1
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Ye Q, Wang D, Wei N. Engineering biomaterials for the recovery of rare earth elements. Trends Biotechnol 2024; 42:575-590. [PMID: 37985335 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The escalating global demand for rare earth elements (REEs) and the overabundance of REE-containing waste require innovative technologies for REE recovery from waste to achieve a sustainable supply of REEs while reducing the environmental burden. Biosorption mediated by peptides or proteins has emerged as a promising approach for selective REE recovery. To date, multiple peptides and proteins with high REE-binding affinity and selectivity have been discovered, and various strategies are being exploited to engineer robust and reusable biosorptive materials for selective REE recovery. This review highlights recent advances in discovering and engineering peptides and proteins for REE recovery. Future research prospects and challenges are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quanhui Ye
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Dong Wang
- School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Na Wei
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
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2
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Jones E, Su Y, Sander C, Justman QA, Springer M, Silver PA. LanTERN: A Fluorescent Sensor That Specifically Responds to Lanthanides. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:958-962. [PMID: 38377571 PMCID: PMC10949232 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Lanthanides, a series of 15 f-block elements, are crucial in modern technology, and their purification by conventional chemical means comes at a significant environmental cost. Synthetic biology offers promising solutions. However, progress in developing synthetic biology approaches is bottlenecked because it is challenging to measure lanthanide binding with current biochemical tools. Here we introduce LanTERN, a lanthanide-responsive fluorescent protein. LanTERN was designed based on GCaMP, a genetically encoded calcium indicator that couples the ion binding of four EF hand motifs to increased GFP fluorescence. We engineered eight mutations across the parent construct's four EF hand motifs to switch specificity from calcium to lanthanides. The resulting protein, LanTERN, directly converts the binding of 10 measured lanthanides to 14-fold or greater increased fluorescence. LanTERN development opens new avenues for creating improved lanthanide-binding proteins and biosensing systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan
M. Jones
- Department
of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Wyss
Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Yang Su
- Department
of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Chris Sander
- Department
of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Quincey A. Justman
- Department
of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Michael Springer
- Department
of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Wyss
Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Pamela A. Silver
- Department
of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Wyss
Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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3
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Deblonde GJP, Morrison K, Mattocks JA, Cotruvo JA, Zavarin M, Kersting AB. Impact of a Biological Chelator, Lanmodulin, on Minor Actinide Aqueous Speciation and Transport in the Environment. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:20830-20843. [PMID: 37897703 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c06033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Minor actinides are major contributors to the long-term radiotoxicity of nuclear fuels and other radioactive wastes. In this context, understanding their interactions with natural chelators and minerals is key to evaluating their transport behavior in the environment. The lanmodulin family of metalloproteins is produced by ubiquitous bacteria and Methylorubrum extorquens lanmodulin (LanM) was recently identified as one of nature's most selective chelators for trivalent f-elements. Herein, we investigated the behavior of neptunium, americium, and curium in the presence of LanM, carbonate ions, and common minerals (calcite, montmorillonite, quartz, and kaolinite). We show that LanM's aqueous complexes with Am(III) and Cm(III) remain stable in carbonate-bicarbonate solutions. Furthermore, the sorption of Am(III) to these minerals is strongly impacted by LanM, while Np(V) sorption is not. With calcite, even a submicromolar concentration of LanM leads to a significant reduction in the Am(III) distribution coefficient (Kd, from >104 to ∼102 mL/g at pH 8.5), rendering it even more mobile than Np(V). Thus, LanM-type chelators can potentially increase the mobility of trivalent actinides and lanthanide fission products under environmentally relevant conditions. Monitoring biological chelators, including metalloproteins, and their biogenerators should therefore be considered during the evaluation of radioactive waste repository sites and the risk assessment of contaminated sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gauthier J-P Deblonde
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
- Glenn T. Seaborg Institute, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - Keith Morrison
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
- Glenn T. Seaborg Institute, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - Joseph A Mattocks
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Joseph A Cotruvo
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Mavrik Zavarin
- Glenn T. Seaborg Institute, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - Annie B Kersting
- Glenn T. Seaborg Institute, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
