Betaine utilization by methanogens

What is it about?

Glycine betaine is an osmoregulant present in all three domains of life and one of the most common biomolecules in the marine environment. It is shown for the first time that some methanogens can grow directly with betaine as a substrate converting it to dimethylglycine (DMG). The partial demethylation of glycine betaine allows both energy generation and energy saving as DMG is also a osmoregulant.

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Why is it important?

The unexplained rise in biogenic methane in the atmosphere since 2007 indicates that current models of the biological methane cycle are incomplete and that there is a significant lack of knowledge of the biological drivers and pathways. The environmental importance of the novel pathways is yet unknown, but as these methylotrophic methanogens are widespread and abundant in the environment and are using common biomolecules (choline, glycine betaine), they have the potential to strongly enhance near surface methanogenesis and methane release.