A nitrogenase-like enzyme is involved in the novel anaerobic assimilation pathway of a sulfonate, isethionate, in the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus.

ABSTRACT: Prokaryotes contribute to the global sulfur cycle by using diverse sulfur compounds as sulfur sources or electron acceptors. In this study, we report that a nitrogenase-like enzyme (NFL) and a radical SAM enzyme (RSE) are involved in the novel anaerobic assimilation pathway of a sulfonate, isethionate, in the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus. The nflHDK genes for NFL are localized at a locus containing genes for known sulfonate metabolism in the genome. A gene nflB encoding an RSE is present just upstream of nflH, forming a small gene cluster nflBHDK. Mutants lacking any nflBHDK genes are incapable of growing with isethionate as the sole sulfur source under anaerobic photosynthetic conditions, indicating that all four NflBHDK protein

SUBMITTER: Morimoto Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11423573 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature