Shaw, W.J.

Organometallics 2020, 39, 1532-1544, 10.1021/acs.organomet.9b00843

The protein scaffold around the active site of enzymes is known to influence catalytic activity, but specific scaffold features responsible for favorable influences are often not known. This study focuses on using an artificial metalloenzyme to probe one specific feature of the scaffold, the position of a positive charge in the outer coordination sphere around the active site. Previous work showed that a small molecular complex, [Rh(PEt2NglycinePEt2)2]−, immobilized covalently within a protein scaffold was activated for CO2 hydrogenation. Here, using an iterative design where the effect of arginine, histidine, or lysine residues placed in the outer coordination sphere of the catalytic active site were evaluated, we tested the hypothesis that positively charged groups facilitate CO2 hydrogenation with seven unique constructs. Single-, double-, and triple-point mutations were introduced to directly compare catalytic activity, as monitored by turnover frequencies (TOFs) measured in real time with 1H NMR spectroscopy, and evaluate related structural and electronic properties. Two of the seven constructs showed a 2- and 3-fold increase relative to the wild type, with overall rates ranging from 0.2 to 0.7 h–1, and a crystal structure of the fastest of these shows the positive charge positioned next to the active site. A crystal structure of the arginine-containing complex shows that the arginines are positioned near the metal. Molecular dynamics (MD) studies also suggest that the positive charge is oriented next to the active site in the two constructs with faster rates but not in the others and that the positive charge near the active site holds the CO2 near the metal, all consistent with a positive charge appropriately positioned in the scaffold benefiting catalysis. The MD studies also suggest that changes in the water distribution around the active site may contribute to catalytic activity, while modest structural changes and movement of the complex within the scaffold do not.

Fontecave, M.

Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol. 2015, 25, 36-47, 10.1016/j.cbpa.2014.12.018

There is an urgent need for cheap, abundant and efficient catalysts as an alternative to platinum for hydrogen production and oxidation in (photo)electrolyzers and fuel cells. Hydrogenases are attractive solutions. These enzymes use exclusively nickel and iron in their active sites and function with high catalytic rates at the thermodynamic equilibrium. As an alternative, a number of biomimetic and bioinspired catalysts for H2 production and/or uptake, based on Ni, Fe and Co, have been developed and shown to display encouraging performances. In this review we discuss specifically recent approaches aiming at incorporating these compounds within oligomeric and polymeric hosts. The latter are most often biological compounds (peptides, proteins, polysaccharides, etc.) but we also discuss non-biological scaffolds (synthetic polymers, Metal–organic-Frameworks, etc.) which can provide the appropriate environment to tune the activity and stability of the synthetic catalysts. These supramolecular catalytic systems thus define a class of original compounds so-called artificial hydrogenases.

Fontecave, M.

Acc. Chem. Res. 2015, 48, 2380-2387, 10.1021/acs.accounts.5b00157

Water splitting into oxygen and hydrogen is one of the most attractive strategies for storing solar energy and electricity. Because the processes at work are multielectronic, there is a crucial need for efficient and stable catalysts, which in addition have to be cheap for future industrial developments (electrolyzers, photoelectrochemicals, and fuel cells). Specifically for the water/hydrogen interconversion, Nature is an exquisite source of inspiration since this chemistry contributes to the bioenergetic metabolism of a number of living organisms via the activity of fascinating metalloenzymes, the hydrogenases. In this Account, we first briefly describe the structure of the unique dinuclear organometallic active sites of the two classes of hydrogenases as well as the complex protein machineries involved in their biosynthesis, their so-called maturation processes. This knowledge allows for the development of a fruitful bioinspired chemistry approach, which has already led to a number of interesting and original catalysts mimicking the natural active sites. More specifically, we describe our own attempts to prepare artificial hydrogenases. This can be achieved via the standard bioinspired approach using the combination of a synthetic bioinspired catalyst and a polypeptide scaffold. Such hybrid complexes provide the opportunity to optimize the system by manipulating both the catalyst through chemical synthesis and the protein component through mutagenesis. We also raise the possibility to reach such artificial systems via an original strategy based on mimicking the enzyme maturation pathways. This is illustrated in this Account by two examples developed in our laboratory. First, we show how the preparation of a lysozyme–{MnI(CO)3} hybrid and its clean reaction with a nickel complex led us to generate a new class of binuclear Ni-Mn H2-evolving catalysts mimicking the active site of [NiFe]-hydrogenases. Then we describe how we were able to rationally design and prepare a hybrid system, displaying remarkable structural similarities to an [FeFe]-hydrogenase, and we show here for the first time that it is catalytically active for proton reduction. This system is based on the combination of HydF, a protein involved in the maturation of [FeFe]-hydrogenase (HydA), and a close mimic of the active site of this class of enzymes. Moreover, the synthetic [Fe2(adt)(CO)4(CN)2]2– (adt2–= aza-propanedithiol) mimic, alone or within a HydF hybrid system, was shown to be able to maturate and activate a form of HydA itself lacking its diiron active site. We discuss the exciting perspectives this “synthetic maturation” opens regarding the “invention” of novel hydrogenases by the chemists.

Leow, T.C.

3 Biotech 2018, 8, 10.1007/s13205-018-1333-9

Artificial metalloenzymes are unique as they combine the good features of homogeneous and enzymatic catalysts, and they can potentially improve some difficult catalytic assays. This study reports a method that can be used to create an artificial metal-binding site prior to proving it to be functional in a wet lab. Haloalkane dehalogenase was grafted into a metal-binding site to form an artificial metallo-haloalkane dehalogenase and was studied for its potential functionalities in silico. Computational protocols regarding dynamic metal docking were studied using native metalloenzymes and functional artificial metalloenzymes. Using YASARA Structure, a simulation box covering template structure was created to be filled with water molecules followed by one mutated water molecule closest to the metal-binding site to metal ion. A simple energy minimization step was subsequently run using an AMBER force field to allow the metal ion to interact with the metal-binding residues. Long molecular dynamic simulation using YASARA Structure was performed to analyze the stability of the metal-binding site and the distance between metal-binding residues. Metal ions fluctuating around 2.0 Å across a 20 ns simulation indicated a stable metal-binding site. Metal-binding energies were predicted using FoldX, with a native metalloenzyme (carbonic anhydrase) scoring 18.0 kcal/mol and the best mutant model (C1a) scoring 16.4 kcal/mol. Analysis of the metal-binding site geometry was performed using CheckMyMetal, and all scores for the metalloenzymes and mutant models were in an acceptable range. Like native metalloenzymes, the metal-binding site of C1a was supported by residues in the second coordination shell to maintain a more coordinated metal-binding site. Short-chain multihalogenated alkanes (1,2-dibromoethane and 1,2,3-trichloropropane) were able to dock in the active site of C1a. The halides of the substrate were in contact with both the metal and halide-stabilizing residues, thus indicating a better stabilization of the substrate. The simple catalytic mechanism proposed is that the metal ion interacted with halogen and polarized the carbon–halogen bond, thus making the alpha carbon susceptible to attack by nucleophilic hydroxide. The interaction between halogen in the metal ion and halide-stabilizing residues may help to improve the stabilization of the substrate–enzyme complex and reduce the activation energy. This study reports a modified dynamic metal-docking protocol and validation tests to verify the metal-binding site. These approaches can be applied to design different kinds of artificial metalloenzymes or metal-binding sites.