Coenzyme F420
Coenzyme F420 or 8-hydroxy-5-deazaflavin is a coenzyme involved in redox reactions in methanogens, in many Actinobacteria, and sporadically in other bacterial lineages. It is a flavin derivative. The coenzyme is a substrate for coenzyme F420 hydrogenase, 5,10-methylenetetrahydromethanopterin reductase and methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase.
A particularly rich natural source of F420 is Mycobacterium smegmatis, in which several dozen enzymes use F420 instead of the related cofactor FMN used by homologous enzymes in most other species. Eukaryotes including the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the algae Ostreococcus tauri also use a precursor to this cofactor.Biosynthesis
Coenzyme F420 is synthesized via a multi-step pathway:
