Identification, cloning and heterologous expression of active [NiFe]-hydrogenase 2 from Citrobacter sp. SG in Escherichia coli

Hydrogen (H2) is a potential alternative energy carrier which only produces water and heat upon combustion. Today, industrial hydrogen production mainly uses thermochemical processes based on fossil fuels or electrolysis of water. Therefore, biotechnological approaches to produce H2 from biomass are an interesting alternative. We introduce here a novel direct hydrogen measurement system using a semiconducting device specific for hydrogen detection. Using this device, a bacterium producing considerable amounts of hydrogen under aerobic cultivation was isolated and identified by 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing as Citrobacter sp. The enzyme responsible for the observed hydrogenase activity was partially purified by 3 chromatographic purification steps and could be identified by peptide mass fingerprinting to be a type 2 [NiFe]-hydrogenase. Expression of the [NiFe]-hydrogenase 2 containing operon from Citrobacter sp. SG in Escherichia coli allowed recombinant hydrogen production. The [NiFe]-hydrogenase 2 identified here may be useful for biotechnological hydrogen production. We speculate that the expression of the hydrogenase in Citrobacter may be an adaptation to growth in acidic conditions.