EXPRESSION OF SOLUBLE METHANE MONOOXYGENASE IN RECOMBINANT HOST ESCHERICHIA COLI FOR INDUSTRIAL BIOCONVERSION OF METHANE TO METHANOL

Abstract

Using the biological catalyst methane monooxygenases (MMOs), methane sequestration has the potential of both reducing greenhouse gas concentrations and producing a marketable fuel. Soluble methane monooxygenases (sMMOs), found in methanotrophic bacteria sequester methane under mild conditions and is one of the most viable biological catalysts for the methane to methanol reaction. The current understanding of in vivo sMMO shows it has several restraints inhibiting its industrial use. Currently one of the outstanding problems is successful expression of sMMO in a recombinant host such as Eschericia coli. In this proposal I hypothesize that 1) an undiscovered helper protein, or gene, aids in proper protein expression in its natural host and is expressed itself in low copper environments and 2) Co-expressing the novel protein(s) or gene(s) in E. coli will produce a recombinant expression system for sMMO.