Résumé:
This work aims to understand how the CO2 fixation is driven by the reducing power, in bacteria assimilating carbon by the reverse Krebs cycle. This cycle is powered by low potential ferredoxins, which are reduced by energy sources with a higher redox potential. Deciphering how carbon fixation is linked to energy metabolism in Aquifex aeolicus, an hyperthermophilic bacterium, and identifying enzymes that can bypass this thermodynamic bias was the objective of this project. Using biochemistry, we identified a putative enzyme that uses the electron bifurcation mechanism to reduce low potential ferredoxins from NADPH. This work has made also possible to undertake the essential task of developing the CrispR-Cas9 tool in a hyperthermophilic bacterium which is particularly exciting. This will be used to study the role of genes in vivo not only as part of this project but also to open up the field of possibilities for research on this organism in general.
Mots clés:
Bacteria, Carbon assimilation, Energy metabolism, Low-potential Ferredoxin, CrispR-Cas9