Methanogens are unique microorganisms for methane production and the main contributor of the biogenic methane in atmosphere. Methyl-coenzyme M reductase (Mcr) catalyzes the last step of methane production in methanogenesis and the first step of methane activation in anaerobic oxidation of methane. The genes encoding this enzyme are highly conserved and are widely used as a marker in the identification and phylogenetic study of archaea. There has been a longstanding interest in its unique cofactor F430 and the underpinning mechanisms of enzymatic cleavage of alkane C-H bond. The recent breakthroughs of high-resolution protein and catalytic-transition-state structures further advanced the structure-function study of Mcr. In particular, the recent discovery of methyl-coenzyme M reductase-like (Mcr-like) enzymes that activates the anaerobic degradation of non-methane alkanes has attracted much interest in the molecular mechanisms of C-H activation without oxygen. This review summarized the advances on function-structure-mechanism study of Mcr/Mcr-like enzymes. Additionally, future directions in anaerobic oxidation of alkanes and greenhouse-gas control using Mcr/Mcr-like enzymes were proposed.

中文翻译：

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[甲基辅酶M还原酶的结构、功能及催化机制研究进展].

产甲烷菌是产生甲烷的独特微生物，是大气中生物甲烷的主要贡献者。甲基辅酶 M 还原酶 (Mcr) 催化产甲烷过程中甲烷产生的最后一步和甲烷厌氧氧化过程中甲烷活化的第一步。编码该酶的基因高度保守，被广泛用作古生菌鉴定和系统发育研究的标志物。长期以来，人们一直对其独特的辅因子 F430 和烷烃 CH 键的酶促裂解机制感兴趣。最近高分辨率蛋白质和催化过渡态结构的突破进一步推进了Mcr的结构-功能研究。特别是，最近发现的甲基辅酶 M 还原酶样 (Mcr-like) 酶可激活非甲烷烷烃的厌氧降解，这引起了人们对 CH 无氧活化的分子机制的极大兴趣。本文综述了Mcr/Mcr样酶的功能-结构-机制研究进展。此外，还提出了烷烃厌氧氧化和使用类 Mcr/Mcr 酶控制温室气体的未来方向。