In order to render the oxygen molecules harmless, the enzyme uses the gas channel through which it leads the oxygen into an anhydrous cavity. The trick that the enzyme F 420-Oxidase used for this is a combination of a gas duct and a door. For example, water must not be present that would 'accidentally' convert the oxygen into superoxide and kill the anaerobic microbe. The mechanism that the researchers discovered has an important prerequisite: Oxygen is a very reactive molecule, so it is crucial that the enzyme precisely controls the reaction. вЂњBut we managed to decipher the mechanism.вЂќ Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, the Paul Scherrer Institute, the Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. вЂњIt was already known that F 420 oxidase can convert oxygen into water,вЂќ says Wagner. He isolated the enzyme F 420Oxidase (a flavodiirone protein) and crystallized it - a common way to study how enzymes work. For the study, Wagner cultivated the anaerobic microorganisms Methanothermococcus thermolithotrophicus, which come from the seabed of the Gulf of Naples. The aim of our research is to understand how these nano-machines work on a molecular level, вЂќsays Tristan Wagner, head of the research group Microbial Metabolisms at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology and one of the two first authors of the study, which is now in the scientific journal Chemical Communication was published. вЂњEnzymes are vital components of the metabolism of all living organisms. In order to render these intruders harmless, methanogens have a special enzyme that can convert oxygen into water. But even in habitats that are actually oxygen-free, oxygen molecules occasionally appear. This usually happens in oxygen-free environments, as oxygen acts like a powerful poison on methane bacteria and kills them. The gas is mainly produced when the methanogens decompose organic material such as plant residues. Around half of the methane produced annually is caused by microorganisms known as methanogens. At the same time, it serves as an important source of energy for us humans. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that plays a central role in the global carbon cycle. These findings are relevant for future bio-inspired processes in industry. They show how methane bacteria transform oxygen, which is so dangerous for them, into harmless water without being harmed.

Researchers from Bremen, Marburg and Grenoble have now succeeded in deciphering such a mechanism.

That is why microorganisms have developed ways of rendering oxygen molecules harmless. We humans need oxygen to breathe - but for many microbes it is a deadly poison.

Oxygen forensics how does it work