Synthetic Carbon Fixation: Conversion of Heterotrophs into Autotrophs by Calvin-Benson-Bassham Cycle Induction

Abstract

Synthetic biology has enabled us to artificially convert heterotrophs into autotrophs. Modification of the existing metabolic circuit and induction of enzymes of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle including phosphoribulokinase (PRK) and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) allowed Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris to fix CO 2 . This heterotroph to autotroph conversion technology will contribute to reductions in energy consumption and CO 2 emissions in the bioindustry.

Natural and Artificial Photosymbiosis in Vertebrates

“…The most accessible photosynthetic product is oxygen, with applications for utilizing this oxygen including medical treatments of hypoxia and for wound healing (Hopfner et al 2014, Schenck et al 2015, Chávez et al 2016, Zhong et al 2021. Carbohydrates and other photosynthates could also benefit a vertebrate host in a manner similar to the synthetic Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle of unicellular organisms (Antonovsky et al 2016, Gassler et al 2020, Kawanishi and Matsunaga 2021. Should the host be a cultivated animal, then feeding costs could be greatly reduced because a host could partially, or even entirely be converted from a heterotrophic condition to that of an autotroph.…”