Volume 55, Issue 44 pp. 13648-13649
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The Biological Methane-Forming Reaction: Mechanism Confirmed Through Spectroscopic Characterization of a Key Intermediate

Dr. Seigo Shima

Corresponding Author

Dr. Seigo Shima

Max Planck Institute für terrestrische Mikrobiologie, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 10, 35043 Marburg, Germany

CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Saitama, Japan

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First published: 30 August 2016
Citations: 12

Graphical Abstract

Find your path: Methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR, turquoise) reversibly catalyzes the reduction of methyl-coenzyme M (methyl-S-CoM) with coenzyme B (CoB-SH) to form methane and the heterodisulfide. Recently, spectroscopic methods were used to detect trapped intermediates in a stopped-flow system, and CoM-S-NiII was identified after half a turnover of the MCR reaction (F430=nickel porphinoid). This finding supports a methyl-radical catalytic mechanism.

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