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4
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Mattocks JA, Jung JJ, Lin CY, Dong Z, Yennawar NH, Featherston ER, Kang-Yun CS, Hamilton TA, Park DM, Boal AK, Cotruvo JA. Enhanced rare-earth separation with a metal-sensitive lanmodulin dimer. Nature 2023; 618:87-93. [PMID: 37259003 PMCID: PMC10232371 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05945-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Technologically critical rare-earth elements are notoriously difficult to separate, owing to their subtle differences in ionic radius and coordination number1-3. The natural lanthanide-binding protein lanmodulin (LanM)4,5 is a sustainable alternative to conventional solvent-extraction-based separation6. Here we characterize a new LanM, from Hansschlegelia quercus (Hans-LanM), with an oligomeric state sensitive to rare-earth ionic radius, the lanthanum(III)-induced dimer being >100-fold tighter than the dysprosium(III)-induced dimer. X-ray crystal structures illustrate how picometre-scale differences in radius between lanthanum(III) and dysprosium(III) are propagated to Hans-LanM's quaternary structure through a carboxylate shift that rearranges a second-sphere hydrogen-bonding network. Comparison to the prototypal LanM from Methylorubrum extorquens reveals distinct metal coordination strategies, rationalizing Hans-LanM's greater selectivity within the rare-earth elements. Finally, structure-guided mutagenesis of a key residue at the Hans-LanM dimer interface modulates dimerization in solution and enables single-stage, column-based separation of a neodymium(III)/dysprosium(III) mixture to >98% individual element purities. This work showcases the natural diversity of selective lanthanide recognition motifs, and it reveals rare-earth-sensitive dimerization as a biological principle by which to tune the performance of biomolecule-based separation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A Mattocks
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Jonathan J Jung
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Chi-Yun Lin
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Ziye Dong
- Critical Materials Institute, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
| | - Neela H Yennawar
- The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Emily R Featherston
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Christina S Kang-Yun
- Critical Materials Institute, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
| | - Timothy A Hamilton
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Dan M Park
- Critical Materials Institute, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA.
| | - Amie K Boal
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Joseph A Cotruvo
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
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5
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Pallares RM, Charrier M, Tejedor-Sanz S, Li D, Ashby PD, Ajo-Franklin CM, Ralston CY, Abergel RJ. Precision Engineering of 2D Protein Layers as Chelating Biogenic Scaffolds for Selective Recovery of Rare-Earth Elements. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:854-861. [PMID: 34985894 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c10802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Rare-earth elements, which include the lanthanide series, are key components of many clean energy technologies, including wind turbines and photovoltaics. Because most of these 4f metals are at high risk of supply chain disruption, the development of new recovery technologies is necessary to avoid future shortages, which may impact renewable energy production. This paper reports the synthesis of a non-natural biogenic material as a potential platform for bioinspired lanthanide extraction. The biogenic material takes advantage of the atomically precise structure of a 2D crystalline protein lattice with the high lanthanide binding affinity of hydroxypyridinonate chelators. Luminescence titration data demonstrated that the engineered protein layers have affinities for all tested lanthanides in the micromolar-range (dissociation constants) and a higher binding affinity for the lanthanide ions with a smaller ionic radius. Furthermore, competitive titrations confirmed the higher selectivity (up to several orders of magnitude) of the biogenic material for lanthanides compared to other cations commonly found in f-element sources. Lastly, the functionalized protein layers could be reused in several cycles by desorbing the bound metal with citrate solutions. Taken together, these results highlight biogenic materials as promising bioadsorption platforms for the selective binding of lanthanides, with potential applications in the recovery of these critical elements from waste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger M Pallares
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Marimikel Charrier
- Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Sara Tejedor-Sanz
- Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Dong Li
- Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Paul D Ashby
- Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Caroline M Ajo-Franklin
- Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States.,Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, United States
| | - Corie Y Ralston
- Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Rebecca J Abergel
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States.,Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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6
