John A. Leigh

Comprehensive computational analysis of Hmd enzymes and paralogs in methanogenic Archaea (2009)

Goldman, Aaron D, Leigh, John A, Samudrala, Ram

Abstract Background Methanogenesis is the sole means of energy production in methanogenic Archaea. H 2 -forming methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase (Hmd) catalyzes a step in the...

Ammonia Switch-Off of Nitrogen Fixation in the Methanogenic Archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis: Mechanistic Features and Requirement for the Novel GlnB Homologues, NifI1 and NifI2

Kessler, Peter S., Daniel, Catherine, Leigh, John A.

Ammonia switch-off is the immediate inactivation of nitrogen fixation that occurs when a superior nitrogen source is encountered. In certain bacteria switch-off occurs by reversible covalent...

Function and Regulation of glnA in the Methanogenic Archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis

Cohen-Kupiec, Rachel, Marx, Christopher J., Leigh, John A.

The glnA gene in the domains Bacteria and Archaea encodes glutamine synthetase, a universally distributed enzyme that functions in ammonia assimilation and glutamine synthesis. We investigated the...

The nif Gene Operon of the Methanogenic Archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis

Kessler, Peter S., Blank, Carrine, Leigh, John A.

Nitrogen fixation occurs in two domains, Archaea and Bacteria. We have characterized a nif (nitrogen fixation) gene cluster in the methanogenic archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis. Sequence analysis...

Regulatory Response of Methanococcus maripaludis to Alanine, an Intermediate Nitrogen Source

Lie, Thomas J., Leigh, John A.

In the methanogenic archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis, growth with ammonia results in conditions of nitrogen excess. Complete repression of nitrogen fixation (nif) gene transcription occurs, and...

Function and Regulation of the Formate Dehydrogenase Genes of the Methanogenic Archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis

Wood, Gwendolyn E., Haydock, Andrew K., Leigh, John A.

Methanococcus maripaludis is a mesophilic species of Archaea capable of producing methane from two substrates: hydrogen plus carbon dioxide and formate. To study the latter, we identified the formate...

The Genome of M. acetivorans Reveals Extensive Metabolic and Physiological Diversity

Galagan, James E., Nusbaum, Chad, Roy, Alice, Endrizzi, Matthew G., Macdonald, Pendexter, FitzHugh, Will, ...

Methanogenesis, the biological production of methane, plays a pivotal role in the global carbon cycle and contributes significantly to global warming. The majority of methane in nature is derived...

Levels of Water-Soluble Vitamins in Methanogenic and Non-Methanogenic Bacteria

Leigh, John A.

The levels of seven water-soluble vitamins in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, Methanococcus voltae, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Bacteroides...

Formaldehyde activation factor, tetrahydromethanopterin, a coenzyme of methanogenesis

Escalante-Semerena, Jorge C., Leigh, John A., Rinehart, Kenneth L., Wolfe, Ralph S.

An oxygen-labile formaldehyde activation factor (FAF) was isolated in highly purified form by use of anoxic fractionation procedures. The molecular weight of FAF was determined to be 776 and that of...

Markerless Mutagenesis in Methanococcus maripaludis Demonstrates Roles for Alanine Dehydrogenase, Alanine Racemase, and Alanine Permease

Moore, Brian C., Leigh, John A.

Among the archaea, Methanococcus maripaludis has the unusual ability to use l- or d-alanine as a nitrogen source. To understand how this occurs, we tested the roles of three adjacent genes encoding...

Disruption of the Operon Encoding Ehb Hydrogenase Limits Anabolic CO2 Assimilation in the Archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis

Porat, Iris, Kim, Wonduck, Hendrickson, Erik L., Xia, Qiangwei, Zhang, Yi, Wang, Tiansong, ...

Methanococcus maripaludis is a mesophilic archaeon that reduces CO2 to methane with H2 or formate as an energy source. It contains two membrane-bound energy-conserving hydrogenases, Eha and Ehb. To...

Ammonia Switch-Off of Nitrogen Fixation in the Methanogenic Archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis: Mechanistic Features and Requirement for the Novel GlnB Homologues, NifI1 and NifI2

Kessler, Peter S., Daniel, Catherine, Leigh, John A.

Ammonia switch-off is the immediate inactivation of nitrogen fixation that occurs when a superior nitrogen source is encountered. In certain bacteria switch-off occurs by reversible covalent...

Function and Regulation of glnA in the Methanogenic Archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis

Cohen-Kupiec, Rachel, Marx, Christopher J., Leigh, John A.

The glnA gene in the domains Bacteria and Archaea encodes glutamine synthetase, a universally distributed enzyme that functions in ammonia assimilation and glutamine synthesis. We investigated the...

The nif Gene Operon of the Methanogenic Archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis

Kessler, Peter S., Blank, Carrine, Leigh, John A.

Nitrogen fixation occurs in two domains, Archaea and Bacteria. We have characterized a nif (nitrogen fixation) gene cluster in the methanogenic archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis. Sequence analysis...

Regulatory Response of Methanococcus maripaludis to Alanine, an Intermediate Nitrogen Source

Lie, Thomas J., Leigh, John A.

