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Peidong Yang - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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spectroscopic elucidation of energy transfer in hybrid inorganic biological organisms for solar to chemical production
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2016Co-Authors: Nikolay Kornienko, Kelsey K Sakimoto, David M Herlihy, Son C Nguyen, Paul A Alivisatos, Charles B Harris, Adam M Schwartzberg, Peidong YangAbstract:The rise of inorganic–biological hybrid organisms for solar-to-chemical production has spurred mechanistic investigations into the dynamics of the biotic–abiotic interface to drive the development of next-generation systems. The model system, Moorella thermoacetica–cadmium sulfide (CdS), combines an inorganic semiconductor nanoparticle light harvester with an acetogenic bacterium to drive the photosynthetic reduction of CO2 to acetic acid with high efficiency. In this work, we report insights into this unique electrotrophic behavior and propose a charge-transfer mechanism from CdS to M. thermoacetica. Transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy revealed that photoexcited electron transfer rates increase with increasing hydrogenase (H2ase) enzyme activity. On the same time scale as the TA spectroscopy, time-resolved infrared (TRIR) spectroscopy showed spectral changes in the 1,700–1,900-cm−1 spectral region. The quantum efficiency of this system for photosynthetic acetic acid generation also increased with increasing H2ase activity and shorter carrier lifetimes when averaged over the first 24 h of photosynthesis. However, within the initial 3 h of photosynthesis, the rate followed an opposite trend: The bacteria with the lowest H2ase activity photosynthesized acetic acid the fastest. These results suggest a two-pathway mechanism: a high quantum efficiency charge-transfer pathway to H2ase generating H2 as a molecular intermediate that dominates at long time scales (24 h), and a direct energy-transducing enzymatic pathway responsible for acetic acid production at short time scales (3 h). This work represents a promising platform to utilize conventional spectroscopic methodology to extract insights from more complex biotic–abiotic hybrid systems.
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cysteine cystine photoregeneration for oxygenic photosynthesis of acetic acid from co2 by a tandem inorganic biological hybrid system
Nano Letters, 2016Co-Authors: Kelsey K Sakimoto, Stephanie J Zhang, Peidong YangAbstract:Tandem “Z-scheme” approaches to solar-to-chemical production afford the ability to independently develop and optimize reductive photocatalysts for CO2 reduction to multicarbon compounds and oxidative photocatalysts for O2 evolution. To connect the two redox processes, molecular redox shuttles, reminiscent of biological electron transfer, offer an additional level of facile chemical tunability that eliminates the need for solid-state semiconductor junction engineering. In this work, we report a tandem inorganic–biological hybrid system capable of oxygenic photosynthesis of acetic acid from CO2. The photoreductive catalyst consists of the bacterium Moorella thermoacetica self-photosensitized with CdS nanoparticles at the expense of the thiol amino acid cysteine (Cys) oxidation to the disulfide form cystine (CySS). To regenerate the CySS/Cys redox shuttle, the photooxidative catalyst, TiO2 loaded with cocatalyst Mn(II) phthalocyanine (MnPc), couples water oxidation to CySS reduction. The combined system M. t...
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cysteine cystine photoregeneration for oxygenic photosynthesis of acetic acid from co2 by a tandem inorganic biological hybrid system
Nano Letters, 2016Co-Authors: Kelsey K Sakimoto, Stephanie J Zhang, Peidong YangAbstract:Tandem "Z-scheme" approaches to solar-to-chemical production afford the ability to independently develop and optimize reductive photocatalysts for CO2 reduction to multicarbon compounds and oxidative photocatalysts for O2 evolution. To connect the two redox processes, molecular redox shuttles, reminiscent of biological electron transfer, offer an additional level of facile chemical tunability that eliminates the need for solid-state semiconductor junction engineering. In this work, we report a tandem inorganic-biological hybrid system capable of oxygenic photosynthesis of acetic acid from CO2. The photoreductive catalyst consists of the bacterium Moorella thermoacetica self-photosensitized with CdS nanoparticles at the expense of the thiol amino acid cysteine (Cys) oxidation to the disulfide form cystine (CySS). To regenerate the CySS/Cys redox shuttle, the photooxidative catalyst, TiO2 loaded with cocatalyst Mn(II) phthalocyanine (MnPc), couples water oxidation to CySS reduction. The combined system M. thermoacetica-CdS + TiO2-MnPc demonstrates a potential biomimetic approach to complete oxygenic solar-to-chemical production.
