Inhibition of Methanogenesis in Ruminant Animals

描述（由申请人提供）：本项目的目标是开发一种新型反刍动物甲烷形成抑制剂。目前，莫能菌素是一种相对非特异性的抗生素，广泛用于畜牧业。莫能菌素通过减少甲烷和增加丙酸盐产量来提高农业生产力;然而，它也抑制乙酸生成，这是对动物有益的过程。我们将针对一种特定的生物合成酶，该酶催化产甲烷微生物生存的一个重要步骤，产甲烷微生物是生物界的成员，但不存在于真核生物或细菌中。特异性产甲烷抑制剂将具有莫能菌素在提高生产率方面的益处，而没有抗生素使用的有害影响。它应该有很大的市场价值。预计近期将用于饲养场的牛、猪和羊。这种抑制剂也可用于减少人胃肠道中的甲烷产生。由于家畜是全球最大的甲烷来源，抑制反刍动物的甲烷生成具有减轻温室效应的潜力。我们的计划是合成和表征生物合成酶的抑制剂，其在低于100纳摩尔的浓度下阻止甲烷生成。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this project is to develop a novel inhibitor of methane formation in ruminant animals. Currently, monensin, a relatively nonspecific antibiotic, is widely used in the livestock industry. Monensin increases agricultural productivity by decreasing methane and increasing propionate production; however, it also inhibits acetogenesis, which is a beneficial process for the animal. We will target a specific biosynthetic enzyme that catalyzes an essential step for survival of methanogenic microbes, which are members of the kingdom Archaea, yet is not present in eukaryotes or bacteria. A specific methanogenesis inhibitor would have the benefits of monensin on increased productivity without the detrimental effect of antibiotic use. It should have significant market value. The immediate projected use would be on feedlot cattle, pigs, and sheep. Such an inhibitor could also be used to decrease methane production in the human GI tract. Since domesticated livestock is the largest global source of methane, inhibiting methanogenesis by ruminant animals has the potential of mitigating the greenhouse effect. Our plan is to synthesize and characterize inhibitors of the biosynthetic enzyme that arrest methanogenesis at a concentration below 100 nanomolar.