7-Mercaptoheptanoylthreonine phosphate functions as component B in ATP-independent methane formation from methyl-CoM with reduced cobalamin as electron donor.

Purified methyl-CoM reductase of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (strain Marburg) catalyzed the reduction of methyl-CoM to methane with reduced cobalamin, when either synthetic 7-mercaptoheptanoylthreonine phosphate (HS-HTP) or naturally occurring component B was present. With both compounds the same maximal specific activity was obtained and ATP was neither required nor stimulatory. These findings indicate that HS-HTP functions as component B and do not support the idea that HS-HT is only active in an adenosine monophosphorylated form.