Dennis Vlegels

4 weeks ago | nature.com | Christian Lorent |Thinh Nguyen |Darja Deobald |Olalla Vazquez |Georg KA Hochberg |Dennis Vlegels

AbstractMethyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) is the enzyme responsible for nearly all biologically generated methane1. Its active site comprises coenzyme F430, a porphyrin-based cofactor with a central nickel ion that is active exclusively in the Ni(I) state2,3. How methanogenic archaea perform the reductive activation of F430 represents a major gap in our understanding of one of the most ancient bioenergetic systems in nature.