Reaction: Engineer Biology for Uranium

Fei Sun is currently an associate professor at the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Hong Kong University Science Technology (HKUST). He obtained his BS PhD degrees from Peking Chicago, respectively. Before joining HKUST, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher California Institute Technology. His primary research interests include protein engineering, synthetic biology, biomaterials. Chuan John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor in Chemistry Chicago. topics chemical bioinorganic chemistry, engineering. Cost scalability are two major hurdles facing existing technologies for oceanic uranium extraction. The ideal solution to this separation problem should take into account not only materials’ binding efficiency specificity but also manufacturing cost, well capabilities processing massive quantities seawater within reasonable spatiotemporal frame. Considering global carbon cycle nitrogen nature, very manifestations might biological systems mass transfer, answer extraction could reside biology. As with promise recapitulate or repurpose complicated systems, has gained traction recent years, it become ever more intriguing engineer mining seawater. idea using can be traced back communication published 1973, which depicted proof-of-concept use photosynthetic marine algae, mutated by X-ray radiation, sequester uranyl ions (UO22+) seawater.1Heide E.A. Wagener K. Paschke M. Wald Extraction sea water cultured algae.Naturwissenschaften. 1973; 60: 431Crossref PubMed Scopus (13) Google Scholar Unsurprisingly, without specific mechanism, these microorganisms performed poorly, further optimization was almost impossible because lack suitable genetic engineering methods species then. This those like have been shelved since. Thanks advancements past decade witnessed renewed interest developing peptides proteins, alongside new mechanisms, binding. Zhou et al. reported seminal study super (SUP), aided through computational design, unprecedented selectivity affinity toward UO22+.2Zhou L. Bosscher Zhang C. Ozçubukçu S. W. Li C.J. Liu J. Jensen M.P. Lai A engineered bind selectively femtomolar affinity.Nat. Chem. 2014; 6: 236-241Crossref (192) subsequent unveiled three mechanistic aspects that underlie marked SUP, including composition its site, integrity strength second-sphere hydrogen-bond network, number molecules first coordination sphere.3Odoh S.O. Bondarevsky G.D. Karpus Cui Q. Spezia R. Gagliardi UO22+ uptake proteins: understanding features design higher affinity.J. Am. Soc. 136: 17484-17494Crossref (52) appreciation novel mechanism led optimized SUP.3Odoh Using emerging covalent assembly tools such genetically encoded click chemistries (GECCs),4Sun F. W.B. Unleashing power sequence space “click” chemistry.Chin. Lett. 2017; 28: 2078Crossref (30) Scholar,5Zakeri B. Fierer J.O. Celik E. Chittock E.C. Schwarz-Linek U. Moy V.T. Howarth Peptide tag forming rapid bond protein, bacterial adhesin.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2012; 109: E690-E697Crossref (647) Kou subsequently demonstrated feasibility directly assembling SUPs macroscopic hydrogel materials nanofilms capable sequestering seawater.6Kou S.Z. Yang Z.G. Luo J.R. Entirely recombinant protein-based hydrogels selective heavy metal sequestration.Polym. 8: 6158Crossref Scholar, 7Zhang X.J. Wang X.W. Da X.D. Shi Y. versatile robust approach stimuli-responsive multilayers biologically enabled unique functions.Biomacromolecules. 2018; 19: 1065-1073Crossref (11) 8Kou Z. Protein microbeads seawater.ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. 9: 2035-2039Crossref (60) However, despite their superior binding, still suffer drawbacks high cost poor scalability. Photosynthetic algae abundant ocean play essential roles oxygen production. Recent developments development powerful genome-engineering (e.g., TALEN CRISPR), made possible re-engineer re-purpose microalgae level.9Nymark Sharma A.K. Sparstad Bones A.M. Winge P. CRISPR/Cas9 system adapted gene editing algae.Sci. Rep. 2016; 24951Crossref (194) Some exciting enabling cultivation hailed promising strategies addressing urgent societal problems sustainable energy environmental remediation.10Harris Tozzi Wiley Young Richardson T.M.J. Clark Trent J.D. Potential impact biofouling on photobioreactors Offshore Membrane Enclosures Growing Algae (OMEGA) system.Bioresour. Technol. 2013; 144: 420-428Crossref (39) Hence, now time revisit old extract It conceivable produce display surfaces binders SUPs, GECC reactive pairs, would enable self-assembly higher-order multicellular “living” easy harvesting. These materials, once cultivated seawater, likely possess some important photosynthesis, self-propagation, capability autonomous thus having potential green cost-effective technology mining. All all, integrated biology act game changer field Reaction: Porous Organic Polymers Uranium CaptureCafer YavuzChemFebruary 11, 2021In BriefUranium recovery uranium-extraction method provide needed resources low-carbon widescale implementation recovery, issues scale must addressed. In reaction piece, Yavuz explores help recovery. Full-Text PDF Catalyst: Seawater, Paradigm Shift Resource RecoveryKushwaha al.ChemFebruary BriefNuclear energy, route lowering worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, critical role transition clean future. low terrestrial supplies ore limit nuclear unless alternative employed. Catalysis article highlights discussing progress future goals discovery methods. Semiconducting MOFs Offer New Strategy SeawaterLi one most separations society given reserves expansion discuss metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) efficient Goal-Oriented PAF Design SeawaterGuangshan ZhuChemFebruary BriefAlthough achieving economy, availability limits power. Zhu discusses how porous aromatic frameworks, especially adsorbent open framework architectures, chemically amenable fragments, surface areas, advanced