Lanthanides: New life metals?

Abstract

Lanthanides (Ln(3+)) that are Rare Earth Elements, until recently thought to be biologically inert, have recently emerged as essential metals for activity and expression of a special type of methanol dehydrogenase, XoxF. As XoxF enzyme homologs are encoded in a wide variety of microbes, including microbes active in important environmental processes such as methane and methanol metabolism, Ln(3+) may represent some of the key biogeochemical drivers in cycling of carbon and other elements. However, significant gaps in understanding the role of Ln(3+) in biological systems remain as the functions of most of the proteins potentially dependent of Ln(3+) and their roles in specific metabolic networks/respective biogeochemical cycles remain unknown. Moreover, enzymes dependent on Ln(3+) but not related to XoxF enzymes may exist, and these so far have not been recognized. Through connecting the recently uncovered genetic divergence and phylogenetic distribution of XoxF-like enzymes and through elucidation of their activities, metal and substrate specificities, along with the biological contexts of respective biochemical pathways, most parsimonious scenarios for their evolution could be uncovered. Generation of such data will firmly establish the role of Ln(3+) in the biochemistry of Life inhabiting this planet.