Project: Parsing the biogeochemistry of marine carbonic anhydrases

Although carbon dioxide (CO2) is found both in the atmosphere and in sea water, it does not react quickly with water. This presents a problem for marine organisms that need to wait for CO2 to react with water before using it for photosynthesis. Therefore, organisms use an enzyme to greatly speed up this reaction. The enzyme, known as carbonic anhydrase (CA), is so useful that it is found across the entire tree of life. However, the role of carbonic anhydrase in the CO2 cycle has been hard to measure. In this project, a team of investigators from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will use a combination of instrument techniques and laboratory experiments to investigate the role of different types of CA in marine organisms. The team will identify the different types of CA and their inherent catalytic rates. The team will then identify the metal cofactors present in these enzymes, which are key for enzyme function. This work will deepen our understanding of the biochemical basis for carbon dioxide cycling in marine phytoplankton, and will provide key insights into one of the most ubiquitous and fastest enzymes on the planet. The team will collaborate with Professor Indu Sharma and her students from Hampton University which has just launched a new marine science major program. Team members will visit Hampton University for a workshop on careers in oceanography. In Year 2, Professor Sharma and her students will accompany the team on a research expedition to the Bermuda-Atlantic Time Series and will help design a sampling campaign focused on the shared research interests of Professor Sharma and the investigators.

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are ubiquitous enzymes involved in almost every carbon transformation in the marine environment. Every CA uses a metal cofactor in its active site, and the expression of CAs is tied to the uptake and utilization of trace metals such as zinc and cobalt in the surface ocean. We are starting to understand that organisms express many different forms of CA, all of which serve distinct physiological roles; exhibit unique catalytic rates; and can use different metal cofactors at the enzyme active site. In this proposal, the team will exploit this enzymatic diversity to investigate carbonic anhydrase kinetics in marine diatoms. By combining an isotope-based enzyme activity assay with quantitative proteomics, they will document the inherent kinetics of multiple CA isoforms. In addition, they will identify the metal cofactors associated with the most abundant CAs, therefore providing a direct linkage between enzyme activity and trace metal utilization.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.