Fast-growing methylotrophic bacterium. Methylobacillus flagellatus KT strain:KT

Methylobacillus flagellatus strain KT. This organism contains multiple formaldehyde degradation pathways including a ribulose monophosphate (RMP) cycle and a linear pathway utilizing tetrahydromethanopterin-dependent enzymes. Degradation of formaldehydge is part of the process of incorporating carbon into the cell, and as this organism is an obligate methylotroph and can only utilize methanol and methylamine as the sole carbon and energy sources, conversion of intermediates is both an important part of the growth of cell and an exploitable process for industrial purposes. This strain was isolated from activated sludge found at the wastewater treatment plant in Moscow, Russia and is the fastest growing methylotroph discovered. The fast growth and conversion rate make it useful in industrial production of biomolecules.