Lecture

Photosynthesis: Anoxygenic Phototrophs and Carbon Fixation

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ENV-202: Microbiology for engineers

"Microbiology for engineers" covers the main microbial processes that take place in the environment and in treatment systems. It presents elemental cycles that are catalyzed by microorganisms and that have a major impact on planet Earth. ...

Description

This lecture covers the process of photosynthesis in anoxygenic phototrophs, such as purple sulfur bacteria and green sulfur bacteria, explaining the role of carotenoids and the different energy sources, carbon sources, and electron donors involved. It also delves into the mechanisms of carbon fixation, including the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle and the reductive citric acid cycle, highlighting the key enzymes and intermediate compounds. The lecture further explores the pathways for CO2 fixation, such as the Reductive Acetyl-CoA pathway, and the organisms that utilize them, like autotrophic acetogens and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Additionally, it discusses the role of methanogens in producing methane from CO2 and H2. The importance of these processes in the context of environmental microbiology and biogeochemistry is emphasized.

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Instructors (4)

Christof Holliger

Expertise BioremediationWastewater treatmentAnaerobic digestionBiogas and biofuelEnvironmental microbiologyMicrobial Ecology Teaching & PhD Past EPFL PhD Students Doulaye Koné, Katia Szynalski, Karin Kaufmann, Christian Balsiger, Julien Maillard, Enrique Lara, Benoît Zen-Ruffinen, François-Nicolas de Glutz, Laure Prat, Noam Shani, Samuel Lochmatter, David Gregory Weissbrodt, Elsa Marina Lacroix, Aamani Rupakula Boyanapalli, Géraldine Florence Buttet, Aline Sondra Adler, Mathilde Stéphanie Willemin, Lorenzo

Julien Maillard

2011 - present: Research associate at the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology (LBE, IIE-ENAC, EPFL) 2007 - 2010: Postdoctoral Fellow at the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology (LBE, IIE-ENAC, EPFL) 2005 - 2006: Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of East Anglia (UEA, Norwich, UK) 2000 - 2004: PhD thesis at the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology (LBE) 1995 - 2000: B.sc & M.sc at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology, Zurich (ETHZ)

Rizlan Bernier-Latmani

HIGHER EDUCATION Summer course: Advances in Genome Technology and Bioinformatics Course at the Marine Biology Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. October 2005. Ph.D. 2001 Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, CA (Advisor, Jim Leckie, Biodegradation of uranyl (UO22 )-complexed citrate and implications for uranyl mobility in the subsurface) M.S. 1995 Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, CA B.S. 1993 Natural Resources with Honors, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT 2013-present Associate professor with tenure, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne 2005-2013 Assistant professor tenure track, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne 2001-2005 Post-Graduate Researcher, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA (PI: Brad Tebo) 1995-2001 Graduate Research Assistant, Stanford University (Advisor: Jim Leckie) RESEARCH INTERESTS Gemicrobiology, metal-bacteria interactions, biological reduction and oxidation of metals, biological nanoparticle formation; Characterization of microbial communities in terrestrial environments; Using genomic, microscopic and spectroscopic tools to understand metal transformations by microorganisms. ACADEMIC HONORS Rotary Foundation University Professor grant, 2004. Swiss National Science Foundation Post-doctoral Fellowship, 2001. Leon B. Reynolds Memorial Scholarship in the School of Engineering at Stanford University, 1995-96. Graduated with Honors from Cornell University, 1993. BIBLIOMETRY http://www.researcherid.com/rid/E-4398-2011 ResearcherID: E-4398-2011

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Biology

Cell biology: Cell metabolism, Photosynthesis

Related concepts (32)

Biological carbon fixation

Biological carbon fixation or сarbon assimilation is the process by which inorganic carbon (particularly in the form of carbon dioxide) is converted to organic compounds by living organisms. The compounds are then used to store energy and as structure for other biomolecules. Carbon is primarily fixed through photosynthesis, but some organisms use a process called chemosynthesis in the absence of sunlight. Organisms that grow by fixing carbon are called autotrophs, which include photoautotrophs (which use sunlight), and lithoautotrophs (which use inorganic oxidation).

Sulfur-reducing bacteria

Sulfur-reducing bacteria are microorganisms able to reduce elemental sulfur (S0) to hydrogen sulfide (H2S). These microbes use inorganic sulfur compounds as electron acceptors to sustain several activities such as respiration, conserving energy and growth, in absence of oxygen. The final product of these processes, sulfide, has a considerable influence on the chemistry of the environment and, in addition, is used as electron donor for a large variety of microbial metabolisms.

Archaea

Archaea (ɑrˈkiːə ; : archaeon ɑrˈkiːən ) is a domain of single-celled organisms. These microorganisms lack cell nuclei and are therefore prokaryotes. Archaea were initially classified as bacteria, receiving the name archaebacteria (in the Archaebacteria kingdom), but this term has fallen out of use. Archaeal cells have unique properties separating them from the other two domains, Bacteria and Eukaryota. Archaea are further divided into multiple recognized phyla.

Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis (ˌfoʊtəˈsɪnθəsɪs ) is a biological process used by many cellular organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy, which is stored in organic compounds that can later be metabolized through cellular respiration to fuel the organism's activities. The term usually refers to oxygenic photosynthesis, where oxygen is produced as a byproduct, and some of the chemical energy produced is stored in carbohydrate molecules such as sugars, starch and cellulose, which are synthesized from endergonic reaction of carbon dioxide with water.

Carotenoid

Carotenoids (kəˈrɒtɪnɔɪd) are yellow, orange, and red organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, archaea, and fungi. Carotenoids give the characteristic color to pumpkins, carrots, parsnips, corn, tomatoes, canaries, flamingos, salmon, lobster, shrimp, and daffodils. Over 1,100 identified carotenoids can be further categorized into two classes xanthophylls (which contain oxygen) and carotenes (which are purely hydrocarbons and contain no oxygen).

Related lectures (48)

Carbon Fixation: Pathways and Mechanisms

Explains carbon fixation processes, detailing various pathways and their significance in converting CO₂ into organic carbon.

Carbon Fixation Pathways: Mechanisms and Organisms

Covers carbon fixation pathways, focusing on mechanisms, organisms, and biochemical transformations involved in the process.

Carbon fixation pathways

Explores carbon fixation pathways, enzymes, key organisms, and the production of organic compounds.

Methanogenesis and Methylotrophy: Pathways and Mechanisms

Discusses methanogenesis pathways, energy generation, and the role of methylotrophy in carbon cycling.

Photosynthesis: Microbial Mechanisms and Ecological Implications