Role of rare earth elements in methanol oxidation

For decades rare earth elements (or lanthanides) were considered not to be involved in biological processes, until their discovery in the active site of the XoxF-type methanol dehydrogenase of the methanotrophic bacterium Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum SolV. Follow-up studies revealed the presence of lanthanides in other pyrroloquinoline quinone-containing enzymes involved in alcohol metabolism. This review discusses the biochemistry of the lanthanide-dependent enzymes and the ability of these metals of influencing the gene expression and the type of methanol dehydrogenase used by microorganisms. Furthermore, it highlights novel insights on the uptake mechanism of rare earth elements into bacterial cells.