title: Strategy and tactics of disarming GHG at the source: N2O reductase crops.
abstract: Nitrous oxide (N(2)O), the third most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG), is highly stable and plays a significant role in stratospheric ozone destruction. The primary anthropogenic source of N(2)O stems from use of nitrogen fertilizers in soil. The bacterial enzyme nitrous oxide reductase (N(2)OR), naturally found in some soils, is the only known enzyme capable of catalyzing the final step of the denitrification pathway, conversion of N(2)O to N(2). In this opinion, we discuss potential biology-based strategies to reduce N(2)O by amplifying the amount of available enzyme catalyst in agri-system environments during crop growth and in post-harvest detritus. N(2)OR from Pseudomonas stutzeri has been tested in transgenic plants with promising results. Such seed-borne phytoremediation systems targeted towards GHGs merit field testing.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research on Environmental Microbiology (CREM), Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1H 8M5.
authors.forename: Shen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Tonya Lynn
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Illimar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Altosaar
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D017752:Greenhouse Effect; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009609:Nitrous Oxide / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012989:Soil Pollutants; D010088:Oxidoreductases; C022763:nitrous oxide reductase; D009609:Nitrous Oxide