title: Methyl-coenzyme M reductase and the anaerobic oxidation of methane in methanotrophic Archaea.
abstract: Recent biochemical and metagenomic data indicate that not yet cultured Archaea that are closely related to methanogenic Archaea of the order of Methanosarcinales are involved in the anaerobic oxidation of methane in marine sediments. The DNA from the methanotrophic Archaea has been shown to harbor gene homologues for methyl-coenzyme M reductase, which in methanogenic Archaea catalyses the methane-forming reaction. In microbial mats catalyzing anaerobic oxidation of methane, this nickel enzyme has been shown to be present in concentrations of up to 10% of the total extracted proteins.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Seigo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shima
authors.forename: Rudolf K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Thauer
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001105:Archaea / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology*; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010088:Oxidoreductases; C021572:methyl coenzyme M reductase; D008697:Methane