Researchers at the University of Liverpool have unlocked new possibilities for the future development of sustainable, clean bioenergy.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have unlocked new possibilities for the future development of sustainable, clean bioenergy. The study, published in Nature Communications, shows how bacterial protein ‘cages’ can be reprogrammed as nanoscale bioreactors for hydrogen production.
The carboxysome is a specialised bacterial organelle that encapsulates the essential CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco into a virus-like protein shell. The naturally designed architecture, semi-permeability, and catalytic improvement of carboxysomes have inspired the rational design and engineering of new nanomaterials to incorporate different enzymes into the shell for enhanced catalytic performance.
The first step in the study involved researchers installing specific genetic elements into the industrial bacterium E. coli to produce empty carboxysome shells. They further identified a small ‘linker’ – called an encapsulation peptide – capable of directing external proteins into the shell.
Read more: University of Liverpool
