One-step transformation of CO2 to methane by Escherichia coli with a synthetic biomethanation module

Ze-Peng Wen; Chong Sha; Said Nawab; Zi-Jie Lu; Yang-Chun Yong

doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.151284

One-step transformation of CO₂ to methane by Escherichia coli with a synthetic biomethanation module

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2025 Feb:746:151284. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.151284. Epub 2025 Jan 3.

Authors

Ze-Peng Wen¹, Chong Sha², Said Nawab³, Zi-Jie Lu⁴, Yang-Chun Yong⁵

Affiliations

¹ Biofuels Institute, School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Biofuels Institute, School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Biofuels Institute, School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ Biofuels Institute, School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Biofuels Institute, School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013, China; School of Emergency Management, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39761619
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.151284

Abstract

The biomethanation process is widely recognized as a significant approach to mitigating carbon dioxide emissions while simultaneously generating methane. However, only a few microorganisms that required intricate culturing conditions were identified for biomethanation. Here, Escherichia coli that featured easy cultivation and versatile chassis was genetically modified for biomethanation for the first time. The nif-related gene cluster with methanogenic capability from Rhodopseudomonas palustris was systematically analyzed, cloned, and integrated into a synthetic biomethanation module. As a result, E. coli BL21 (DE3) and Rosetta (DE3) carrying this synthetic biomethanation module exhibited significant methane production activity, with methane yields reaching 50 nmol/mL and 159 nmol/mL, respectively. This finding provided a simple route to construct synthetic strain for biomethanation, which would advance the fundamental research and be beneficial to further harness the power of biomethanation for practical application.

Keywords: Biomethanation; Escherichia coli; Nitrogenase; Rhodopseudomonas palustris; Synthetic biology.

MeSH terms

Carbon Dioxide* / chemistry
Carbon Dioxide* / metabolism
Escherichia coli* / genetics
Escherichia coli* / metabolism
Metabolic Engineering / methods
Methane* / chemistry
Methane* / metabolism
Multigene Family
Rhodopseudomonas* / genetics
Rhodopseudomonas* / metabolism

Substances

Methane
Carbon Dioxide

Supplementary concepts

Rhodopseudomonas palustris