Hydrogenase Gene Research Articles

Carbon-dependent control of electron transfer and central carbon pathway genes for methane biosynthesis in the Archaean, Methanosarcina acetivorans strain C2A

BackgroundThe archaeon, Methanosarcina acetivorans strain C2A forms methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from a variety of one-carbon substrates and acetate. Whereas the biochemical pathways leading to methane formation are well understood, little is known about the expression of the many of the genes that encode proteins needed for carbon flow, electron transfer and/or energy conservation. Quantitative transcript analysis was performed on twenty gene clusters encompassing over one hundred genes in M. acetivorans that encode enzymes/proteins with known or potential roles in substrate conversion to methane.ResultsThe expression of many seemingly "redundant" genes/gene clusters establish substrate dependent control of approximately seventy genes for methane production by the pathways for methanol and acetate utilization. These include genes for soluble-type and membrane-type heterodisulfide reductases (hdr), hydrogenases including genes for a vht-type F420 non-reducing hydrogenase, molybdenum-type (fmd) as well as tungsten-type (fwd) formylmethanofuran dehydrogenases, genes for rnf and mrp-type electron transfer complexes, for acetate uptake, plus multiple genes for aha- and atp-type ATP synthesis complexes. Analysis of promoters for seven gene clusters reveal UTR leaders of 51-137 nucleotides in length, raising the possibility of both transcriptional and translational levels of control.ConclusionsThe above findings establish the differential and coordinated expression of two major gene families in M. acetivorans in response to carbon/energy supply. Furthermore, the quantitative mRNA measurements demonstrate the dynamic range for modulating transcript abundance. Since many of these gene clusters in M. acetivorans are also present in other Methanosarcina species including M. mazei, and in M. barkeri, these findings provide a basis for predicting related control in these environmentally significant methanogens.

Influence of hydrogenase overexpression on hydrogen production of Clostridium acetobutylicum DSM 792

[FeFe] hydrogenases are key enzymes in the clostridial metabolism for the production of molecular hydrogen which is regarded as a sustainable and environmentally benign energy source. In this study influence of overexpression of two different clostridial hydrogenases in Clostridium acetobutylicum DSM 792 on fermentative hydrogen production was investigated. For this purpose the gene coding for [FeFe] hydrogenase from Clostridium butyricum DSM 10702 was identified by genome walking, expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) and the enzyme's activity was confirmed after its activation by the corresponding maturation proteins from C. acetobutylicum. The hydrogenase gene from C. butyricum ( hydACb) as well as the corresponding gene from C. acetobutylicum ( hydACa) were cloned into C. acetobutylicum– E. coli shuttle vectors including their native promoters and transferred into C acetobutylicum DSM 792. The recombinant strains were subjected to pH-controlled fermentations, and transcription of the additional hydrogenase genes hydACb and hydACa was demonstrated by reverse transcriptase and quantitative PCR, respectively. Interestingly, hydrogen yields and maximum volumetric productivities of the recombinant strains were comparable to those of the wild type organisms indicating that hydrogen production in C. acetobutylicum DSM 792 is not restricted by intracellular concentrations of [FeFe] hydrogenase.

Molecular characterization and homologous overexpression of [FeFe]-hydrogenase in Clostridium tyrobutyricum JM1

The H 2-evoving [FeFe]-hydrogenase in Clostridium tyrobutyricum JM1 was isolated to elucidate molecular characterization and modular structure of the hydrogenase. Then, homologous overexpression of the hydrogenase gene was for the first time performed to enhance hydrogen production. The hydA open reading frame (ORF) was 1734-bp, encodes 577 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 63,970 Da, and presents 80% and 75% identity at the amino acid level with the [FeFe]-hydrogenase genes of Clostridium kluyveri DSM 555 and Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824, respectively. One histidine residue and 19 cysteine residues, known to fasten one [2Fe–2S] cluster, three [4Fe–4S] clusters and one H-cluster, were conserved in hydA of C. tyrobutyricum. A 2327-bp DNA region containing the ORF and the putative promoter region was amplified and subcloned into a pJIR418 shuttle vector. The gene transfer of the recombinant plasmid into C. tyrobutyricum JM1 was performed by a modified electrotransformation method. Homologous overexpression of the [FeFe]-hydrogenase gene resulted in a 1.7-fold and 1.5-fold increase in hydrogenase activity and hydrogen yield concomitant with the shift of metabolic pathway.

