Hyperthermophilic methanogenic archaea act as high-pressure CH4 cell factories

Abstract

Mauerhofer et al. examine 80 species of methanogenic archaea at high pressures and evaluate growth and methane production, identifying Methanotorris igneus and Methanocaldococcoccus jannaschii as high-pressure methane cell factories. They find that high-performance methanogens are covered with an S-layer and harbour the amino acid motif Tyrα444 Glyα445 Tyrα446 in the alpha subunit of the methyl-coenzyme M reductase.