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Enzymes Oxidizing Carbon Monoxide

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Gas Enzymology

Abstract

Carbon monoxide is oxidized by bacteria from different physiological groupings, including both, aerobes and anaerobes. The groups of CO-oxidizing bacteria are carboxydotrophs, methanotrophs, dinitrogen-fixers, acetogens, methanogens, phototrophs and sulfate- reducers. Some can use CO as sole carbon and energy source for growth (utilitarian CO-oxidizers) whereas the gas is only co-oxidized by others (non-utilitarian CO-oxidizers). Enzymes that Catalyze the oxidation of CO to CO2 may be subdivided according to whether they contain molybdenum or nickel as an integral component of their active center. To date molybdenum-containing CO dehydrogenases have been identified in Pseudomonas carboxydovorans, Pseudomonas carboxydohydrogena, Pseudomonas carboxydoflava and Bacillus schlegelii. In addition, these enzymes contain the molybdopterin of the molybdenum cofactor, flavin and two different iron-sulfur centers of the (2Fe-2S) type. Nickel-containing CO dehydrogenases have been found in Clostridium thermoaceticum, Acetobacterium woodii, Methanosarcina barkeri, and Desulfovibrio desulfuricans; most of them contain (4Fe-4S) centers, no flavin, and they are extremely sensitive to oxygen. The cofactor composition of CO dehydrogenases from aerobic bacteria appears to be much more complex than that of most enzymes from anaerobes. It is obvious, that CO dehydrogenases of aerobes are molybdenum iron-sulfur flavoproteins (molybdenum hydroxylases), whereas those of anaerobes are nickel iron-sulfur enzymes. The divergent cofactor composition of CO dehydrogenases as well as significant differences in the affinity for CO reflect the quite different functions that are fulfilled by these enzymes in the bacterial groupings mentioned.

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  1. Institut für Mikrobiologie, Georg-August-Universität, Grisebachstraße 8, D-3400, Göttingen, Federal Republic of Germany

    Ortwin Meyer & Klaus Fiebig

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  1. Ortwin Meyer
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  1. Institutes of Biochemistry and Chemistry, Odense University, Odense, Denmark

    H. Degn , R. P. Cox  & H. Toftlund ,  & 

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Meyer, O., Fiebig, K. (1985). Enzymes Oxidizing Carbon Monoxide. In: Degn, H., Cox, R.P., Toftlund, H. (eds) Gas Enzymology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5279-9_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5279-9_11

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