Evidence for transcription of three genes with characteristics of hydrogenases in the green alga Chlamydomonas noctigama

Some green algae have shown the ability to produce hydrogen under anaerobic conditions. The production of hydrogen in green algae is catalyzed by hydrogenases, which are small monomeric enzymes with high conversion efficiency and high oxygen sensitivity. Most green algae analyzed to date where hydrogenase genes are detected, have been shown to contain two distinct hydrogenases. However, very little is known about which functions the two different enzymes represent. There are also many unknowns within the mechanisms behind hydrogen production as to the roles hydrogenases play under different conditions, and consequently also about the potential for optimization of a hydrogen production process which could be found in this respect. This study focuses on the possibility for the presence of more than two hydrogenases in a single green alga. A large number of degenerate primers were designed and used to produce 3′-RACE products, which in turn were used to design gene specific primers used for PCR and 5′-RACE reactions. The sequences were aligned with known algal hydrogenases to identify products which had homology to these. Products where homology was identified were then explored further. A high number of clones from each band were sequenced to identify products with similar lengths which would not show up as separate bands on a gel. Sequences found to have homology with algal hydrogenases were translated into putative amino acid sequences and analyzed further to obtain detailed information about the presence of specific amino acids with known functions in the enzyme. This information was used to evaluate the likelihood of these transcripts coding for true hydrogenases, versus hydrogenase-like or narf-like proteins. We here present evidence showing that Chlamydomonas noctigama is able to transcribe three genes which share a significant number of characteristics with other known algal FeFe-hydrogenases. The three genes have been annotated HYDA1, HYDA2 and HYDA3.

Heterologous expression of a hydrogenase gene in Enterobacter aerogenes to enhance hydrogen gas production

The hydrogenase gene from Enterobacter cloacae (IIT-BT 08) was amplified and inserted into a prokaryotic expression vector to create a recombinant plasmid (pGEX-4T-2-Cat/hydA). The recombinant plasmid was transformed into a hydrogen-producing strain of Enterobacter aerogenes (ATCC13408). SDS–PAGE and western blot analysis confirmed the successful expression of the GST-tagged hydA protein. Anaerobic fermentation for the production of hydrogen from glucose was investigated using E. aerogenes ATCC13408 and the recombinant strain. The results showed that the hydrogen yield markedly increased, from 442.82 ± 22.61 ml/g glucose in the ATCC13408 strain to 864.02 ± 36.8 ml/g glucose in the recombinant. The maximum rate of hydrogen production was found to be 53.49 ± 3.34 ml l−1 h−1 using 1% (w/v) glucose as the substrate at pH 6.0 and a reaction temperature of 37°C.

Identification of the [FeFe]-Hydrogenase Responsible for Hydrogen Generation in Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum and Demonstration of Increased Ethanol Yield via Hydrogenase Knockout

