Synthetic Nanostructures Offer Microbial Function
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In this figure, the enzyme organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) has been embedded in a synthetic nanomembrane (mesoporous silica) that enhances its activity and stability. The OPH transforms toxic substances (purple molecules at left of OPH) to harmless byproducts (yellow and red molecules at right).
Learning about the inner workings of microbes and their diverse repertoire of molecular machines can lead to discovery of ways to isolate and use these components to develop new, synthetic nanostructures that carry out some of the functions of living cells. Applications such as this could enable development of efficient enzyme-based ways to produce energy, remove or inactivate contaminants, and sequester carbon to mitigate global climate change. The knowledge gained from GTL research also could be highly useful in food processing, pharmaceuticals, separations, and the production of industrial chemicals.
Text adapted from Genomics:GTL Roadmap: Systems Biology for Energy and Environment, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, August 2005. DOE/SC-0090.
