Carrie Eckert

The role of the bidirectional hydrogenase in cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria have tremendous potential to produce clean, renewable fuel in the form of hydrogen gas derived from solar energy and water. Of the two cyanobacterial enzymes capable of evolving hydrogen gas (nitrogenase and the bidirectional hydrogenase), the hox-encoded bidirectional Ni-Fe hydrogenase has a high theoretical potential. The physiological role of this hydrogenase is a highly debated topic and is poorly understood relative to that of the nitrogenase. Here the structure, assembly, and expression of this enzyme, as well as its probable roles in metabolism, are discussed and analyzed to gain perspective on its physiological role. It is concluded that the bidirectional hydrogenase in cyanobacteria primarily functions as a redox regulator for maintaining a proper oxidation/reduction state in the cell. Recommendations for future research to test this hypothesis are discussed.

Ethylene-forming enzyme and bioethylene production

Worldwide, ethylene is the most produced organic compound. It serves as a building block for a wide variety of plastics, textiles, and chemicals, and a process has been developed for its conversion into liquid transportation fuels. Currently, commercial ethylene production involves steam cracking of fossil fuels, and is the highest CO2-emitting process in the chemical industry. Therefore, there is great interest in developing technology for ethylene production from renewable resources including CO2 and biomass. Ethylene is produced naturally by plants and some microbes that live with plants. One of the metabolic pathways used by microbes is via an ethylene-forming enzyme (EFE), which uses α-ketoglutarate and arginine as substrates. EFE is a promising biotechnology target because the expression of a single gene is sufficient for ethylene production in the absence of toxic intermediates. Here we present the first comprehensive review and analysis of EFE, including its discovery, sequence diversity, reaction mechanism, predicted involvement in diverse metabolic modes, heterologous expression, and requirements for harvesting of bioethylene. A number of knowledge gaps and factors that limit ethylene productivity are identified, as well as strategies that could guide future research directions.

Genetic Analysis of the Hox Hydrogenase in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 Reveals Subunit Roles in Association, Assembly, Maturation, and Function

Background: Hox hydrogenase (HoxEFUYH) is present in some bacteria and cyanobacteria. Results: In Synechocystis, HoxYH and HoxEFU form subcomplexes that can be disrupted in Hox subunit mutants. Conclusion: Hox assembly is modular and most reliant on the presence of HoxF and -U, consistent with effects on Hox protein abundance and activity. Significance: Subcomplexes of Hox hydrogenase may represent steps in complex assembly and maturation. Hydrogenases are metalloenzymes that catalyze 2H+ + 2e− ↔ H2. A multisubunit, bidirectional [NiFe]-hydrogenase has been identified and characterized in a number of bacteria, including cyanobacteria, where it is hypothesized to function as an electron valve, balancing reductant in the cell. In cyanobacteria, this Hox hydrogenase consists of five proteins in two functional moieties: a hydrogenase moiety (HoxYH) with homology to heterodimeric [NiFe]-hydrogenases and a diaphorase moiety (HoxEFU) with homology to NuoEFG of respiratory Complex I, linking NAD(P)H ↔ NAD(P)+ as a source/sink for electrons. Here, we present an extensive study of Hox hydrogenase in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. We identify the presence of HoxEFUYH, HoxFUYH, HoxEFU, HoxFU, and HoxYH subcomplexes as well as association of the immature, unprocessed large subunit (HoxH) with other Hox subunits and unidentified factors, providing a basis for understanding Hox maturation and assembly. The analysis of mutants containing individual and combined hox gene deletions in a common parental strain reveals apparent alterations in subunit abundance and highlights an essential role for HoxF and HoxU in complex/subcomplex association. In addition, analysis of individual and combined hox mutant phenotypes in a single strain background provides a clear view of the function of each subunit in hydrogenase activity and presents evidence that its physiological function is more complicated than previously reported, with no outward defects apparent in growth or photosynthesis under various growth conditions.

