Capturing one-carbon chemistry, one-structural snapshot at a time

Carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH) and acetyl-CoA synthase (ACS) play major roles in the global carbon cycle through the consumption of CO and CO₂ gases, the production of acetate, and the breakdown of acetate for methane generation. These enzymes are believed to have been present in the last universal common ancestor between bacterial and archaeal domains of life. In this work, we investigate the structures of the key metalloenzymes involved in acetyl-CoA synthesis/breakdown from/to greenhouse gases, both to gain mechanistic insight as well as to understand the molecular movements that permit these enzymes to act in concert.