Digital Commons Network^™

Evidence For Perchlorate-Coupled Molybdenum And Nickel Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenase Co Oxidation And Characterization Of Novel Perchlorate-Reducing Haloarchaea, Marisa Russell Myers

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Carbon monoxide (CO) has been exploited as a microbial energy source for much of life’s evolutionary history. A phylogenetically diverse array of microorganisms can oxidize CO using two distinct CO dehydrogenases, molybdenum-dependent (Mo-CODH) and nickel-dependent (Ni-CODH). Aerobes and facultative organisms contain Mo-CODHs which allow them to utilize oxygen as an electron acceptor in addition to alternatives such as nitrate and sulfate. Obligate anaerobic organisms contain Ni-CODHs, which oxidize CO at elevated concentrations, but cannot utilize oxygen. In systems where organic matter deposits are limited or absent, atmospheric trace gases such as CO are thought to assist in supporting the growth …