Open AccessInterconnection of methanogenic and acetogenic pathways
Author(s) -
Vogels Godfried D.,
Visser Cornelis M.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1983.tb00135.x
Subject(s) - methanogenesis , acetogenesis , chemistry , biochemistry , bacteria , corrinoid , enzyme , cofactor , substrate (aquarium) , biology , methane , ecology , organic chemistry , methylation , gene , methyltransferase , genetics
Methanopterin displays a folate‐like biochemistry: methenyl‐, methylene‐ and methyltetrahydromethanopterin are intermediates in the process of methanogenesis. A corrinoid‐enzyme is involved in methanol conversion and the possible function of such enzymes in cell‐carbon synthesis and acetate conversion is discussed. Energy conservation is proposed to proceed via the establishment of a proton motive force through a vectorial reduction in the final step of methanogenesis and via substrate level phosphorylation in the oxidation of formyltetrahydromethanopterin. The biochemical reactions of methanogenesis and acetogenesis are compared. Methanogenic bacteria appear to use an aberrant set of coenzymes in almost all of the reactions involved in methanogenesis.