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ENZYME MECHANISMS

Nitrogenase loosens its belt to fix dinitrogen

Nitrogenase reduces dinitrogen at one of its iron–sulfur cores to produce ammonia by a convoluted mechanism. Now, research highlights the importance of sulfur mobility on one of nitrogenase’s metallocofactors for nitrogen fixation.

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Fig. 1: Role of non-physiological reductant dithionite during in vitro nitrogenase catalysis.

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Correspondence to Ross D. Milton.

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Milton, R.D. Nitrogenase loosens its belt to fix dinitrogen. Nat Catal 5, 361–362 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-022-00795-2

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