A role for nickel-iron cofactors in biological carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide utilization

Ni–Fe containing enzymes are involved in the biological utilization of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen. Interest in these enzymes has increased in recent years due to hydrogen fuel initiatives and concerns over development of new methods for CO2 sequestration. One Ni–Fe enzyme called c...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kung, Yan, Drennan, Catherine L
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: Elsevier 2012
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/71970
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5486-2755
Description
Summary:Ni–Fe containing enzymes are involved in the biological utilization of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen. Interest in these enzymes has increased in recent years due to hydrogen fuel initiatives and concerns over development of new methods for CO2 sequestration. One Ni–Fe enzyme called carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH) is a key player in the global carbon cycle and carries out the interconversion of the environmental pollutant CO and the greenhouse gas CO[subscript 2]. The Ni–Fe center responsible for this important chemistry, the C-cluster, has been the source of much controversy, but several recent structural studies have helped to direct the field toward a unifying mechanism. Here we summarize the current state of understanding of this fascinating metallocluster.