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Cysteine–Cystine Photoregeneration for Oxygenic Photosynthesis of Acetic Acid from CO2 by a Tandem Inorganic–Biological Hybrid System
2016Co-Authors: Kelsey K Sakimoto, Stephanie J Zhang, Peidong YangAbstract:Tandem “Z-scheme” approaches to solar-to-chemical production afford the ability to independently develop and optimize reductive photocatalysts for CO2 reduction to multicarbon compounds and oxidative photocatalysts for O2 evolution. To connect the two redox processes, molecular redox shuttles, reminiscent of biological electron transfer, offer an additional level of facile chemical tunability that eliminates the need for solid-state semiconductor junction engineering. In this work, we report a tandem inorganic–biological hybrid system capable of oxygenic photosynthesis of acetic acid from CO2. The photoreductive catalyst consists of the bacterium Moorella thermoacetica self-photosensitized with CdS nanoparticles at the expense of the thiol amino acid cysteine (Cys) oxidation to the disulfide form cystine (CySS). To regenerate the CySS/Cys redox shuttle, the photooxidative catalyst, TiO2 loaded with cocatalyst Mn(II) phthalocyanine (MnPc), couples water oxidation to CySS reduction. The combined system M. thermoacetica–CdS + TiO2–MnPc demonstrates a potential biomimetic approach to complete oxygenic solar-to-chemical production
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Self-photosensitization of nonphotosynthetic bacteria for solar-to-chemical production
Science (New York N.Y.), 2015Co-Authors: Kelsey K Sakimoto, Andrew B. Wong, Peidong YangAbstract:Improving natural photosynthesis can enable the sustainable production of chemicals. However, neither purely artificial nor purely biological approaches seem poised to realize the potential of solar-to-chemical synthesis. We developed a hybrid approach, whereby we combined the highly efficient light harvesting of inorganic semiconductors with the high specificity, low cost, and self-replication and -repair of biocatalysts. We induced the self-photosensitization of a nonphotosynthetic bacterium, Moorella thermoacetica, with cadmium sulfide nanoparticles, enabling the photosynthesis of acetic acid from carbon dioxide. Biologically precipitated cadmium sulfide nanoparticles served as the light harvester to sustain cellular metabolism. This self-augmented biological system selectively produced acetic acid continuously over several days of light-dark cycles at relatively high quantum yields, demonstrating a self-replicating route toward solar-to-chemical carbon dioxide reduction.
Stephen W. Ragsdale - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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negative stain electron microscopy reveals dramatic structural rearrangements in ni fe s dependent carbon monoxide dehydrogenase acetyl coa synthase
Structure, 2021Co-Authors: Steven E Cohen, Stephen W. Ragsdale, Edward J Brignole, Elizabeth C Wittenborn, Mehmet Can, Samuel Thompson, Catherine L DrennanAbstract:Summary The Ni-Fe-S-containing A-cluster of acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) synthase (ACS) assembles acetyl-CoA from carbon monoxide (CO), a methyl group (CH3+), and CoA. To accomplish this feat, ACS must bind CoA and interact with two other proteins that contribute the CO and CH3+, respectively: CO dehydrogenase (CODH) and corrinoid Fe-S protein (CFeSP). Previous structural data show that, in the model acetogen Moorella thermoacetica, domain 1 of ACS binds to CODH such that a 70-A-long internal channel is created that allows CO to travel from CODH to the A-cluster. The A-cluster is largely buried and is inaccessible to CFeSP for methylation. Here we use electron microscopy to capture multiple snapshots of ACS that reveal previously uncharacterized domain motion, forming extended and hyperextended structural states. In these structural states, the A-cluster is accessible for methylation by CFeSP.
