Methane oxidation by Nitrosomonas europaea
- 15 April 1983
- journal article
- Published by Portland Press Ltd. in Biochemical Journal
- Vol. 212 (1), 31-37
- https://doi.org/10.1042/bj2120031
Abstract
Methane inhibited NH4+ utilization by Nitrosomonas europaea with a Ki of 2mM. O2 consumption was not inhibited. In the absence of NH4+, or with hydrazine as reductant, methane caused nearly a doubling in the rate of O2 uptake. The stimulation was abolished by allylthiourea, a sensitive inhibitor of the oxidation of NH4+. Analysis revealed that methanol was being formed in these experiments, with yields approaching 1 mol of methanol per mol of O2 consumed under certain conditions. When cells were incubated with NH4+ under an atmosphere of 50% methane, 50 microM-methanol was generated in 1 h. It is concluded that methane is an alternative substrate for the NH3-oxidizing enzyme (ammonia mono-oxygenase),m albeit with a much lower affinity than for methane mono-oxygenase of methanotrophs.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Cytochrome c554 as a possible electron donor in the hydroxylation of ammonia and carbon monoxide in Nitrosomonas europaeaCanadian Journal of Biochemistry, 1982
- New findings in methane-utilizing bacteria highlight their importance in the biosphere and their commercial potentialNature, 1980
- Properties of the Methane Mono‐oxygenase from Extracts of Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b and Evidence for Its Similarity to the Enzyme from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath)European Journal of Biochemistry, 1979
- Resolution of the methane mono-oxygenase of Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) into three components. Purification and properties of component C, a flavoproteinBiochemical Journal, 1978
- The soluble methane mono-oxygenase of Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath). Its ability to oxygenate n-alkanes, n-alkenes, ethers, and alicyclic, aromatic and heterocyclic compoundsBiochemical Journal, 1977
- Competitive inhibition of ammonia oxidation in Nitrosomonas europaea by methane, carbon monoxide or methanolFEBS Letters, 1976
- Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide and Methane by Pseudomonas methanicaJournal of General Microbiology, 1975
- An improved assay for bacterial methane mono-oxygenase: some properties of the enzyme from Methylomonas methanicaBiochemical Journal, 1975
- Enrichment, Isolation and Some Properties of Methane-utilizing BacteriaJournal of General Microbiology, 1970
- The biochemistry of the nitrifying organisms. 4. The respiration and intermediary metabolism of NitrosomonasBiochemical Journal, 1953