Collaborative Research: Novel Bicarbonate Transporters in the Chlamydomonas CO2-Concentrating Mechanism

学术成就：藻类在全球关注的两个领域发挥着重要作用，气候变化和可再生生物燃料正在成为世界舞台上的主要话题。所有类型的藻类约占从大气中回收的二氧化碳（CO2）的一半，并通过光合作用“固定”为地球上所有生物体（包括人类）所需的糖，蛋白质和有机物质。因此，藻类对于维持低水平的大气CO2（一种强效温室气体）至关重要。许多快速生长、易于培养的藻类也富含石油的事实最近引起了地球仪的科学家和工程师对使用藻类作为丰富的、潜在廉价的可再生和可持续生物燃料来源的可能性的注意，这将减少对高污染、昂贵和环境不友好的化石燃料的需求。内布拉斯加大学林肯分校的唐·威克斯博士和爱荷华州州立大学的马丁·斯波尔丁博士的实验室将合作进行研究，目的是阐明藻类作为？超级海绵从环境中排放二氧化碳。Spalding/Weeks实验室最近发现了两种蛋白质，HLA 3和LCIA，它们为藻类细胞，莱茵衣藻提供了从水生环境中吸收非常低水平无机碳（CO2和碳酸氢盐）的能力。由NSF赞助的正在进行的研究将集中在这些无机碳转运蛋白工作的分子机制，它们在细胞中的位置以及这些分子如何与细胞的其他组分相互作用，以允许有效的CO2吸收和利用光合作用。此外，使用新发现的无机碳转运蛋白，以增加二氧化碳的吸收和光合效率在藻类细胞参与生物燃料production.Broader影响：这项研究将有助于显着的本科生和研究生的培训和博士后联营公司参与该项目在爱荷华州州立大学和内布拉斯加大学。它还将有助于扩大高中和本科生以及高中生物教师的教育，这些学生将参加暑期实习和夏令营。因为代表性不足的群体的成员（例如，非裔美国人，西班牙裔和美洲原住民）是专门为高中和本科实习招募的，这项研究也将为这些群体提供扩大教育经验的机会。在我们的项目中培训的博士后同事和学生将在学术和工业职位上找到充足的机会，重点是藻类生物学和生物技术及其在关键社会需求中的应用。

Intellectual Merit:Algae play a major role in two areas of global concern, climate change and renewable biofuels, are emerging as prime topics on the world stage. Algae of all types account for approximately one-half of carbon dioxide (CO2) recycled from the atmosphere and 'fixed' via photosynthesis into sugars, proteins, and organic substances needed by all living organisms on earth, including humans. Thus, algae are critical to maintaining low levels of atmospheric CO2, a potent greenhouse gas. The fact that many fast growing, easy to culture algae also are oil-rich has recently drawn the attention of scientists and engineers around the globe to the possibility of using algae as an abundant, potentially inexpensive, source of renewable and sustainable biofuels that will lessen the needs for highly polluting, expensive and environmentally nonfriendly fossil fuels. Research to be conducted collaboratively between the laboratories of Dr. Don Weeks at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Dr. Martin Spalding at Iowa State University is aimed at elucidating the mechanisms underlying the ability of algae to serve as ?super sponges? of CO2 from the environment. The Spalding/Weeks laboratories recently discovered two proteins, HLA3 and LCIA, which provide the algal cell, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, with the ability to scavenge very low levels of inorganic carbon (CO2 and bicarbonate) from their aquatic environment. Ongoing research sponsored by NSF will focus on the molecular mechanisms by which these inorganic carbon transporters work, where in the cell they are located and how these molecules interact with other components of the cell to allow efficient CO2 uptake and utilization for photosynthesis. In addition, the use of the newly discovered inorganic carbon transporters to augment CO2 uptake and photosynthetic efficiency in algal cells involved in biofuel production will be explored.Broader Impacts: This research will contribute significantly to the training of undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral associates participating in the project at both Iowa State University and at the University of Nebraska. It also will contribute to broadening the education of high school and undergraduate students and of high school biology teachers that will participate during summer internships and camps. Because members of underrepresented groups (e.g., African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans) are specifically recruited for the high school and undergraduate internships, this research also will provide opportunities for broadening educational experiences for these groups. Postdoctoral associates and students trained in our projects will find ample opportunities in academic and industrial positions focused on algal biology and biotechnology and its application to critical societal needs.