Reconstruction of a regulated two-cell metabolic model to study biohydrogen production in a diazotrophic cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413

Anabaena variabilis is a diazotrophic filamentous cyanobacterium that differentiates to heterocysts and produces hydrogen as a byproduct. Study on metabolic interactions of the two differentiated cells provides a better understanding of its metabolism especially for improving hydrogen production. To this end, a genome-scale metabolic model for Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413, iAM957, was reconstructed and evaluated in this research. Then, the model and transcriptomic data of the vegetative and heterocyst cells were applied to construct a regulated two-cell metabolic model. The regulated model improved prediction for biomass in high radiation levels. The regulated model predicts that heterocysts provide an oxygen-free environment and then, this model was used to find strategies for improving hydrogen production in heterocysts. The predictions indicate that the removal of uptake hydrogenase improves hydrogen production which is consistent with previous empirical research. Furthermore, the regulated model proposed activation of some reactions to provide redox cofactors which are required for improving hydrogen production up to 60% by bidirectional hydrogenase.