Cyanobacterial Hydrogenases and Hydrogen Metabolism Revisited: Recent Progress and Future Prospects
Microbial Chemistry, Department of Chemistry—Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Box 523, Uppsala SE-75120, Sweden
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Academic Editor: Patrick Hallenbeck
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2015, 16(5), 10537-10561; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms160510537
Received: 11 March 2015
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Revised: 29 April 2015
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Accepted: 30 April 2015
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Published: 8 May 2015
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photosynthesis and Biological Hydrogen Production)
Cyanobacteria have garnered interest as potential cell factories for hydrogen production. In conjunction with photosynthesis, these organisms can utilize inexpensive inorganic substrates and solar energy for simultaneous biosynthesis and hydrogen evolution. However, the hydrogen yield associated with these organisms remains far too low to compete with the existing chemical processes. Our limited understanding of the cellular hydrogen production pathway is a primary setback in the potential scale-up of this process. In this regard, the present review discusses the recent insight around ferredoxin/flavodoxin as the likely electron donor to the bidirectional Hox hydrogenase instead of the generally accepted NAD(P)H. This may have far reaching implications in powering solar driven hydrogen production. However, it is evident that a successful hydrogen-producing candidate would likely integrate enzymatic traits from different species. Engineering the [NiFe] hydrogenases for optimal catalytic efficiency or expression of a high turnover [FeFe] hydrogenase in these photo-autotrophs may facilitate the development of strains to reach target levels of biohydrogen production in cyanobacteria. The fundamental advancements achieved in these fields are also summarized in this review.
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Keywords:
biohydrogen; bidirectional Hox hydrogenase; cyanobacteria; ferredoxin; [FeFe] hydrogenase; [NiFe] hydrogenase
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MDPI and ACS Style
Khanna, N.; Lindblad, P. Cyanobacterial Hydrogenases and Hydrogen Metabolism Revisited: Recent Progress and Future Prospects. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2015, 16, 10537-10561. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms160510537
AMA Style
Khanna N, Lindblad P. Cyanobacterial Hydrogenases and Hydrogen Metabolism Revisited: Recent Progress and Future Prospects. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2015; 16(5):10537-10561. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms160510537
Chicago/Turabian StyleKhanna, Namita, and Peter Lindblad. 2015. "Cyanobacterial Hydrogenases and Hydrogen Metabolism Revisited: Recent Progress and Future Prospects" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 16, no. 5: 10537-10561. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms160510537
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