A synthetic pathway for the fixation of carbon dioxide in vitro

Optimizing designer metabolisms in vitro Biological carbon fixation requires several enzymes to turn CO 2 into biomass. Although this pathway evolved in plants, algae, and microorganisms over billions of years, many reactions and enzymes could aid in the production of desired chemical products instead of biomass. Schwander et al. constructed an optimized synthetic carbon fixation pathway in vitro by using 17 enzymes—including three engineered enzymes—from nine different organisms across all three domains of life (see the Perspective by Gong and Li). The pathway is up to five times more efficient than the in vivo rates of the most common natural carbon fixation pathway. Further optimization of this and other…

• SN
  Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung

  Award: PZ00P3_136828/1
• ET
  Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich

  Award: ETH-41 12-2
• M
  Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
• ER
  European Research Council

  Award: ERC 637675