Scientists used methanotrophic bacteria, which consume 30 million metric tons of methane per year, to
By studying the enzyme by which bacteriacatalyze this reaction, a team at Northwestern University has discovered key structures that can drive the process. Their results, published March 18 in the journal Science, could eventually lead to the development of human-made biological catalysts that convert methane to methanol.
“Methane has a very strong bond, soit’s amazing that there is an enzyme that can break this bond,” said Amy Rosenzweig, senior author of the paper. “If we don’t understand exactly how an enzyme performs this complex chemical operation, we won’t be able to develop and optimize it for biotechnological applications.”
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If successful, researchers will be able to see howit is the enzyme that is located in the cell membrane, to determine how it works in its native environment, and to find out if other proteins surrounding the enzyme interact with it. These discoveries will be a key missing link for engineers.
“If you want to optimize an enzyme forIncorporating it into bioproduction pathways or for consumption of pollutants other than methane, we need to know what it looks like in its native environment and where methane binds, Rosenzweig said. “You can use enzyme-engineered bacteria to collect methane from hydraulic fracturing sites or to clean up oil spills.”
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