Interspecies hydrogen transfer (IHT) is a form of interspecies electron transfer.
It is a
syntrophic process by which H
2 is transferred from one organism to another, particularly in the rumen and other anaerobic environments.
IHT was discovered between ''
Methanobacterium bryantii'' strain M.o.H and an "S" organism in 1967 by Marvin Bryant, Eileen Wolin, Meyer Wolin, and Ralph Wolfe at the University of Illinois. The two form a culture that was mistaken as a species ''Methanobacillus omelianskii''. It was shown in 1973 that this process occurs between ''
Ruminococcus albus'' and ''
Wolinella
The genus ''Wolinella'' is a member of the Campylobacterales order of Bacteria. The order Campylobacterales includes human pathogens such as ''Helicobacter pylori'' and ''Campylobacter jejuni''.
Strains
The only publicly available strain of ''W ...
succinogenes''. A more recent publication describes how the gene expression profiles of these organisms changes when they undergo interspecies hydrogen transfer; of note, a switch to an electron-confurcating hydrogenase occurs in ''R. albus'' 7.
This process affects the
carbon cycle
The carbon cycle is a part of the biogeochemical cycle where carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of Earth. Other major biogeochemical cycles include the nitrogen cycle and the water cycl ...
:
methanogen
Methanogens are anaerobic archaea that produce methane as a byproduct of their energy metabolism, i.e., catabolism. Methane production, or methanogenesis, is the only biochemical pathway for Adenosine triphosphate, ATP generation in methanogens. A ...
s can participate in interspecies hydrogen transfer combining H
2 and CO
2 to produce CH
4. Besides methanogens, acetogens, and sulfate-reducing bacteria can participate in IHT.
References
{{reflist
Biochemistry