TY - JOUR
T1 - Identification of the V factor needed for synthesis of the iron-molybdenum cofactor of nitrogenase as homocitrate
AU - Hoover, Timothy R.
AU - Robertson, Andrew D.
AU - Cerny, Ronald L.
AU - Hayes, Roger N.
AU - Imperial, Juan
AU - Shah, Vinod K.
AU - Ludden, Paul W.
PY - 1987
Y1 - 1987
N2 - Nitrogenase catalyses the ATP-dependent reduction of N2 to NH3, and is composed of two proteins, dinitrogenase (MoFe protein or component I) and dinitrogenase reductase (Fe protein or component II) 1,2. Dinitrogenase contains a unique prosthetic group (iron-molybdenum cofactor, FeMoco) comprised of Fe, Mo and S, which has been proposed as the site of N2 reduction3-5. Biochemical and genetic studies of Nif- (nitrogen fixation) mutants of Klebsiella pneumoniae which are defective in nitrogen fixation, have shown that the nifB, nifQ, nifN, nifE and nifV genes are required for the biosynthesis of FeMo-co5-7. Recently, a system for in vitro synthesis of FeMoco was described8. The assay requires at least the nifB, nifN and nifE gene products8, and a low-molecular-weight factor (V factor) produced in the presence of the nifV gene product9. We have used this system to study FeMoco biosynthesis. We report here the isolation of V factor and identify it as homocitric acid ([R]2-hydroxy-l,2,4-butanetricarboxylic acid).
AB - Nitrogenase catalyses the ATP-dependent reduction of N2 to NH3, and is composed of two proteins, dinitrogenase (MoFe protein or component I) and dinitrogenase reductase (Fe protein or component II) 1,2. Dinitrogenase contains a unique prosthetic group (iron-molybdenum cofactor, FeMoco) comprised of Fe, Mo and S, which has been proposed as the site of N2 reduction3-5. Biochemical and genetic studies of Nif- (nitrogen fixation) mutants of Klebsiella pneumoniae which are defective in nitrogen fixation, have shown that the nifB, nifQ, nifN, nifE and nifV genes are required for the biosynthesis of FeMo-co5-7. Recently, a system for in vitro synthesis of FeMoco was described8. The assay requires at least the nifB, nifN and nifE gene products8, and a low-molecular-weight factor (V factor) produced in the presence of the nifV gene product9. We have used this system to study FeMoco biosynthesis. We report here the isolation of V factor and identify it as homocitric acid ([R]2-hydroxy-l,2,4-butanetricarboxylic acid).
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0023616333&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0023616333&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/329855a0
DO - 10.1038/329855a0
M3 - Article
C2 - 3313054
AN - SCOPUS:0023616333
VL - 329
SP - 855
EP - 857
JO - Nature
JF - Nature
SN - 0028-0836
IS - 6142
ER -