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Singer H, Drobot B, Zeymer C, Steudtner R, Daumann LJ. Americium preferred: lanmodulin, a natural lanthanide-binding protein favors an actinide over lanthanides. Chem Sci 2021; 12:15581-15587. [PMID: 35003587 PMCID: PMC8654097 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc04827a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The separation and recycling of lanthanides is an active area of research with a growing demand that calls for more environmentally friendly lanthanide sources. Likewise, the efficient and industrial separation of lanthanides from the minor actinides (Np, Am–Fm) is one of the key questions for closing the nuclear fuel cycle; reducing costs and increasing safety. With the advent of the field of lanthanide-dependent bacterial metabolism, bio-inspired applications are in reach. Here, we utilize the natural lanthanide chelator lanmodulin and the luminescent probes Eu3+ and Cm3+ to investigate the inter-metal competition behavior of all lanthanides (except Pm) and the major actinide plutonium as well as three minor actinides neptunium, americium and curium to lanmodulin. Using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy we show that lanmodulin has the highest relative binding affinity to Nd3+ and Eu3+ among the lanthanide series. When equimolar mixtures of Cm3+ and Am3+ are added to lanmodulin, lanmodulin preferentially binds to Am3+ over Cm3+ whilst Nd3+ and Cm3+ bind with similar relative affinity. The results presented show that a natural lanthanide-binding protein can bind a major and various minor actinides with high relative affinity, paving the way to bio-inspired separation applications. In addition, an easy and versatile method was developed, using the fluorescence properties of only two elements, Eu and Cm, for inter-metal competition studies regarding lanthanides and selected actinides and their binding to biological molecules. In need of environmentally friendly methods for the separation and recycling of lanthanides and actinides, the binding of the protein lanmodulin to lanthanides and actinides was studied using time resolved laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Singer
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich Butenandtstraße 5 - 13 81377 München Germany
| | - Björn Drobot
- Institute of Resource Ecology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V. Bautzner Landstraße 400 01328 Dresden Germany
| | - Cathleen Zeymer
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität München Lichtenbergstraße 4 85748 Garching Germany
| | - Robin Steudtner
- Institute of Resource Ecology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V. Bautzner Landstraße 400 01328 Dresden Germany
| | - Lena J Daumann
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich Butenandtstraße 5 - 13 81377 München Germany
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7
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Deblonde GJP, Mattocks JA, Wang H, Gale EM, Kersting AB, Zavarin M, Cotruvo JA. Characterization of Americium and Curium Complexes with the Protein Lanmodulin: A Potential Macromolecular Mechanism for Actinide Mobility in the Environment. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:15769-15783. [PMID: 34542285 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c07103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic radionuclides, including long-lived heavy actinides such as americium and curium, represent the primary long-term challenge for management of nuclear waste. The potential release of these wastes into the environment necessitates understanding their interactions with biogeochemical compounds present in nature. Here, we characterize the interactions between the heavy actinides, Am3+ and Cm3+, and the natural lanthanide-binding protein, lanmodulin (LanM). LanM is produced abundantly by methylotrophic bacteria, including Methylorubrum extorquens, that are widespread in the environment. We determine the first stability constant for an Am3+-protein complex (Am3LanM) and confirm the results with Cm3LanM, indicating a ∼5-fold higher affinity than that for lanthanides with most similar ionic radius, Nd3+ and Sm3+, and making LanM the strongest known heavy actinide-binding protein. The protein's high selectivity over 243Am's daughter nuclide 239Np enables lab-scale actinide-actinide separations as well as provides insight into potential protein-driven mobilization for these actinides in the environment. The luminescence properties of the Cm3+-LanM complex, and NMR studies of Gd3+-LanM, reveal that lanmodulin-bound f-elements possess two coordinated solvent molecules across a range of metal ionic radii. Finally, we show under a wide range of environmentally relevant conditions that lanmodulin effectively outcompetes desferrioxamine B, a hydroxamate siderophore previously proposed to be important in trivalent actinide mobility. These results suggest that natural lanthanide-binding proteins such as lanmodulin may play important roles in speciation and mobility of actinides in the environment; it also suggests that protein-based biotechnologies may provide a new frontier in actinide remediation, detection, and separations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gauthier J-P Deblonde
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States.,Glenn T. Seaborg Institute, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - Joseph A Mattocks
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Huan Wang
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 149 Thirteenth Street, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
| | - Eric M Gale
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 149 Thirteenth Street, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
| | - Annie B Kersting
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States.,Glenn T. Seaborg Institute, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - Mavrik Zavarin
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States.,Glenn T. Seaborg Institute, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, United States
| | - Joseph A Cotruvo
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
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