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1. Structural and biochemical characterization of iminodiacetate oxidase from Chelativorans sp. BNC1

   https://doi.org/10.1111/mmi.14399  

   Kang, ChulHee ; Jun, Se‐Young ; Bravo, Abigail G. ; Vargas, Erick M. ; Liu, Honglei ; Lewis, Kevin M. ; Xun, Luying ( November 2019 , Molecular Microbiology)

   Ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) is the most abundant organic pollutant in surface water because of its extensive usage and the recalcitrance of stable metal‐EDTA complexes. A few bacteria includingChelativorans sp.BNC1 can degrade EDTA with a monooxygenase to ethylenediaminediacetate (EDDA) and then use iminodiacetate oxidase (IdaA) to further degrade EDDA into ethylenediamine in a two‐step oxidation. To alleviate EDTA pollution into the environment, deciphering the mechanisms of the metabolizing enzymes is an imperative prerequisite for informed EDTA bioremediation. Although IdaA cannot oxidize glycine, the crystal structure of IdaA shows its tertiary and quaternary structures similar to those of glycine oxidases. All confirmed substrates, EDDA, ethylenediaminemonoacetate, iminodiacetate and sarcosine are secondary amines with at least one N‐acetyl group. Each substrate was bound at there‐side face of the isoalloxazine ring in a solvent‐connected cavity. The carboxyl group of the substrate was bound by Arg²⁶⁵and Arg³⁰⁷. The catalytic residue, Tyr²⁵⁰, is under the hydrogen bond network to facilitate its deprotonation acting as a general base, removing an acetate group of secondary amines as glyoxylate. Thus, IdaA is a secondary amine oxidase, and our findings improve understanding of molecular mechanism involved in the bioremediation of EDTA and the metabolism of secondary amines.

    

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2. Affinity Bioorthogonal Chemistry (ABC) Tags for Site‐Selective Conjugation, On‐Resin Protein‐Protein Coupling, and Purification of Protein Conjugates

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202207661  

   Scinto, Samuel L. ; Reagle, Tyler R. ; Fox, Joseph M. ( October 2022 , Angewandte Chemie)

   The site‐selective functionalization of proteins has broad application in chemical biology, but can be limited when mixtures result from incomplete conversion or the formation of protein containing side products. It is shown here that when proteins are covalently tagged with pyridyl‐tetrazines, the nickel‐iminodiacetate (Ni‐IDA) resins commonly used for His‐tags can be directly used for protein affinity purification. These Affinity Bioorthogonal Chemistry (ABC) tags serve a dual role by enabling affinity‐based protein purification while maintaining rapid kinetics in bioorthogonal reactions. ABC‐tagging works with a range of site‐selective bioconjugation methods with proteins tagged at the C‐terminus, N‐terminus or at internal positions. ABC‐tagged proteins can also be purified from complex mixtures including cell lysate. The combination of site‐selective conjugation and clean‐up with ABC‐tagged proteins also allows for facile on‐resin reactions to provide protein‐protein conjugates.

    

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3. An Adaptable Tough Elastomer with Moisture‐Triggered Switchable Mechanical and Fluorescent Properties

   https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201903543  

   Zhou, Xing ; Wang, Libing ; Wei, Zichao ; Weng, Gengsheng ; He, Jie ( July 2019 , Advanced Functional Materials)

   Smart materials with coupled optical and mechanical responsiveness to external stimuli, as inspired by nature, are of interest for the biomimetic design of the next generation of soft machines and wearable electronics. A tough polymer that shows adaptable and switchable mechanical and fluorescent properties is designed using a fluorescent lanthanide, europium (Eu). The dynamic Eu‐iminodiacetate (IDA) coordination is incorporated to build up the physical cross‐linking network in the polymer film consisting of two interpenetrated networks. Reversible disruption and reformation of Eu‐IDA complexation endow high stiffness, toughness, and stretchability to the polymer elastomer through energy dissipation of dynamic coordination. Water that binds to Eu³⁺ions shows an interesting impact simultaneously on the mechanical strength and fluorescent emission of the Eu‐containing polymer elastomer. The mechanical states of the polymer, along with the visually optical response through the emission color change of the polymer film, are reversibly switchable with moisture as a stimulus. The coupled response in the mechanical strength and emissive color in one single material is potentially applicable for smart materials requiring an optical readout of their mechanical properties.

    

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4. Affinity Bioorthogonal Chemistry (ABC) Tags for Site‐Selective Conjugation, On‐Resin Protein‐Protein Coupling, and Purification of Protein Conjugates

   https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202207661  

   Scinto, Samuel L. ; Reagle, Tyler R. ; Fox, Joseph M. ( October 2022 , Angewandte Chemie International Edition)

   The site‐selective functionalization of proteins has broad application in chemical biology, but can be limited when mixtures result from incomplete conversion or the formation of protein containing side products. It is shown here that when proteins are covalently tagged with pyridyl‐tetrazines, the nickel‐iminodiacetate (Ni‐IDA) resins commonly used for His‐tags can be directly used for protein affinity purification. These Affinity Bioorthogonal Chemistry (ABC) tags serve a dual role by enabling affinity‐based protein purification while maintaining rapid kinetics in bioorthogonal reactions. ABC‐tagging works with a range of site‐selective bioconjugation methods with proteins tagged at the C‐terminus, N‐terminus or at internal positions. ABC‐tagged proteins can also be purified from complex mixtures including cell lysate. The combination of site‐selective conjugation and clean‐up with ABC‐tagged proteins also allows for facile on‐resin reactions to provide protein‐protein conjugates.

    

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5. Dynamic Coordination of Eu–Iminodiacetate to Control Fluorochromic Response of Polymer Hydrogels to Multistimuli

   https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201706526  

   Weng, Gengsheng ; Thanneeru, Srinivas ; He, Jie ( January 2018 , Advanced Materials)

   New fluorochromic materials that reversibly change their emission properties in response to their environment are of interest for the development of sensors and light‐emitting materials. A new design of Eu‐containing polymer hydrogels showing fast self‐healing and tunable fluorochromic properties in response to five different stimuli, including pH, temperature, metal ions, sonication, and force, is reported. The polymer hydrogels are fabricated using Eu–iminodiacetate (IDA) coordination in a hydrophilic poly(N,N‐dimethylacrylamide) matrix. Dynamic metal–ligand coordination allows reversible formation and disruption of hydrogel networks under various stimuli which makes hydrogels self‐healable and injectable. Such hydrogels show interesting switchable ON/OFF luminescence along with the sol–gel transition through the reversible formation and dissociation of Eu–IDA complexes upon various stimuli. It is demonstrated that Eu‐containing hydrogels display fast and reversible mechanochromic response as well in hydrogels having interpenetrating polymer network. Those multistimuli responsive fluorochromic hydrogels illustrate a new pathway to make smart optical materials, particularly for biological sensors where multistimuli response is required.

    

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