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binding site for coenzyme a revealed in the structure of pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase from Moorella thermoacetica
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2018Co-Authors: Percival Yangting Chen, Stephen W. Ragsdale, Catherine L Drennan, Heather AmanAbstract:Pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR) is a microbial enzyme that uses thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), three [4Fe-4S] clusters, and coenzyme A (CoA) in the reversible oxidation of pyruvate to generate acetyl-CoA and carbon dioxide. The two electrons that are generated as a result of pyruvate decarboxylation are used in the reduction of low potential ferredoxins, which provide reducing equivalents for central metabolism, including the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway. PFOR is a member of the 2-oxoacid:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (OFOR) superfamily, which plays major roles in both microbial redox reactions and carbon dioxide fixation. Here, we present a set of crystallographic snapshots of the best-studied member of this superfamily, the PFOR from Moorella thermoacetica ( Mt PFOR). These snapshots include the native structure, those of lactyl-TPP and acetyl-TPP reaction intermediates, and the first of an OFOR with CoA bound. These structural data reveal the binding site of CoA as domain III, the function of which in OFORs was previously unknown, and establish sequence motifs for CoA binding in the OFOR superfamily. Mt PFOR structures further show that domain III undergoes a conformational change upon CoA binding that seals off the active site and positions the thiolate of CoA directly adjacent to the TPP cofactor. These structural findings provide a molecular basis for the experimental observation that CoA binding accelerates catalysis by 10 5 -fold.
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Visualising molecular juggling within a B12-dependent methyltransferase complex
2016Co-Authors: Yan Kung, Stephen W. Ragsdale, Tzanko Doukov, Leah C Blasiak, Nozomi Ando, Güneş Bender, Catherine L DrennanAbstract:Derivatives of vitamin B12 are used in methyl group transfer in biological processes as diverse as methionine synthesis in humans and CO2 fixation in acetogenic bacteria1–3. This seemingly straightforward reaction requires large, multimodular enzyme complexes that adopt multiple conformations to alternately activate, protect, and perform catalysis on the reactive B12 cofactor. Crystal structures determined thus far have provided structural information for only fragments of these complexes4–12, inspiring speculation regarding the overall protein assembly and conformational movements inherent to activity. Here we present X-ray crystal structures of a complete ~220 kDa complex that contains all enzymes responsible for B12-dependent methyltransfer, namely the corrinoid iron-sulfur protein (CFeSP) and its methyltransferase (MeTr) from the model acetogen Moorella thermoacetica. These structures provide the first three-dimensional depiction of all protein modules required for the activation, protection, and catalytic steps of B12-dependent methyltransfer. In addition, the structures capture B12 at multiple locations between its “resting ” and catalytic positions, allowing visualisation of the dramatic protein rearrangements that enable methyltransfer and identification of the trajectory for B12 movemen
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A Ni-Fe-Cu Center in a Bifunctional Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenase/
2016Co-Authors: Acetyl-coa Synthase, Stephen W. Ragsdale, Javier Seravalli, Tzanko Doukov, T M Iverson, Catherine L DrennanAbstract:A metallocofactor containing iron, sulfur, copper, and nickel has been discov-ered in the enzyme carbon monoxide dehydrogenase/acetyl-CoA (coenzyme A) synthase from Moorella thermoacetica (f. Clostridium thermoaceticum). Our structure at 2.2 angstrom resolution reveals that the cofactor responsible for the assembly of acetyl-CoA contains a [Fe4S4] cubane bridged to a copper-nickel binuclear site. The presence of these three metals together in one cluster was unanticipated and suggests a newly discovered role for copper in biology. The different active sites of this bifunctional enzyme complex are connected via a channel, 138 angstroms long, that provides a conduit for carbon monoxide generated at the C-cluster on one subunit to be incorporated into acetyl-CoA at the A-cluster on the other subunit. Acetogenic bacteria such as Moorella ther-moacetica (f. Clostridium thermoaceticum) can grow autotrophically on the greenhouse gas CO2. These organisms use the Wood
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Crystallographic Snapshots of Cyanide- and Water-Bound C-Clusters from Bifunctional Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenase/Acetyl-CoA Synthase,
