Nickel requirement and factor F430 content of methanogenic bacteria

Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum has been reported to require nickel for growth and to contain high concentrations of a nickel tetrapyrrole designated factor F430. In this communication it is shown that all methanogenic bacteria investigated incorporated nickel during growth and also synthesized factor F430. This was also true for Methanobrevibacter smithii, which is dependent on acetate as a carbon source, and for Methanosarcina barkeri growing on acetate or methanol as energy sources. Other bacteria, including Acetobacterium woodii and Clostridium thermoaceticum, contained no factor F430. It is further shown that two yellow nickel-containing degradation products were formed from factor F430 when heated at pH 7. This finding explains why several forms of factor F430 were found in methanogenic bacteria when a heat step was employed in the purification procedure.