Cobalt starvation affects multiple cellular processes in Desulfofundulus kuznetsovii TPOSR during alcohol oxidation

Cobalt influences the methanol metabolism of Desulfofundulus kuznetsovii TPOSR, specifically by modulating the activity of one of its alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH), Adh1. However, the effects of cobalt on the broader proteome of strain TPOSR, as well as the utilization of alcohols besides methanol, remain unexplored. Here, proteomic analyses of strain TPOSR grown with and without cobalt on different alcohol substrates show that cobalt starvation impacts multiple cellular processes, including cobalamin biosynthesis, iron-sulphur cluster assembly and, most prominently, energy metabolism as indicated by altered abundances of hydrogenases and NAD(P)-dependent oxidoreductases. Despite the presence of six ADH-encoding genes in the genome, Adh1 is the dominant ADH during growth not only on methanol but also on several primary alcohols and diols (ethanol, 1-propanol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol, butanol, pentanol and heptanol). Enzymatic assays with purified Adh1 confirm activity with these substrates, except 1,3-propanediol, and show no activity toward secondary alcohols (2-propanol and 2-butanol). Comparative proteomics analyses of other sulphate-reducing microorganisms (SRMs), namely Desulfofundulus australicum and Solidesulfovibrio carbinolicus, further indicate that methanol and ethanol oxidation in SRMs is mediated by a single ADH/AOR pair. Together, these findings highlight the central role of cobalt in alcohol metabolism in strain TPOSR and identify conserved ADH/AOR enzymes as promising candidates for biotechnological applications.