2015Co-Authors: Yan Kung, Stephen W. Ragsdale, Javier Seravalli, Tzanko Doukov, Catherine L DrennanAbstract:Nickel-containing carbon monoxide dehydrogenases (CODHs) reversibly catalyze the oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and are of vital importance in the global carbon cycle. The unusual catalytic CODH C-cluster has been crystallographically characterized as either a NiFe4S4 or a NiFe4S5 metal center, the latter containing a fifth, additional sulfide that bridges Ni and a unique Fe site. To determine whether this bridging sulfide is catalytically relevant and to further explore the mechanism of the C-cluster, we obtained crystal structures of the 310 kDa bifunctional CODH/acetyl-CoA synthase complex from Moorella thermoacetica bound both with a substrate H2O/OH− molecule and with a cyanide inhibitor. X-ray diffraction data were collected from native crystals and from identical crystals soaked in a solution containing potassium cyanide. In both structures, the substrate H2O/OH− molecule exhibits binding to the unique Fe site of the C-cluster. We also observe cyanide binding in a bent conformation to Ni of the C-cluster, adjacent the substrate H2O/OH− molecule. Importantly, the bridging sulfide is not present in either structure. As these forms of the C-cluster represent the coordination environment immediately before the reaction takes place, our findings do not support a fifth, bridging sulfide playing a catalytic role in the enzyme mechanism. The crystal structures presented here, along with recent structures of CODHs from other organisms, have led us toward a unified mechanism for CO oxidation by the C-cluster, the catalytic center of an environmentally important enzyme
Catherine L Drennan - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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negative stain electron microscopy reveals dramatic structural rearrangements in ni fe s dependent carbon monoxide dehydrogenase acetyl coa synthase
Structure, 2021Co-Authors: Steven E Cohen, Stephen W. Ragsdale, Edward J Brignole, Elizabeth C Wittenborn, Mehmet Can, Samuel Thompson, Catherine L DrennanAbstract:Summary The Ni-Fe-S-containing A-cluster of acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) synthase (ACS) assembles acetyl-CoA from carbon monoxide (CO), a methyl group (CH3+), and CoA. To accomplish this feat, ACS must bind CoA and interact with two other proteins that contribute the CO and CH3+, respectively: CO dehydrogenase (CODH) and corrinoid Fe-S protein (CFeSP). Previous structural data show that, in the model acetogen Moorella thermoacetica, domain 1 of ACS binds to CODH such that a 70-A-long internal channel is created that allows CO to travel from CODH to the A-cluster. The A-cluster is largely buried and is inaccessible to CFeSP for methylation. Here we use electron microscopy to capture multiple snapshots of ACS that reveal previously uncharacterized domain motion, forming extended and hyperextended structural states. In these structural states, the A-cluster is accessible for methylation by CFeSP.
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binding site for coenzyme a revealed in the structure of pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase from Moorella thermoacetica
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2018Co-Authors: Percival Yangting Chen, Stephen W. Ragsdale, Catherine L Drennan, Heather AmanAbstract:Pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR) is a microbial enzyme that uses thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), three [4Fe-4S] clusters, and coenzyme A (CoA) in the reversible oxidation of pyruvate to generate acetyl-CoA and carbon dioxide. The two electrons that are generated as a result of pyruvate decarboxylation are used in the reduction of low potential ferredoxins, which provide reducing equivalents for central metabolism, including the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway. PFOR is a member of the 2-oxoacid:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (OFOR) superfamily, which plays major roles in both microbial redox reactions and carbon dioxide fixation. Here, we present a set of crystallographic snapshots of the best-studied member of this superfamily, the PFOR from Moorella thermoacetica ( Mt PFOR). These snapshots include the native structure, those of lactyl-TPP and acetyl-TPP reaction intermediates, and the first of an OFOR with CoA bound. These structural data reveal the binding site of CoA as domain III, the function of which in OFORs was previously unknown, and establish sequence motifs for CoA binding in the OFOR superfamily. Mt PFOR structures further show that domain III undergoes a conformational change upon CoA binding that seals off the active site and positions the thiolate of CoA directly adjacent to the TPP cofactor. These structural findings provide a molecular basis for the experimental observation that CoA binding accelerates catalysis by 10 5 -fold.
