Genetically modified Escherichia coli consume CO2
Two days ago scientists from Israel announced great news about converting metabolic ways in common bacteria Escherichia coli to consume CO2. This means that this simple and so far, underestimated organism, became capable of cleaning the air and managing work like no other more complicated organism couldn’t do. Scientists tried with other model organisms but this bacteria was the best solution because we have already used it for genetical engineering before and completely decoded a set of genes present.
Starting from established knowledge about a specific set of genes present in the model bacteria Escherichia coli, scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, were able to exchange known genes controlling metabolic ways and use genes who will deliver gas, instead of organic molecule pyruvate as metabolite product. Genes encode specific enzymes to introduce precursor of formate, the organic molecule, and the final product.
The path was difficult to obtain since E coli in their natural metabolism form consume sugar molecules so to reach mode in which they use only CO2, scientists needed to grow several generations by allowing them to consume only small portions of sugar, less and less with every new line.
Organisms usually adapt to the new circumstances and develop certain mutations but it takes a lot of time for any of these mutations to establish their way in metabolism.
After almost a decade of different researches and attempts to grow stabile new form of E coli, they finally succeeded and now we can include amazing new solely autotrophic E coli into our ways of cleaning environment and nature.
This new autotrophic E coli is amazing because of the fast reproductive time frame, reaching a new generation in only about 18 hours, in comparison with the general form of E coli doubling in 20minutes. The concentration of CO2 requires a level of about 10%.
Cooperation between different branches of science, this time evolution, genetical engineering and biology general, brought solutions for one of the major problems. It can be adapted and easily used.
“Ron Milo says that his team’s work could expand the products the bacteria make, to include renewable fuels, food, and other substances. But he doesn’t see this happening soon.” (“Nature”, November 2019)
