The carboxysome is a microcompartment that, in cyanobacteria and chemoautotrophic bacteria, plays an important role as a component of the Carbon Concentrating Mechanisms of these organisms. However, the pathway for assembly of the carboxysome is not well understood, and in order to simplify this problem the assembly of the Halothiobacillus neapolitanus carboxysome will be studied in Escherichia coli. The proposed study will extend our understanding of carboxysome assembly, structure and function, and provide insight into how cyanobacteria and chemoautotrophic bacteria regulate the fixation of carbon dioxide.
Broader Impacts: The uptake of carbon dioxide by bacteria is important for our understanding of the global carbon cycle and the impacts of climate change, and knowledge of the carboxysome is relevant to our ability to engineer organisms to produce biofuels. Training opportunities will be provided for graduate and undergraduate students, including those from groups underrepresented in science. Outreach to underrepresented minority high school and middle school teachers and students will provide opportunities for them to engage with this research project.
