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Aerobic Utilization of Hydrocarbons, Oils, and Lipids pp 99–115Cite as

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Methane Monooxygenase

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Part of the book series: Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology ((HHLM))

Abstract

Methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs) are a unique group of aerobic bacteria that can gain all of their carbon and energy requirements from methane. The enzymes that catalyze the first step in the bacterial methane oxidation pathway, the oxidation of methane to methanol, are called methane monooxygenases. These are remarkable enzymes because methane is chemically very stable, and to convert methane to methanol chemically requires expensive catalysts, high temperatures, and pressures. There are two types of methane monooxygenase that occur in methanotrophs, a membrane-bound, particulate methane monooxygenase, and a cytoplasmic, soluble methane monooxygenase which belongs to a class of enzymes known as soluble diiron monooxygenases. The expression of these enzymes in methanotrophs is often regulated by the availability of copper. The soluble methane monooxygenase has attracted significant attention and has considerable potential in biocatalysis and bioremediation since it can co-oxidize a very wide range of aliphatic and aromatic compounds, even though methanotrophs themselves do not grow on these compounds. We review here the biochemistry and molecular biology of both the particulate and soluble methane monooxygenases and their biotechnological potential.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK

    Tim Nichol & Thomas J. Smith

  2. School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK

    J. Colin Murrell

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  1. Tim Nichol
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  2. J. Colin Murrell
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  3. Thomas J. Smith
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Correspondence to Tim Nichol .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CSIC, Madrid, Spain

    Fernando Rojo

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Nichol, T., Murrell, J.C., Smith, T.J. (2019). Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Methane Monooxygenase. In: Rojo, F. (eds) Aerobic Utilization of Hydrocarbons, Oils, and Lipids. Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50418-6_5

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