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Visualising molecular juggling within a B12-dependent methyltransferase complex
2016Co-Authors: Yan Kung, Stephen W. Ragsdale, Tzanko Doukov, Leah C Blasiak, Nozomi Ando, Güneş Bender, Catherine L DrennanAbstract:Derivatives of vitamin B12 are used in methyl group transfer in biological processes as diverse as methionine synthesis in humans and CO2 fixation in acetogenic bacteria1–3. This seemingly straightforward reaction requires large, multimodular enzyme complexes that adopt multiple conformations to alternately activate, protect, and perform catalysis on the reactive B12 cofactor. Crystal structures determined thus far have provided structural information for only fragments of these complexes4–12, inspiring speculation regarding the overall protein assembly and conformational movements inherent to activity. Here we present X-ray crystal structures of a complete ~220 kDa complex that contains all enzymes responsible for B12-dependent methyltransfer, namely the corrinoid iron-sulfur protein (CFeSP) and its methyltransferase (MeTr) from the model acetogen Moorella thermoacetica. These structures provide the first three-dimensional depiction of all protein modules required for the activation, protection, and catalytic steps of B12-dependent methyltransfer. In addition, the structures capture B12 at multiple locations between its “resting ” and catalytic positions, allowing visualisation of the dramatic protein rearrangements that enable methyltransfer and identification of the trajectory for B12 movemen
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A Ni-Fe-Cu Center in a Bifunctional Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenase/
2016Co-Authors: Acetyl-coa Synthase, Stephen W. Ragsdale, Javier Seravalli, Tzanko Doukov, T M Iverson, Catherine L DrennanAbstract:A metallocofactor containing iron, sulfur, copper, and nickel has been discov-ered in the enzyme carbon monoxide dehydrogenase/acetyl-CoA (coenzyme A) synthase from Moorella thermoacetica (f. Clostridium thermoaceticum). Our structure at 2.2 angstrom resolution reveals that the cofactor responsible for the assembly of acetyl-CoA contains a [Fe4S4] cubane bridged to a copper-nickel binuclear site. The presence of these three metals together in one cluster was unanticipated and suggests a newly discovered role for copper in biology. The different active sites of this bifunctional enzyme complex are connected via a channel, 138 angstroms long, that provides a conduit for carbon monoxide generated at the C-cluster on one subunit to be incorporated into acetyl-CoA at the A-cluster on the other subunit. Acetogenic bacteria such as Moorella ther-moacetica (f. Clostridium thermoaceticum) can grow autotrophically on the greenhouse gas CO2. These organisms use the Wood
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Crystallographic Snapshots of Cyanide- and Water-Bound C-Clusters from Bifunctional Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenase/Acetyl-CoA Synthase,
2015Co-Authors: Yan Kung, Stephen W. Ragsdale, Javier Seravalli, Tzanko Doukov, Catherine L DrennanAbstract:Nickel-containing carbon monoxide dehydrogenases (CODHs) reversibly catalyze the oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and are of vital importance in the global carbon cycle. The unusual catalytic CODH C-cluster has been crystallographically characterized as either a NiFe4S4 or a NiFe4S5 metal center, the latter containing a fifth, additional sulfide that bridges Ni and a unique Fe site. To determine whether this bridging sulfide is catalytically relevant and to further explore the mechanism of the C-cluster, we obtained crystal structures of the 310 kDa bifunctional CODH/acetyl-CoA synthase complex from Moorella thermoacetica bound both with a substrate H2O/OH− molecule and with a cyanide inhibitor. X-ray diffraction data were collected from native crystals and from identical crystals soaked in a solution containing potassium cyanide. In both structures, the substrate H2O/OH− molecule exhibits binding to the unique Fe site of the C-cluster. We also observe cyanide binding in a bent conformation to Ni of the C-cluster, adjacent the substrate H2O/OH− molecule. Importantly, the bridging sulfide is not present in either structure. As these forms of the C-cluster represent the coordination environment immediately before the reaction takes place, our findings do not support a fifth, bridging sulfide playing a catalytic role in the enzyme mechanism. The crystal structures presented here, along with recent structures of CODHs from other organisms, have led us toward a unified mechanism for CO oxidation by the C-cluster, the catalytic center of an environmentally important enzyme
