Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026

A Customizable Approach for the Enzymatic Production and Purification of Diterpenoid Natural Products
Published on: October 4, 2019
Biosynthesis of the 7-methylated pterin of methanopterin
Abstract:
The incorporation of [15N]glycine and [U-methyl-2H]methionine into methanopterin by growing cells of a methanogenic bacterium was measured to establish the biosynthetic route of the methylated pterin in the structure. The tetrahydromethanopterin produced by the cells was oxidatively cleaved to produce 7-methylpterin, and the amount of label incorporated into this pterin was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the ditrimethylsilyl derivative of this compound. Approximately 27% of the 7-methylpterin and the guanine present in the cell was derived from the fed [15N]glycine. [U-methyl-2H]methionine was incorporated with the initial retention of all three deuteriums. These results are consistent with the biosynthesis of the pterin of methanopterin originating from GTP and its 7-methyl group arising from the methyl group of methionine.
Related Concept Videos
Transfer RNA Synthesis
Each of these chemical modifications is carried by a specific enzyme, post-transcription. All of these enzymes have unique base and site-specificity. Methylation, the most common chemical modification, is carried by at least nine different enzymes, with...
Five-Membered Heterocyclic Aromatic Compounds: Overview
Phase II Reactions: Methylation Reactions
The mechanism of methylation unfolds in two stages. The first stage sees a methyltransferase enzyme facilitating the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to the substrate, forming S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). The second stage involves further metabolism of SAH into homocysteine, which can be recycled...
Amino Acid Biosynthetic Pathways
Biosynthesis of Nucleic Acids
Microbes and Methanogenesis

![Cercosporin-Photocatalyzed [4+1]- and [4+2]-Annulations of Azoalkenes Under Mild Conditions](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F60786.jpg&w=3840&q=50)