Three putative hydrogenase enzyme systems in Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum were investigated at the genetic, mRNA, enzymatic, and phenotypic levels. A four-gene operon containing two [FeFe]-hydrogenase genes, provisionally termed hfs (hydrogenase-Fe-S), was found to be the main enzymatic catalyst of hydrogen production. hfsB, perhaps the most interesting gene of the operon, contains an [FeFe]-hydrogenase and a PAS sensory domain and has several conserved homologues among clostridial saccharolytic, cellulolytic, and pathogenic bacteria. A second hydrogenase gene cluster, hyd, exhibited methyl viologen-linked hydrogenase enzymatic activity, but hyd gene knockouts did not influence the hydrogen yield of cultures grown in closed-system batch fermentations. This result, combined with the observation that hydB contains NAD(P)+ and FMN binding sites, suggests that the hyd genes are specific to the transfer of electrons from NAD(P)H to hydrogen ions. A third gene cluster, a putative [NiFe]-hydrogenase with homology to the ech genes, did not exhibit hydrogenase activity under any of the conditions tested. Deletion of the hfs and hydA genes resulted in a loss of detectable methyl viologen-linked hydrogenase activity. Strains with a deletion of the hfs genes exhibited a 95% reduction in hydrogen and acetic acid production. A strain with hfs and ldh deletions exhibited an increased ethanol yield from consumed carbohydrates and represents a new strategy for engineering increased ethanol yields in T. saccharolyticum.

Clostridium strain co-cultures for biohydrogen production enhancement from condensed molasses fermentation solubles

An anaerobic continuous-flow hydrogen fermentor was operated at a hydraulic retention time of 8 h using condensed molasses fermentation solubles (CMS) substrate of 40 g-COD/L. Serum bottles were used for seed micro-flora cultivation and batch hydrogen fermentation tests (CMS substrate concentrations of 10–160 g-COD/L). Three hydrogen-producing bacterial strains Clostridium sporosphaeroides F52, Clostridium tyrobutyricum F4 and Clostridium pasteurianum F40 were isolated from the seed fermentor and used as the seeding microbes in single and mixed-culture cultivations for determining their hydrogen productivity. These strains possessed specific hydrogenase genes that could be detected from CMS-fed hydrogen fermentors and were major hydrogen producers. C. pasteurianum F40 was the dominant strain with a high hydrogen production rate while C. sporosphaeroides F52 may play a main role in degrading carbohydrate and glutamate. These strains could be co-cultivated as a symbiotic mixed-culture process to enhance hydrogen productivity. C. pasteurianum F40 or C. tyrobutyricum F4 co-culture with the glutamate-utilizing strain C. sporosphaeroides F52 efficiently enhanced hydrogen production by 12–220% depending on the substrate CMS concentrations.

Increased biological hydrogen production by deletion of hydrogen-uptake system in photosynthetic bacteria

Hydrogenases are the key enzymes for the biological hydrogen production, which can be classified as H(2)-uptake hydrogenase and H(2)-production hydrogenase. The genes encoding a membrane-bound [NiFe]-hydrogenase (MBH), which is mainly responsible for hydrogen uptake, from the photosynthetic bacterium Allochromatium vinosum was cloned and sequenced. It consist of two structural genes (hydS, hydL) and two intergenic genes (isp1, isp2), which are therefore organized as hydS-isp1-isp2-hydL. This is different from the arrangement of other typical hydrogenase gene clusters. A deletion mutant-strain PhihydSL, lacking isp1, isp2, partial hydS and hydL genes, was constructed by marker-exchange mutagenesis. Under dark fermentative conditions, the hydrogen production yield by this mutant increased by 62%. The result suggests that the disruption of MBH could greatly improve the hydrogen production in the cells by decreasing the hydrogen uptake.

Perturbation of formate pathway for hydrogen production by expressions of formate hydrogen lyase and its transcriptional activator in wild Enterobacter aerogenes and its mutants

