How long have you collaborated with the JGI?
We have been collaborating with JGI since 2015.
We are supported by the JGI DNA Synthesis program. The DNA Synthesis team at JGI provides us with synthetic genes, which we then test in our laboratory for their function. Our project aims at characterizing a new class of highly efficient CO2-converting biocatalysts, so called enoyl-CoA reductases/carboxylases. These enzymes convert CO2 up to 20 times faster than their CO2-converting counterparts in plants. We have used these turbo-enzymes to build a synthetic pathway for CO2 fixation, the CETCH cycle. (Click here to learn more about the CETCH collaboration reported in Science.) This artificial pathway consists of 17 different enzymes from nine different organisms and converts atmospheric carbon dioxide into glyoxylic acid in vitro. It is almost like an artificial photosynthesis in the reaction tube. Having demonstrated that we can assemble artificial pathways from scratch in vitro, our next challenge is now to transplant this artificial metabolism into living cells, which will be again supported by the JGI.
Why is this research important?
Our research is important, because it will allow us on the long run to harness atmospheric CO2 as a sustainable carbon source. Our ultimate goal is to realize a synthetic metabolism that is more efficient in converting CO2 into biomass and/or chemical building blocks than any naturally evolved process (e.g., photosynthetic CO2 fixation in plants, algae and bacteria).
What do you value about JGI’s contributions?
Click here to watch Tobi Erb’s keynote from the 2017 JGI Genomics of Energy & Environment Meeting
The JGI has been crucial for our research because it has provided the scientific community with a tremendous amount of gene sequences over the last couple of years. These gene sequences have become a true treasure grove for synthetic biologists like us. We search this large DNA sequence space to identify enzymes that we can use build our artificial CO2-fixation pathways. It is very exciting to see that the JGI has launched programs that will allow us to identify and characterize the function of genes in high throughput. This will speed up the process of finding new reactions that we can make use of. At the same time the “gene to function” approach will be fundamentally important to understand the role of all these new reactions in the biosphere.
We appreciate the direct interaction between the scientists at JGI and our laboratory. There is a constant flow of ideas, which is very stimulating and drives our research forward. We hope to be able to develop and test new strategies together with the JGI scientists that allow us to harness the power of genes for synthetic biology.