Development, Structure, and Metabolic Role of Membranes of Methanotrophic Bacteria

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All biological production and consumption of methane (a greenhouse gas) is due to bacterial metabolism. Methanothrophs are bacteria that use methane as a sole source of carbon and energy. Unlike most bacteria that lack internal membrane structure, the methanotrophs have an intracytoplasmic membrane that is suggested to play a role in the metabolism of one carbon compounds. The presence and structure of this membrane is subject to regulation making methanotrophs an attractive model system for studies of membrane biology. In the proposed study, the effect of environmental stimuli on intracytoplasmic membrane formation and other aspects of methanotroph cell biology will be evaluated. In cell fractionation studies, intracytoplasmic membranes and other subcellular fractions will be isolated and characterized to elucidate their role in one carbon metabolism. These experiments will form the basis of other studies in which the details of the cellular response to environmental stimuli and membrane development are investigated. The proposed research should contribute to our understanding of cell biology through studies in a methanotrophic bacteric model system. Additionally, these studies should provide information that will be useful for other purposes since methanotrophs are important in the biotechnology industry due to numerous potential applications including biotransformation and biodegradation. This research will facilitate biotechnological exploitation of methanotrophs. //