Publication Date:
2010-09-17
Description:
Although a common reaction in anaerobic environments, the conversion of formate and water to bicarbonate and H(2) (with a change in Gibbs free energy of DeltaG degrees = +1.3 kJ mol(-1)) has not been considered energetic enough to support growth of microorganisms. Recently, experimental evidence for growth on formate was reported for syntrophic communities of Moorella sp. strain AMP and a hydrogen-consuming Methanothermobacter species and of Desulfovibrio sp. strain G11 and Methanobrevibacter arboriphilus strain AZ. The basis of the sustainable growth of the formate-users is explained by H(2) consumption by the methanogens, which lowers the H(2) partial pressure, thus making the pathway exergonic. However, it has not been shown that a single strain can grow on formate by catalysing its conversion to bicarbonate and H(2). Here we report that several hyperthermophilic archaea belonging to the Thermococcus genus are capable of formate-oxidizing, H(2)-producing growth. The actual DeltaG values for the formate metabolism are calculated to range between -8 and -20 kJ mol(-1) under the physiological conditions where Thermococcus onnurineus strain NA1 are grown. Furthermore, we detected ATP synthesis in the presence of formate as a sole energy source. Gene expression profiling and disruption identified the gene cluster encoding formate hydrogen lyase, cation/proton antiporter and formate transporter, which were responsible for the growth of T. onnurineus NA1 on formate. This work shows formate-driven growth by a single microorganism with protons as the electron acceptor, and reports the biochemical basis of this ability.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Kim, Yun Jae -- Lee, Hyun Sook -- Kim, Eun Sook -- Bae, Seung Seob -- Lim, Jae Kyu -- Matsumi, Rie -- Lebedinsky, Alexander V -- Sokolova, Tatyana G -- Kozhevnikova, Darya A -- Cha, Sun-Shin -- Kim, Sang-Jin -- Kwon, Kae Kyoung -- Imanaka, Tadayuki -- Atomi, Haruyuki -- Bonch-Osmolovskaya, Elizaveta A -- Lee, Jung-Hyun -- Kang, Sung Gyun -- England -- Nature. 2010 Sep 16;467(7313):352-5. doi: 10.1038/nature09375.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Korea Ocean Research & Development Institute, PO Box 29, Ansan 425-600, Korea.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20844539" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
Adenosine Triphosphate/analysis/biosynthesis
;
Anaerobiosis
;
Biocatalysis
;
Carbon Dioxide/metabolism
;
Electrons
;
Formate Dehydrogenases
;
Formates/*metabolism
;
Gene Expression Profiling
;
Gene Expression Regulation, Archaeal/genetics
;
Hydrogen/*metabolism
;
Hydrogenase
;
Lyases/metabolism
;
Models, Biological
;
Multienzyme Complexes
;
Multigene Family/genetics
;
Oxidation-Reduction
;
Partial Pressure
;
Protons
;
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
;
Thermococcus/classification/genetics/*growth & development/*metabolism
;
Water/metabolism
Print ISSN:
0028-0836
Electronic ISSN:
1476-4687
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
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