title: A hydrogenase-linked gene in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum strain delta H encodes a polyferredoxin.
abstract: The genes mvhDGA, which encode the subunit polypeptides of the methyl viologen-reducing hydrogenase in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum strain delta H, have been cloned and sequenced. These genes, together with a fourth open reading frame designated mvhB, are tightly linked and appear to form an operon that is transcribed starting 42 base pairs upstream of mvhD. The organization and sequences of the mvhG and mvhA genes indicate a common evolutionary ancestry with genes encoding the small and large subunits of hydrogenases in eubacterial species. The product of the mvhB gene is predicted to contain six tandomly repeated bacterial-ferredoxin-like domains and, therefore, is predicted to be a polyferredoxin that could contain as many as 48 iron atoms in 12 Fe4S4 clusters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Reeve
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Beckler
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Cram
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Krzycki
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Kolodziej
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Alex
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Orme-Johnson
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Walsh
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003062:Codon; D019605:Euryarchaeota / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D005288:Ferredoxins / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006864:Hydrogenase / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009876:Operon; D011108:Polymers; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D005288:Ferredoxins; D011108:Polymers; D006864:Hydrogenase