Scientists have spent decades genetically modifying the bacterium Escherichia coli and other microbes to convert carbon dioxide into useful biological products. Most methods require additional carbon sources, however, adding to the cost. A new study overcomes this limitation by combining the photosynthetic finesse of a single-celled algae with the production capabilities of the bacteria E. coli.
- Illinois News Bureau
The researchers report their results in the journal Metabolic Engineering.
This is not the first line of research to combine the special talents of photosynthetic organisms with other microbes. Previous studies have used cyanobacteria to take in CO2 and convert it into sugars that are then taken up by bacteria or yeast as a fuel and carbon source, said study lead Yong-Su Jin, a professor of food science and human nutrition and an affiliate of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The new method differs from those because the microalgae used, a mutant form of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, takes in CO2 and excretes an organic acid, glycolate. E. coli readily consumes glycolate, but many other organisms cannot, whereas sugar has universal appeal and can feed a variety of microorganisms.
