[Expired] PhD available at the LCBM (Biocatalysis team), CEA Grenoble

Deciphering the biosynthetic pathway of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase, a key enzyme of the water-gas shift reaction.

The candidate has to apply to the IRTELIS program (website: irtelis.cea.fr) before March 25 (Institute: BIG)

Starting date: October 1, 2016

Contact: Christine Cavazza

Summary: In the perspective of a green economy, one fundamental question today is how to discover economically viable methods for the production of biofuels and valuable chemicals from renewable sources. In this context, the gasification of biomass results in the production of a synthesis, gas called syngas (a mixture of CO, CO₂ and H₂), which can be upgraded into H2 through the Water Gas Shift reaction (WGSR)  (CO + H₂O -> CO₂ + H₂). The resulting hydrogen-enriched syngas can be used for many applications such as the production of platform molecules like methanol. In biological systems, CO dehydrogenase (CODH) is a key enzyme of the WGSR. A remarkable feature of CODH is the presence of a surprising active site, composed of a [NiFe₄S₄] cluster, unique in biology.Due to its complexity, its biogenesis and its insertion in the enzyme are not well understood. Our goal is then to decipher the biosynthetic pathway of CODH for control and optimization of large-scale production of active enzyme for future biotechnological applications, and to test the activity and resistance of optimized microorganisms, capable of performing WGSR, and purified enzymes towards syngas produced from biomass gasification. The project is pluridisciplinar, with the combination of biochemistry, spectroscopy, protein crystallography and microbiology.

Deadline: March 25, 2016