Kelsey K Sakimoto - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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spectroscopic elucidation of energy transfer in hybrid inorganic biological organisms for solar to chemical production
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2016Co-Authors: Nikolay Kornienko, Kelsey K Sakimoto, David M Herlihy, Son C Nguyen, Paul A Alivisatos, Charles B Harris, Adam M Schwartzberg, Peidong YangAbstract:The rise of inorganic–biological hybrid organisms for solar-to-chemical production has spurred mechanistic investigations into the dynamics of the biotic–abiotic interface to drive the development of next-generation systems. The model system, Moorella thermoacetica–cadmium sulfide (CdS), combines an inorganic semiconductor nanoparticle light harvester with an acetogenic bacterium to drive the photosynthetic reduction of CO2 to acetic acid with high efficiency. In this work, we report insights into this unique electrotrophic behavior and propose a charge-transfer mechanism from CdS to M. thermoacetica. Transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy revealed that photoexcited electron transfer rates increase with increasing hydrogenase (H2ase) enzyme activity. On the same time scale as the TA spectroscopy, time-resolved infrared (TRIR) spectroscopy showed spectral changes in the 1,700–1,900-cm−1 spectral region. The quantum efficiency of this system for photosynthetic acetic acid generation also increased with increasing H2ase activity and shorter carrier lifetimes when averaged over the first 24 h of photosynthesis. However, within the initial 3 h of photosynthesis, the rate followed an opposite trend: The bacteria with the lowest H2ase activity photosynthesized acetic acid the fastest. These results suggest a two-pathway mechanism: a high quantum efficiency charge-transfer pathway to H2ase generating H2 as a molecular intermediate that dominates at long time scales (24 h), and a direct energy-transducing enzymatic pathway responsible for acetic acid production at short time scales (3 h). This work represents a promising platform to utilize conventional spectroscopic methodology to extract insights from more complex biotic–abiotic hybrid systems.
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cysteine cystine photoregeneration for oxygenic photosynthesis of acetic acid from co2 by a tandem inorganic biological hybrid system
Nano Letters, 2016Co-Authors: Kelsey K Sakimoto, Stephanie J Zhang, Peidong YangAbstract:Tandem “Z-scheme” approaches to solar-to-chemical production afford the ability to independently develop and optimize reductive photocatalysts for CO2 reduction to multicarbon compounds and oxidative photocatalysts for O2 evolution. To connect the two redox processes, molecular redox shuttles, reminiscent of biological electron transfer, offer an additional level of facile chemical tunability that eliminates the need for solid-state semiconductor junction engineering. In this work, we report a tandem inorganic–biological hybrid system capable of oxygenic photosynthesis of acetic acid from CO2. The photoreductive catalyst consists of the bacterium Moorella thermoacetica self-photosensitized with CdS nanoparticles at the expense of the thiol amino acid cysteine (Cys) oxidation to the disulfide form cystine (CySS). To regenerate the CySS/Cys redox shuttle, the photooxidative catalyst, TiO2 loaded with cocatalyst Mn(II) phthalocyanine (MnPc), couples water oxidation to CySS reduction. The combined system M. t...
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cysteine cystine photoregeneration for oxygenic photosynthesis of acetic acid from co2 by a tandem inorganic biological hybrid system
Nano Letters, 2016Co-Authors: Kelsey K Sakimoto, Stephanie J Zhang, Peidong YangAbstract:Tandem "Z-scheme" approaches to solar-to-chemical production afford the ability to independently develop and optimize reductive photocatalysts for CO2 reduction to multicarbon compounds and oxidative photocatalysts for O2 evolution. To connect the two redox processes, molecular redox shuttles, reminiscent of biological electron transfer, offer an additional level of facile chemical tunability that eliminates the need for solid-state semiconductor junction engineering. In this work, we report a tandem inorganic-biological hybrid system capable of oxygenic photosynthesis of acetic acid from CO2. The photoreductive catalyst consists of the bacterium Moorella thermoacetica self-photosensitized with CdS nanoparticles at the expense of the thiol amino acid cysteine (Cys) oxidation to the disulfide form cystine (CySS). To regenerate the CySS/Cys redox shuttle, the photooxidative catalyst, TiO2 loaded with cocatalyst Mn(II) phthalocyanine (MnPc), couples water oxidation to CySS reduction. The combined system M. thermoacetica-CdS + TiO2-MnPc demonstrates a potential biomimetic approach to complete oxygenic solar-to-chemical production.
