Hydrogenases
R. eutropha can use hydrogen gas as a source of energy when growing under autotrophic conditions. It contains three different hydrogenases that have active sites and all perform the following reaction:
- H2 2H+ + 2e-
The hydrogenases of R. eutropha are like other typical hydrogenases because they are made up of a large and small subunit. The large subunit is where the active site resides and the small subunit is composed of clusters. However, the hydrogenases of R. eutropha are different from typical hydrogenases because they are tolerant to oxygen and are not inhibited by CO. While the three hydrogenases perform the same reaction in the cell, each hydrogenase is linked to a different cellular process. The differences between the regulatory hydrogenase, membrane bound hydrogenase and soluble hydrogeanse in R. eutropha are described below.
Read more about this topic: Ralstonia Eutropha