Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is a cobalt-containing modified tetrapyrrole that is an essential nutrient for higher animals. Its biosynthesis is restricted to certain bacteria and requires approximately 30 enzymatic steps for its complete de novo construction. Remarkably, two distinct biosynthetic pathways exist, which are termed the aerobic and anaerobic routes. The anaerobic pathway has yet to be fully characterized due to the inherent instability of its oxygen-sensitive intermediates. Bacillus megaterium, a bacterium previously used for the commercial production of cobalamin, has a complete anaerobic pathway and this organism is now being used to investigate the anaerobic B12 pathway through the application of recent advances in recombinant protein production. The present paper provides a summary of recent findings in the anaerobic pathway and future perspectives.
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June 2012
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Conference Article|
May 22 2012
The anaerobic biosynthesis of vitamin B12
Simon J. Moore;
Simon J. Moore
1
1School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Giles Lane, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, U.K.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (sjm51@kent.ac.uk).
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Martin J. Warren
Martin J. Warren
1School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Giles Lane, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, U.K.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
March 06 2012
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2012 Biochemical Society
2012
Biochem Soc Trans (2012) 40 (3): 581–586.
Article history
Received:
March 06 2012
Citation
Simon J. Moore, Martin J. Warren; The anaerobic biosynthesis of vitamin B12. Biochem Soc Trans 1 June 2012; 40 (3): 581–586. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20120066
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