Bakteriya iri-iri na aerobic suna amfani da yanayin H2 a matsayin tushen makamashi don girma da rayuwa1. Wannan muhimmin tsari na duniya yana daidaita abubuwan da ke cikin yanayi, yana haɓaka ɗimbin halittu na ƙasa kuma yana haɓaka samar da farko a cikin matsanancin yanayi2,3. Ana danganta iskar oxygen ta H2 zuwa ga mambobi marasa hali na [NiFe] hydrogenase superfamily4,5. Duk da haka, har yanzu ba a warware yadda waɗannan enzymes suka shawo kan ƙalubalen ƙalubale mai ban mamaki na oxidizing matakan picomolar H2 a cikin matakan yanayi na gubar catalytic O2 da kuma yadda ake tura electrons da aka samu zuwa sarkar numfashi1. Anan mun ƙaddara tsarin microscopy na cryo-electron na Mycobacterium smegmatis hydrogenase Huc kuma muka bincika tsarinsa. Huc wani ingantaccen enzyme ne wanda ba shi da isashshen iskar oxygen wanda ke haɗa oxidation na yanayi H2 zuwa hydrogenation na menaquinone mai ɗaukar lantarki na numfashi. Huc yana amfani da kunkuntar tashoshi na gas na hydrophobic don ɗaure yanayi H2 a zaɓi na O2, kuma gungun 3 [3Fe-4S] suna daidaita kaddarorin enzyme ta yadda iskar H2 oxidation ya zama mai ƙarfi. Subunits na Huc catalytic suna samar da hadaddun octameric 833 kDa a kusa da kututture mai alaƙa da membrane, wanda ke jigilarwa da rage menaquinone 94 Å daga membrane. Waɗannan binciken suna ba da tushen injina don tsarin biogeochemically da mahimmancin yanayin muhalli na yanayin H2 oxidation, buɗe yanayin haɗin gwiwar makamashi wanda ya dogara da jigilar quinone mai tsayi, kuma yana buɗe hanya don haɓaka abubuwan haɓakawa waɗanda ke oxidize H2 a cikin iska na yanayi.

Rashin iskar oxygen da iskar hydrogen (H2) ta kasa shine mabuɗin tsarin biogeochemical wanda ke siffata yanayin sake fasalin yanayi1. Har zuwa kwanan nan, ana tunanin wannan shine tsarin kwayoyin halitta, amma yanzu an gane cewa nau'in kwayoyin cuta na aerobic daga akalla tara phyla oxidize na yanayi H2 kuma tare da lissafin 75% (kusan 60 Tg) na jimlar H2 da aka cire daga sararin samaniya a kowace shekara1,4,6, 2. H7,8,9,10,11 oxidation na yanayi yana ba da kwayoyin cuta tare da ƙarin tushen makamashi a cikin mahallin ƙasa mai iyaka, yana ba su damar ko dai girma mixotrophically2,4,6,12,13,14,15 ko kuma nace a kan iska kadai a cikin kwanciyar hankali amma mai yiwuwa na tsawon lokaci2, 2. Misali, kwayoyin Mycobacterium da Streptomyces spores suna tsira daga yunwa ta hanyar canja wurin electrons ta hanyar sarkar numfashi na iska daga H7,14,16,17 zuwa O2 (Refs. 2). Da ikon oxidize yanayi H1,2,3,15 ne tartsatsi a cikin kwayoyin daga daban-daban muhalliXNUMX, da kuma wasu halittu-kamar hyper-arid iyakacin duniya kasa-ya bayyana da za a kore da farko ta yanayi makamashi kafofinXNUMX.