Oxygen can destroy hydrogen-producing enzymes. Researchers from Bochum and Osaka have discovered how such a protein survives in the presence of oxygen.

Bacteria that produce hydrogen (H2) under certain conditions use so-called [FeFe] hydrogenases. These enzymes are the most efficient hydrogen-producing biocatalysts. However, most of these proteins are destroyed by oxygen, which makes them difficult to use for large-scale hydrogen production. One exception is the [FeFe]-hydrogenase CbA5H from the bacterium Clostridium beijerinckii, which remains active even in the presence of oxygen. An international team from the Photobiotechnology Group at Ruhr University Bochum and the Protein Crystallography Group at Osaka University, Japan, led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Happe and Prof. Dr. Genji Kurisu, was able to uncover its tricks. They published their research in the journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” (PNAS) on January 13, 2025.