Assessing transporter systems of methanogens to boost archaea biotechnology

Methanogenic archaea (methanogens) are key drivers of global carbon cycling and biomethane production, thriving in diverse anaerobic environments thro…

sciencedirect.com

Microbial metabolism: Reactivating the molecular motor of the biological methane generator

The methane-generating enzyme from methanogenic archaea must be reactivated via a dedicated system. New molecular insights demonstrate that a key component of the reactivation machinery is redox sensi...

cell.com

Doctoral and Postdoctoral Researcher Positions in the Cluster of Excellence ‘Microbes for Climate’

stellenangebote.uni-marburg.de

Electron confurcation drives photosynthetic H2 production in cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria are major contributors to global photosynthesis and are intensively studied for sustainable green H2 production. Central to this process is the bidirectional [NiFe]-hydrogenase HoxEFUYH,...

biorxiv.org

Minimal ATP‐Independent N2‐Reducing Systems Defined by L‐Cluster‐Bound Nitrogenase Assembly Platforms

Association of the L-cluster with the nitrogenase assembly proteins NifEN (NifENL) or NifB (NifBL) intrinsically endows these proteins with N2-reducing activity, enabling in vitro N2-reduction by Nif....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

biorxiv.org

Breathing both ways: simultaneous aerobic–anaerobic respiration in microbes

Microorganisms have historically been classified as obligate aerobes or anaerobes, facultative anaerobes, or microaerophiles, reflecting differences in respiratory strategies dictated by the use of oxygen and alternative electron acceptors. Recent discoveries provide evidence that a deviant strategy, the concurrent reduction of oxygen and other electron acceptors, is more widespread than previously thought. Such co-respiring bacteria employ hybrid metabolic strategies that extend models of electron acceptor use. In this review, we investigate mechanisms of co-respiration, summarize the biochemical components enabling parallel electron flow, and discuss the regulation of aerobic and anaerobic pathways under changing redox conditions. We also examine the evolutionary context of these strategies during the rise of oxygen on early Earth and outline experimental approaches needed to resolve co-respiration in individual cells.

dlvr.it

Gating the nitrogenase cofactor

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 26 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01498-8Biological nitrogen fixation is vital for sustainable agriculture, yet nitrogenase engineering is hindered by limited insight into their essential metallocluster cofactor assembly and transfer. Here, by capturing the nitrogenase biosynthetic component NifEN in multiple structural states, a tunnel-and-switch mechanism that coordinates receipt, maturation and delivery of the FeMo-cofactor precursor is revealed.

dlvr.it

GBM PhD Prize 2026 awarded to Marburg Researcher Anuj Kumar

Award honors outstanding dissertation on CO₂ fixation and energy conservation in microorganisms

uni-marburg.de

biorxiv.org

Nickel: Geochemistry, biochemistry and its role in chemical and biological evolutions

Nickel is a versatile element that plays critical roles in Earth's geological and biological evolution, from the depths of the magmatic mantle to the …

sciencedirect.com

Carbon-monoxide-driven bioethanol production operates through a tungsten-dependent catalyst - Nature Chemical Biology

Microbial alcohol production from waste gases could enable sustainable carbon cycling. Now, the tungsten-dependent aldehyde:ferredoxin oxidoreductase from the gas-converting bacterium Clostridium auto...

nature.com

Methylthio-alkane reductases use nitrogenase metalloclusters for carbon–sulfur bond cleavage - Nature Catalysis

Methylthio-alkane reductases are recently discovered enzymes that can produce methanethiol and small hydrocarbons from methylated sulfur compounds. Now the cryo-EM structure of a methylthio-alkane red...

doi.org

Methanosarcina acetivorans requires methanol:coenzyme M methyltransferases for ethane formation from ethanol - Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

Corrinoid-dependent enzymes either catalyze methyltransfer reactions, or they generate substrate radicals using adenosylcobalamin for subsequent rearrangement reactions. The corrinoid-dependent methyl...

link.springer.com

Protein Structural Phylogenetics

Abstract. Protein structural phylogenetics is an interdisciplinary branch of molecular evolution that (i) uses 3D structural data to trace evolutionary his

academic.oup.com

Stepwise and reversible assembly of [2Fe–2S] rhombs to [8Fe–8S] clusters and their topological interconversions - Nature Chemistry

Elucidating the nature of the metallocofactors in nitrogenase enzymes, and preparing synthetic analogues of these clusters, is a classic target for bioinorganic chemists. Now the transformation of [Fe...

nature.com