How 'juggling' helps an enzyme speed carbon fixation (VIDEO)
Caption
This animation shows two of the paired molecules (blue and white) within the ECR enzyme, which fixes carbon in soil microbes, in action. They work together, like the hands of a juggler who simultaneously tosses and catches balls, to get the job done faster. One member of each enzyme pair opens wide to catch a set of reaction ingredients (shown coming in from top and bottom) while the other closes over its captured ingredients and carries out the carbon-fixing reaction; then, they switch roles in a continual cycle. Scientists are trying to harness and improve these reactions for artificial photosynthesis to make a variety of products.
Credit
H. DeMirci et al., ACS Central Science, 2022
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