Engineering bacterial microcompartments to enable sustainable microbial bioproduction from C1 greenhouse gases

One-carbon (C1) greenhouse gases are the primary driver of global climate change. Fermenting these gases into higher-value products is an attractive strategy for climate action and sustainable development. C1 gas-fermenting bacteria are promising chassis organisms, but various technical challenges hinder scale-up to industrial production levels. Bacterial microcompartments (MCPs), proteinaceous organelles that encapsulate enzymatic pathways, may confer several metabolic benefits to increase the industrial potential of these bacteria. Many species of gas-fermenting bacteria are already predicted to natively produce MCPs. Here, we describe how these organelles can be identified and engineered to encapsulate pathways that convert C1 gases into valuable chemical products.