What is iron molybdenum cofactor?

What is iron molybdenum cofactor?

The iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMo-co), located at the active site of the molybdenum nitrogenase, is one of the most complex metal cofactors known to date. During the past several years, an intensive effort has been made to purify the proteins involved in FeMo-co synthesis and incorporation into nitrogenase.

What is the cofactor of nitrogenase?

FeMoco ( FeMo cofactor) is the primary cofactor of nitrogenase. Nitrogenase is the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen molecules N2 into ammonia (NH3) through the process known as nitrogen fixation. Containing iron and molybdenum, the cofactor is called FeMoco.

What is molybdenum nitrogenase?

Molybdenum nitrogenase (Nif), which catalyzes the reduction of dinitrogen to ammonium, has modulated the availability of fixed nitrogen in the biosphere since early in Earth’s history.

What is the role of the Fe protein of nitrogenase?

Nitrogenase catalyzes the nucleotide-dependent reduction of dinitrogen to ammonia, a key step in the global biological nitrogen cycle. The Fe protein plays an essential role in nitrogenase catalysis, serving as the obligate electron donor to the MoFe protein.

Is iron a cofactor or coenzyme?

Typically, cofactors are metal ions. Some metallic elements have no nutritional value, but several trace elements function as cofactors in biochemical reactions, including iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, cobalt, and molybdenum.

What kind of cofactor is iron?

The biological use of this transition metal is as an enzyme cofactor, predominantly in electron transfer and catalysis. The main forms of iron cofactor are, in order of decreasing abundance, iron-sulfur clusters, heme, and di-iron or mononuclear iron, with a wide functional range.

Which metal is present in nitrogenase enzyme?

Nitrogenase enzymes have evolved complex iron–sulfur (Fe–S) containing cofactors that most commonly contain molybdenum (MoFe, Nif) as a heterometal but also exist as vanadium (VFe, Vnf) and heterometal-independent (Fe-only, Anf) forms.

Is molybdenum a metal?

molybdenum (Mo), chemical element, silver-gray refractory metal of Group 6 (VIb) of the periodic table, used to impart superior strength to steel and other alloys at high temperature.

Which metal is used in nitrogen fixation and oxidase?

The molybdenum nitrogenase is responsible for most biological nitrogen fixation, a prokaryotic metabolic process that determines the global biogeochemical cycles of nitrogen and carbon.

Which is an example of a cofactor?

Vitamins, minerals, and ATP are all examples of cofactors. ATP functions as a cofactor by transferring energy to chemical reactions.