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An enzyme cofactor with a split personality

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology volume 22, pages 101–103 (2015)Cite this article

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Little is currently known about the molecular determinants of energy barriers along enzyme catalytic pathways. Kern and co-workers have studied this question in adenylate kinase (Adk) and now reveal that a single Mg2+ ion can accelerate two distinct steps, thus uncovering an unexpected dual role for this ubiquitous cofactor.

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Figure 1: Schematic representation of enzymatic catalysis.
Figure 2: Dynamics in the adenylate kinase (Adk) active site.

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  1. Anthony Mittermaier is at the Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,

    Anthony Mittermaier

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  1. Anthony Mittermaier
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Correspondence to Anthony Mittermaier.

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Mittermaier, A. An enzyme cofactor with a split personality. Nat Struct Mol Biol 22, 101–103 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.2968

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