This review analyzes the current state of a specific niche of microalgae cultivation; heterotrophic growth in the dark supported by a carbon source replacing the traditional support of light energy. This unique ability of essentially photosynthetic microorganisms is shared by several species of microalgae. Where possible, heterotrophic growth overcomes major limitations of producing useful prod...

The carbon isotope composition of photosynthetic organisms reflects the (delta)(sup13)C of their inorganic carbon sources. The large difference between (delta)(sup13)C in cyanobacterial surface scums (-25 to -18(permil)) and subsurface blooms (-34 to -30(permil)) in a subarctic lake indicates direct atmospheric CO(inf2) fixation by the scums.

Methanogenesis coupled to the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway is one of the most ancient metabolisms for energy generation and carbon fixation in the Archaea. Recent results are sensibly changing our view on the diversity of methane-cycling capabilities in this Domain of Life. The availability of genomic sequences from uncharted branches of the archaeal tree has highlighted the existence of novel methan...

The control of gaseous exchange between the leaf and bulk atmosphere by stomata governs CO₂ uptake for photosynthesis and transpiration, determining plant productivity and water use efficiency. The balance between these two processes depends on stomatal responses to environmental and internal cues and the synchrony of stomatal behavior relative to mesophyll demands for CO₂. Here we examine the ...

Rubisco enzymes play central roles in carbon fixation, with potential importance in biotechnology, but have eluded a full description of their multistep assembly and function. A new article describes the fascinating discovery that some archaeal Rubiscos contain a built-in assembly domain inserted into an otherwise canonical Rubisco fold, providing a tremendous expansion of our understanding of ...

Unbalanced production of atmospheric CO(2) constitutes a major challenge to global sustainability. Technologies have thus been developed for enhanced biological carbon fixation (also referred to as CO(2) mitigation), and one of the most promising capitalizes on microalgae. However, the "best bioreactor", which would be able to achieve maximum productivity and maximum energy efficiency under a g...

Acidianus copahuensis is a recently characterized thermoacidophilic archaeon isolated from the Copahue volcanic area in Argentina. Here, we present its draft genome sequence, in which we found genes involved in key metabolic pathways for developing under Copahue's extreme environmental conditions, such as sulfur and iron oxidation, carbon fixation, and metal tolerance.

Ribulose 1,5 bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBP Carboxylase) is an enzyme that is used in the Calvin cycle to catalyze the first major step of carbon fixation, it catalyzes either the carboxylation or the oxygenation of ribulose-1,5 bisphosphate with carbon dioxide or oxygen. RuBP Carboxylase is very important in terms of biological impact because it catalyzes the most commonly used chemical reacti...