The in vivo hydrocarbon formation by vanadium nitrogenase follows a secondary metabolic pathway.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 27976719.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/ncomms13641 and PMC identifier 5172229.
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Abstract
The vanadium (V)-nitrogenase of Azotobacter vinelandii catalyses the in vitro conversion of carbon monoxide (CO) to hydrocarbons. Here we show that an A. vinelandii strain expressing the V-nitrogenase is capable of in vivo reduction of CO to ethylene (C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub>), ethane (C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>) and propane (C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>8</sub>). Moreover, we demonstrate that CO is not used as a carbon source for cell growth, being instead reduced to hydrocarbons in a secondary metabolic pathway. These findings suggest a possible role of the ancient nitrogenase as an evolutionary link between the carbon and nitrogen cycles on Earth and establish a solid foundation for biotechnological adaptation of a whole-cell approach to recycling carbon wastes into hydrocarbon products. Thus, this study has several repercussions for evolution-, environment- and energy-related areas.
Medical subject headings
- Azotobacter vinelandii
- Hydrocarbons
- Nitrogenase