Cell biology of rare earth elements metabolism in Pseudomonas putida – LanthanomiPs

Rare earths elements (REE) are a set of elements with unique properties, used in a variety of high-tech applications and products, and critical to the ongoing energy transition. The recent discovery of enzymes that specifically use REE as a cofactor in a wide range of environmentally important bacteria has attracted considerable interest in recent years. Indeed, the addition of REE to the list of bio-elements such as iron or zinc not only raises fundamental questions about their biological role, but also offers new perspectives for the selective extraction and recycling of these strategic metals. The development of such processes requires a better understanding of the cellular machinery of detection, acquisition and utilization of REE as well as of their potential toxic effects.
This is the ambition of the LanthanomiPs project, which aims at identifying, by combining metallomics, structural biology and genome engineering tools, the molecular players of REE metabolism in Pseudomonas putida. Our work will allow i) to establish the basis of the biology and physiological role of REE in this bacterial model of strong biotechnological potential, ii) to identify REE ligands (lanthanoproteins, lanthanophores) and their structural specificity and iii) to modify the selectivity of use and the cell tolerance to REE. The project will thus contribute to the development of knowledge in the emerging field of the biological utilization of REE. At the same time, the results will lead to the design of new bio-inspired and environmentally friendly strategies for the extraction and separation of these metals.