microorganisms, and the scale and efficiency on which this would have to be practiced to make a significant contribution to current energy use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger C Prince
- ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co., Annandale, New Jersey 08801, USA.
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Cournac L, Guedeney G, Peltier G, Vignais PM. Sustained photoevolution of molecular hydrogen in a mutant of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 deficient in the type I NADPH-dehydrogenase complex. J Bacteriol 2004; 186:1737-46. [PMID: 14996805 PMCID: PMC355973 DOI: 10.1128/jb.186.6.1737-1746.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The interaction between hydrogen metabolism, respiration, and photosynthesis was studied in vivo in whole cells of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 by continuously monitoring the changes in gas concentrations (H2, CO2, and O2) with an online mass spectrometer. The in vivo activity of the bidirectional [NiFe]hydrogenase [H2:NAD(P) oxidoreductase], encoded by the hoxEFUYH genes, was also measured independently by the proton-deuterium (H-D) exchange reaction in the presence of D2. This technique allowed us to demonstrate that the hydrogenase was insensitive to light, was reversibly inactivated by O2, and could be quickly reactivated by NADH or NADPH (+H2). H2 was evolved by cells incubated anaerobically in the dark, after an adaptation period. This dark H2 evolution was enhanced by exogenously added glucose and resulted from the oxidation of NAD(P)H produced by fermentation reactions. Upon illumination, a short (less than 30-s) burst of H2 output was observed, followed by rapid H2 uptake and a concomitant decrease in CO2 concentration in the cyanobacterial cell suspension. Uptake of both H2 and CO2 was linked to photosynthetic electron transport in the thylakoids. In the ndhB mutant M55, which is defective in the type I NADPH-dehydrogenase complex (NDH-1) and produces only low amounts of O2 in the light, H2 uptake was negligible during dark-to-light transitions, allowing several minutes of continuous H2 production. A sustained rate of photoevolution of H2 corresponding to 6 micro mol of H2 mg of chlorophyll(-1) h(-1) or 2 ml of H2 liter(-1) h(-1) was observed over a longer time period in the presence of glucose and was slightly enhanced by the addition of the O2 scavenger glucose oxidase. By the use of the inhibitors DCMU [3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] and DBMIB (2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone), it was shown that two pathways of electron supply for H2 production operate in M55, namely photolysis of water at the level of photosystem II and carbohydrate-mediated reduction of the plastoquinone pool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Cournac
- CEA Cadarache, DSV, DEVM, Département d'Ecophysiologie Végétale et de Microbiologie, Laboratoire d'Ecophysiologie de la Photosynthèse, UMR 163 CNRS CEA, Univ-Méditerranée CEA 1000 F-13108 Saint Paul-Lez Durance, France
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Lindberg P, Lindblad P, Cournac L. Gas exchange in the filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme strain ATCC 29133 and Its hydrogenase-deficient mutant strain NHM5. Appl Environ Microbiol 2004; 70:2137-45. [PMID: 15066806 PMCID: PMC383079 DOI: 10.1128/aem.70.4.2137-2145.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2003] [Accepted: 12/18/2003] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Nostoc punctiforme ATCC 29133 is a nitrogen-fixing, heterocystous cyanobacterium of symbiotic origin. During nitrogen fixation, it produces molecular hydrogen (H(2)), which is recaptured by an uptake hydrogenase. Gas exchange in cultures of N. punctiforme ATCC 29133 and its hydrogenase-free mutant strain NHM5 was studied. Exchange of O(2), CO(2), N(2), and H(2) was followed simultaneously with a mass spectrometer in cultures grown under nitrogen-fixing conditions. Isotopic tracing was used to separate evolution and uptake of CO(2) and O(2). The amount of H(2) produced per molecule of N(2) fixed was found to vary with light conditions, high light giving a greater increase in H(2) production than N(2) fixation. The ratio under low light and high light was approximately 1.4 and 6.1 molecules of H(2) produced per molecule of N(2) fixed, respectively. Incubation under high light for a longer time, until the culture was depleted of CO(2), caused a decrease in the nitrogen fixation rate. At the same time, hydrogen production in the hydrogenase-deficient strain was increased from an initial rate of approximately 6 micro mol (mg of chlorophyll a)(-1) h(-1) to 9 micro mol (mg of chlorophyll a)(-1) h(-1) after about 50 min. A light-stimulated hydrogen-deuterium exchange activity stemming from the nitrogenase was observed in the two strains. The present findings are important for understanding this nitrogenase-based system, aiming at photobiological hydrogen production, as we have identified the conditions under which the energy flow through the nitrogenase can be directed towards hydrogen production rather than nitrogen fixation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Lindberg
- Department of Physiological Botany, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Uppsala University, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
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