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Improving confirmed nanometric sulfur bioproduction using engineered Thioalkalivibrio versutus
Moustafa Mohamed Sharshar1, Nadia Abdrabou Samak2, Sadaf Ambreen3
1Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100190, China; College of Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.
This study demonstrates cost-effective production of nanometric sulfur using Thioalkalivibrio versutus. A novel CRISPR system enhanced bioproduction by 166.7% while improving natural gas desulfurization.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Environmental Science
- Microbiology
Background:
- Nano-sized sulfur production is expensive due to complex methods.
- Hydrogen sulfide in natural gas poses environmental risks.
- Thioalkalivibrio versutus offers high potential for natural gas desulfurization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate nanometric sulfur bioproduction using T. versutus during natural gas desulfurization.
- To enhance sulfur bioproduction and reduce sulfate byproduct.
- To develop an efficient genome editing strategy for T. versutus.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Thioalkalivibrio versutus for simultaneous natural gas desulfurization and nanometric sulfur bioproduction.
- Employed a novel CRISPR system with 42% editing efficiency for genome modification.
- Conducted proteomic and transcriptomic analyses to identify key sulfur metabolism genes.
Main Results:
- Achieved nanometric sulfur bioproduction (>50 nm) using T. versutus.
- Enhanced sulfur production by 166.7% by reducing sulfate production by 55.1%.
- Identified key sulfate-producing genes including heterodisulfide reductase-like complex, sulfur dioxygenase, sulfite dehydrogenase, and sulfite oxidase.
Conclusions:
- Established a cost-effective method for nanometric sulfur production.
- Demonstrated successful enhancement of bioproduction via a novel CRISPR strategy.
- Uncovered sulfur metabolic pathways in T. versutus, paving the way for industrial applications in polyextremophiles.
