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. 1982 Nov;152(2):840–847. doi: 10.1128/jb.152.2.840-847.1982

Coupling of methyl coenzyme M reduction with carbon dioxide activation in extracts of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum.

J A Romesser, R S Wolfe
PMCID: PMC221538  PMID: 6813316

Abstract

The stimulation of carbon dioxide reduction to methane by addition of 2-(methylthio)ethanesulfonate (CH3-S-CoM) to cell extracts of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum was investigated. Similar stimulation of CO2 reduction by CH3-S-CoM was found for cell extracts of Methanobacterium bryantii and Methanospirillum hungatei. The CH3-S-CoM requirement could be met by the methanogenic precursors formaldehyde, serine, or pyruvate, or by 2-(ethylthio)ethanesulfonate (CH3CH2-S-CoM), but not by other coenzyme M derivatives. Efficient reduction of CO2 to CH4 was favored by low concentrations of CH3-S-CoM and high concentrations of CO2. Sulfhydryl compounds were identified as effective inhibitors of CO2 reduction. Both an allosteric model and a free-radical model for the mechanism of CO2 activation and reduction are discussed.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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