1Department of Biomaterials Engineering, 3Department of Chemistry, 4Department of Environmental Engineering, Chosun University, Gwangju 501-759, Republic of Korea, 2Department of Environmental Engineering, Gwangju 503-703, Republic of Korea
1Department of Biomaterials Engineering, 3Department of Chemistry, 4Department of Environmental Engineering, Chosun University, Gwangju 501-759, Republic of Korea, 2Department of Environmental Engineering, Gwangju 503-703, Republic of Korea
Methylophaga sp. strain SK1 is a new restricted facultative methanol-oxidizing bacterium that was isolated from seawater. The aim of this study was to characterize the electron carriers involved in the methanol oxidation process in Methylophaga sp. strain SK1. The gene encoding cytochrome cL (mxaG) was cloned and the recombinant gene was expressed in Escherichia coli DH5 under strict anaerobic conditions. The recombinant cytochrome cL had the same molecular weight and absorption spectra as the wild-type cytochrome cL both in the reduced and oxidized forms. The electron flow rate from methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) to the recombinant cytochrome cL was similar to that from MDH to the wild-type cytochrome cL. These results suggest that recombinant cytochrome cL acts as a physiological primary electron acceptor for MDH.