Stabilization of a Heme-HNO Model Complex Using a Bulky Bis-Picket Fence Porphyrin and Reactivity Studies with NO.

Nitroxyl, HNO/NO-, the one-electron reduced form of NO, is suggested to take part in distinct signaling pathways in mammals and is also a key intermediate in various heme-catalyzed NOx interconversions in the nitrogen cycle. Cytochrome P450nor (Cyt P450nor) is a heme-containing enzyme that performs NO reduction to N2O in fungal denitrification. The reactive intermediate in this enzyme, termed "Intermediate I", is proposed to be an Fe-NHO/Fe-NHOH type species, but it is difficult to study its electronic structure and exact protonation state due to its instability. Here, we utilize a bulky bis-picket fence porphyrin to obtain the first stable heme-HNO model complex, [Fe(3,5-Me-BAFP)(MI)(NHO)], as a model for Intermediate I, and more generally HNO adducts of heme proteins. Due to the steric hindrance of the bis-picket fence porphyrin, [Fe(3,5-Me-BAFP)(MI)(NHO)] is stable (τ1/2 = 56 min at -30 °C), can be isolated as a solid, and is available for thorough spectroscopic characterization. In particular, we were able to solve a conundrum in the literature and provide the first full vibrational characterization of a heme-HNO complex using IR and nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS). Reactivity studies of [Fe(3,5-Me-BAFP)(MI)(NHO)] with NO gas show a 91 ± 10% yield for N2O formation, demonstrating that heme-HNO complexes are catalytically competent intermediates for NO reduction to N2O in Cyt P450nor. The implications of these results for the mechanism of Cyt P450nor are further discussed.

The Biologically Relevant Coordination Chemistry of Iron and Nitric Oxide: Electronic Structure and Reactivity.

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule that is involved in a wide range of physiological and pathological events in biology. Metal coordination chemistry, especially with iron, is at the heart of many biological transformations involving NO. A series of heme proteins, nitric oxide synthases (NOS), soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), and nitrophorins, are responsible for the biosynthesis, sensing, and transport of NO. Alternatively, NO can be generated from nitrite by heme- and copper-containing nitrite reductases (NIRs). The NO-bearing small molecules such as nitrosothiols and dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs) can serve as an alternative vehicle for NO storage and transport. Once NO is formed, the rich reaction chemistry of NO leads to a wide variety of biological activities including reduction of NO by heme or non-heme iron-containing NO reductases and protein post-translational modifications by DNICs. Much of our understanding of the reactivity of metal sites in biology with NO and the mechanisms of these transformations has come from the elucidation of the geometric and electronic structures and chemical reactivity of synthetic model systems, in synergy with biochemical and biophysical studies on the relevant proteins themselves. This review focuses on recent advancements from studies on proteins and model complexes that not only have improved our understanding of the biological roles of NO but also have provided foundations for biomedical research and for bio-inspired catalyst design in energy science.

Nitrite reductase activity within an antiparallel de novo scaffold.

Copper nitrite reductase (CuNiR) is a copper enzyme that converts nitrite to nitric oxide and is an important part of the global nitrogen cycle in bacteria. The relatively simple CuHis3 binding site of the CuNiR active site has made it an enticing target for small molecule modeling and de novo protein design studies. We have previously reported symmetric CuNiR models within parallel three stranded coiled coil systems, with activities that span a range of three orders of magnitude. In this report, we investigate the same CuHis3 binding site within an antiparallel three helical bundle scaffold, which allows the design of asymmetric constructs. We determine that a simple CuHis3 binding site can be designed within this scaffold with enhanced activity relative to the comparable construct in parallel coiled coils. Incorporating more complex designs or repositioning this binding site can decrease this activity as much as 15 times. Comparing these constructs, we reaffirm a previous result in which a blue shift in the 1s to 4p transition energy determined by Cu(I) X-ray absorption spectroscopy is correlated with an enhanced activity within imidazole-based constructs. With this step and recent successful electron transfer site designs within this scaffold, we are one step closer to a fully functional de novo designed nitrite reductase.

Crystal structures of two heterotrimetallic dysprosium-manganese-sodium 12-metallacrown-4 complexes with the bridging ligands 3-hy-droxy-benzoate and 4-hy-droxy-benzoate.

