Evidence of a common pathway of carbon dioxide reduction to methane in methanogens

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Abstract
The roles of methanofuran and tetrahydromethanopterin as carries of C1 moietiers in the reduction of CO2 to CH4 were studied in representatives of diverse groups of methanogens, confirming that these roles, first reported for Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, are common for methanogenesis in general. Extracts of the methanogens tested converted formyl-methanofuran and methyl-tetrahydromethanopterin to methane; the extractable cofactors derived from the same methanogens, with 1 exception, complemented a methanofuran- and tetrahydromethanopterin-deficient enzyme system from M. thermoautotrophicum. The amounts of extractable methanofuran and tetrahydromethanopterin were determined for each representative methanogen.