Coenzyme B is a

coenzyme A cofactor is a non-protein chemical compound or metallic ion that is required for an enzyme's role as a catalyst (a catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction). Cofactors can be considered "helper molecules" that ass ...

required for

redox Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a ...

reactions in methanogens. The full chemical name of coenzyme B is 7-mercaptoheptanoylthreoninephosphate. The molecule contains a

thiol In organic chemistry, a thiol (; ), or thiol derivative, is any organosulfur compound of the form , where R represents an alkyl or other organic substituent. The functional group itself is referred to as either a thiol group or a sulfhydryl gro ...

, which is its principal site of reaction. Coenzyme B reacts with 2-methylthioethanesulfonate (methyl-

Coenzyme M Coenzyme M is a coenzyme required for methyl-transfer reactions in the metabolism of archaeal methanogens, and in the metabolism of other substrates in bacteria. It is also a necessary cofactor in the metabolic pathway of alkene-oxidizing bacteri ...

, abbreviated ), to release

methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Ea ...

in methanogenesis: : + HS–CoB → + CoB–S–S–CoM This conversion is catalyzed by the

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...

methyl coenzyme M reductase, which contains

cofactor F430 F430 is the cofactor (sometimes called the coenzyme) of the enzyme methyl coenzyme M reductase (MCR). MCR catalyzes the reaction that releases methane in the final step of methanogenesis: : + HS–CoB → + CoB–S–S–CoM It is found ...

as the

prosthetic group A prosthetic group is the non-amino acid component that is part of the structure of the heteroproteins or conjugated proteins, being tightly linked to the apoprotein. Not to be confused with the cofactor that binds to the enzyme apoenzyme (eith ...

. A related conversion that utilizes both HS-CoB and HS-CoM is the reduction of fumarate to

succinate Succinic acid () is a dicarboxylic acid with the chemical formula (CH2)2(CO2H)2. The name derives from Latin ''succinum'', meaning amber. In living organisms, succinic acid takes the form of an anion, succinate, which has multiple biological ro ...

catalyzed Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...

fumarate reductase Fumarate reductase is the enzyme that converts fumarate to succinate, and is important in microbial metabolism as a part of anaerobic respiration. Succinate + acceptor fumarate + reduced acceptor Fumarate reductases can be divided into two classe ...

: :HS–CoM + HS–CoB + ⁻ → ⁻ + CoB–S–S–CoM

Importance of Coenzyme B in Methanogenesis

Coenzyme B is an important component in the terminal step of methane biogenesis. It acts as a two electron-donor to reduce coenzyme M (methyl-coenzyme) into two molecules a methane and a heterodisulfide. Two separate experiment that were performed, one with coenzyme B and other without coenzyme B, indicated that using coenzyme B before the formation of the methane molecule, results in a more efficient and consistent bond cleavage.

References

Coenzymes Thiols Carboxamides {{Enzyme-stub