title: Vanadium nitrogenase: a two-hit wonder?
abstract: Nitrogenase catalyzes the biological conversion of atmospheric dinitrogen to bioavailable ammonia. The molybdenum (Mo)- and vanadium (V)-dependent nitrogenases are two homologous members of this metalloenzyme family. However, despite their similarities in structure and function, the characterization of V-nitrogenase has taken a much longer and more winding path than that of its Mo-counterpart. From the initial discovery of this nitrogen-fixing system, to the recent finding of its CO-reducing capacity, V-nitrogenase has proven to be a two-hit wonder in the over-a-century-long research of nitrogen fixation. This perspective provides a brief account of the catalytic function and structural basis of V-nitrogenase, as well as a short discussion of the theoretical and practical potentials of this unique metalloenzyme.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3900, USA. yilinh@uci.edu
authors.forename: Yilin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Chi Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Markus W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Ribbe
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D055162:Biocatalysis; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009586:Nitrogen Fixation; D009591:Nitrogenase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction
chemical_list: D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D009591:Nitrogenase
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