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. 1982 Sep;44(3):549–554. doi: 10.1128/aem.44.3.549-554.1982

Kinetics of Formate Metabolism in Methanobacterium formicicum and Methanospirillum hungatei

Neil L Schauer 1, David P Brown 1, James G Ferry 1
PMCID: PMC242056  PMID: 16346087

Abstract

The kinetics of formate metabolism in Methanobacterium formicicum and Methanospirillum hungatei were studied with log-phase formate-grown cultures. The progress of formate degradation was followed by the formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase assay for formate and fitted to the integrated form of the Michaelis-Menten equation. The Km and Vmax values for Methanobacterium formicicum were 0.58 mM formate and 0.037 mol of formate h−1 g−1 (dry weight), respectively. The lowest concentration of formate metabolized by Methanobacterium formicicum was 26 μM. The Km and Vmax values for Methanospirillum hungatei were 0.22 mM and 0.044 mol of formate h−1 g−1 (dry weight), respectively. The lowest concentration of formate metabolized by Methanospirillum hungatei was 15 μM. The apparent Km for formate by formate dehydrogenase in cell-free extracts of Methanospirillum hungatei was 0.11 mM. The Km for H2 uptake by cultures of Methanobacterium formicicum was 6 μM dissolved H2. Formate and H2 were equivalent electron donors for methanogenesis when both substrates were above saturation; however, H2 uptake was severely depressed when formate was above saturation and the dissolved H2 was below 6 μM. Formate-grown cultures of Methanobacterium formicicum that were substrate limited for 57 h showed an immediate increase in growth and methanogenesis when formate was added to above saturation.

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Selected References

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