Nitrogenase Chemistry at 10 Kelvin─Phototautomerization and Recombination of CO-Inhibited α-H195Q Enzyme.

CO-bound forms of nitrogenase are N2-reduction inhibited and likely intermediates in Fischer-Tropsch chemistry. Visible-light photolysis at 7 K was used to interrogate all three known CO-related EPR-active forms as exhibited by the α-H195Q variant of Azotobacter vinelandii nitrogenase MoFe protein. The hi(5)-CO EPR signal converted to the hi-CO EPR signal, which reverted at 10 K. FT-IR monitoring revealed an exquisitely light-sensitive "Hi-2" species with bands at 1932 and 1866 cm-1 that yielded "Hi-1" with bands at 1969 and 1692 cm-1, which reverted to "Hi-2". The similarities of photochemical behavior and recombination kinetics showed, for the first time, that hi-CO EPR and "Hi-1" IR signals arise from one chemical species. hi(5)-CO EPR and "Hi-2" IR signals are from a second species, and lo-CO EPR and "Lo-2" IR signals, formed after prolonged illumination, are from a third species. Comparing FT-IR data with CO-inhibited MoFe-protein crystal structures allowed assignment of CO-bonding geometries in these species.

Carbon monoxide binding to α-R277H Mo-nitrogenase - Evidence for multiple pH-dependent species from IR-monitored photolysis.

The nitrogenase (N2ase) enzyme family is responsible for the conversion of dinitrogen into biologically accessible ammonia, a critical step in the global nitrogen cycle. Carbon monoxide (CO) has long been known as an inhibitor of dinitrogen reduction, but it can also be reduced to hydrocarbons catalyzed by all three N2ases, namely the wild-type Mo enzyme and select variants and the V and Fe nitrogenases, both of which are orders of magnitude more effective. CO interactions with N2ases are thus relevant to both dinitrogen fixation and Fischer-Tropsch-like chemistry. Here, we investigated the interaction of CO with the α-R277H variant of the Azotobacter vinelandii N2ase MoFe protein, in which the α-subunit 277Arg residue is replaced by His and results in production of only the S = 3/2 EPR signal (denoted as hi(5)-CO). Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to follow the photolysis of CO bound to the α-R277H variant under cryogenic conditions. Multiple EPR-silent species were observed with FT-IR spectroscopic signatures previously assigned to CO-inhibited forms of the α-H195Q and α-H195N N2ase variants. The distribution of these CO-inhibited forms varied dramatically with pH over the range of pH 6.5 to pH 8.5, indicating protonation/deprotonation involvement.

Is Trehalose an Effective Quenching Agent of Azotobacter vinelandii Mo-Nitrogenase Turnover?

H2-evolution assays, plus EPR and FTIR spectroscopies, using CO-inhibited Azotobacter vinelandii Mo-nitrogenase have shown that the disaccharide trehalose is an effective quenching agent of enzymatic turnover and also stabilizes the reaction intermediates formed. Complete inhibition of H2-evolution activity was achieved at 1.5 M trehalose, which compares favorably to the requirement for 10 M ethylene glycol to achieve similar inhibition. Reaction-intermediate stabilization was demonstrated by monitoring the EPR spectrum of the 'hi-CO' form of CO-inhibited N2ase, which did not change during 1 hr after trehalose quenching. Similarly, in situ photolysis with FTIR monitoring of 'hi-CO' resulted in the same 1973 and 1681 cm-1 signals as observed previously in ethylene glycol-quenched systems. [a] These results clearly show that 1.5 M trehalose is an effective quench and stabilization agent for Mo-N2ase studies. Possible applications are discussed.

Hydride bridge in [NiFe]-hydrogenase observed by nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy.

The metabolism of many anaerobes relies on [NiFe]-hydrogenases, whose characterization when bound to substrates has proven non-trivial. Presented here is direct evidence for a hydride bridge in the active site of the (57)Fe-labelled fully reduced Ni-R form of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Miyazaki F [NiFe]-hydrogenase. A unique 'wagging' mode involving H(-) motion perpendicular to the Ni(µ-H)(57)Fe plane was studied using (57)Fe-specific nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. On Ni(µ-D)(57)Fe deuteride substitution, this wagging causes a characteristic perturbation of Fe-CO/CN bands. Spectra have been interpreted by comparison with Ni(µ-H/D)(57)Fe enzyme mimics [(dppe)Ni(µ-pdt)(µ-H/D)(57)Fe(CO)3](+) and DFT calculations, which collectively indicate a low-spin Ni(II)(µ-H)Fe(II) core for Ni-R, with H(-) binding Ni more tightly than Fe. The present methodology is also relevant to characterizing Fe-H moieties in other important natural and synthetic catalysts.

Docking and migration of carbon monoxide in nitrogenase: the case for gated pockets from infrared spectroscopy and molecular dynamics.

