Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026

Workflow Based on the Combination of Isotopic Tracer Experiments to Investigate Microbial Metabolism of Multiple Nutrient Sources
Published on: January 22, 2018
Function, Structure, and Regulation of Nitrogen Fixation-like Metalloproteins for Nitrogen, Energy, Carbon, and
Justin A North1, Hannah S Shafaat2
1Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio43210, United States.
Abstract:
Nitrogenases (N2ases) and nitrogen fixation-like (NFL) systems play distinct roles in nitrogen, carbon, sulfur, and energy metabolism based on their fundamental differences in structure and metallocofactor identity. As new NFL systems have recently been identified and characterized, striking parallels and differences compared to N2ase structure, catalysis, and regulation have emerged. NFL systems use metallocofactors that span from simple [4Fe-4S] clusters to complex clusters akin to FeMo-co, previously only thought to occur in N2ase. This review describes the present state of knowledge on the function, structure, catalytic mechanisms, and regulation of NFL systems that perform distinct biological roles across all three domains of life. Recent advancements in N2ase spectroscopic techniques for probing metallocofactor structure and electronic states guide current and future work on how each NFL system catalyzes its specific biological reaction(s). Key knowledge gaps and needed areas of research for uncovering the specific metallocofactors and structural motifs that are at the heart of NFL system reaction specificity, along with how these systems are regulated, are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation
Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this nitrogen...
Microbes and the Nitrogen Cycle
Carbon-dioxide Fixation
Microbial Nutrition
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs

