The hydrogenases of the green algae Scenedesmus obliquus and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were activated under anaerobic conditions. Exposure o f whole cells and cell-free homogenates to air lead to a complete inactivation of the hydrogenases. The inactivation in whole cells of Scenedesmus is faster than the inactivation of the cell-free homogenate. Inactivation of the hy­ drogenases could be reve...

BACKGROUND The microaerophilic bacterium Azorhizobium caulinodans, when fixing N(2) both in pure cultures held at 20 µM dissolved O(2) tension and as endosymbiont of Sesbania rostrata legume nodules, employs a novel, respiratory-membrane endo-hydrogenase to oxidize and recycle endogenous H(2) produced by soluble Mo-dinitrogenase activity at the expense of O(2). METHODS AND FINDINGS From a bio...

Hydrogenase is a member of a small class of enzymes that interact reversibly with diatomic gases (Hz, 02, Nz, CO, and NO). These gases, with the esception of Nt, serve either as substrate or inhibitor of the enzyme, hydrogenase. Our knowledge of the nature of the enzyme is incomplete since it has been derived from studies on bacterial suspensions or partially purified estracts. The isolation of...

[Fe-Fe]-hydrogenases are enzymes that reversibly catalyze the reaction of protons and electrons to molecular hydrogen, which occurs in anaerobic media. In living systems, [Fe-Fe]-hydrogenases are mostly used for H(2) production. The [Fe-Fe]-hydrogenase H-cluster is the active site, which contains two iron atoms. The latest theoretical investigations1,2 advocate that the structure of di-iron air...

Molecular hydrogen (H2) metabolism in bacteria and algae has been well studied from an industrial perspective because H2 is viewed as a potential future energy source. A number of clinical trials have recently reported that H2 is a therapeutic antioxidant and signaling molecule. Although H2 metabolism in higher plants was reported in some early studies, its biological effects remain unclear. In...

Hydrogen is a promising future energy source. Although the ability of green algae to produce hydrogen has long been recognized (since 1939) and several biotechnological applications have been attempted, the greatest obstacle, being the O2-sensitivity of the hydrogenase enzyme, has not yet been overcome. In the present contribution, 75 years after the first report on algal hydrogen production, t...

Synthesis of the hydrogen uptake (Hup) system in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae requires the function of an 18-gene cluster (hupSLCDEFGHIJK-hypABFCDEX). Among them, the hupE gene encodes a protein showing six transmembrane domains for which a potential role as a nickel permease has been proposed. In this paper, we further characterize the nickel transport capacity of HupE and that of the tr...

Thiomicrospira were originally characterized as sulfur-oxidizing chemolithoautotrophs. Attempts to grow them on hydrogen failed for many years. Only recently we demonstrated hydrogen consumption among two of three tested Thiomicrospira and posited that hydrogen consumption may be more widespread among Thiomicrospira than previously assumed. Here, we investigate and compare the hydrogen consumpt...

Pertechnetate, (99)Tc(VII)O(4)(-), is a highly mobile radionuclide contaminant at US Department of Energy sites that can be enzymatically reduced by a range of anaerobic and facultatively anaerobic microorganisms, including Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, to poorly soluble Tc(IV)O(2(s)). In other microorganisms, Tc(VII)O(4)(-) reduction is generally considered to be catalysed by hydrogenase. Here, ...

Sulfurimonas denitrificans was originally isolated from coastal marine sediments. It can grow with thiosulfate and nitrate or sulfide and oxygen. Recently sequencing of its genome revealed that it encodes periplasmic and cytoplasmic [NiFe]-hydrogenases but the role of hydrogen for its metabolism has remained unknown. We show the first experimental evidence that S. denitrificans can indeed expre...