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Purification, properties and primary structure of H2-formingN 5,N10-methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase fromMethanococcus thermolithotrophicus

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Abstract

H2-FormingN 5,N10-methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase (Hmd) is a novel type of hydrogenase found in methanogenic Achaea that contains neither nickel nor iron-sulfur clusters. The enzyme has previously been characterized fromMethanobacterium thermoautotrophicum and fromMethanopyrus kandleri. We report here on the purification and properties of the enzyme fromMethanococcus thermolithotrophicus. Thehmd gene was cloned and sequenced. The results indicate that the enzyme fromMc. thermolithotrophicus is functionally and structurally closely related to the H2-forming methylene tetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase fromMb. thermoautotrophicum andMp. kandleri. From amino acid sequence comparisons of the three enzymes, a phylogenetic tree was deduced that shows branching orders similar to those derived from sequence comparisons of the 16S rRNA of the orders Methanococcales, Methanobacteriales, and Methanopyrales.

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Abbreviations

H 2 :

Forming dehydrogenase orHmd

H2-FormingN 5,N10 :

methylene tetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase

H 4MPT:

Tetrahydromethanopterin

CH 2=H4MPT N5,N10 :

Methylene tetrahydromethanopterin

CH≡H 4MPT+ N5,N10 :

Methenyltetrahydromethanopterin

MALDI-TOF-MS :

Matrix-assisted laser desorption

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Hartmann, G.C., Klein, A.R., Linder, M. et al. Purification, properties and primary structure of H2-formingN 5,N10-methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase fromMethanococcus thermolithotrophicus . Arch. Microbiol. 165, 187–193 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01692860

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