1T4C

Formyl-CoA transferase, sourced from Oxalobacter formigenes colonises the human gastrointestinal tract. It breaks down oxalate to generate ATP. Formyl-CoA transferase is a critical enzyme in oxalate-dependent ATP synthesis. It catalyses the transfer of CoA from formyl-CoA to oxalate, producing oxalyl-CoA and formate. It is of interest due to a correlation between absence of O. formigenes in humans and kidney stone formation due to elevated levels of oxalate in the blood. Secondly ATP production appears to depend solely on the anaerobic conversion of oxalate to formate and carbon dioxide - other carbohydrates cannot be used to replace oxalate as a growth substrate, implying that the organism lacks a functional glycolytic pathway.