Environmental Hydrogenases in Geothermal Hotsprings

地热温泉中的环境氢化酶

• 批准号: 0624789
• 负责人: John Spear
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Colorado School of Mines
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-10-01 至 2008-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0624789&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Environmental; Hydrogenases; Geothermal; Hotsprings

The overarching goal and the intellectual merit of this project is to describe and understand the microbial composition, structure, and metabolic underpinnings of hydrogen metabolism in the Yellowstone geothermal ecosystem. The Yellowstone geothermal ecosystem is generally considered to be supported by sulfur metabolism. However, recent work suggests that communities instead are dependent on hydrogen-metabolism and may dominate this and other geothermal ecosystems. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and the basis of diverse microbial energy metabolisms throughout the bacterial and archaeal phylogenetic domains. This wide phylogenetic occurrence suggests that hydrogen metabolism arose early in the evolution of life. Although ubiquitous and ancient, little is known about the presence/absence of the enzymes responsible for this metabolism (hydrogenase enzymes) in naturally occurring microbial communities that are supported by hydrogen as a primary energy source. The proposed work will focus on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of environmentally obtained DNA samples to characterize and classify the occurrence of the functional genes responsible for iron, iron/iron, and iron/nickel hydrogenase enzymes. Several samples will be collected around Yellowstone National Park and subjected to analysis in the lab.The broader scientific impact of the proposed work is at least two fold. First, if hydrogen is indeed the main fuel for life above the photosynthetic limit of 72 degrees centigrade, why is this? Is it an evolutionary root of life, for example? Second, how widespread is the ability to use molecular hydrogen as an electron donor, and what enzymes are responsible for that utilization? The answer to these questions has relevance not only for a greater understanding of high-temperature ecosystems, but how these processes can be harnessed for alternative fuel delivery through an enhanced understanding of hydrogen utilization and/or generation. In addition, the hydrogenase functional gene analysis of the Yellowstone ecosystem, will provide new perspectives on potential chemistries of life. The overall results will be relevant to geomicrobiology, high-temperature microbiology, evolution, applied science and to the emerging field of astrobiology. The project will include graduate student training opportunities. Other educational and outreach activities will be coordinated with the Yellowstone Center for Resources.

该项目的总体目标和智力价值是描述和理解黄石地热生态系统中氢代谢的微生物组成、结构和代谢基础。 黄石地热生态系统通常被认为是由硫代谢支持的。 然而，最近的研究表明，社区反而依赖于氢代谢，并可能主导这个和其他地热生态系统。 氢是宇宙中最丰富的元素，也是细菌和古细菌系统发育域中各种微生物能量代谢的基础。 这种广泛的系统发生表明，氢代谢出现在生命进化的早期。 虽然无处不在和古老的，很少有人知道的存在/不存在的酶负责这种代谢（氢化酶）在天然存在的微生物群落，支持氢作为主要能源。 拟议的工作将集中在聚合酶链反应（PCR）扩增环境中获得的DNA样品的特征和分类的功能基因负责铁，铁/铁，铁/镍氢化酶的发生。 将在黄石国家公园周围采集几个样本，并在实验室进行分析。这项拟议工作的更广泛的科学影响至少是双重的。 首先，如果氢确实是72摄氏度光合极限以上生命的主要燃料，为什么会这样？ 例如，它是生命进化的根源吗？ 其次，使用分子氢作为电子供体的能力有多普遍，以及哪些酶负责这种利用？ 这些问题的答案不仅与更好地了解高温生态系统有关，而且与如何通过加强对氢利用和/或产生的了解来利用这些过程提供替代燃料有关。此外，黄石生态系统的氢化酶功能基因分析将为潜在的生命化学提供新的视角。 总体结果将与地质微生物学、高温微生物学、进化、应用科学和新兴的天体生物学领域有关。 该项目将包括研究生培训机会。 其他教育和推广活动将与黄石资源中心协调。