Cell-free chemoenzymatic starch synthesis from carbon dioxide
Tao Cai1,2, Hongbing Sun1,2, Jing Qiao1,2
1Department of Strategic and Integrative Research, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, China.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|September 23, 2021
Summary
Scientists created a new artificial pathway to synthesize starch from carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen. This cell-free system is 8.5 times faster than natural starch production in maize, offering a novel bio-industrial approach.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Synthetic Biology
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Starches are vital carbohydrates for human nutrition and bio-industrial applications.
- Current starch production methods have limitations in efficiency and sustainability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel cell-free chemo-biohybrid system for efficient starch synthesis.
- To engineer an artificial pathway for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into starch.
Main Methods:
- Computational pathway design to create the artificial starch anabolic pathway (ASAP) with 11 core reactions.
- Modular assembly and substitution of pathway components.
- Protein engineering to optimize key enzymes and enhance catalytic efficiency.
- Chemoenzymatic system with spatial and temporal segregation for controlled CO2 conversion.
Main Results:
- The ASAP system successfully synthesized starch from CO2 and hydrogen in a cell-free environment.
- Achieved a CO2 conversion rate of 22 nanomoles per minute per milligram of total catalyst.
- The artificial pathway demonstrated an ~8.5-fold higher synthesis rate compared to natural starch production in maize.
Conclusions:
- The developed ASAP pathway represents a significant advancement in artificial starch synthesis.
- This chemo-biohybrid approach offers a promising, highly efficient alternative for future starch production from CO2.
- Opens new avenues for sustainable bio-industrial applications utilizing carbon capture.
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