Scientists at Texas A&M University have discovered an enzyme capable of producing hydrocarbons in the process of studying the green microalgae, the brown algae, which can be used to extract fuel from plants. The study was published in the latest issue of Nature-Communications magazine.
Brown algae can produce large amounts of liquid hydrocarbons for the production of gasoline, kerosene and diesel. Most of the oil that is currently stored underground is produced by these algae.
Diatoms are widely distributed in the world, and they can be found in oceans, ponds, lakes, mountains and deserts. However, the biggest problem is that the growth is extremely slow. In its natural state, it cannot rely on it to obtain economically significant biomass fuels. It takes about a week for one cell to grow into two cells, and the faster growing algae can double in six hours. Researchers have attempted to use genetic technology to transform the algae so that they can grow as fast as other algae, or they can grow large quantities like land plants so that they can use it to produce fuel.
The researchers first studied which genes were able to produce fuel, and found that the synthase encoded by the LOS gene could start oil production. They determined that the LOS enzyme of the brown algae can produce several different hydrocarbons. The enzyme can use three different molecules as the matrix, and these molecules can be combined together. For example, 40 carbon molecules are synthesized from two 20-carbon matrices; 30 carbon molecules are synthesized from two 15-carbon matrix molecules; 35 carbon molecules are synthesized from 15-carbon matrix molecules and 20-carbon matrix molecules. This property of the LOS enzyme is important because most enzymes that are similar to the LOS enzyme can only utilize 15 carbon matrix molecules. For fuels, the higher the carbon number, the better.
The researchers identified almost all active gene sequences associated with hydrocarbon production. After bioinformatics analysis, they accurately identified a gene that initiates hydrocarbon biosynthesis. But after understanding these genes, they must also find suitable hosts to optimize the expression of these genes in order to use them to produce more oil, which also requires a lot of basic research. By mining the genome and studying the related enzymes, it can be widely applied to the production of medical, agricultural, chemical or biofuels. (Reporter He Wei)
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