Search for: All records

57Fe nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) is used to study the tetranuclear iron clusters bearing a terminal Fe(iii)–O/OH moiety. The redox states of the three remote basal iron sites modulate the Fe(iii)–O/OH vibrational frequencies. 

Thioredoxin reductases (TrxR) activate thioredoxins (Trx) that regulate the activity of diverse target proteins essential to prokaryotic and eukaryotic life. However, very little is understood of TrxR/Trx systems and redox control in methanogenic microbes from the domain Archaea (methanogens), for which genomes are abundant with annotations for ferredoxin:thioredoxin reductases [Fdx/thioredoxin reductase (FTR)] from group 4 of the widespread FTR-like family. Only two from the FTR-like family are characterized: the plant-type FTR from group 1 and FDR from group 6. Herein, the group 4 archetype (AFTR) from Methanosarcina acetivorans was characterized to advance understanding of the family and TrxR/Trx systems in methanogens. The modeled structure of AFTR, together with EPR and Mössbauer spectroscopies, supports a catalytic mechanism similar to plant-type FTR and FDR, albeit with important exceptions. EPR spectroscopy of reduced AFTR identified a transient [4Fe−4S]1+ cluster exhibiting a mixture of S = 7/2 and typical S = 1/2 signals, although rare for proteins containing [4Fe−4S] clusters, it is most likely the on-pathway intermediate in the disulfide reduction. Furthermore, an active site histidine equivalent to residues essential for the activity of plant-type FTR and FDR was found dispensable for AFTR. Finally, a unique thioredoxin system was reconstituted from AFTR, ferredoxin, and Trx2 from M. acetivorans, for which specialized target proteins were identified that are essential for growth and other diverse metabolisms. 

Abstract Extremophile organisms are known that can metabolize at temperatures down to − 25 °C (psychrophiles) and up to 122 °C (hyperthermophiles). Understanding viability under extreme conditions is relevant for human health, biotechnological applications, and our search for life elsewhere in the universe. Information about the stability and dynamics of proteins under environmental extremes is an important factor in this regard. Here we compare the dynamics of small Fe-S proteins – rubredoxins – from psychrophilic and hyperthermophilic microorganisms, using three different nuclear techniques as well as molecular dynamics calculations to quantify motion at the Fe site. The theory of ‘corresponding states’ posits that homologous proteins from different extremophiles have comparable flexibilities at the optimum growth temperatures of their respective organisms. Although ‘corresponding states’ would predict greater flexibility for rubredoxins that operate at low temperatures, we find that from 4 to 300 K, the dynamics of the Fe sites in these homologous proteins are essentially equivalent. 

Abstract Mononuclear nonheme iron(II) and 2‐oxoglutarate (Fe/2OG)‐dependent oxygenases and halogenases are known to catalyze a diverse set of oxidative reactions, including hydroxylation, halogenation, epoxidation, and desaturation in primary metabolism and natural product maturation. However, their use in abiotic transformations has mainly been limited to C−H oxidation. Herein, we show that various enzymes of this family, when reconstituted with Fe(II) or Fe(III), can catalyze Mukaiyama hydration—a redox neutral transformation. Distinct from the native reactions of the Fe/2OG enzymes, wherein oxygen atom transfer (OAT) catalyzed by an iron‐oxo species is involved, this nonnative transformation proceeds through a hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) pathway in a 2OG‐independent manner. Additionally, in contrast to conventional inorganic catalysts, wherein a dinuclear iron species is responsible for HAT, the Fe/2OG enzymes exploit a mononuclear iron center to support this reaction. Collectively, our work demonstrates that Fe/2OG enzymes have utility in catalysis beyond the current scope of catalytic oxidation. 

Ergothioneine (ESH) and ovothiol A (OSHA) are two natural thiol‐histidine derivatives. ESH has been implicated as a longevity vitamin and OSHA inhibits the proliferation of hepatocarcinoma. The key biosynthetic step of ESH and OSHA in the aerobic pathways is the O2‐dependent C−S bond formation catalyzed by non‐heme iron enzymes (e.g., OvoA in ovothiol biosynthesis), but due to the lack of identification of key reactive intermediate the mechanism of this novel reaction is unresolved. In this study, we report the identification and characterization of a kinetically competent S = 1 iron(IV) intermediate supported by a four‐histidine ligand environment (three from the protein residues and one from the substrate) in enabling C−S bond formation in OvoA from Methyloversatilis thermotoleran, which represents the first experimentally observed intermediate spin iron(IV) species in non‐heme iron enzymes. Results reported in this study thus set the stage to further dissect the mechanism of enzymatic oxidative C−S bond formation in the OSHA biosynthesis pathway. They also afford new opportunities to study the structure‐function relationship of high‐valent iron intermediates supported by a histidine rich ligand environment. 

Engineered nonheme iron enzymes perform enantioselective radical azidation on aryl N -fluoroamide substrates.