title: Formate production through biocatalysis.
abstract: The generation of formate from CO₂ provides a method for sequestration of this greenhouse gas as well as the production of a valuable commodity chemical and stabilized form of hydrogen fuel. Formate dehydrogenases are enzymes with the potential to catalyze this reaction; however they generally favor the reverse process, i.e., formate oxidation. By contrast, the formate dehydrogenase of the acetogen Clostridium carboxidivorans has been found to preferentially catalyze the reduction of CO₂. This is in accord with its natural role to introduce CO₂ as a carbon source in the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. The direction of catalysis derives from the enzyme's low affinity for formate. This enzyme is therefore an excellent candidate for biotechnological applications aimed at producing formic acid and derivative chemicals from CO₂.
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Biofuels Research Cluster; Research School of Chemistry; Australian National University; Canberra, Australia.
authors.forename: Apostolos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alissandratos
authors.forename: Hye-Kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Easton
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D055162:Biocatalysis; D057486:Carbon Cycle; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D003013:Clostridium / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D005560:Formate Dehydrogenases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005561:Formates / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005561:Formates; C030544:formic acid; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D005560:Formate Dehydrogenases
keywords: CO2 fixation; CO2 reduction; Clostridium carboxidivorans; acetogens; formate dehydrogenase; formic acid; hydrogen storage