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Cysteine–Cystine Photoregeneration for Oxygenic Photosynthesis of Acetic Acid from CO2 by a Tandem Inorganic–Biological Hybrid System
2016Co-Authors: Kelsey K Sakimoto, Stephanie J Zhang, Peidong YangAbstract:Tandem “Z-scheme” approaches to solar-to-chemical production afford the ability to independently develop and optimize reductive photocatalysts for CO2 reduction to multicarbon compounds and oxidative photocatalysts for O2 evolution. To connect the two redox processes, molecular redox shuttles, reminiscent of biological electron transfer, offer an additional level of facile chemical tunability that eliminates the need for solid-state semiconductor junction engineering. In this work, we report a tandem inorganic–biological hybrid system capable of oxygenic photosynthesis of acetic acid from CO2. The photoreductive catalyst consists of the bacterium Moorella thermoacetica self-photosensitized with CdS nanoparticles at the expense of the thiol amino acid cysteine (Cys) oxidation to the disulfide form cystine (CySS). To regenerate the CySS/Cys redox shuttle, the photooxidative catalyst, TiO2 loaded with cocatalyst Mn(II) phthalocyanine (MnPc), couples water oxidation to CySS reduction. The combined system M. thermoacetica–CdS + TiO2–MnPc demonstrates a potential biomimetic approach to complete oxygenic solar-to-chemical production
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Self-photosensitization of nonphotosynthetic bacteria for solar-to-chemical production
Science (New York N.Y.), 2015Co-Authors: Kelsey K Sakimoto, Andrew B. Wong, Peidong YangAbstract:Improving natural photosynthesis can enable the sustainable production of chemicals. However, neither purely artificial nor purely biological approaches seem poised to realize the potential of solar-to-chemical synthesis. We developed a hybrid approach, whereby we combined the highly efficient light harvesting of inorganic semiconductors with the high specificity, low cost, and self-replication and -repair of biocatalysts. We induced the self-photosensitization of a nonphotosynthetic bacterium, Moorella thermoacetica, with cadmium sulfide nanoparticles, enabling the photosynthesis of acetic acid from carbon dioxide. Biologically precipitated cadmium sulfide nanoparticles served as the light harvester to sustain cellular metabolism. This self-augmented biological system selectively produced acetic acid continuously over several days of light-dark cycles at relatively high quantum yields, demonstrating a self-replicating route toward solar-to-chemical carbon dioxide reduction.
Harold L Drake - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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physiology of the thermophilic acetogen Moorella thermoacetica
Research in Microbiology, 2004Co-Authors: Harold L Drake, Steven L. DanielAbstract:Moorella thermoacetica (originally isolated as Clostridium thermoaceticum) has served as the primary acetogenic bacterium for the resolution of the acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) or Wood-Lijungdahl pathway, a metabolic pathway that (i) autotrophically assimilates CO2 and (ii) is centrally important to the turnover of carbon in many habitats. The purpose of this article is to highlight the diverse physiological features of this model acetogen and to examine some of the consequences of its metabolic capabilities.
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influence of nitrate on oxalate and glyoxylate dependent growth and acetogenesis by Moorella thermoacetica
Archives of Microbiology, 2002Co-Authors: Corinna Seifritz, Jürgen M. Fröstl, Harold L Drake, Steven L. DanielAbstract:Oxalate and glyoxylate supported growth and acetate synthesis by Moorella thermoacetica in the presence of nitrate under basal (without yeast extract) culture conditions. In oxalate cultures, acetate formation occurred concomitant with growth and nitrate was reduced in the stationary phase. Growth in the presence of [14C]bicarbonate or [14C]oxalate showed that CO2 reduction to acetate and biomass or oxalate oxidation to CO2 was not affected by nitrate. However, cells engaged in oxalate-dependent acetogenesis in the presence of nitrate lacked a membranous b-type cytochrome, which was present in cells grown in the absence of nitrate. In glyoxylate cultures, growth was coupled to nitrate reduction and acetate was formed in the stationary phase after nitrate was totally consumed. In the absence of nitrate, glyoxylate-grown cells incorporated less CO2 into biomass than oxalate-grown cells. CO2 conversion to biomass by glyoxylate-grown cells decreased when cells were grown in the presence of nitrate. These results suggest that: (1) oxalate-grown cells prefer CO2 as an electron sink and bypass the nitrate block on the acetyl-CoA pathway at the level of reductant flow and (2) glyoxylate-grown cells prefer nitrate as an electron sink and bypass the nitrate block of the acetyl-CoA pathway by assimilating carbon via an unknown process that supplements or replaces the acetyl-CoA pathway. In this regard, enzymes of known pathways for the assimilation of two-carbon compounds were not detected in glyoxylate- or oxalate-grown cells.
