Function of H2-forming methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum in coenzyme F420 reduction with H2

Summary In most methanogenic archaea, two hydrogenase systems that can catalyze the reduction of coenzyme F420 (F420) with H2 are present: (1) the F420-reducing hydrogenase, which is a nickel iron-sulfur flavoprotein composed of three different subunits, and (2) the N5, N10-methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase system, which is composed of H2-forming methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase and F420-dependent methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase, both metal-free proteins without an apparent prosthetic group. We report here that in nickel-limited chemostat cultures of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, the specific activity of the F420-reducing Ni/Fe-hydrogenase was essentially zero, whereas that of the H2-forming methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase was six times higher, and that of the F420-dependent methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase was four times higher than in cells grown under non-nickel-limited conditions. This evidence supports the hypothesis that when M. thermoautotrophicum grows under conditions of nickel limitation, the reduction of F420 with H2 is catalyzed by the metal-free methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase system.