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Related Experiment Videos

The Na(+)-translocating methyltransferase complex from methanogenic archaea.

G Gottschalk1, R K Thauer

  • 1Institut für Mikrobiologie und Genetik, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany.

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
|March 15, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Methanogenic archaea require sodium ions for methane production. A key sodium-dependent step involves methyl transfer, catalyzed by a multienzyme complex, driving ion translocation.

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Lysine-2,3-aminomutase and beta-lysine acetyltransferase genes of methanogenic archaea are salt induced and are essential for the biosynthesis of Nepsilon-acetyl-beta-lysine and growth at high salinity.

Applied and environmental microbiology·2003

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Microbiology
  • Archaeal Metabolism

Background:

  • Methanogenic archaea utilize sodium ions for energy conservation during methane formation.
  • A critical sodium ion-dependent step is the methyl transfer from N(5)-methyltetrahydromethanopterin to coenzyme M.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanism of sodium ion translocation coupled to methyl transfer in methanogenesis.
  • To investigate the role of the MtrA subunit in the sodium-dependent methyl transfer reaction.

Main Methods:

  • Biochemical characterization of the Na(+)-translocating membrane-associated multienzyme complex (MtrA-H).
  • Analysis of the catalytic cycle of subunit MtrA, including its prosthetic group and methylation/demethylation states.
  • Investigation of corrinoid binding configuration in relation to sodium ion dependency.

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Main Results:

  • The methyl transfer reaction is catalyzed by an eight-subunit complex (MtrA-H).
  • Subunit MtrA contains a cob(I)amide prosthetic group, crucial for methyl transfer.
  • Demethylation of MtrA is sodium ion-dependent, and a base-off/His-on configuration suggests a conformational change driving ion translocation.

Conclusions:

  • Methyl transfer from MtrA to coenzyme M is coupled to electrogenic sodium ion translocation.
  • A conformational change in MtrA, linked to its corrinoid's oxidation state, drives sodium ion transport.
  • This mechanism highlights the essential role of sodium ions in archaeal methane formation.