Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Hydrogenases”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

115 records · Page 7

Tindallia californiensis sp. nov., a new anaerobic, haloalkaliphilic, spore-forming acetogen isolated from Mono Lake in California

A novel extremely haloalkaliphilic, strictly anaerobic, acetogenic bacterium strain APO was isolated from sediments of the athalassic, meromictic, alkaline Mono Lake in California. The Gram-positive, spore-forming, slightly curved rods with sizes 0.55- 0.7x1.7-3.0 microns were motile by a single laterally attached flagellum. Strain APO was mesophilic (range 10-48 C, optimum of 37 C); halophilic (NaCl range 1-20% (w/v) with optimum of 3-5% (w/v), and alkaliphilic (pH range 8.0-10.5, optimum 9.5). The novel isolate required sodium ions in the medium. Strain APO was an organotroph with a fermentative type of metabolism and used the substrates peptone, bacto-tryptone, casamino acid, yeast extract, L-serine, L-lysine, L-histidine, L-arginine, and pyruvate. The new isolate performed the Stickland reaction with the following amino acid pairs: proline + alanine, glycine + alanine, and tryptophan + valine. The main end product of growth was acetate. High activity of CO dehydrogenase and hydrogenase indicated the presence of a homoacetogenic, non-cycling acetyl-coA pathway. Strain APO was resistant to kanamycin but sensitive to chloramphenicol, tetracycline, and gentamycin. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 44.4 mol% (by HPLC method). The sequence of the 16s rRNA gene of strain APO possessed 98.2% similarity with the sequence from Tindullia magadiensis Z-7934, but the DNA-DNA hybridization value between these organisms was only 55%. On the basis of these physiological and molecular properties, strain APO is proposed to be a novel species of the genus Tindallia with the name Tindallia californiensis sp. nov., (type strain APO = ATCC BAA-393 - DSM 14871).

Pikuta, E. V.↗

Permanent Draft Genome of Strain ESFC-1: Ecological Genomics of a Newly Discovered Lineage of Filamentous Diazotrophic Cyanobacteria

The nonheterocystous filamentous cyanobacterium, strain ESFC-1, is a recently described member of the order Oscillatoriales within the Cyanobacteria. ESFC-1 has been shown to be a major diazotroph in the intertidal microbial mat system at Elkhorn Slough, CA, USA. Based on phylogenetic analyses of the 16S RNA gene, ESFC-1 appears to belong to a unique, genus-level divergence; the draft genome sequence of this strain has now been determined. Here we report features of this genome as they relate to the ecological functions and capabilities of strain ESFC-1. The 5,632,035 bp genome sequence encodes 4914 protein-coding genes and 92 RNA genes. One striking feature of this cyanobacterium is the apparent lack of either uptake or bi-directional hydrogenases typically expected within a diazotroph. Additionally, a large genomic island is found that contains numerous low GC-content genes and genes related to extracellular polysaccharide production and cell wall synthesis and maintenance.

R Craig Everroad↗

Organometallic Compounds as Carriers of Extraterrestrial Cyanide in Primitive Meteorites

Extraterrestrial delivery of cyanide may have been crucial for the origin of life on Earth since cyanide is involved in the abiotic synthesis of numerous organic compounds found in extant life; however, little is known about the abundance and species of cyanide present in meteorites. Here, we report cyanide abundance in a set of CM chondrites ranging from 50 ± 1 to 2472 ± 38 nmol·g1, which relates to the degree of aqueous alteration of the meteorite and indicates that parent body processing inuenced cyanide abundance. Analysis of the Lewis Cliff 85311 meteorite shows that its releasable cyanide is primarily in the form of [FeII (CN)5(CO)]3 and [FeII(CN)4(CO)2]2-. Meteoritic delivery of iron cyanocarbonyl complexes to early Earth likely provided an important point source of free cyanide. Iron cyanocarbonyl complexes may have served as precursors to the unusual FeII(CN)(CO) moieties that form the catalytic centers of hydrogenases, which are thought to be among the earliest enzymes.

cyanide↗

Prospects for engineering Ralstonia eutropha and Zymomonas mobilis for the autotrophic production of 2,3-butanediol from CO 2 and H 2

The decarbonization of the chemical industry and a shift toward circular economies because of high global CO 2 emissions make CO 2 an attractive feedstock for manufacturing chemicals. Moreover, H 2 is a low-cost and carbon-free reductant because technologies such as solar-driven electrolysis and supercritical water (scH 2 O) gasification enable sustainable production of molecular hydrogen (H 2 ). We review the recent advances in engineering Ralstonia eutropha, the representative species of "Knallgas" bacteria, for utilizing CO 2 and H 2 to autotrophically produce 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO). This assessment is focused on state-of-the-art approaches for splitting H 2 to supply energy in the form of ATP and NADH to power cellular reactions and employing the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle for CO 2 fixation. Major challenges and opportunities for application and future perspectives are discussed in the context of developing other promising CO 2 and H 2 -utilizing microorganisms, exemplified by Zymomonas mobilis.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Influence of cellular redox reactions on the structure and function of light harvesting and photosystems

Photosynthesis enables the conversion of one of the most abundant and free forms of energy, sunlight, into chemical bonds through the utilization of highly tailored protein complexes. These enzymes work in unison to absorb, convert, and transform light into high-energy electrons which are used for various functions important to metabolism and cellular protection. Over the last ∼50 years, photosynthetic organisms, such as cyanobacteria, have been adapted and engineered to produce valuable compounds like hydrogen and ethylene, among others. Often this is performed by removing native and/or adding in exogenous energy utilization pathways so that light energy is re-directed towards the synthesis of desired compounds. However, the interplay between primary light capture, conversion reactions, and the downstream electron utilization sinks is not fully understood. Further complicating these strategies are the plethora of compensatory mechanisms that facilitate steady electron flow and the maintenance of photosynthesis under dynamic conditions. This manifests as structural and functional plasticity of the photosynthetic machinery, often seen in modulations of oligomeric compositions or changes in protein-protein interactions and coupling with redox enzymes. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial to biotechnology applications because re-engineering electron utilization sinks has profoundly different effects on the light capture and conversion reactions of photosynthesis. Optimization requires a molecular-level understanding of the functional interrelationships between electron sinks and photosynthetic components that influence photosynthetic efficiencies to realize potential improvements in product yields. Here, we aim to highlight how perturbation of reductive reactions is revealing the functional plasticity in key components of the photosynthetic energy transduction pathway.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