Date: 13.6.2025
The bacterium Thermoanaerobacter kivui (T. kivui) was manipulated by a research team led by Stefan Pflügl from the Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering at TU Wien in such a way that it can metabolize carbon monoxide.
When used in bioreactors, it can contribute to converting synthesis gas, which consists of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2), into valuable products.
Carbon monoxide is naturally toxic to many microorganisms, including T. kivui, and inhibits growth. "However, we succeeded in slowly adapting the bacterium to carbon monoxide," reports Stefan Pflügl. "Later it was even able to use carbon monoxide as its sole source of energy and carbon." T. kivui acquired this ability naturally within just a few generations.
A look at the genome revealed to the researchers that a transposon, i.e., a specific mobile DNA segment, is responsible for the new properties.
This finding not only provides a deeper understanding of how microorganisms adapt to their environment, but also shows how natural evolutionary mechanisms can be used for biotechnological purposes.
Image source: Rami Mahmoud, TU Wien.
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