Two recent studies (T. D. Mand, G. Kulkarni, and W. W. Metcalf, J. Bacteriol 200:e00342-18, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00342-18, and G. Kulkarni, T. D. Mand, and W. W. Metcalf, mBio 9:e01256-18, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01256-18) analyzed an impressive array of hydrogenase-deficient mutant strains of Methanosarcina barkeri not only to describe H2-based growth but also to demonstrate the conservation of energy with intracellular hydrogen cycling, a novel strategy for creating a proton motive force to support ATP synthesis.
Keywords: acetate metabolism; hydrogen cycling; hydrogenase; methane; methanol metabolism.
Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.