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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Jun 4.
Published in final edited form as: J Biol Chem. 2004 Jul 21;279(40):42139–42146. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M407694200

Fig. 1. Moco biosynthesis pathway in E. coli.

Fig. 1

The four-step synthesis first involves the conversion of a guanosine derivative to an unstable intermediate, precursor Z, through the action of the enzymes MoaC and MoaA. The heterotetrameric enzyme molybdopterin synthase (MoaD2: MoaE2) then incorporates sulfur from the C-terminal thiocarboxylate of MoaE onto precursor Z to form the dithiolene group of molybdopterin (23, 43, 44). The incorporation of molybdenum into molybdopterin to form Moco requires the proteins MogA and MoeA (19). On the last step, a GMP group is transferred to the terminal phosphate of Moco by the product of the gene mobA (9–11) to form MGD.