The cofactor is mainly involved in one reaction in methanogenesis. Its function there is to bind and later to release the methyl leaving group from coenzyme M. In the same reaction, F430 also catalyses the initiation and termination of a radical reaction, and coenzyme B is also involved [see MACiE entry M0156 ].
Chemical properties
Cofactor F430 consists of a tetrapyrrole ring with a nickel atom coordinated by the 4 nitrogen atoms (similar to the iron atom in heme and bound to a glutamine residue of the target enzyme. Compared to other tetrapyrrole molecules, it has fewer double bonds, and the chromophore only extends over three of the four nitrogen atoms. A lactam ring and a 6-membered ring are fused to the tetrapyrrole scaffold [1].
Pathways
This cofactor is essential for methanogenesis and exclusively occurs in methanogenic archea. These organisms, who create methane under anaerobic conditions, are of high interest to the research community due to the importance of methane for the carbon flux on earth [3].
