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Methane and the microbiome: the Institut Pasteur files a patent for an enzyme that targets Archaea
Scientists from the Institut Pasteur have identified ArmA, the first enzyme capable of precisely cleaving the cell wall of methanogenic archaea. These microorganisms produce methane and inhabit, among other places, our intestines. The identification of ArmA reveals a chemical structure of the cell wall in methanogenic archaea that is radically different from what had been believed for half a century, and opens up new avenues for understanding these microorganisms, which are essential to the microbiome and the carbon cycle.
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the main species of archaeal methanogens from the human microbiome.
©Manuel Majrouh - Institut Pasteur (Ultrastructural BioImaging Unit)