The hydrogenase maturation proteins HypF and HypE catalyze the synthesis of theCNligands of the active site iron of the NiFe-hydrogenases using carbamoylphosphate as a substrate. HypE protein fromEscherichia coliwas purified from a transformant overexpressing thehypEgene from a plasmid. PurifiedHypE in gel filtration experiments behaves predominantly as a monomer. It does not contain statisti-cally significant amounts ofmetals or of cofactors absorbing in the UV and visible light range.
