Nitrogen Fixation: Microorganisms Use ATP and A Powerful Reductant To Reduce Atmospheric Nitrogen To
Microorganisms use ATP and reduced ferredoxin, a powerful reductant, to reduce N2 to NH3. An iron-molybdenum cluster in nitrogenase deftly catalyzes the fixation of N2, a very inert molecule. Higher organisms consume the fixed nitrogen to synthesize amino acids, nucleotides, and other nitrogen-containing biomolecules. The major points of entry of NH4+ into metabolism are glutamine or glutamate.
Read more about this topic: Amino Acid Synthesis
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