Abstract.
In order to determine the effects of the deletion of hydrogenase genes on nitrogenase-based photobiological H2 productivity by heterocystous N2-fixing cyanobacteria, we have constructed three hydrogenase mutants from Anabaena sp. PCC 7120: hupL – (deficient in the uptake hydrogenase), hoxH – (deficient in the bidirectional hydrogenase), and hupL –/hoxH – (deficient in both genes). The hupL – mutant produced H2 at a rate four to seven times that of the wild-type under optimal conditions. The hoxH – mutant produced significantly lower amounts of H2 and had slightly lower nitrogenase activity than wild-type. H2 production by the hupL –/hoxH – mutant was slightly lower than, but almost equal to, that of the hupL – mutant. The efficiency of light energy conversion to H2 by the hupL – mutant at its highest H2 production stage was 1.2% at an actinic visible light intensity of 10 W/m2 (PAR) under argon atmosphere. These results indicate that deletion of the hupL gene could be employed as a source for further improvement of H2 production in a nitrogenase-based photobiological H2 production system.
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Masukawa, .H., Mochimaru, .M. & Sakurai, .H. Disruption of the uptake hydrogenase gene, but not of the bidirectional hydrogenase gene, leads to enhanced photobiological hydrogen production by the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 58, 618–624 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-002-0934-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-002-0934-7