Abstract To examine perturbation effects of formate pathway on hydrogen productivity in Enterobacter aerogenes (Ea), formate dehydrogenase FDH-H gene (fdhF) and formate hydrogen lyase activator protein FHLA gene (fhlA) originated from Escherichia coli, were overexpressed in the wild strain Ea, its hycA-deleted mutant (A) by knockout the formate hydrogen lyase repressor and hybO-deleted mutant (O) by knockout of the uptake hydrogenase, respectively. Overexpression of fdhF and fhlA promoted cell growth and volumetric hydrogen production rates of all the strains, and the hydrogen production per gram cell dry weight (CDW) for Ea, A and O was increased by 38.5%, 21.8% and 5.25%, respectively. The fdhF and fhlA overexpression improved the hydrogen yield per mol glucose of strains Ea and A, but declined that of strain O. The increase of hydrogen yield of the strain Ea with fdhF and fhlA expression was mainly attributed to the increase of formate pathway, while for the mutant A, the improved hydrogen yield with fdhF and fhlA expression was mainly due to the increase of NADH pathway. Analysis of the metabolites and ratio of ethanol-to-acetate showed that the cellular redox state balance and energy level were also changed for these strains by fdhF and fhlA expression. These findings demonstrated that the hydrogen production was not only dependent on the hydrogenase genes, but was also affected by the regulation of the whole metabolism. Therefore, fdhF and fhlA expression in different strains of E. aerogenes could exhibit different perturbation effects on the metabolism and the hydrogen productivity.

The phylogeny of uptake hydrogenases in Frankia.

Uptake hydrogenase is an enzyme that is beneficial for nitrogen fixation in bacteria. Recent studies have shown that Frankia sp. has two sets of uptake hydrogenase genes, organized in synton 1 and synton 2. In the present study, phylogenetic analysis of the structural subunits of hydrogenase syntons 1 and 2 showed a distinct clustering pattern between the proteins of Frankia strains that were isolated from different host plants and non-Frankia organisms. The structural subunits of hydrogenase synton 1 of Frankia sp. CpI1, Frankia alni ACN14a, and F. alni AvCI1 were grouped together while those of Frankia spp. CcI3, KB5, UGL140104, and UGL011102 formed another group. The structural subunits of hydrogenase synton 2 of F. alni ACN14a and Frankia spp. CcI3 and BCU110501 grouped together, but those of Frankia spp. KB5 and CpI1, F. alni ArI3, and F. alniAvCI1 comprised a separate group. The structural subunits of hydrogenase syntons 1 and 2 of Frankia sp. EAN1pec were more closely related to those of non-Frankia bacteria, i.e., Streptomyces avermitilis and Anaeromyxobacter sp., respectively, than to those of other Frankia strains, suggesting the occurrence of lateral gene transfer between these organisms. In addition, the accessory Hyp proteins of hydrogenase syntons 1 and 2 of F. alni ACN14a and Frankia sp. CcI3 were shown to be phylogenetically more related to each other than to those of Frankia EAN1pec.

Evolution from a respiratory ancestor to fill syntrophic and fermentative niches: comparative fenomics of six Geobacteraceae species

BackgroundThe anaerobic degradation of organic matter in natural environments, and the biotechnical use of anaerobes in energy production and remediation of subsurface environments, both require the cooperative activity of a diversity of microorganisms in different metabolic niches. The Geobacteraceae family contains members with three important anaerobic metabolisms: fermentation, syntrophic degradation of fermentation intermediates, and anaerobic respiration.ResultsIn order to learn more about the evolution of anaerobic microbial communities, the genome sequences of six Geobacteraceae species were analyzed. The results indicate that the last common Geobacteraceae ancestor contained sufficient genes for anaerobic respiration, completely oxidizing organic compounds with the reduction of external electron acceptors, features that are still retained in modern Geobacter and Desulfuromonas species. Evolution of specialization for fermentative growth arose twice, via distinct lateral gene transfer events, in Pelobacter carbinolicus and Pelobacter propionicus. Furthermore, P. carbinolicus gained hydrogenase genes and genes for ferredoxin reduction that appear to permit syntrophic growth via hydrogen production. The gain of new physiological capabilities in the Pelobacter species were accompanied by the loss of several key genes necessary for the complete oxidation of organic compounds and the genes for the c-type cytochromes required for extracellular electron transfer.ConclusionThe results suggest that Pelobacter species evolved parallel strategies to enhance their ability to compete in environments in which electron acceptors for anaerobic respiration were limiting. More generally, these results demonstrate how relatively few gene changes can dramatically transform metabolic capabilities and expand the range of environments in which microorganisms can compete.

