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Oxygen sensitivity of algal H2- production

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An Erratum to this article was published on 01 July 1997

Abstract

Photoproduction of H2 by green algae utilizes electrons originating from the photosynthetic oxidation of water and does not require metabolic intermediates. However, algal hydrogenases are extremely sensitive to O2, which limits their usefulness in future commercial H2-production systems. We designed an experimental technique for the selection of O2-tolerant, H2-producing variants ofChlamydomonas reinhardtii based on the ability of wild-type cells to survive a short (20 min) exposure to metronidazole in the presence of controlled concentrations of O2. The number of survivors depends on the metronidazole concentration, light intensity, preinduction of the hydrogenase, and the presence or absence of O2. Finally, we demonstrate that some of the selected survivors in fact exhibit H2-production capacity that is less sensitive to O2 than the original wild-type population.

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Abbreviations

ATP:

adenosine triphosphate

cwl5:

cell wall-less strain ofChlamydomonas reinhardtii

DCMU:

3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-l,l-dimethylurea

Fd:

ferredoxin

I50:

inhibitor concentration that decreases the rate of an enzymatic reaction to 50% of the rate measured in the absence of the inhibitor

MNZ metronidazole:

[l-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole]

NADP:

nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate

NADPH:

reduced form of NADP

Vo:

initial rate of an enzymatic reaction

WT:

wild-type

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Notional Renewable Energy Laboratory, 80401, Golden, CO

    Maria L. Ghirardi & Michael Seibert

  2. Department of Biology, Indiana University, 47405, Bloomington, IN

    Robert K. Togasaki

Authors
  1. Maria L. Ghirardi
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  2. Robert K. Togasaki
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  3. Michael Seibert
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Additional information

An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02787851.

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Ghirardi, M.L., Togasaki, R.K. & Seibert, M. Oxygen sensitivity of algal H2- production. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 63, 141–151 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02920420

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02920420

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