Functional reconstitution of a bacterial CO 2 concentrating mechanism in Escherichia coli.

Avi I. Flamholz, Eli Dugan, Cecilia Blikstad, Shmuel Gleizer, Roee Ben-Nissan, Shira Amram, Niv Antonovsky, Sumedha Ravishankar, Elad Noor, Arren Bar-Even, Ron Milo, David F. Savage

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Many photosynthetic organisms employ a CO2 concentrating mechanism (CCM) to increase the rate of CO2 fixation via the Calvin cycle. CCMs catalyze approximate to 50% of global photosynthesis, yet it remains unclear which genes and proteins are required to produce this complex adaptation. We describe the construction of a functional CCM in a non-native host, achieved by expressing genes from an autotrophic bacterium in an Escherichia coli strain engineered to depend on rubisco carboxylation for growth. Expression of 20 CCM genes enabled E. coli to grow by fixing CO2 from ambient air into biomass, with growth in ambient air depending on the components of the CCM. Bacterial CCMs are therefore genetically compact and readily transplanted, rationalizing their presence in diverse bacteria. Reconstitution enabled genetic experiments refining our understanding of the CCM, thereby laying the groundwork for deeper study and engineering of the cell biology supporting CO2 assimilation in diverse organisms.

Original languageEnglish
Article number59882
Pages (from-to)1-57
Number of pages30
JournaleLife
Volume9
DOIs
StatePublished - 21 Oct 2020

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Immunology and Microbiology
  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Neuroscience

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