Soluble Methane Monooxygenase (MMO) Systems
Methanotrophic bacteria play an essential role of cycling carbon through anaerobic sediments. Furthermore, the chemistry behind the cycling is fascinating because it takes a chemically inert hydrocarbon, methane, and converts it to a more active species, methanol. Other hydrocarbons are oxidized by MMOs, so a new hydroxylation catalyst based on the understanding of MMO systems could possibly make a more efficient use of the world supply of natural gas.
This is a classic monooxygenase reaction in which two reducing equivalents from NAD(P)H are utilized to split the O-O bond of O2. One atom is reduced to water by a 2 e- reduction and the second is incorporated into the substrate to yield methanol:
CH4 + O2 + NAD(P)H + H+ -> CH3OH + NAD(P)+ + H2O
Two forms of MMO have been found: soluble and particulate. The best characterized forms of soluble MMO contains three protein components: hydroxylase, the β unit, and the reductase. Each of which is necessary for effective substrate hydroxylation and NADH oxidation.
Read more about this topic: Methane Monooxygenase
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