Interspecies hydrogen transfer (IHT) is a form of interspecies electron transfer.
It is a
syntrophic process by which H
2 is transferred from one organism to another, particularly in the rumen and other anaerobic environments.
IHT was discovered between ''
Methanobacterium bryantii'' strain M.o.H and an "S" organism in 1967 by Marvin Bryant, Eileen Wolin, Meyer Wolin, and Ralph Wolfe at the University of Illinois. The two form a culture that was mistaken as a species ''Methanobacillus omelianskii''. It was shown in 1973 that this process occurs between ''
Ruminococcus
''Ruminococcus'' is a genus of bacteria in the class Clostridia. They are anaerobic, Gram-positive gut microbes. One or more species in this genus are found in significant numbers in the human gut microbiota. The type species is ''R. flavefacien ...
albus'' and ''
Wolinella
The genus ''Wolinella'' is a member of the Campylobacterales order of Bacteria. The order Campylobacterales includes human pathogens such as ''Helicobacter pylori'' and ''Campylobacter jejuni''.
Strains
The only publicly available strain of ''Wo ...
succinogenes''. A more recent publication describes how the gene expression profiles of these organisms changes when they undergo interspecies hydrogen transfer; of note, a switch to an electron-confurcating hydrogenase occurs in ''R. albus'' 7.
This process affects the
carbon cycle
The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and Earth's atmosphere, atmosphere of the Earth. Carbon is the main component of biological compounds as well as ...
:
methanogen
Methanogens are microorganisms that produce methane as a metabolic byproduct in hypoxic conditions. They are prokaryotic and belong to the domain Archaea. All known methanogens are members of the archaeal phylum Euryarchaeota. Methanogens are com ...
s can participate in interspecies hydrogen transfer combining H
2 and CO
2 to produce CH
4. Besides methanogens, acetogens, and sulfate-reducing bacteria can participate in IHT.
References
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Biochemistry