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Thioredoxin - a protein essential that activates photosynthesis - likely developed on the Earth even before oxygen became available, according to a new study. 

The study claiming the presence of thioredoxin, 2.5 billion years ago might open new perspective of researches and developments in the field of microbiology and evolutionary biology.  

"By looking at this one mechanism that was not previously studied, we will be able to develop new basic information that potentially has broad impact on contemporary issues ranging from climate change to obesity," said senior author Biswarup Mukhopadhyay, an associate professor of biochemistry at the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in the press release. 

The research was focused on a methane-forming type of microbe called archaea which are single-celled microorganisms and live in regions where there is no oxygen. These microorganisms belong to a methane producing group of microbes called methanogens. 

"This natural process for producing methane forms the basis for treating municipal and industrial wastes, helps reduce pollution, and provides methane for fuel," Virginia Tech explained in a statement. "The same process allows natural gas production from agricultural residues, a renewable resource."

"Methanogens also play an important role in agriculture and human health. They live in the digestive systems of cattle and sheep where they facilitate the digestion of feed consumed in the diet," it added. "Efforts to control methanogens in specific ways may improve feed utilization and enhance the production of meat and milk, researchers say."

As these methanogens came into existence prior to oxygen, it is possible that thioredoxin-based metabolic regulation managed the anaerobic life that early. 

"It is rewarding to see that our decades of research on thioredoxin and photosynthesis are contributing to understanding the ancient process of methane formation," added Berkeley plant and microbial biology professor Bob B. Buchana in the press release. "It is an excellent illustration of how a process that proved successful early in evolution has been retained in the development of highly complex forms of life."

The study is published in the early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.