期刊名称:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN:0027-8424
电子版ISSN:1091-6490
出版年度:1976
卷号:73
期号:12
页码:4369-4373
DOI:10.1073/pnas.73.12.4369
语种:English
出版社:The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要:A unique method is described for inhibiting nitrogenase. When Clostridium pasteurianum nitrogenase is assayed in the presence of the Mo-Fe protein of Azotobacter vinelandii, all the characteristic activities of nitrogenase are inhibited. C. pasteurianum nitrogenase is unaffected by the Fe protein of A. vinelandii. The Fe protein, but not the Mo-Fe protein of C. pasteurianum, inhibits A. vinelandii nitrogenase. Both inhibitions described result from the formation of an inactive complex of A. vinelandii Mo-Fe protein and C. pasteurianum Fe protein. Complex formation requires active components, as oxygen-denatured proteins are ineffective. The results for titration of components of the complex against each other and kinetic data each indicate that the inactive complex consists of two molecules of C. pasteurianum Fe protein per molecule of A. vinelandii Mo-Fe protein. The results of kinetic experiments suggest that the Fe protein from each organism competes for the same site(s) on the A. vinelandii Mo-Fe protein. The Fe protein of C. pasteurianum will form an active or an inactive complex with the Mo-Fe proteins from six different organisms. Inhibition by nitrogenase components that form inactive complexes provides numeroius ways to study the mechanism of nitrogenase action.