The syntheses and crystal structures for the compounds tetra-µ-aqua--tetra-kis-{2-[aza-nid-yl-ene(oxido)meth-yl]phenolato}tetra-kis-(µ2-3-hy-droxy-benzoato)dys-pro-s-ium(III)-tetra-manganese(III)sodium(I) N,N-di-methyl-acetamide deca-solvate, [DyMn4Na(C7H5O3)4(C7H4NO2)4(H2O)4]·10C4H9NO or [DyIIINa(4-OHben)4{12-MCMn(III)N(shi)-4}(H2O)4]·10DMA, 1, and tetra-µ-aqua--tetra-kis-{2-[aza-nid-yl-ene(oxido)meth-yl]phenolato}tetra-kis-(µ2-3-hy-droxy-benzoato)dys-pros-ium(III)tetra-manganese(III)sodium(I) N,N-di-methylformamide tetra-solvate, [DyMn4Na(C7H5O3)4(C7H4NO2)4(H2O)4]·4C3H7NO or [DyIIINa(3-OHben)4{12-MCMn(III)N(shi)-4}(H2O)4]·4DMF, 2, and where MC is metallacrown, shi3- is salicyl-hydroximate, 3-OHben is 3-hy-droxy-benzoate, DMA is N,N-di-methyl-acetamide, 4-OHben is 4-hy-droxy-benzoate, and DMF is N,N-di-methyl-formamide, are reported. For both 1 and 2, the macrocyclic metallacrown consists of an [MnIII-N-O] ring repeat unit, and the domed metallacrown captures two ions in the central cavity: a DyIII ion on the convex side of the metallacrown and an Na+ ion the concave side. The MnIII ions are six-coordinate with an elongated tetra-gonally distorted octa-hedral geometry. Both the DyIII and Na+ ions are eight-coordinate. The DyIII ions possess a square-anti-prismatic geometry, while the Na+ ions have a distorted biaugmented trigonal-prismatic geometry. Four 3-hy-droxy-benzoate or 4-hy-droxy-benzoate ligands bridge each MnIII ion to the central DyIII ion. For 1, whole-mol-ecule disorder is observed for the main mol-ecule, excluding only the DyIII and Na+ ions, and the occupancy ratio refined to 0.8018 (14):0.1982 (14). Three DMA mol-ecules were refined as disordered with two in general positions by an approximate 180° rotation and the third disordered twice by general disorder as well as by an exact 180° rotation about a twofold axis that bis-ects it. The occupancy ratios refined to 0.496 (8):0.504 (8), 0.608 (9):0.392 (9), and 2×0.275 (7):2×0.225 (7), respectively. For 2, segments of the metallacrown are disordered including the DyIII ion, one of the Mn ions, two of the Mn-bound 4-hy-droxy-benzoate ligands, the Mn-bridging salicyl-hydroximate ligand, and portions of the remaining three shi3- ligands. The occupancy ratio for the metallacrown disorder refined to 0.849 (9):0.151 (9). Two DMF solvent mol-ecules are also disordered, each over two orientations. The disorder ratios refined to 0.64 (3):0.36 (3) and to 0.51 (2):0.49 (2), respectively. For 2, the crystal under investigation was refined as a non-merohedric twin by a 90° rotation around the real a axis [twin ratio 0.9182 (8):0.0818 (8)].

Making or Breaking Metal-Dependent Catalytic Activity: The Role of Stammers in Designed Three-Stranded Coiled Coils.

While many life-critical reactions would be infeasibly slow without metal cofactors, a detailed understanding of how protein structure can influence catalytic activity remains elusive. Using de novo designed three-stranded coiled coils (TRI and Grand peptides formed using a heptad repeat approach), we examine how the insertion of a three residue discontinuity, known as a stammer insert, directly adjacent to a (His)3 metal binding site alters catalytic activity. The stammer, which locally alters the twist of the helix, significantly increases copper-catalyzed nitrite reductase activity (CuNiR). In contrast, the well-established zinc-catalyzed carbonic anhydrase activity (p-nitrophenyl acetate, pNPA) is effectively ablated. This study illustrates how the perturbation of the protein sequence using non-coordinating and non-acid base residues in the helical core can perturb metalloenzyme activity through the simple expedient of modifying the helical pitch adjacent to the catalytic center.