Substrate interaction at an iron-sulfur face of the FeMo-cofactor during nitrogenase catalysis

Nitrogenase catalyzes biological dinitrogen fixation, the reduction of N(2) to 2NH(3). Recently, the binding site for a non-physiological alkyne substrate (propargyl alcohol, HC triple bond C-CH(2)OH) was localized to a specific Fe-S face of the FeMo-cofactor approached by the MoFe protein amino acid alpha-70(Val). Here we provide evidence to indicate that the smaller alkyne substrate acetylene (HC triple bond CH), the physiological substrate dinitrogen, and its semi-reduced form hydrazine (H(2)N-NH(2)) interact with the same Fe-S face of the FeMo-cofactor. Hydrazine is a relatively poor substrate for the wild-type (alpha-70(Val)) MoFe protein. Substitution of the alpha-70(Val) residue by an amino acid having a smaller side chain (alanine) dramatically enhanced hydrazine reduction activity. Conversely, substitution of alpha-70(Val) by an amino acid having a larger side chain (isoleucine) significantly lowered the capacity of the MoFe protein to reduce dinitrogen, hydrazine, or acetylene.