Maintaining our Atmosphere - Nitrogen Cycling Enzymes of Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation

厌氧氨氧化或“厌氧氨氧化”是生物地球化学氮循环中公认的最新过程（1,2）。厌氧氨氧化细菌最初是在荷兰的一家污水处理厂发现的，它在没有氧气的情况下将亚硝酸盐和铵结合产生N2。从那以后，人们已经清楚地认识到，这些细菌在全球海洋中臭氧最低的代谢区占据主导地位，每年释放到大气中的每两个氮气分子中就有一个可能是由它们产生的。尽管厌氧氨氧化在环境和生物技术方面具有重要意义，但人们对该过程的酶学基础知之甚少。这个令人兴奋和雄心勃勃的项目建立在最近成功提纯新型厌氧氨氧化酶的基础上，旨在解决这些酶的结构、催化和氧化还原特性（1-5）。成功的申请者将是一位有才华的生物化学家或对金属蛋白和酶学有热情的化学家，将通过光谱（EPR和MCD），光谱电化学和蛋白质膜伏安法发展氧化还原酶表征的高级技能。研究将在东英吉利大学化学学院的Julea Butt教授和Myles Cheesman博士的监督下，在充满活力的分子和光谱生物化学中心进行，并与NL奈梅根大学的Jan Keltjens博士、Boran Kartal博士和Mike Jetten教授合作。

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation or 'anammox' is the most recent addition to processes recognised in the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle (1,2). Originally discovered in a Dutch waste-water treatment plant, anammox bacteria combine nitrite and ammonium to make N2 in the absence of O2. It has since become clear that these bacteria are metabolically dominant in O2-minimum zones across the world's oceans and may produce one out of every two N2 molecules released annually into the atmosphere. Despite the environmental and biotechnological importance of anammox there is very little knowledge of the enzymology underpinning the process. This exciting and ambitious project builds on recent success in the purification of novel anammox enzymes and has the aim of resolving the structural, catalytic and redox properties of these enzymes (1-5). The successful applicant will be a talented biochemist or chemist with an enthusiasm for metalloproteins and enzymology who will develop advanced skills in the characterisation of redox enzymes by spectroscopic (EPR and MCD), spectro-electrochemical and protein film voltammetric methods. Research will be performed within the vibrant Centre for Molecular and Spectroscopic Biochemistry under the supervision of Professor Julea Butt and Dr Myles Cheesman in the School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia and in collaboration with Dr Jan Keltjens, Dr Boran Kartal and Prof Mike Jetten, Nijmegen University, NL.