Methyl Group Reduction to Methane

六种不常见的辅酶（甲氧呋喃，四氢甲氧蝶呤， 辅酶M镍四吡咯F430、脱氮黄素F420和7- 巯基庚基聚苏氨酸磷酸盐）， 来减少二氧化碳和甲烷。 本项目继续研究了 这个过程，甲基转移和还原成甲烷。 的 被称为C组分的蛋白质现在被明确确定为 甲基还原酶（MR）。 特别感兴趣的是：细胞如何 保持MR处于活动状态？ %%% 产甲烷细菌（产甲烷菌）是古细菌， 代表了进化中的古老分歧 一个有趣 这种分歧的一个方面是， 产甲烷在产甲烷菌中仍然是孤立的， 不为其他生物所共有的特征。 的 这种生物化学的独特之处， 六种不寻常的辅酶， 将二氧化碳还原为甲烷所需的能量。这些 研究具有原创性和重要性。

Six unusual coenzymes (methanofuran, tetrahydromethanopterin, coenzyme M. nickle tetrapyrrole F430, deazaflavin F420, and 7- mercaptoheptanolythreonine phosphate) so far have been discovered to be required for the reduction of carbon dioxide the methane. The present project continue studies on the terminal reactions of this process, methyl group transfer and reduction to methane. The protein known as component C is now clearly established as the methylreductase (MR). Special interests are: How does the cell maintain MR in the active state? %%% Methanogenic bacteria (methanogens) are archaebacteria and represent an ancient divergence in evolution. An interesting aspect of this divergence is that the biochemistry of methanogenesis has remained isolated in the methanogens, a characteristic not shared by other living things. The uniqueness of this biochemistry is dramatically shown by the six unusual coenzymes that so far have been discovered to be required for the reduction of carbon dioxide to methane. These studies are original and significant.