The biosynthetic pathway of coenzyme F430 in methanogenic and methanotrophic archaea

Enzymes for making (or breaking) methane The last enzymatic step of microbial methanogenesis, and the first step of microbial methane oxidation, relies on the nickel-containing tetrapyrrole coenzyme F430. The successful metabolic engineering of any organism to enzymatically consume methane thus also needs the appropriate machinery to synthesize this compound. Using comparative genomics, Zheng et al. identified several candidate genes responsible for coenzyme F430 biosynthesis. Cloning and expression of all the subsequent proteins in Escherichia coli confirmed the complete in vitro conversion of sirohydrochlorin into mature F430. Science , this issue p. 339