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Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Sequence-specific Labeling of Nucleic Acids and Proteins with Methyltransferases and Cofactor Analogues
Published on: November 22, 2014
Maturation of nitrogenase cofactor-the role of a class E radical SAM methyltransferase NifB
1Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3900, United States.
Abstract:
Nitrogenase catalyzes the important reactions of N2-reduction, CO-reduction and CO2-reduction at its active cofactor site. Designated the M-cluster, this complex metallocofactor is assembled through the generation of a characteristic 8Fe-core before the insertion of Mo and homocitrate that completes the stoichiometry of the M-cluster. NifB catalyzes the crucial step of radical SAM-dependent carbide insertion that occurs concomitant with the insertion a '9th' sulfur and the rearrangement/coupling of two 4Fe-clusters into a complete 8Fe-core of the M-cluster. Further categorization of a family of NifB proteins as a new class of radical SAM methyltransferases suggests a general function of these proteins in complex metallocofactor assembly and provides a new platform for unveiling unprecedented chemical reactions catalyzed by biological systems.
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