In the methanogenic archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis, growth with ammonia results in conditions of nitrogen excess. Complete repression of nitrogen fixation (nif) gene transcription occurs, and...

Function and Regulation of the Formate Dehydrogenase Genes of the Methanogenic Archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis

Wood, Gwendolyn E., Haydock, Andrew K., Leigh, John A.

Methanococcus maripaludis is a mesophilic species of Archaea capable of producing methane from two substrates: hydrogen plus carbon dioxide and formate. To study the latter, we identified the formate...

The Genome of M. acetivorans Reveals Extensive Metabolic and Physiological Diversity

Galagan, James E., Nusbaum, Chad, Roy, Alice, Endrizzi, Matthew G., Macdonald, Pendexter, FitzHugh, Will, ...

Methanogenesis, the biological production of methane, plays a pivotal role in the global carbon cycle and contributes significantly to global warming. The majority of methane in nature is derived...

Levels of Water-Soluble Vitamins in Methanogenic and Non-Methanogenic Bacteria

Leigh, John A.

The levels of seven water-soluble vitamins in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, Methanococcus voltae, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Bacteroides...

Formaldehyde activation factor, tetrahydromethanopterin, a coenzyme of methanogenesis

Escalante-Semerena, Jorge C., Leigh, John A., Rinehart, Kenneth L., Wolfe, Ralph S.

An oxygen-labile formaldehyde activation factor (FAF) was isolated in highly purified form by use of anoxic fractionation procedures. The molecular weight of FAF was determined to be 776 and that of...

Markerless Mutagenesis in Methanococcus maripaludis Demonstrates Roles for Alanine Dehydrogenase, Alanine Racemase, and Alanine Permease

Moore, Brian C., Leigh, John A.

Among the archaea, Methanococcus maripaludis has the unusual ability to use l- or d-alanine as a nitrogen source. To understand how this occurs, we tested the roles of three adjacent genes encoding...

Disruption of the Operon Encoding Ehb Hydrogenase Limits Anabolic CO2 Assimilation in the Archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis

Porat, Iris, Kim, Wonduck, Hendrickson, Erik L., Xia, Qiangwei, Zhang, Yi, Wang, Tiansong, ...

Methanococcus maripaludis is a mesophilic archaeon that reduces CO2 to methane with H2 or formate as an energy source. It contains two membrane-bound energy-conserving hydrogenases, Eha and Ehb. To...

Regulation of nitrogenase by 2-oxoglutarate-reversible, direct binding of a PII-like nitrogen sensor protein to dinitrogenase

Dodsworth, Jeremy A., Leigh, John A.

Posttranslational regulation of nitrogenase, or switch-off, in the methanogenic archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis requires both nifI1 and nifI2, which encode members of the PII family of...

Metabolic modeling of a mutualistic microbial community

Stolyar, Sergey, Van Dien, Steve, Hillesland, Kristina Linnea, Pinel, Nicolas, Lie, Thomas J, Leigh, John A, ...

The rate of production of methane in many environments depends upon mutualistic interactions between sulfate-reducing bacteria and methanogens. To enhance our understanding of these relationships, we...

Functionally distinct genes regulated by hydrogen limitation and growth rate in methanogenic Archaea

Hendrickson, Erik L., Haydock, Andrew K., Moore, Brian C., Whitman, William B., Leigh, John A.

The use of molecular hydrogen as electron donor for energy generation is a defining characteristic of the hydrogenotrophic methanogens, an ancient group that dominates the phylum Eury archaeota. We...

Genetic Screen for Regulatory Mutations in Methanococcus maripaludis and Its Use in Identification of Induction-Deficient Mutants of the Euryarchaeal Repressor NrpR▿ †

Lie, Thomas J., Leigh, John A.

NrpR is an euryarchaeal transcriptional repressor of nitrogen assimilation genes. Previous studies with Methanococcus maripaludis demonstrated that NrpR binds to palindromic operator sequences,...

Global Responses of Methanococcus maripaludis to Specific Nutrient Limitations and Growth Rate▿ †

Hendrickson, Erik L., Liu, Yuchen, Rosas-Sandoval, Guillermina, Porat, Iris, Söll, Dieter, Whitman, William B., ...

Continuous culture, transcriptome arrays, and measurements of cellular amino acid pools and tRNA charging levels were used to determine the response of Methanococcus maripaludis to leucine...

Roles of Coenzyme F420-Reducing Hydrogenases and Hydrogen- and F420-Dependent Methylenetetrahydromethanopterin Dehydrogenases in Reduction of F420 and Production of Hydrogen during Methanogenesis▿

Hendrickson, Erik L., Leigh, John A.

Reduced coenzyme F420 (F420H2) is an essential intermediate in methanogenesis from CO2. During methanogenesis from H2 and CO2, F420H2 is provided by the action of F420-reducing hydrogenases. However,...

Formate-Dependent H2 Production by the Mesophilic Methanogen Methanococcus maripaludis▿

Lupa, Boguslaw, Hendrickson, Erik L., Leigh, John A., Whitman, William B.

Methanococcus maripaludis, an H2- and formate-utilizing methanogen, produced H2 at high rates from formate. The rates and kinetics of H2 production depended upon the growth conditions, and H2...