Theoretical Analysis of Engineered Plants for Control of Atmospheric Nitrous Oxide and Methane by Modification of the Mitochondrial Proteome
2022
Strand, Stuart E. | Zhang, Long | Flury, Markus
Agricultural soils are important sources of two potent greenhouse gases, nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄), the atmospheric levels of which are steadily increasing. Increases in N₂O also threaten the earth’s protective ozone layer. Only two reactions are known to degrade N₂O and CH₄ without requiring high temperatures and high energy inputs: those catalyzed by bacterial N₂O reductase (N₂OR) and methane monooxygenase (MMO). Plants genetically engineered to constitutively express N₂OR and MMO could potentially remove both gases from soil and atmosphere. Although the cytosolic expression of these genes in plants has proven unsuccessful, new biotechnologies allow introduction of protein complexes into eukaryotic mitochondria, a platform that shares many similarities to the membranes and intermembrane space of bacteria. Based on these theoretical considerations, we set out to model the potential impact of N₂OR- and MMO-transformed plants on emissions and uptake of N₂O and CH₄. Our calculations suggest that such plants could prevent 50% of soil emissions of N₂O and CH₄ and take up substantial N₂O from the atmosphere. If planted globally, N₂OR- and MMO-engineered crop plants could potentially stop increases in N₂O and CH₄ in the atmosphere and slow increases in global warming, providing a strong incentive for research into this biotechnology.
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