Cloning and knockout of formate hydrogen lyase and H 2-uptake hydrogenase genes in Enterobacter aerogenes for enhanced hydrogen production

A 5431-bp DNA fragment partially encoding the formate hydrogen lyase (FHL) gene cluster hycABCDE was isolated and identified from Enterobacter aerogenes IAM1183 chromosomal DNA. All the five putative gene products showed a high degree of homology to the reported bacterial FHL proteins. The gene hycA, encoding the FHL repressor protein, and hybO, encoding the small subunit of the uptake hydrogenase, were targeted for genetic knockout for improving the hydrogen production. The pYM-Red recombination system was adopted to form insertional mutations in the E. aerogenes genome, thereby creating mutant strains of IAM1183-A (△ hycA), IAM1183-O (△ hybO), and IAM1183-AO (△ hycA/△ hybO double knockout). The hydrogen production experiments with these mutants showed that the maximum specific hydrogen productivities of IAM1183-A, IAM1183-O, and IAM1183-AO were 2879.466 ± 38.59, 2747.203 ± 13.25 and 3372.019 ± 4.39 (ml h −1 g −1dry cell weight), respectively, higher than that of the wild strain (2321.861 ± 15.34 ml h −1 g −1dry cell weight). The total H 2 yields by the three mutants IAM1183-A, IAM1183-O and IAM1183-AO were 0.73, 0.78, and 0.83 mol-H 2/mol glucose, respectively, while the wild-type IAM1183 was only 0.65 mol-H 2/mol glucose. The metabolites of the mutants including acetate, ethanol, 2,3-butanediol and succinate were all increased compared with that of the wild type, implying the changed metabolic flux by the mutation. In the fermentor cultivation with IAM1183△ hycA/△ hybO, the total hydrogen volume after 16 h cultivation reached 4.4 L, while that for the wild type was only 2.9 L.

Clong and knochout of formate hydrogenlyase and H2-uptake hydrogenase genes in Enterobacter aerogenes for enhanced hydrogen production

Clong and knochout of formate hydrogenlyase and H2-uptake hydrogenase genes in Enterobacter aerogenes for enhanced hydrogen production

Profiling the hydA gene and hydA gene transcript levels of Clostridium butyricum during continuous, mixed-culture hydrogen fermentation

The purpose of the research was to investigate the hydrogenase ( hydA) gene and the corresponding transcript levels of Clostridium butyricum during continuous hydrogen fermentation. A quantitative real-time PCR (qrt-PCR) method was developed to specifically target the C. butyricum hydrogenase gene and mRNA in samples collected from a continuous, mixed-culture bioreactor over a period of 30 days (operation days 114-144). The detection limit of the qrt-PCR was 3.9 × 10 2 hydA copies and the linear range 3.9 × 10 2–3.9 × 10 7 hydA copies. The results showed that after a re-inoculation of the bioreactor on day 120 the hydA copy numbers started to rise and stabilized after day 127. The number of hydA transcript continued to rise until day 142. The results demonstrate that this method is suitable for detecting the hydA gene and gene transcript levels of C. butyricum from bioreactor samples. The expression level of hydA gene changed during continuous operation and can, therefore, be a useful target for process performance monitoring.

