Novel NMR Approaches for Detecting Methane/Enzyme Interactions and Biochemical Transformations in Vivo and in Vitro
EMSL Project ID
48922
Abstract
Identifying alternative transportation fuels and reducing atmospheric greenhouse gasses are criticalglobal challenges and central aspects of DOE missions. Methane is an abundant energy source in the
US, but faces logistical barriers as a transportation fuel because it is not a liquid. As part of a DOE
funded program, we are exploiting the energetic advantages of enzyme-catalyzed chemistry by
developing novel enzymes to transform methane into alternative liquid fuels and carbon dioxide into
useful and/or stable product molecules. These enzymes will be integrated into redesigned metabolic
pathways in platform microbes as part of the overall goal to produce biofuels and capture carbon
dioxide. Here we propose to leverage advances in NMR technologies and foundational scientific
knowledge to develop practical approaches to detect and quantify the binding and chemical
transformation of methane and carbon dioxide by pure enzymes and microbial cells. We expect that the
capabilities developed within this project will have broad application within the scientific community
focused on transforming atmospheric and fossil fuel gasses.
Project Details
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2015-10-01
End Date
2016-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)