Hydrogen Production by Water Biophotolysis

The use of microalgae for production of hydrogen gas from water photolysis has been studied for many years, but its commercialization is still limited by multiple challenges. Most of the barriers to commercialization are attributed to the existence of biological regulatory mechanisms that, under anaerobic conditions, quench the absorbed light energy, down-regulate linear electron transfer, inactivate the H2-producing enzyme, and compete for electrons with the hydrogenase. Consequently, the conversion efficiency of absorbed photons into H2 is significantly lower than its estimated potential of 12–13 %. However, extensive research continues towards addressing these barriers by either trying to understand and circumvent intracellular regulatory mechanisms at the enzyme and metabolic level or by developing biological systems that achieve prolonged H2 production albeit under lower than 12–13 % solar conversion efficiency. This chapter describes the metabolic pathways involved in biological H2 photoproduction from water photolysis, the attributes of the two hydrogenases, [FeFe] and [NiFe], that catalyze biological H2 production, and highlights research related to addressing the barriers described above. These highlights include: (a) recent advances in improving our understanding of the O2 inactivation mechanism in different classes of hydrogenases; (b) progress made in preventing competitive pathways from diverting electrons from H2 photoproduction; and (c) new developments in bypassing the non-dissipated proton gradient from down-regulating photosynthetic electron transfer. As an example of a major success story, we mention the generation of truncated-antenna mutants in Chlamydomonas and Synechocystis that address the inherent low-light saturation of photosynthesis. In addition, we highlight the rationale and progress towards coupling biological hydrogenases to non-biological, photochemical charge-separation as a means to bypass the barriers of photobiological systems.

CRISPR-Enabled Tools for Engineering Microbial Genomes and Phenotypes

In recent years CRISPR‐Cas technologies have revolutionized microbial engineering approaches. Genome editing and non‐editing applications of various CRISPR‐Cas systems have expanded the throughput and scale of engineering efforts, as well as opened up new avenues for manipulating genomes of non‐model organisms. As we expand the range of organisms used for biotechnological applications, we need to develop better, more versatile tools for manipulation of these systems. Here the authors summarize the current advances in microbial gene editing using CRISPR‐Cas based tools and highlight state‐of‐the‐art methods for high‐throughput, efficient genome‐scale engineering in model organisms Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The authors also review non‐editing CRISPR‐Cas applications available for gene expression manipulation, epigenetic remodeling, RNA editing, labeling, and synthetic gene circuit design. Finally, the authors point out the areas of research that need further development in order to expand the range of applications and increase the utility of these new methods.

Genome Annotation Provides Insight into Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen Metabolism in Rubrivivax gelatinosus

We report here the sequencing and analysis of the genome of the purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacterium Rubrivivax gelatinosus CBS. This microbe is a model for studies of its carboxydotrophic life style under anaerobic condition, based on its ability to utilize carbon monoxide (CO) as the sole carbon substrate and water as the electron acceptor, yielding CO2 and H2 as the end products. The CO-oxidation reaction is known to be catalyzed by two enzyme complexes, the CO dehydrogenase and hydrogenase. As expected, analysis of the genome of Rx. gelatinosus CBS reveals the presence of genes encoding both enzyme complexes. The CO-oxidation reaction is CO-inducible, which is consistent with the presence of two putative CO-sensing transcription factors in its genome. Genome analysis also reveals the presence of two additional hydrogenases, an uptake hydrogenase that liberates the electrons in H2 in support of cell growth, and a regulatory hydrogenase that senses H2 and relays the signal to a two-component system that ultimately controls synthesis of the uptake hydrogenase. The genome also contains two sets of hydrogenase maturation genes which are known to assemble the catalytic metallocluster of the hydrogenase NiFe active site. Collectively, the genome sequence and analysis information reveals the blueprint of an intricate network of signal transduction pathways and its underlying regulation that enables Rx. gelatinosus CBS to thrive on CO or H2 in support of cell growth.

Multiplex navigation of global regulatory networks (MINR) in yeast for improved ethanol tolerance and production

Multiplex navigation of global regulatory networks (MINR) is an approach for combinatorially reprogramming gene expression to manipulate complex phenotypes. We designed, constructed, and mapped MINR libraries containing 43,020 specific mutations in 25 regulatory genes expected to perturb the yeast regulatory network. We selected growth competition experiments for library mutants conferring increased ethanol and/or glucose tolerance. We identified specific mutants that not only possessed improved ethanol and/or glucose tolerance but also produced ethanol at concentrations up to 2-fold higher than those produced by the wild-type strain. We further determined that mutations increasing ethanol tolerance were transferable to a diploid industrial yeast strain. The facile construction and mapping of 43,020 designer regulatory mutations provide a roadmap for how to access and engineer complex phenotypes in future synthetic biology and broader efforts.