Light-Triggered Enzyme Catalysis Inside Vesicle Microreactors
This exciting project will engineer microreactors converting nitrate to ammonia thereby delivering proof-of-principle for a sustainable technology converting a widespread pollutant to a versatile molecule. Waste-water nitrate originates from excessive use of fertilizer. Ammonia is in global demand as a fertilizer, fuel and chemical feedstock.
Vesicle microreactors have an interior compartment where reactions occur and a semi-permeable lipid-bilayer ‘shell’ through which reactants and products can pass. We previously demonstrated self-assembly of vesicle microreactors performing light-driven reduction of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. The encapsulated enzyme nitrous oxide reductase performed greenhouse gas reduction. Electrons were delivered to nitrous oxide reductase by cytochrome biowires, purified from Shewanella, that spanned the vesicle bilayer. The photocatalytic process was driven by electrons generated from photoactive Carbon-Dots.
This project will assemble vesicles performing the photocatalytic reduction of nitrate to ammonia using an entrapped enzyme cascade. Effective transport of reactants and products across the vesicle bilayer will be achieved by ionophores and pore-forming proteins.
Working in an enthusiastic and supportive team you will receive training in state-of-the-art techniques in biochemistry, spectroscopy, catalysis, photochemistry, analytical chemistry and polymer chemistry. You will present your results at weekly lab meetings, departmental seminars, and at national and international conferences. You will gain knowledge of, and expertise, in synthetic biology, chemical biology, biotechnology and green chemistry.
Informal enquiries to Prof Julea Butt (j.butt@uea.ac.uk) are welcome with a copy of your CV and cover letter.
References
Photocatalytic removal of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide by liposomal microreactors.
Piper et al. Angew. Chemie Int. Ed. (2022) DOI: 10.1002/anie.202210572
The crystal structure of a biological insulated transmembrane molecular wire.
Edwards et al Cell (2020) DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.03.032
Rational design of covalent multiheme cytochrome-graphitic carbon dot biohybrids for photo-induced electron transfer.
Zhang et al Adv. Funct. Materials (2023) DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202302204