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Methane might be made by all living organisms

It is textbook knowledge that some bacteria can generate methane enzymatically. A study now provides evidence that an alternative, non-enzymatic mode of methane production could occur in all metabolically active cells.
By
  1. Chang Liu

    1. Chang Liu is in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery and the Department of SICU, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061, China.

  2. Jingyao Zhang

    1. Jingyao Zhang is in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery and the Department of SICU, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061, China, and in the QinChuangYuan Platform, Xi’an.

Methane is mainly produced enzymatically by microorganisms called methanogenic archaea, in strictly oxygen-free (anoxic) conditions. In the past decade, it has become apparent that some oxygen-dependent species, including certain plants and fungi, can also produce methane1. However, the mechanisms that underlie this alternative mode of methane generation have been unclear. Writing in Nature, Ernst et al.2 reveal a process of methane production, driven by reactive oxygen species (ROS), that could occur in all living organisms, regardless of whether or not they exist in an anoxic environment. This process requires no specific enzymes — just ROS, free iron and suitable donors of methyl groups.

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Nature 603, 396-397 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00206-3

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Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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