A U of I-Led Study Identifies a Protein That Saves Cells From Formaldehyde Toxicity

Normal cellular processes give rise to toxins, like formaldehyde, that cells must mitigate. Bacteria that feed on methanol, like Methylorubrum extorquens, produce a lot of formaldehyde. A U of I-led study published in PLOS Biology identified a protein that acts as a kill-switch, binding to formaldehyde and leading to a rapid cessation in growth and protein production. This protein, named EfgA, is the first formaldehyde sensor ever discovered in bacteria that eat methanol as food and is found nearly universally among bacteria with this metabolic capacity.

When the genes that code for EfgA were given to E. coli, these E. coli had greater resistance to formaldehyde. The authors hypothesize that EfgA may interact directly with ribosomes, the cells’ protein-producing factories, to protect cells from continuing to create new proteins that will be deformed upon reaction with formaldehyde. These findings may have applicability for bacteria used in creating biofuels from the breakdown of plant matter, a formaldehyde-producing process.