Characterization of the Community Structure of a Dechlorinating Mixed Culture and Comparisons of Gene Expression in Planktonic and Biofloc-Associated “Dehalococcoides” andMethanospirillumSpecies

This study sought to characterize bacterial and archaeal populations in a perchloroethene- and butyrate-fed enrichment culture containing hydrogen-consuming "Dehalococcoides ethenogenes" strain 195 and a Methanospirillum hungatei strain. Phylogenetic characterization of this microbial community was done via 16S rRNA gene clone library and gradient gel electrophoresis analyses. Fluorescence in situ hybridization was used to quantify populations of "Dehalococcoides" and Archaea and to examine the colocalization of these two groups within culture bioflocs. A technique for enrichment of planktonic and biofloc-associated biomass was developed and used to assess differences in population distribution and gene expression patterns following provision of substrate. On a per-milliliter-of-culture basis, most D. ethenogenes genes (the hydrogenase gene hupL; the highly expressed gene for an oxidoreductase of unknown function, fdhA; the RNA polymerase subunit gene rpoB; and the 16S rRNA gene) showed no statistical difference in expression between planktonic and biofloc enrichments at either time point studied (1 to 2 and 6 h postfeeding). Normalization of transcripts to ribosome (16S rRNA) levels supported that planktonic and biofloc-associated D. ethenogenes had similar gene expression profiles, with one notable exception; planktonic D. ethenogenes showed higher expression of tceA relative to biofloc-associated cells at 6 h postfeeding. These trends were compared to those for the hydrogen-consuming methanogen in the culture, M. hungatei. The vast majority of M. hungatei cells, ribosomes (16S rRNA), and transcripts of the hydrogenase gene mvrD and the housekeeping gene rpoE were observed in the biofloc enrichments. This suggests that, unlike the comparable activity of D. ethenogenes from both enrichments, planktonic M. hungatei is responsible for only a small fraction of the hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis in this culture.

Monitoring dark hydrogen fermentation performance of indigenous Clostridium butyricum by hydrogenase gene expression using RT-PCR and qPCR

Hydrogenase is the key enzyme responsible for H 2 production in dark fermentation. Therefore, the expression of hydrogenase gene may be a good indicator for the performance of a dark H 2 fermentation culture. In this study, we investigated the correlation between expression of the functional gene ( hydA encoding for hydrogenase in Clostridium butyricum) and bioH 2 production activity during batch growth of an indigenous H 2-producing isolate C. butyricum CGS5 using sucrose as the sole carbon source. The copy number of hydA mRNA was determined by using reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR). The results show that the specific hydrogen production rate of C. butyricum CGS5 was essentially linearly proportional to the level of hydA expression (represented by the copy umber of hydA cDNA), whereas the profiles of microbial growth and volumetric H 2 production rate followed a similar trend to that of the hydA DNA copies.

Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium NiFe Uptake-Type Hydrogenases Are Differentially Expressed In Vivo

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, a common enteric pathogen, possesses three NiFe uptake-type hydrogenases. The results from mouse infection studies suggest that the H(2) oxidation capacity provided by these hydrogenases is important for virulence. Since the three enzymes are similar in structure and function, it may be expected that they are utilized under different locations and times during an infection. A recombination-based method to examine promoter activity in vivo (RIVET) was used to determine hydrogenase gene expression in macrophages, polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN)-like cells, and a mouse model of salmonellosis. The hyd and hya promoters showed increased expression in both murine macrophages and human PMN-like cells compared to that in the medium-only controls. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR results suggested that hyb is also expressed in phagocytes. A nonpolar hya mutant was compromised for survival in macrophages compared to the wild type. This may be due to lower tolerance to acid stress, since the hya mutant was much more acid sensitive than the wild type. In addition, hya mutant cells were internalized by macrophages the same as wild-type cells. Mouse studies (RIVET) indicate that hyd is highly expressed in the liver and spleen early during infection but is expressed poorly in the ileum in infected animals. Late in the infection, the hyd genes were expressed at high levels in the ileum as well as in the liver and spleen. The hya genes were expressed at low levels in all locations tested. These results suggest that the hydrogenases are used to oxidize hydrogen in different stages of an infection.

