Abstract
Inhibition studies of methane mono-oxygenase activity in whole cell suspensions of Methylococcus capsulatus (Texas) and M. capsulatus (Bath) were performed and the results compared. The inhibition pattern for M. capsulatus (Bath) was not only substantially different from the pattern obtained with M. capsulatus (Texas) but also very limited in the number of potent inhibitors specific for methane oxidation. To confirm the whole cell results of M. capsulatus (Bath) similar experiments were done using cell-free extracts. It was found that only acetylene (100% inhibition) and 8-hydroxyquinoline (71%) significantly inhibited methane oxidation, verifying the restricted inhibition pattern found with the whole cell suspensions. Eight acetylenic compounds were tested for specific inhibition of methane oxidation by whole cells and cell-free extracts of M. capsulatus (Bath). Only two compounds (acetylene and propyne) gave 100% inhibition in both cases with three other compounds (but-1-yne, but-2-yne and propyn-1-ol) giving weaker inhibitions. The inhibition pattern of methane oxidation by whole cell suspensions and cell-free extracts of M. capsulatus (Bath) is discussed and reasons for the prominent results are suggested.
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Stirling, D.I., Dalton, H. Effect of metal-binding agents and other compounds on methane oxidation by two strains of Methylococcus capsulatus . Arch. Microbiol. 114, 71–76 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429633
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429633