Physiological role of vitamin B12 in a methanol-utilizing bacterium, Protaminobacter ruber

The methanol-utilizing bacterium Protaminobacter ruber is able to produce a relatively large amount of vitamin B12. The present study aims at the physiological role of vitamin B12 in P. ruber. P. ruber was found to contain the two sequential reactions of glutamate mutase with β-methylaspartase and propionyl-CoA carboxylase with methylmalonyl-CoA mutase. Considering the presence of these enzyme systems and the reaction from mesaconyl-CoA to glyoxylate and propionyl-CoA, it could be considered that the formation of glutamate from α-ketoglutarate, the conversion of glutamate to mesaconate via β-methylaspartate, the activation of mesaconate with CoA to form mesaconyl-CoA, the cleavage of mesaconyl-CoA to glyoxylate and propionyl-CoA, the carboxylation of propionyl-CoA to methylmalonyl-CoA, and the isomerization of methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA require cobalamine as a cofactor. 29 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs