Gold helps bacteria to oxidize methane.
With the use of labeled methane-14C and by chromatographic analysis it was shown that gold-containing protein ("Au-protein"), isolated from goldphilic Micrococcus luteus bacteria, catalyzes the oxidation of methane to methanol in the system also containing NADH, air, K(3)Fe(CN)(6) and Tris-HCl buffer. Presumably Au-protein helps bacteria to survive when usual sources of carbon and energy are scarce.
Levchenko
L A
LA
Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142432 Chernogolovka, Moscow Region, Russia.
Sadkov
A P
AP
Lariontseva
N V
NV
Koldasheva
E M
EM
Shilova
A K
AK
Shilov
A E
AE
D006046:Gold / Q000378:metabolism*; D008667:Metalloproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D000432:Methanol / Q000378:metabolism; D016982:Micrococcus luteus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000378:metabolism; D009247:NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism
D008667:Metalloproteins; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D006046:Gold; C023107:NADH oxidase; D009247:NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases; D008697:Methane; D000432:Methanol