Characterization of Two Recombinant 3-Hexulose-6-Phosphate Synthases from the Halotolerant Obligate Methanotroph Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum 20Z

Methylomonas rapida sp. nov., a novel species of fast-growing, carotenoid-producing obligate methanotrophs with high biotechnological potential

The genus Methylomonas accommodates strictly aerobic, obligate methanotrophs, with their sole carbon and energy sources restricted to methane and methanol. These bacteria inhabit oxic-anoxic interfaces of various freshwater habitats and have attracted considerable attention as potential producers of a single-cell protein. Here, we characterize two fast-growing representatives of this genus, strains 12 and MP1^T, which are phylogenetically distinct from the currently described Methylomonas species (94.0-97.3 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). Strains 12 and MP1^T were isolated from freshwater sediments collected in Moscow and Krasnodar regions, respectively. Cells of these strains are Gram-negative, red-pigmented, highly motile thick rods that contain a type I intracytoplasmic membrane system and possess a particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) enzyme. These bacteria grow between 8 and 45 °C (optimum 35 °C) in a relatively narrow pH range of 5.5-7.3 (optimum pH 6.6-7.2). Major carotenoids synthesized by these methanotrophs are 4,4'-diaplycopene-4,4'-dioic acid, 1,1'-dihydroxy-3,4-didehydrolycopene and 4,4'-diaplycopenoic acid. High biomass yield, of up to 3.26 g CDW/l, is obtained during continuous cultivation of MP1^T on natural gas in a bioreactor at a dilution rate of 0.22 h^-1. The complete genome sequence of strain MP1^T is 4.59 Mb in size; the DNA G + C content is 52.8 mol%. The genome encodes four rRNA operons, one pMMO operon and 4,216 proteins. The genome sequence displays 82-85 % average nucleotide identity to those of earlier described Methylomonas species. We propose to classify these bacteria as representing a novel species of the genus Methylomonas, M. rapida sp. nov., with the type strain MP1^T (=KCTC 92586^T = VKM B-3663^T).

Methane utilization in Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum 20ZR: a systems approach

Biological methane utilization, one of the main sinks of the greenhouse gas in nature, represents an attractive platform for production of fuels and value-added chemicals. Despite the progress made in our understanding of the individual parts of methane utilization, our knowledge of how the whole-cell metabolic network is organized and coordinated is limited. Attractive growth and methane-conversion rates, a complete and expert-annotated genome sequence, as well as large enzymatic, ¹³C-labeling, and transcriptomic datasets make Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum 20Z^R an exceptional model system for investigating methane utilization networks. Here we present a comprehensive metabolic framework of methane and methanol utilization in M. alcaliphilum 20Z^R. A set of novel metabolic reactions governing carbon distribution across central pathways in methanotrophic bacteria was predicted by in-silico simulations and confirmed by global non-targeted metabolomics and enzymatic evidences. Our data highlight the importance of substitution of ATP-linked steps with PPi-dependent reactions and support the presence of a carbon shunt from acetyl-CoA to the pentose-phosphate pathway and highly branched TCA cycle. The diverged TCA reactions promote balance between anabolic reactions and redox demands. The computational framework of C₁-metabolism in methanotrophic bacteria can represent an efficient tool for metabolic engineering or ecosystem modeling.