Project description:Methanococcus maripaludis is a methanogenic Archaea that conserves energy from molecular hydrogen to reduce carbon dioxide to methane. Chemostat grown cultures limited for phosphate or leucine were compared to determine the regulatory response to leucine limitation. Keywords: archaea, hydrogen, leucine, phosphate, nutrient limitation, growth rate, methanogen
Project description:Methane-generating Archaea drive the final step in anaerobic organic compound mineralization and dictate the carbon flow of Earth’s diverse anaerobic ecosystems. Although such Archaea were presumed to be restricted to life on simple compounds like H2, acetate or methanol, an archaeon, Methermicoccus shengliensis, was recently found to convert methoxylated aromatic compounds to methane. Methoxylated aromatic compounds as component of lignin and coal are present in most subsurface sediments. Despite the significance and novelty of this outstanding archaeon its metabolism has not yet been explored. In this study, transcriptomics and proteomics reveal that M. shengliensis uses a demethoxylation system that is more related to that from acetogenic bacteria than to the methyl transferase system used for methylotrophic methanogenesis. It activates methoxy-groups using tetrahydromethanopterin as the carrier, a mechanism distinct from conventional methanogenic methyl-transfer systems dependent on Coenzyme M.
Project description:Methanococcus maripaludis is a methanogenic Archaea that conserves energy from molecular hydrogen to reduce carbon dioxide to methane. Chemostat grown cultures limited for hydrogen, phosphate, or leucine were compared to determine the regulatory response to hydrogen limitation. This was done by comparing hydrogen limited cultures to both leucine limited and phosphate limited cultures. Slow and rapid growing samples limited for either hydrogen or phosphate were compared to determine the regulatory effects of growth rate. Keywords: archaea, hydrogen, leucine, phosphate, nutrient limitation, growth rate, methanogen
Project description:Population dynamics of methanogenic genera was investigated in pilot anaerobic digesters. Cattle manure and two-phase olive mill wastes were codigested at a 3:1 ratio in two reactors operated at 37 ï¾°C and 55 ï¾°C. Other two reactors were run with either residue at 37 ï¾°C. Sludge DNA extracted from samples taken from all four reactors on days 4, 14 and 28 of digestion was used for hybridisation with the AnaeroChip, an oligonucleotide microarray targeting those groups of methanogenic archaea that are commonly found under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions (Franke-Whittle et al. 2009, in press, doi:10.1016/j.mimet.2009.09.017).
Project description:Biogenic methane formation, methanogenesis, a key process in the global carbon cycle is the only energy metabolism known to sustain growth of the microorganisms employing it, the methanogenic archaea. All known methanogenic pathways converge at the methane-liberating step where also the terminal electron acceptor of methanogenic respiration, the heterodisulfide of coenzyme M and coenzyme B is formed. Carbon monoxide (CO) utilization of Methanosarcina acetivorans is unique in that the organism can shift from methanogenesis towards acetogenesis. Here, we show that M. acetivorans can dispense of methanogenesis for energy conservation completely. By disrupting the methanogenic pathway through targeted mutagenesis, followed by adaptive evolution, a strain capable of sustained growth by CO-dependent acetogenesis was created. Still, a minute flux through the methane-liberating reaction remained essential, which was attributed to the involvement of the heterodisulfide in at least one essential anabolic reaction. Genomic and proteomic analysis showed that substantial metabolic rewiring had occurred in the strain. Most notably, heterodisulfide reductase, the terminal respiratory oxidoreductase was eliminated to funnel the heterodisulfide towards anabolism. These results suggest that the metabolic flexibility of “methanogenic” archaea is much greater than anticipated and open avenues for probing the mechanism of energetic coupling and the crosstalk between catabolism and anabolism.