Dottorato in Scienze Farmaceutiche e Biomolecolari

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Phd thesis

[FeFe]-hydrogenases engineering for application as stabilized hydrogen producing catalysts

Introduction. Hydrogenases are a family of redox enzymes that are central in hydrogen metabolism in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. They catalyze hydrogen gas production in many microorganisms, such as fermentative bacteria and green algae. Hydrogenases are important in anaerobic metabolism and thus they are often severely inhibited by oxygen. [FeFe]-hydrogenases are a subclass of hydrogenases with high specific activity for hydrogen production; they are considered excellent natural catalyst of this reaction with important potential applications in biotechnological hydrogen production applications.

Aim. The main objectives of the project are: cloning of new [FeFe]-hydrogenases; purification of different recombinant [FeFe]-hydrogenases with high specific activity; functional and structural characterization of the enzymes; protein engineering; immobilization of the enzymes on electrodes and bio-electrochemical characterization.