Improved hydrogen production by uptake hydrogenase deficient mutant strain of Rhodobacter sphaeroides O.U.001

Rhodobacter sphaeroides O.U.001 is a purple non-sulfur bacterium producing hydrogen under photoheterotrophic conditions. Hydrogen is produced by Mo-nitrogenase enzyme and substantial amount of H2 is reoxidized by a membrane-bound uptake hydrogenase in the wild type strain. To improve the hydrogen producing capacity of the cells, a suicide vector containing a gentamicin cassette in the hupSL genes was introduced into R. sphaeroiodes O.U.001 and the uptake hydrogenase genes were destroyed by site directed mutagenesis. The correct integration of the construct was confirmed by uptake hydrogenase activity measurement, PCR and subsequent sequence analysis. The wild type and the mutant cells showed similar growth patterns but the total volume of hydrogen gas evolved by the mutant was 20% higher than that of the wild type strain. This result demonstrated that the hydrogen produced by the nitrogenase was not consumed by uptake hydrogenase leading to higher hydrogen production.

Relationship among growth parameters for Clostridium butyricum, hydA gene expression, and biohydrogen production in a sucrose-supplemented batch reactor

This study was undertaken to identify the relationship between the performance of dark H2 fermentation and expression of the key functional gene (i.e., hydrogenase gene) involved in the bioH2 production process. Clostridium butyricum CGS5 isolated from anaerobic sewage sludge was used as the model strain for this study. Copy number of the hydrogenase gene (hydA) and mRNA transcripts (cDNA hydA) (after amplification) and the total DNA and RNA (before amplification) were measured over the course of the growth of strain CGS5. Cell concentration was also determined by optical density and converted to dry weight. After amplification, the hydA gene increased 1,500-fold during late exponential growth phase after normalization to the copy number at time 0, and cDNA from mRNA transcripts of hydA also increased 500-fold after normalization. mRNA transcripts of hydA lagged behind the increase of total DNA and RNA, and increases in hydA more closely mimicked those of total DNA. Increases in both of these parameters corresponded with hydrogen production. Transcripts of 16s ribosomal RNA reached a maximum value earlier (38 h) than did those of hydA (47 h). All molecular characteristics matched those for sucrose utilization, growth, and hydrogen production. These experiments indicated that transcription as measured by cDNA can be related to hydrogen production and possesses the potential to be used as tool for process control.

Metabolic engineering for solvent productivity by downregulation of the hydrogenase gene cluster hupCBA in Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum strain N1-4

The selective production of acetone and butanol is highly desirable from the viewpoint of biofuel production. We have manipulated the activity level of a hydrogenase for this purpose because hydrogen and solvent production are closely correlated with each other. First, we cloned the hydrogenase gene cluster from Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum strain N1-4 and downregulated its expression using an antisense RNA strategy. The cloned hydrogenase gene cluster contained three adjacent open reading frames, designated hupC, hupB, and hupA. Sequence analysis revealed that HupA could accommodate an H-cluster, which is the catalytic domain of the Fe-hydrogenase. HupB and HupC contained no H-cluster but could accommodate several Fe-S clusters. The hupCBA genes were co-transcribed, and the level of the transcript was maximized in the solventogenic phase. When the antisense RNA of the hupC upstream region (180 bp) was expressed under the bdh (encoding butanol dehydrogenase) promoter, significant reduction of hupC translation was observed, indicating that this antisense RNA is effective in strain N1-4. Production of hydrogen in the antisense transformant increased 3.1-fold. Hydrogen-evolving activity was comparable in both the control and antisense strains, but hydrogen uptake activity significantly decreased in the antisense strain (13% remaining). These results indicate that the HupCBA proteins are involved in hydrogen uptake. Importantly, the level of acetone in the antisense transformant increased 1.6-fold, and butanol production decreased to 75.6% compared to the control strain. Thus, we successfully altered solvent productivity by controlling electron flow in an acetone/butanol-producing Clostridium species.