Cyanobacterial Hydrogen Metabolism - Uptake Hydrogenase and Hydrogen Production by Nitrogenase in Filamentous Cyanobacteria [Elektronisk resurs]

• Molecular hydrogen is a potential energy carrier for the future. Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria are a group of photosynthetic microorganisms with the inherent ability to produce molecular hydrogen via the enzyme complex nitrogenase. This hydrogen is not released, however, but is recaptured by the bacteria using an uptake hydrogenase. In this thesis, genes involved in cyanobacterial hydrogen metabolism were examined, and the possibility of employing genetically modified cyanobacteria for hydrogen production was investigated. Nostoc punctiforme PCC 73102 (ATCC 29133) is a nitrogen-fixing filamentous cyanobacterium containing an uptake hydrogenase encoded by hupSL . The transcription of hupSL was characterised, and putative regulatory elements in the region upstream of the transcription start site were identified. One of these, a binding motif for the global nitrogen regulator NtcA, was further investigated by mobility shift assays, and it was found that the motif is functional in binding NtcA. Also, a set of genes involved in maturation of hydrogenases was identified in N. punctiforme , the hypFCDEAB operon. These genes were found to be situated upstream of hupSL in the opposite direction, and they were preceded by a previously unknown open reading frame, that was found to be transcribed as part of the same operon. The potential for hydrogen production by filamentous cyanobacteria was investigated by studying mutant strains lacking an uptake hydrogenase. A mutant strain of N. punctiforme was constructed, where hupL was inactivated. It was found that cultures of this strain evolve hydrogen during nitrogen fixation. Gas exchange in the hupL - mutant and in wild type N. punctiforme was measured using a mass spectrometer, and conditions under which hydrogen production from the nitrogenase could be increased at the expense of nitrogen fixation were identified. Growth and hydrogen production in continuous cultures of a Hup - mutant of the related strain Nostoc PCC 7120 were also studied. This thesis advances the knowledge about cyanobacterial hydrogen metabolism and opens possibilities for further development of a process for hydrogen production using filamentous cyanobacteria. 

Ämnesord

Medical and Health Sciences  (hsv)

Basic Medicine  (hsv)

Microbiology in the medical area  (hsv)

Medicin och hälsovetenskap  (hsv)

Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper  (hsv)

Mikrobiologi inom det medicinska området  (hsv)

MEDICINE  (svep)

Microbiology, immunology, infectious diseases  (svep)

MEDICIN  (svep)

Mikrobiologi, immunologi, infektionssjukdomar  (svep)

Genre

government publication  (marcgt)

Indexterm och SAB-rubrik

Microbiology

cyanobacteria

biohydrogen

Nostoc

hydrogen production

hydrogen evolution

hydrogen metabolism

nitrogenase

hydrogenase

hydrogen

uptake hydrogenase

hupSL

hydrogen uptake mutant

uptake hydrogenase mutant

photobioreactor

hydrogenase accessory genes

hyp

transcription

RT-PCR

NtcA

mass spectrometry

heterocyst

Mikrobiologi