Free amino acid turnover in methanogens measured by 15N NMR spectroscopy

Turnover of the nitrogen moiety from free amino acid pools in two thermophilic methanogens, Methanobacterium thermautotrophicum delta H and Methanococcus thermolithotrophicus SN1, has been monitored with 15N NMR spectroscopy. In cells growing exponentially on 15NH4Cl, glutamate was the major soluble 15N-labeled species in both organisms. When the Mb. thermoautotrophicum cells were harvested, washed, and resuspended into medium containing 14NH4Cl, the resonance for [15N]glutamate decreased with a half-life of 0.5 h. This is considerably faster than the turnover rate for the carbon side chain of glutamate (7 h) obtained when a 13CO2 pulse followed by a 12CO2 chase was incorporated into the 15N/14N-labeling experiment. Such behavior is consistent with recycling of the glutamate carbon skeleton via alpha-ketoglutarate after transamination reactions remove the 15N for biosynthesis of other amino acids, nucleic acids, etc. When the cells were in stationary phase, 15N turnover was considerably slower indicating that transaminase activity had also decreased. Mc. thermolithotrophicus has a much more fragile cell wall and easily lyses. To avoid cell loss in the 15N/14N experiment, 15NH+4 growth followed by 14NH4+ dilution was used. In this organism the glutamate-labeled nitrogen turns over quite rapidly (t1/2 approximately 9 min), at a rate comparable to that for the carbon skeleton (t1/2 approximately 10 min). Beta-Glutamate, the second major carbon and nitrogen pool in this organism, turns over its 15N label very slowly. Therefore, this beta-amino acid does not appear to serve as a nitrogen donor in Mc. thermolithotrophicus.