Institute of Plant Biology, Technical University Braunschweig, Humboldtstrasse 1, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.
Molecules. 2022 Aug 3;27(15):4934. doi: 10.3390/molecules27154934.
The transition element molybdenum (Mo) is an essential micronutrient for plants, animals, and microorganisms, where it forms part of the active center of Mo enzymes. To gain biological activity in the cell, Mo has to be complexed by a pterin scaffold to form the molybdenum cofactor (Moco). Mo enzymes and Moco are found in all kingdoms of life, where they perform vital transformations in the metabolism of nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon compounds. In this review, I recall the history of Moco in a personal view, starting with the genetics of Moco in the 1960s and 1970s, followed by Moco biochemistry and the description of its chemical structure in the 1980s. When I review the elucidation of Moco biosynthesis in the 1990s and the early 2000s, I do it mainly for eukaryotes, as I worked with plants, human cells, and filamentous fungi. Finally, I briefly touch upon human Moco deficiency and whether there is life without Moco.
过渡元素钼（Mo）是植物、动物和微生物的必需微量元素，它构成 Mo 酶活性中心的一部分。为了在细胞中获得生物活性，Mo 必须与蝶呤支架结合形成钼辅因子（Moco）。Mo 酶和 Moco 存在于所有生命领域，在那里它们在氮、硫和碳化合物的代谢中发挥重要作用。在这篇综述中，我从 Moco 的遗传学开始，以个人视角回顾 Moco 的历史，该遗传学始于 20 世纪 60 年代和 70 年代，接着是 Moco 的生物化学及其在 80 年代的化学结构描述。当我回顾 90 年代和 21 世纪初 Moco 生物合成的阐明时，我主要是针对真核生物进行的，因为我曾研究过植物、人类细胞和丝状真菌。最后，我简要地提到了人类的 Moco 缺乏症，以及没有 Moco 是否能生存。
