Fully identified—the pathway of protons

Friday, November 9, 2018 - 09:50 in Physics & Chemistry

In their catalytic center, hydrogenases manufacture molecular hydrogen (H2) from two protons and two electrons. They extract the protons required for this process from the surrounding water and transfer them – via a transport chain – into their catalytic core. The exact proton pathway through the hydrogenase had as yet not been understood. "This transfer pathway is a jigsaw piece, crucial for understanding the interplay of cofactor and protein which is the reason why biocatalysts are so much more efficient than hydrogen-producing chemical complexes," explains Dr. Martin Winkler, one of the authors of this study from the Photobiotechnology research group at RUB.

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