Assimilation of Formaldehyde in Transgenic Plants Due to the Introduction of the Bacterial Ribulose Monophosphate Pathway Genes

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is an air pollutant suspected of being carcinogenic and a cause of sick-house syndrome. Microorganisms called methylotrophs, which can utilize reduced C-1 compounds such as methane and methanol, fix and assimilate HCHO, whereas most plants are unable to assimilate HCHO directly. We found that a bacterial formaldehyde-fixing pathway (ribulose monophosphate pathway) can be integrated as a bypass to the Calvin-Benson cycle in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana and tobacco by genetic engineering. These plants showed enhanced tolerance to HCHO and enhanced capacity to eliminate gaseous HCHO by fixing it as a sugar phosphate. Our results provide a novel strategy for phytoremediation of HCHO pollution, and also represent the first step toward the production of plants that can assimilate natural gas-derived C-1 compounds.