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A late methanogen origin for molybdenum-dependent nitrogenase.

E S Boyd1, A D Anbar, S Miller

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Astrobiology Biogeocatalysis Research Center, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.

Geobiology
|April 21, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Molybdenum-nitrogenase likely originated from anaerobic methanogens and Firmicutes, not the Last Universal Common Ancestor. Its emergence around 1.5-2.2 billion years ago occurred in early Earth oceans with available molybdenum.

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Extraction of Cofactor F420 for Analysis of Polyglutamate Tail Length from Methanogenic Pure Cultures and Environmental Samples
04:32

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Published on: October 14, 2021

Area of Science:

  • Biogeochemistry
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Early Earth Microbiology

Background:

  • The biological nitrogen cycle was established in early oceans (2.5-2.0 Ga), with dinitrogen fixation potentially mediated by iron (Fe) or vanadium (V)-nitrogenase due to molybdenum (Mo) scarcity.
  • The evolutionary history of molybdenum-nitrogenase and its cofactor biosynthesis remains unclear in the context of early Earth's biogeochemical conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the hypothesis that Fe- or V-dependent nitrogenase, rather than Mo-dependent nitrogenase, was responsible for dinitrogen fixation in early oceans.
  • To investigate the phylogenetic origins of Mo-nitrogenase and its cofactor biosynthesis proteins.
  • To estimate the emergence timeline of the nitrogenase system (Nif).

Main Methods:

  • Phylogenetic analysis of proteins involved in the biosynthesis of nitrogenase active site cofactors (Fe, V, Mo).
  • Comparison of substitution rates between nitrogenase biosynthesis proteins and paralogous bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis proteins.
  • Reconstruction of evolutionary history tracing the origins of Mo-nitrogenase.

Main Results:

  • Phylogenetic analysis suggests Mo-nitrogenase was not associated with the Last Universal Common Ancestor.
  • The origin of Mo-nitrogenase is traced to an ancestor of anaerobic methanogens, with subsequent lateral gene transfer from anaerobic Firmicutes.
  • Nitrogenase system (Nif) likely emerged from a nitrogenase-like ancestor approximately 1.5-2.2 billion years ago.

Conclusions:

  • Mo-nitrogenase likely evolved in anaerobic environments where methanogens and Firmicutes coexisted and molybdenum was episodically available, such as redox-stratified Proterozoic oceans.
  • The findings challenge previous assumptions about the early evolution of nitrogen fixation and highlight the role of specific microbial lineages and environmental conditions.