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Published April 15, 2005 | public
Journal Article

Structural basis of biological nitrogen fixation

Abstract

Biological nitrogen fixation is mediated by the nitrogenase enzyme system that catalyses the ATP dependent reduction of atmospheric dinitrogen to ammonia. Nitrogenase consists of two component metalloproteins, the MoFe-protein with the FeMo-cofactor that provides the active site for substrate reduction, and the Fe-protein that couples ATP hydrolysis to electron transfer. An overview of the nitrogenase system is presented that emphasizes the structural organization of the proteins and associated metalloclusters that have the remarkable ability to catalyse nitrogen fixation under ambient conditions. Although the mechanism of ammonia formation by nitrogenase remains enigmatic, mechanistic inferences motivated by recent developments in the areas of nitrogenase biochemistry, spectroscopy, model chemistry and computational studies are discussed within this structural framework.

Additional Information

© 2005 The Royal Society. Published online 5 April 2005. We thank the US National Institutes of Health for research support (GM45162) and the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation for a postdoctoral fellowship to F.A.T.

Additional details

Created:
August 22, 2023
Modified:
October 18, 2023