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

所有生物产生和消耗的甲烷（a 温室气体）是由于细菌代谢。 甲烷氧化菌是 以甲烷为唯一碳源和能源的细菌。 与大多数缺乏内部膜结构的细菌不同， 甲烷氧化菌有一个胞质膜， 在一碳化合物的代谢中发挥作用。 的 这种膜的存在和结构受到调节 使甲烷氧化菌成为一个有吸引力的模型系统， 膜生物学 在拟议的研究中， 环境刺激对胞质膜形成的影响， 将评价甲烷氧化菌细胞生物学的其它方面。 在 细胞分级分离研究、胞浆内膜和其他 亚细胞部分将被分离和表征， 阐明它们在一碳代谢中的作用。 这些实验 将构成其他研究的基础，其中的细节， 细胞对环境刺激和膜发育的反应 被调查。 拟议的研究应该有助于我们理解 通过对甲烷氧化细菌模型的研究， 系统 此外，这些研究应提供信息， 因为甲烷氧化菌是 在生物技术产业中的重要性，由于许多潜在的 应用包括生物转化和生物降解。 这 研究将促进生物技术的开发， 甲烷氧化菌 //

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. //