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Ammonia oxidation by the methane oxidising bacterium Methylococcus capsulatus strain bath

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Abstract

Soluble extracts of Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) that readily oxidise methane to methanol will also oxidise ammonia to nitrite via hydroxylamine. The ammonia oxidising activity requires O2, NADH and is readily inhibited by methane and specific inhibitors of methane mono-oxygenase activity. Hydroxylamine is oxidised to nitrite via an enzyme system that uses phenazine methosulphate (PMS) as an electron acceptor. The estimated K mvalue for the ammonia hydroxylase activity was 87 mM but the kinetics of the oxidation were complex and may involve negative cooperativity.

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Abbreviations

PMS:

Phenazine methosulphate

NADH:

nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced form

K m :

Michaelis constant

NO -2 :

nitrite

NH2OH:

hydroxylamine

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, Coventry, Warwickshire, England

    Howard Dalton

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Dalton, H. Ammonia oxidation by the methane oxidising bacterium Methylococcus capsulatus strain bath. Arch. Microbiol. 114, 273–279 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00446873

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