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購(gòu)買進(jìn)口儀器、試劑和耗材——就在始于2001年的畢特博生物 www.603041.com |
科學(xué)家近日表示,在一種特殊厭氧細(xì)菌的研究方面取得新進(jìn)展,這種細(xì)菌能夠?qū)⒛蛞褐械匿@轉(zhuǎn)化為火箭燃料肼。 這種細(xì)菌被稱為厭氧氨氧化菌,于上世紀(jì)9 0年代首次被發(fā)現(xiàn)時(shí)一度引起轟動(dòng),但解讀它們的秘密耗費(fèi)了大量時(shí)間。 (圖片來(lái)自原文) 荷蘭奈梅亨大學(xué)研究小組在英國(guó)《自然》周刊上公布說(shuō),他們已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)了細(xì)菌轉(zhuǎn)化火箭燃料的分子機(jī)制。 該大學(xué)水與濕地研究所微生物學(xué)教授邁克·耶滕說(shuō):“能夠證明這種機(jī)制著實(shí)令人矚目。” 他說(shuō):“我們不得不運(yùn)用一系列新的試驗(yàn)方法。最終,我們得以分離出這種能夠制造肼的蛋白質(zhì)化合物,一種漂亮的紅色混合物。” 研究小組的工作最初引起了美國(guó)航天局的興趣,但后來(lái)美國(guó)航天局得知試驗(yàn)只制造出少量的昂貴燃料肼,因此逐漸失去興趣。耶滕說(shuō):“我們的產(chǎn)量不足以發(fā)射火箭飛往火星。” 他說(shuō):“現(xiàn)在我們正試圖精確構(gòu)建這種蛋白質(zhì)化合物的晶體結(jié)構(gòu)。如果我們能夠進(jìn)一步了解這種蛋白質(zhì)化合物是如何組合在一起的,也許我們可以改進(jìn)生產(chǎn)過(guò)程。” 厭氧氨氧化菌目前在商業(yè)領(lǐng)域被用于水凈化,因?yàn)樗軌虻湍芎牡胤纸馑械陌薄?/p> 其可能的應(yīng)用還包括生物燃料,以及在無(wú)需泵入空氣的條件下清潔下水道污物,同時(shí)產(chǎn)生甲烷。 doi:10.1038/nature10453 Molecular mechanism of anaerobic ammonium oxidation Boran Kartal; Wouter J. Maalcke; Naomi M. de Almeida; Irina Cirpus; Jolein Gloerich; Wim Geerts; Huub J. M. Op den Camp; Harry R. Harhangi; Eva M. Janssen-Megens; Kees-Jan Francoijs; Hendrik G. Stunnenberg; Jan T. Keltjens; Mike S. M. Jetten; Marc Strous Two distinct microbial processes, denitrification and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), are responsible for the release of fixed nitrogen as dinitrogen gas (N2) to the atmosphere1, 2, 3, 4. Denitrification has been studied for over 100 years and its intermediates and enzymes are well known5. Even though anammox is a key biogeochemical process of equal importance, its molecular mechanism is unknown, but it was proposed to proceed through hydrazine (N2H4)6, 7. Here we show that N2H4 is produced from the anammox substrates ammonium and nitrite and that nitric oxide (NO) is the direct precursor of N2H4. We resolved the genes and proteins central to anammox metabolism and purified the key enzymes that catalyse N2H4 synthesis and its oxidation to N2. These results present a new biochemical reaction forging an N–N bond and fill a lacuna in our understanding of the biochemical synthesis of the N2 in the atmosphere. Furthermore, they reinforce the role of nitric oxide in the evolution of the nitrogen cycle.
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購(gòu)買進(jìn)口儀器、試劑和耗材——就在始于2001年的畢特博生物
www.603041.com |
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