Crystallographic Characterization of the Carbonylated A‑Cluster in Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenase/Acetyl-CoA Synthase

The Wood–Ljungdahl pathway allows for autotrophic bacterial growth on carbon dioxide, with the last step in acetyl-CoA synthesis catalyzed by the bifunctional enzyme carbon monoxide dehydrogenase/acetyl-CoA synthase (CODH/ACS). ACS uses a complex Ni–Fe–S metallocluster termed the A-cluster to assemble acetyl-CoA from carbon monoxide, a methyl moiety and coenzyme A. Here, we report the crystal structure of CODH/ACS from Moorella thermoacetica with substrate carbon monoxide bound at the A-cluster, a state previously uncharacterized by crystallography. Direct structural characterization of this state highlights the role of second sphere residues and conformational dynamics in acetyl-CoA assembly, the biological equivalent of the Monsanto process.