Structural Analysis of a Nitrogenase Iron Protein from <named-content content-type="genus-species">Methanosarcina acetivorans</named-content>: Implications for CO<sub>2</sub> Capture by a Surface-Exposed [Fe<sub>4</sub>S<sub>4</sub>] Cluster

ABSTRACT Nitrogenase iron (Fe) proteins reduce CO2 to CO and/or hydrocarbons under ambient conditions. Here, we report a 2.4-Å crystal structure of the Fe protein from Methanosarcina acetivorans (MaNifH), which is generated in the presence of a reductant, dithionite, and an alternative CO2 source, b...

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Autores principales: Lee A. Rettberg, Wonchull Kang, Martin T. Stiebritz, Caleb J. Hiller, Chi Chung Lee, Jasper Liedtke, Markus W. Ribbe, Yilin Hu
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: American Society for Microbiology 2019
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Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/b8db188bd46a4cd2bf01b2ab9361b821
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Sumario:ABSTRACT Nitrogenase iron (Fe) proteins reduce CO2 to CO and/or hydrocarbons under ambient conditions. Here, we report a 2.4-Å crystal structure of the Fe protein from Methanosarcina acetivorans (MaNifH), which is generated in the presence of a reductant, dithionite, and an alternative CO2 source, bicarbonate. Structural analysis of this methanogen Fe protein species suggests that CO2 is possibly captured in an unactivated, linear conformation near the [Fe4S4] cluster of MaNifH by a conserved arginine (Arg) pair in a concerted and, possibly, asymmetric manner. Density functional theory calculations and mutational analyses provide further support for the capture of CO2 on MaNifH while suggesting a possible role of Arg in the initial coordination of CO2 via hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. These results provide a useful framework for further mechanistic investigations of CO2 activation by a surface-exposed [Fe4S4] cluster, which may facilitate future development of FeS catalysts for ambient conversion of CO2 into valuable chemical commodities. IMPORTANCE This work reports the crystal structure of a previously uncharacterized Fe protein from a methanogenic organism, which provides important insights into the structural properties of the less-characterized, yet highly interesting archaeal nitrogenase enzymes. Moreover, the structure-derived implications for CO2 capture by a surface-exposed [Fe4S4] cluster point to the possibility of developing novel strategies for CO2 sequestration while providing the initial insights into the unique mechanism of FeS-based CO2 activation.