Genomic Identification of Cobalamin-Dependent O-Demethylase Genes in Human Gut Bacterium Blautia sp. MRG-PMF1
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The O -demethylase of Blautia sp. MRG-PMF1 is among the few enzymes capable of catalyzing O -demethylation of large polyaromatic aryl methyl ethers. As in other acetogenic bacteria, the aryl methyl ether bond cleavage is catalyzed by a multi-component enzyme system comprising methyltransferase I (MT1), corrinoid protein (CP), methyltransferase II (MT2), and activating enzyme (AE) in Blautia sp. MRG-PMF1. To identify the O -demethylase genes in the genome of this anaerobic human gut bacterium, we applied a bioinformatic approach integrating gene annotation, conserved domain searches, and structural simulations using publicly available web-based tools. This analysis yielded thirty MT1, six CP, three MT2, and one AE gene candidates, but a gene cluster containing all four O -demethylase components was not found. Our study demonstrates that careful biochemical interpretation of bioinformatic data substantially enhances genomic identification of O -demethylase enzymes, for which comprehensive genomic information remains limited.
Source: Research Square
Institutions: Chung-Ang University, Aarhus University
Language: English
Subfield: Pollution
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7163030748