Structural Analysis of a Nitrogenase Iron Protein from Methanosarcina acetivorans: Implications for CO 2 Capture by a Surface-Exposed [Fe 4 S 4 ] Cluster

Abstract

This work reports the crystal structure of a previously uncharacterized Fe protein from a methanogenic organism, which provides important insights into the structural properties of the less-characterized, yet highly interesting archaeal nitrogenase enzymes. Moreover, the structure-derived implications for CO 2 capture by a surface-exposed [Fe 4 S 4 ] cluster point to the possibility of developing novel strategies for CO 2 sequestration while providing the initial insights into the unique mechanism of FeS-based CO 2 activation.