SusChEM: Mechanistic Investigation of CO activation by Vanadium Nitrogenase

通过这个奖项，化学部门的生命过程化学项目资助了博士。来自加州大学欧文分校的Markus Ribbe和Yilin Hu研究一氧化碳被一种独特的酶激活的机制。世界需要可持续的碳燃料供应，同时需要解决由于碳燃料不完全燃烧或完全燃烧而造成的碳废物积累问题。酶在温和条件下将这些碳废物转化为碳氢化合物燃料的能力可能是一种有效的策略，可以将它们再循环为可用的燃料来源。Drs。Ribbe和Hu正在研究这种酶如何实现这些目标。此外，该项目的多学科性质和所采用的各种技术为学生的教育和培训提供了丰富的机会。利用生物化学和光谱学相结合的方法研究了v -氮酶活化和还原CO的机理，重点是确定这一过程的完整产物谱和反应途径。通过这项研究获得的知识将用于提供酶促CO转化反应的机理见解，使基于氮酶的产烃微生物的工程设计成为可能，并为新型CO和co2还原催化剂的设计提供信息。该项目通过以下方式将研究和教育结合在一起：(1)培养本科生、研究生和研究生的研究人员，所有人都参与到共同努力中，通过学习视角的多样性来丰富拟议的研究，并将代表性不足的个人群体纳入其中，以进一步提高拟议活动的多样性；（ii）组织外展活动和设计以氮酶和相关研究为重点的相关课程，向学生介绍全球能源/环境问题和这些问题的潜在生物技术解决方案的广泛主题，并招募有动力的学生参加研究活动。

With this award, the Chemistry of Life Processes Program in the Chemistry Division funds Drs. Markus Ribbe and Yilin Hu from the University of California, Irvine to investigate the mechanism of carbon monoxide activation by a unique enzyme. The world is in need of sustainable supplies of carbon fuels while at the same time needs to address the accumulation of carbon wastes which result from the incomplete or complete combustion of carbon fuels. The ability of the enzyme to convert these carbon wastes back into hydrocarbon fuels under mild conditions may be an effective strategy to recycle them back into the usable fuel sources. Drs. Ribbe and Hu are studying how the enzyme may accomplish these goals. Additionally the multidisciplinary nature of the project and the wide varieties of techniques employed are providing abundant opportunities for the education and training of students. Combined biochemical and spectroscopic approaches are being used to investigate the mechanism of CO activation and reduction by V-nitrogenase, with an emphasis on defining the complete product profile and the reaction pathway of this process. Knowledge acquired through this research is being used to provide mechanistic insights into the reaction of enzymatic CO conversion, enable engineering of nitrogenase-based hydrocarbon-producing microbes, and inform designs of novel CO-and CO2-reducing catalysts. Research and education is being integrated through the project by (i) training undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate researcher on the bench, where all individuals engage in joint efforts that enrich the proposed research through the diversity of learning perspectives, and where underrepresented groups of individuals are incorporated to further improve the diversity of the proposed activities; and (ii) organizing outreach events and designing relevant courses that focus on nitrogenase and related research, where students are introduced to the broad topic of global energy/environmental problems and potential biotechnological solutions to these problems, and where motivated students are recruited for the research activities.