Nitrite Formation at a Diiron Dinitrosyl Complex.

Pathogenic bacteria employ iron-containing enzymes to detoxify nitric oxide (NO•) produced by mammals as part of their immune response. Two classes of diiron proteins, flavodiiron nitric oxide reductases (FNORs) and the hemerythrin-like proteins from mycobacteria (HLPs), are upregulated in bacteria in response to an increased local NO• concentration. While FNORs reduce NO• to nitrous oxide (N2O), the HLPs have been found to either reduce nitrite to NO• (YtfE), or oxidize NO• to nitrite (Mka-HLP). Various structural and functional models of the diiron site in FNORs have been developed over the years. However, the NO• oxidation reactivity of Mka-HLP has yet to be replicated with a synthetic complex. Compared to the FNORs, the coordination environment of the diiron site in Mka-HLP contains one less carboxylate ligand and, therefore, is expected to be more electron-poor. Herein, we synthesized a new diiron complex that models the electron-poor coordination environment of the Mka-HLP diiron site. The diferrous precursor FeIIFeII reacts with NO• to form a diiron dinitrosyl species ({FeNO}72), which is in equilibrium with a mononitrosyl diiron species (FeII{FeNO}7) in solution. Both complexes can be isolated and fully characterized. However, only oxidation of {FeNO}72 produced nitrite in high yield (71%). Our study provides the first model that reproduces the NO• oxidase reactivity of Mka-HLP and suggests intermediacy of an {FeNO}6/{FeNO}7 species.

Site-Differentiated MnIIFeII Complex Reproducing the Selective Assembly of Biological Heterobimetallic Mn/Fe Cofactors.

Class Ic ribonucleotide reductases (RNRIc) and R2-like ligand-binding oxidases (R2lox) are known to contain heterobimetallic MnIIFeII cofactors. How these enzymes assemble MnIIFeII cofactors has been a long-standing puzzle due to the weaker binding affinity of MnII versus FeII. In addition, the heterobimetallic selectivity of RNRIc and R2lox has yet to be reproduced with coordination complexes, leading to the hypothesis that RNRIc and R2lox overcome the thermodynamic preference for coordination of FeII over MnII with their carefully constructed three-dimensional protein structures. Herein, we report the selective formation of a heterobimetallic MnIIFeII complex accomplished in the absence of a protein scaffold. Treatment of the ligand Py4DMcT (L) with equimolar amounts of FeII and MnII along with two equivalents of acetate (OAc) affords [LMnIIFeII (OAc)2(OTf)]+ (MnIIFeII) in 80% yield, while the diiron complex [LFeIIFeII(OAc)2(OTf)]+ (FeIIFeII) is produced in only 8% yield. The formation of MnIIFeII is favored regardless of the order of addition of FeII and MnII sources. X-ray diffraction (XRD) of single crystals of MnIIFeII reveals an unsymmetrically coordinated carboxylate ligand─a primary coordination sphere feature shared by both RNRIc and R2lox that differentiates the two metal binding sites. Anomalous XRD studies confirm that MnIIFeII exhibits the same site selectivity as R2lox and RNRIc, with the FeII (d6) center preferentially occupying the distorted octahedral site. We conclude that the successful assembly of MnIIFeII originates from (1) Fe-deficient conditions, (2) site differentiation, and (3) the inability of ligand L to house a dimanganese complex.

Iron(II/III) Halide Complexes Promote the Interconversion of Nitric Oxide and S-Nitrosothiols through Reversible Fe-S Interaction.

Heme and non-heme iron in biology mediate the storage/release of NO• from S-nitrosothiols as a means to control the biological concentration of NO•. Despite their importance in many physiological processes, the mechanisms of N-S bond formation/cleavage at Fe centers have been controversial. Herein, we report the interconversion of NO• and S-nitrosothiols mediated by FeII/FeIII chloride complexes. The reaction of 2 equiv of S-nitrosothiol (Ph3CSNO) with [Cl6FeII2]2- results in facile release of NO• and formation of iron(III) halothiolate. Detailed spectroscopic studies, including in situ UV-vis, IR, and Mössbauer spectroscopy, support the interaction of the S atom with the FeII center. This is in contrast to the proposed mechanism of NO• release from the well-studied "red product" κ1-N bound S-nitrosothiol FeII complex, [(CN)5Fe(κ1-N-RSNO)]3-. Additionally, FeIII chloride can mediate NO• storage through the formation of S-nitrosothiols. Treatment of iron(III) halothiolate with 2 equiv of NO• regenerates Ph3CSNO with the FeII source trapped as the S = 3/2 {FeNO}7 species [Cl3FeNO]-, which is inert toward further coordination and activation of S-nitrosothiols. Our work demonstrates how labile iron can mediate the interconversion of NO•/thiolate and S-nitrosothiol, which has important implications toward how Nature manages the biological concentration of free NO•.