Transforming Carbon Dioxide: A New Way with Enzyme-Amyloid Hybrids

Did you know that certain proteins can help turn carbon dioxide into sugar? Scientists have found a way to stabilize and enhance the work of these proteins, called enzymes. They created a platform using a special type of protein structure called amyloid fibrils. This platform can hold several enzymes and help them work together to turn carbon dioxide into a sugar called fructose. By using a protein found in milk, called β-lactoglobulin, they made a hydrogel that can hold enzymes and keep them active. They tested two types of hydrogels – one with just one enzyme called RuBisCO, and another with seven enzymes related to a process called the Calvin Cycle. Both hydrogels worked really well, with over 95% of the enzymes staying active. The first hydrogel, with just RuBisCO, can fix carbon dioxide into a molecule called 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PGA). This molecule is like the starting point of the Calvin Cycle. When the second hydrogel, with all seven enzymes, is used, it can continue the process and turn 3-PGA into other molecules that can eventually become fructose. This is similar to the part of photosynthesis that plants do without light. What’s even cooler is that these hydrogels are made of proteins, so they can be broken down naturally by an enzyme called pepsin. This makes them eco-friendly and safe to use. These enzyme-amyloid hybrids could be a great way to create sustainable, scalable platforms for multiple enzymes to work together.