New insight into biochemical methane production
The biological sources of methane are wide-ranging; however, the conditions have to be always oxygen-free. Archaebacteria release the potent greenhouse gas in rice fields, mires and cows' stomachs, for example. A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt am Main and the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg have gained insight into microbiological methane production by explaining the structure of the enzyme Frh using cryo-electron microscopy. This hydrogenase splits hydrogen so that it can be further processed for methane production from carbon dioxide. The Frankfurt-based scientists also identified the binding site for a coenzyme that is involved in other steps in the methane production process. A detailed understanding of the structure and functioning of hydrogenases could help in the development of synthetic catalysts for hydrogen production based on this biological model.