title: Function and regulation of the formate dehydrogenase genes of the methanogenic archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis.
abstract: Methanococcus maripaludis is a mesophilic species of Archaea capable of producing methane from two substrates: hydrogen plus carbon dioxide and formate. To study the latter, we identified the formate dehydrogenase genes of M. maripaludis and found that the genome contains two gene clusters important for formate utilization. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the two formate dehydrogenase gene sets arose from duplication events within the methanococcal lineage. The first gene cluster encodes homologs of formate dehydrogenase alpha (FdhA) and beta (FdhB) subunits and a putative formate transporter (FdhC) as well as a carbonic anhydrase analog. The second gene cluster encodes only FdhA and FdhB homologs. Mutants lacking either fdhA gene exhibited a partial growth defect on formate, whereas a double mutant was completely unable to grow on formate as a sole methanogenic substrate. Investigation of fdh gene expression revealed that transcription of both gene clusters is controlled by the presence of H(2) and not by the presence of formate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-7242, USA.
authors.forename: Gwendolyn E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Andrew K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Haydock
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Leigh
mesh_terms: D005560:Formate Dehydrogenases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005561:Formates / Q000378:metabolism; D019848:Gene Expression Regulation, Archaeal; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D020745:Genome, Archaeal; D017017:Methanococcus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009154:Mutation; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D005561:Formates; C030544:formic acid; D005560:Formate Dehydrogenases