Production of the recombinant spider silk MaSp2 protein using the marine purple photosynthetic nonsulfur bacterium Rhodovulum sulfidophilum under autotrophic conditions

Abstract Our research focuses on Rhodovulum sulfidophilum , a marine, anoxygenic purple nonsulfur photosynthetic bacterium (PNSB), as a tool for the production of materials for a sustainable society. The most sustainable approach with PNSB is to culture it under autotrophic conditions using carbon dioxide and nitrogen fixation pathways. By introducing exogenous genes of interest, R. sulfidophilum , one of the most studied PNSB, can serve as a protein expression host under autotrophic conditions. Herein, through autotrophic culture, recombinant spider silk proteins were successfully produced. This research is expected to contribute to the development of sustainable material production using PNSB.