Intracellular potassium concentration and relative acidity of the ribosomal proteins of methanogenic bacteria

Abstract

The intracellular potassium concentration and percentage of acidic ribosomal proteins were determined for nine methanogenic bacteria representing diverse phylogenetic groupings. Representatives of the Methanobacteriaceae family possessed very high internal potassium concentrations: Methanobrevibacter arboriphilus, 1225 mM; Methanobrevibacter smithii, 1065 mM; Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, 1103 mM; Methanobacterium bryantii, 861 mM; and Methanobacterium strain G2R, 886 mM. Members of other families tested maintained much lower internal concentrations of potassium. Methanosarcina barkeri (family Methanosarcinaceae) and Methanospirillum hungatei (family Methanomicrobiaceae) maintained approximately 200 mM internal potassium, while Methanococcus voltae (family Methanococcaceae) possessed an intermediate concentration of 725 mM. Those organisms maintaining the highest internal potassium concentrations also had the largest number of acidic ribosomal proteins. There appeared to be a correlation among the phylogenetic placement of the organism (based on 16S rRNA sequence data), its content of intracellular potassium, and the percentage of acidic ribosomal proteins. Those methanogens most closely related to extreme halophiles possessed the highest concentrations of internal potassium and had an increased percentage of acidic ribosomal proteins, both properties of halophilic bacteria.