Unveiling the unique role of iron in the metabolism of methanogens: A review

Yuxin Ma; Ying Qu; Xiangwu Yao; Chujun Xia; Mengjie Lv; Xiao Lin; Lili Zhang; Meng Zhang; Baolan Hu

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.118495

Unveiling the unique role of iron in the metabolism of methanogens: A review

Environ Res. 2024 Feb 15:250:118495. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118495. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yuxin Ma¹, Ying Qu², Xiangwu Yao³, Chujun Xia⁴, Mengjie Lv⁴, Xiao Lin⁴, Lili Zhang⁵, Meng Zhang⁶, Baolan Hu⁷

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
² Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Environmental Safety, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
⁴ Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
⁵ Beijing Enterprises Water Group Limited, Beijing, China.
⁶ Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Environmental Safety, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Environmental Safety, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address: blhu@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 38367837
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118495

Abstract

Methanogens are the main participants in the carbon cycle, catalyzing five methanogenic pathways. Methanogens utilize different iron-containing functional enzymes in different methanogenic processes. Iron is a vital element in methanogens, which can serve as a carrier or reactant in electron transfer. Therefore, iron plays an important role in the growth and metabolism of methanogens. In this paper, we cast light on the types and functions of iron-containing functional enzymes involved in different methanogenic pathways, and the roles iron play in energy/substance metabolism of methanogenesis. Furthermore, this review provides certain guiding significance for lowering CH₄ emissions, boosting the carbon sink capacity of ecosystems and promoting green and low-carbon development in the future.

Keywords: Electron transfer; Enzyme; Iron; Methane; Methanogenesis; Substance.

Publication types

Review