Research Results
Sep 4, 2020
- Press Release
- Research Paper
A press release on the results of research by Prof. Yutaka Amao and Graduate student has been issued
By simply adding metal ions, we succeeded in improving the catalytic activity of carbon dioxide immobilization enzyme!
Key points of this study
- Improving the activity of malate enzymes*1, which promote the reaction of binding carbon dioxide to organic molecules as carboxy groups*2, is important for efficient carbon dioxide fixation.
- We succeeded in improving the catalytic activity of malate enzymes simply by adding aluminum ions.
- This is an important guideline for controlling the activity of enzymes involved in carbon dioxide fixation in a simple way toward the realization of an artificial photosynthesis system that combines a dye and an enzyme that can fix and store carbon dioxide in organic molecules.
Summary
Professor Yutaka Amao (Research Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, Osaka City University) and Graduate student Takeyuki Katagiri (2nd year doctoral student in the Department of Materials and Molecular Science, Graduate School of Science, Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) have succeeded in improving the activity of malic acid enzymes, which catalyze the reaction of immobilizing carbon dioxide to pyruvate*3 and producing malic acid*4, simply by adding aluminum ions.
In artificial photosynthesis technology, which can produce malic acid by introducing carbon dioxide into pyruvate as a carboxy group, it is important to activate the "malic acid enzyme" that catalyzes the reaction of carbon dioxide to pyruvate having 3 carbon atoms and converting it to malic acid with 4 carbon atoms. In this study, we succeeded in improving the catalytic activity of malate enzymes by adding common metal ions.
The results of this research were published online in the New Journal of Chemistry, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
*1 Carboxy group…Functional groups (-COOH) that make up carboxylic acids, which are important organic compounds
*2 Malic acid enzyme…Oxidative decarboxylase, that catalyze the interconversion of malic acid and pyruvate.
*3 pyruvic acid…A type of carboxylic acid. Glycolysis, an important intermediate substance in amino acid and fatty acid metabolism
*4 malic acid…A type of carboxylic acid. Organic compounds with a wide range of applications in food and industry
Financial Information
The results of this research were obtained through the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Grants-in-Aid for International Collaborative Research (B)), the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Research Fellowship Fellowship.
Publication Information
| Publications: | New Journal of Chemistry (Royal Society of Chemistry) |
|---|---|
| Title of Paper: | Trivalent metal ion promotes malic enzyme-catalyzed building carbon-carbon bonds from CO2 and pyruvateTrivalent metal ion promotes malic enzyme-catalyzed building carbon-carbon bonds from CO2 and pyruvate |
| Author: | KATAGIRI, Takayuki, AMAO, Yutaka |
| URL: | https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NJ03449E |