Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a coenzyme central to metabolism. Found in all living cells, NAD is called a dinucleotide because it consists of two nucleotides joined through their phosphate groups. One nucleotide contains an adenine nucleobase and the other, nicotinamide. NAD exists in two forms: an oxidized and reduced form, abbreviated as NAD+ and NADH (H for hydrogen), respectively.
Methanogens are anaerobic archaea that produce methane as a byproduct of their energy metabolism, i.e., catabolism. Methane production, or methanogenesis, is the only biochemical pathway for ATP generation in methanogens. All known methanogens belong exclusively to the domain Archaea, although some bacteria, plants, and animal cells are also known to produce methane. However, the biochemical pathway for methane production in these organisms differs from that in methanogens and does not contribute to ATP formation. Methanogens belong to various phyla within the domain Archaea. Previous studies placed all known methanogens into the superphylum Euryarchaeota. However, recent phylogenomic data have led to their reclassification into several different phyla. Methanogens are common in various anoxic environments, such as marine and freshwater sediments, wetlands, the digestive tracts of animals, wastewater treatment plants, rice paddy soil, and landfills. While some methanogens are extremophiles, such as Methanopyrus kandleri, which grows between 84 and 110°C, or Methanonatronarchaeum thermophilum, which grows at a pH range of 8.2 to 10.2 and a Na+ concentration of 3 to 4.8 M, most of the isolates are mesophilic and grow around neutral pH.
Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), also called methoxatin, is a redox cofactor and antioxidant.
Pyridoxal phosphate (PLP, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, P5P), the active form of vitamin B6, is a coenzyme in a variety of enzymatic reactions. The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has catalogued more than 140 PLP-dependent activities, corresponding to ~4% of all classified activities. The versatility of PLP arises from its ability to covalently bind the substrate, and then to act as an electrophilic catalyst, thereby stabilizing different types of carbanionic reaction intermediates.
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, abbreviated NADP or, in older notation, TPN (triphosphopyridine nucleotide), is a cofactor used in anabolic reactions, such as the Calvin cycle and lipid and nucleic acid syntheses, which require NADPH as a reducing agent ('hydrogen source'). NADPH is the reduced form, whereas NADP+ is the oxidized form. NADP+ is used by all forms of cellular life. NADP+ is essential for life because it is needed for cellular respiration.
In biochemistry, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is a redox-active coenzyme associated with various proteins, which is involved with several enzymatic reactions in metabolism. A flavoprotein is a protein that contains a flavin group, which may be in the form of FAD or flavin mononucleotide (FMN). Many flavoproteins are known: components of the succinate dehydrogenase complex, α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, and a component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.
A hydrogenase is an enzyme that catalyses the reversible oxidation of molecular hydrogen (H2), as shown below:
Coenzyme M is a coenzyme required for methyl-transfer reactions in the metabolism of archaeal methanogens, and in the metabolism of other substrates in bacteria. It is also a necessary cofactor in the metabolic pathway of alkene-oxidizing bacteria. CoM helps eliminate the toxic epoxides formed from the oxidation of alkenes such as propylene. The structure of this coenzyme was discovered by CD Taylor and RS Wolfe in 1974 while they were studying methanogenesis, the process by which carbon dioxide is transformed into methane in some archaea. The coenzyme is an anion with the formula HSCH
2CH
2SO−
3. It is named 2-mercaptoethanesulfonate and abbreviated HS–CoM. The cation is unimportant, but the sodium salt is most available. Mercaptoethanesulfonate contains both a thiol, which is the main site of reactivity, and a sulfonate group, which confers solubility in aqueous media.
In enzymology, a coenzyme F420 hydrogenase (EC 1.12.98.1) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, a 5,10-methylenetetrahydromethanopterin reductase (EC 1.5.98.2) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
In enzymology, a methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase (EC 1.5.98.1) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
Methanocaldococcus jannaschii is a thermophilic methanogenic archaean in the class Methanococci. It was the first archaeon, and third organism, to have its complete genome sequenced. The sequencing identified many genes unique to the archaea. Many of the synthesis pathways for methanogenic cofactors were worked out biochemically in this organism, as were several other archaeal-specific metabolic pathways.
F430 is the cofactor (sometimes called the coenzyme) of the enzyme methyl coenzyme M reductase (MCR). MCR catalyzes the reaction EC 2.8.4.1 that releases methane in the final step of methanogenesis:
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (coenzyme-F420) is an enzyme with systematic name D-glucose-6-phosphate:F420 1-oxidoreductase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
7,8-didemethyl-8-hydroxy-5-deazariboflavin synthase (EC 4.3.1.32, FO synthase) and 5-amino-6-(D-ribitylamino)uracil—L-tyrosine 4-hydroxyphenyl transferase (EC 2.5.1.147) are two enzymes always complexed together to achieve synthesis of FO, a precursor to Coenzyme F420. Their systematic names are 5-amino-5-(4-hydroxybenzyl)-6-(D-ribitylimino)-5,6-dihydrouracil ammonia-lyase (7,8-didemethyl-8-hydroxy-5-deazariboflavin-forming) and 5-amino-6-(D-ribitylamino)uracil:L-tyrosine, 4-hydroxyphenyl transferase respectively. The enzymes catalyse the following chemical reactions:
2-phospho-L-lactate transferase is an enzyme with systematic name (2S)-lactyl-2-diphospho-5'-guanosine:7,8-didemethyl-8-hydroxy-5-deazariboflavin 2-phospho-L-lactate transferase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Coenzyme F420-0:L-glutamate ligase (EC 6.3.2.31, CofE-AF, MJ0768, CofE) is an enzyme with systematic name L-glutamate:coenzyme F420-0 ligase (GDP-forming). This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Coenzyme F420-1:γ-L-glutamate ligase (EC 6.3.2.34, F420:gamma-glutamyl ligase, CofE-AF, MJ0768, CofE) is an enzyme with systematic name L-glutamate:coenzyme F420-1 ligase (GDP-forming). This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Methanococcus maripaludis is a species of methanogenic archaea found in marine environments, predominantly salt marshes. M. maripaludis is a non-pathogenic, gram-negative, weakly motile, non-spore-forming, and strictly anaerobic mesophile. It is classified as a chemolithoautotroph. This archaeon has a pleomorphic coccoid-rod shape of 1.2 by 1.6 μm, in average size, and has many unique metabolic processes that aid in survival. M. maripaludis also has a sequenced genome consisting of around 1.7 Mbp with over 1,700 identified protein-coding genes. In ideal conditions, M. maripaludis grows quickly and can double every two hours.
Mycofactocin (MFT) is a family of small molecules derived from a peptide of the type known as RiPP (ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides), naturally occurring in many types of Mycobacterium. It was discovered in a bioinformatics study in 2011. All mycofactocins share a precursor in the form of premycofactocin (PMFT); they differ by the cellulose tail added. Being redox active, both PMFT and MFT have an oxidized dione (mycofactocinone) form and a reduced diol (mycofactocinol) form, respectively termed PMFTH2 and MFTH2.