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thermicanus aegyptius gen nov sp nov isolated from oxic soil a fermentative microaerophile that grows commensally with the thermophilic acetogen Moorella thermoacetica
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 1999Co-Authors: Anita S Gosner, Richard Devereux, Nadja Ohnemuller, Georg Acker, Erko Stackebrandt, Harold L DrakeAbstract:A thermophilic, fermentative microaerophile (ET-5b) and a thermophilic acetogen (ET-5a) were coisolated from oxic soil obtained from Egypt. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of ET-5a was 99.8% similar to that of the classic acetogen Moorella thermoacetica. Further analyses confirmed that ET-5a was a new strain of M. thermoacetica. For ET-5b, the nearest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity value to known genera was approximately 88%. ET-5b was found to be a motile rod with a genomic G+C content of 50.3 mol%. Cells were weakly gram positive and lacked spores. Growth was optimal at 55 to 60°C and pH 6.5 to 7.0. ET-5b grew under both oxic and anoxic conditions, but growth was erratic under atmospheric concentrations of O2. Utilizable substrates included oligosaccharides and monosaccharides. Acetate, formate, and succinate supported growth only under oxic conditions. Saccharides yielded succinate, lactate, ethanol, acetate, formate, and H2 under anoxic conditions; fermentation products were also formed under oxic conditions. A new genus is proposed, the type strain being Thermicanus aegyptius ET-5b gen. nov., sp. nov. (DSMZ 12793). M. thermoacetica ET-5a (DSMZ 12797) grew commensally with T. aegyptius ET-5b on oligosaccharides via the interspecies transfer of H2 formate, and lactate. In support of this interaction, uptake hydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase specific activities were fundamentally greater in M. thermoacetica ET-5a than in T. aegyptius ET-5b. These results demonstrate that (i) soils subject to high temperatures harbor uncharacterized thermophilic microaerophiles, (ii) the classic acetogen M. thermoacetica resides in such soils, and (iii) trophic links between such soil bacteria might contribute to their in situ activities.
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Glycolate as a metabolic substrate for the acetogen Moorella thermoacetica
Fems Microbiology Letters, 1999Co-Authors: Corinna Seifritz, Jürgen M. Fröstl, Harold L Drake, Steven L. DanielAbstract:Glycolate was growth supportive for Moorella thermoacetica ATCC 39073. Growth occurred in undefined and basal culture media containing 20 mM glycolate and was proportional to the concentration of glycolate (10–40 mM). Nitrate inhibited glycolate-dependent growth in the basal medium. Acetate and cell biomass were the major end products recovered from glycolate. The molar ratio (moles of glycolate required to synthesize a mole of acetate) averaged 1.4 and was in close agreement with the theoretical ratio of 1.3 for glycolate-derived acetogenesis. Glycolate-dependent growth yielded approximately 3-fold less biomass per pair of reducing equivalents utilized than did oxalate- or glyoxylate-dependent growth.
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Carbonic anhydrase in Acetobacterium woodii and other acetogenic bacteria.
Journal of bacteriology, 1997Co-Authors: S A Braus-stromeyer, G Schnappauf, Gerhard H. Braus, A S Gössner, Harold L DrakeAbstract:Acetobacterium woodii, Acetohalobium arabaticum, Clostridium formicoaceticum, and Sporomusa silvacetica were found to contain carbonic anhydrase (CA). Minimal to no CA activity was detected in Moorella thermoautotrophica, Moorella thermoacetica subsp. "pratumsolum," Sporomusa termitida, and Thermoanaerobacter kivui. Of the acetogens tested, A. woodii had the highest CA specific activity, approximately 14 U mg of protein(-1), in extracts of either glucose- or H2-CO2-cultivated cells. CA of A. woodii was cytoplasmic and was purified approximately 300-fold to a specific activity of 5,236 U mg of protein(-1). Intracellular acetate concentrations inhibited CA activity of A. woodii by 50 to 85%, indicating that intracellular acetate may affect in situ CA activity.