Gene products and processes contributing to lanthanide homeostasis and methanol metabolism in Methylorubrum extorquens AM1.

Lanthanide elements have been recently recognized as "new life metals" yet much remains unknown regarding lanthanide acquisition and homeostasis. In Methylorubrum extorquens AM1, the periplasmic lanthanide-dependent methanol dehydrogenase XoxF1 produces formaldehyde, which is lethal if allowed to accumulate. This property enabled a transposon mutagenesis study and growth studies to confirm novel gene products required for XoxF1 function.

Lanthanides in Methylotrophy.

Lanthanides were previously thought to be biologically inert owing to their low solubility; however, they have recently been shown to strongly impact the metabolism of methylotrophic bacteria. Leading efforts in this emergent field have demonstrated far-reaching impacts of lanthanide metabolism in biology; from the identification of novel roles of enzymes and pathways dependent on lanthanide-chemistry to the control of transcriptional regulatory networks to the modification of microbial community interactions. Even further, the recent discovery of lanthanide-dependent enzymes associated with multi-carbon metabolism in both methylotrophs and non-methylotrophs alike suggests that lanthanide biochemistry may be more widespread than initially thought.