Crystallization of Nitrogenase Proteins

Abstract

Nitrogenase is the only known enzymatic system capable of reducing atmospheric dinitrogen to ammonia. This unique reaction requires tightly choreographed interactions between the nitrogenase component proteins, the molybdenum–iron (MoFe)- and iron (Fe)-proteins, as well as regulation of electron transfer between multiple metal centers that are only found in these components. Several decades of research beginning in the 1950s yielded substantial information of how nitrogenase manages the task of N2 fixation. However, key mechanistic steps in this highly oxygen-sensitive and ATP-intensive reaction have only recently been identified at an atomic level. A critical part in any mechanistic elucidation is the necessity to connect spectroscopic and functional properties of the component proteins to the detailed three-dimensional structures. Structural information derived from X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods has provided detailed atomic insights into the enzyme system and, in particular, its active site FeMo-cofactor. The following chapter outlines the general protocols for the crystallization of Azotobacter vinelandii (Av) nitrogenase component proteins, with a special emphasis on different applications, such as high-resolution XRD, single-crystal spectroscopy, and the structural characterization of bound inhibitors.