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  1. null (Ed.)
    Mononitrosyl and dinitrosyl iron species, such as {FeNO} 7 , {FeNO} 8 and {Fe(NO) 2 } 9 , have been proposed to play pivotal roles in the nitrosylation processes of nonheme iron centers in biological systems. Despite their importance, it has been difficult to capture and characterize them in the same scaffold of either native enzymes or their synthetic analogs due to the distinct structural requirements of the three species, using redox reagents compatible with biomolecules under physiological conditions. Here, we report the realization of stepwise nitrosylation of a mononuclear nonheme iron site in an engineered azurin under such conditions. Through tuning the number of nitric oxide equivalents and reaction time, controlled formation of {FeNO} 7 and {Fe(NO) 2 } 9 species was achieved, and the elusive {FeNO} 8 species was inferred by EPR spectroscopy and observed by Mössbauer spectroscopy, with complemental evidence for the conversion of {FeNO} 7 to {Fe(NO) 2 } 9 species by UV-Vis, resonance Raman and FT-IR spectroscopies. The entire pathway of the nitrosylation process, Fe( ii ) → {FeNO} 7 → {FeNO} 8 → {Fe(NO) 2 } 9 , has been elucidated within the same protein scaffold based on spectroscopic characterization and DFT calculations. These results not only enhance the understanding of the dinitrosyl iron complex formation process, but also shed light on the physiological roles of nitric oxide signaling mediated by nonheme iron proteins. 
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  2. Type 1 copper (T1Cu) proteins play important roles in electron transfer in biology, largely due to the unique structure of the T1Cu center, which is reflected by its spectroscopic properties. Previous reports have suggested a correlation between a high ratio of electronic absorbance at ∼450 nm to that at ∼600 nm (R = A450/A600) and a large copper(II) hyperfine coupling in the z direction (Az) in electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). However, this correlation does not have a clear physical meaning, nor does it hold for many proteins with a perturbed T1Cu center. To address this issue, a new parameter of R′ [A450/(A450 + A600)] with a better physical meaning of a fractional SCys pseudo-σ to Cu(II) charge transfer transition intensity is defined and a quadratic relationship between R′ and Az is found on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of ultraviolet–visible absorption, EPR, and structural parameters of T1Cu proteins. We are able to find good correlations between R′ and the displacement of copper from the trigonal plane defined by the His2Cys ligands and the angle between the NHis1–Cu–NHis2 plane and the SCys–Cu–axial ligand plane, providing a structural basis for the observed correlation. These findings and analyses provide a new framework for a deeper understanding of the spectroscopic and electronic properties of T1Cu proteins, which may allow better design and applications of this important class of proteins for redox and electron transfer functions. 
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  3. The primary and secondary coordination spheres of metal binding sites in metalloproteins have been investigated extensively, leading to the creation of high-performing functional metalloproteins; however, the impact of the overall structure of the protein scaffold on the unique properties of metalloproteins has rarely been studied. A primary example is the binuclear CuA center, an electron transfer cupredoxin domain of photosynthetic and respiratory complexes and, recently, a protein co-regulated with particulate methane and ammonia monooxygenases. The redox potential, Cu–Cu spectroscopic features, and a valence delocalized state of CuA are difficult to reproduce in synthetic models, and every artificial protein CuA center to-date has used a modified cupredoxin. Here we present a fully functional CuA center designed in a structurally non-homologous protein, cytochrome c peroxidase (CcP), by only two mutations (CuACcP). We demonstrate with UV-visible absorption, resonance Raman, and MCD spectroscopy that CuACcP is valence delocalized. CW and pulsed (HYSCORE) X-band EPR show it has a highly compact gz area and small Az hyperfine principal value with g and A tensors that resemble axially perturbed CuA. Stopped-flow kinetics found that CuA formation proceeds through a single T2Cu intermediate. The reduction potential of CuACcP is comparable to native CuA and can transfer electrons to a physiological redox partner. We built a structural model of the designed Cu binding site from EXAFS and validated it by mutation of coordinating Cys and His residues, revealing that a triad of residues (R48C, W51C, and His52) rigidly arranged on one α-helix is responsible for chelating the first Cu atom and that His175 stabilizes the binuclear complex by rearrangement of the CcP heme-coordinating helix. This design is a demonstration that a highly conserved protein fold is not uniquely necessary to induce certain characteristic physical and chemical properties to a metal redox center. 
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