Evidence of a CO docking site near the FeMo cofactor in nitrogenase has been obtained by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-monitored low-temperature photolysis. We investigated the possible migration paths for CO from this docking site using molecular dynamics calculations. The simulations support the notion of a gas channel with multiple internal pockets from the active site to the protein exterior. Travel between pockets is gated by the motion of protein residues. Implications for the mechanism of nitrogenase reactions with CO and N2 are discussed.

Structural characterization of CO-inhibited Mo-nitrogenase by combined application of nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy, extended X-ray absorption fine structure, and density functional theory: new insights into the effects of CO binding and the role of the interstitial atom.

The properties of CO-inhibited Azotobacter vinelandii (Av) Mo-nitrogenase (N2ase) have been examined by the combined application of nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS), extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), and density functional theory (DFT). Dramatic changes in the NRVS are seen under high-CO conditions, especially in a 188 cm(-1) mode associated with symmetric breathing of the central cage of the FeMo-cofactor. Similar changes are reproduced with the α-H195Q N2ase variant. In the frequency region above 450 cm(-1), additional features are seen that are assigned to Fe-CO bending and stretching modes (confirmed by (13)CO isotope shifts). The EXAFS for wild-type N2ase shows evidence for a significant cluster distortion under high-CO conditions, most dramatically in the splitting of the interaction between Mo and the shell of Fe atoms originally at 5.08 Å in the resting enzyme. A DFT model with both a terminal -CO and a partially reduced -CHO ligand bound to adjacent Fe sites is consistent with both earlier FT-IR experiments, and the present EXAFS and NRVS observations for the wild-type enzyme. Another DFT model with two terminal CO ligands on the adjacent Fe atoms yields Fe-CO bands consistent with the α-H195Q variant NRVS. The calculations also shed light on the vibrational "shake" modes of the interstitial atom inside the central cage, and their interaction with the Fe-CO modes. Implications for the CO and N2 reactivity of N2ase are discussed.

Fe-S cluster biogenesis in Gram-positive bacteria: SufU is a zinc-dependent sulfur transfer protein.

The biosynthesis of Fe-S clusters in Bacillus subtilis and other Gram-positive bacteria is catalyzed by the SufCDSUB system. The first step in this pathway involves the sulfur mobilization from the free amino acid cysteine to a sulfur acceptor protein SufU via a PLP-dependent cysteine desulfurase SufS. In this reaction scheme, the formation of an enzyme S-covalent intermediate is followed by the binding of SufU. This event leads to the second half of the reaction where a deprotonated thiol of SufU promotes the nucleophilic attack onto the persulfide intermediate of SufS. Kinetic analysis combined with spectroscopic methods identified that the presence of a zinc atom tightly bound to SufU (Ka = 10(17) M(-1)) is crucial for its structural and catalytic competency. Fe-S cluster assembly experiments showed that despite the high degree of sequence and structural similarity to the ortholog enzyme IscU, the B. subtilis SufU does not act as a standard Fe-S cluster scaffold protein. The involvement of SufU as a dedicated agent of sulfur transfer, rather than as an assembly scaffold, in the biogenesis of Fe-S clusters in Gram-positive microbes indicates distinct strategies used by bacterial systems to assemble Fe-S clusters.

IR-monitored photolysis of CO-inhibited nitrogenase: a major EPR-silent species with coupled terminal CO ligands.

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to observe the photolysis and recombination of a new EPR-silent CO-inhibited form of α-H195Q nitrogenase from Azotobacter vinelandii. Photolysis at 4 K reveals a strong negative IR difference band at nu = 1938 cm(-1), along with a weaker negative feature at 1911 cm(-1). These bands and the associated chemical species have both been assigned the label "Hi-3". A positive band at nu = 1921 cm(-1) was assigned to the "Lo-3" photoproduct. By using an isotopic mixture of (12)C (16)O and (13)C (18)O, we show that the Hi-3 bands arise from coupling of two similar CO oscillators with one uncoupled frequency at approximately nu = 1917 cm(-1). Although in previous studies Lo-3 was not observed to recombine, by extending the observation range to 200-240 K, we found that recombination to Hi-3 does indeed occur, with an activation energy of approximately 6.5 kJ mol(-1). The frequencies of the Hi-3 bands suggest terminal CO ligation. This hypothesis was tested with DFT calculations on models with terminal CO ligands on Fe2 and Fe6 of the FeMo-cofactor. An S = 0 model with both CO ligands in exo positions predicts symmetric and asymmetric stretches at nu = 1938 and 1909 cm(-1), respectively, with relative band intensities of about 3.5:1, which is in good agreement with experiment. From the observed IR intensities, Hi-3 was found to be present at a concentration about equal to that of the EPR-active Hi-1 species. The relevance of Hi-3 to the nitrogenase catalytic mechanism and its recently discovered Fischer-Tropsch chemistry is discussed.