Lu, Y.

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 6766-6767, 10.1021/ja058822p

The effects of metal ions on the reduction of nitric oxide (NO) with a designed heme copper center in myoglobin (F43H/L29H sperm whale Mb, CuBMb) were investigated under reducing anaerobic conditions using UV−vis and EPR spectroscopic techniques as well as GC/MS. In the presence of Cu(I), catalytic reduction of NO to N2O by CuBMb was observed with turnover number of 2 mol NO·mol CuBMb-1·min-1, close to 3 mol NO·mol enzyme-1·min-1 reported for the ba3 oxidases from T. thermophilus. Formation of a His-heme-NO species was detected by UV−vis and EPR spectroscopy. In comparison to the EPR spectra of ferrous-CuBMb-NO in the absence of metal ions, the EPR spectra of ferrous-CuBMb-NO in the presence of Cu(I) showed less-resolved hyperfine splitting from the proximal histidine, probably due to weakening of the proximal His-heme bond. In the presence of Zn(II), formation of a five-coordinate ferrous-CuBMb-NO species, resulting from cleavage of the proximal heme Fe-His bond, was shown by UV−vis and EPR spectroscopic studies. The reduction of NO to N2O was not observed in the presence of Zn(II). Control experiments using wild-type myoglobin indicated no reduction of NO in the presence of either Cu(I) or Zn(II). These results suggest that both the identity and the oxidation state of the metal ion in the CuB center are important for NO reduction. A redox-active metal ion is required to deliver electrons, and a higher oxidation state is preferred to weaken the heme iron−proximal histidine toward a five-coordinate key intermediate in NO reduction.

Pecoraro, V.L.

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2012, 109, 21234-21239, 10.1073/pnas.1212893110

One of the ultimate objectives of de novo protein design is to realize systems capable of catalyzing redox reactions on substrates. This goal is challenging as redox-active proteins require design considerations for both the reduced and oxidized states of the protein. In this paper, we describe the spectroscopic characterization and catalytic activity of a de novo designed metallopeptide Cu(I/II)(TRIL23H)3+/2+, where Cu(I/II) is embeded in α-helical coiled coils, as a model for the CuT2 center of copper nitrite reductase. In Cu(I/II)(TRIL23H)3+/2+, Cu(I) is coordinated to three histidines, as indicated by X-ray absorption data, and Cu(II) to three histidines and one or two water molecules. Both ions are bound in the interior of the three-stranded coiled coils with affinities that range from nano- to micromolar [Cu(II)], and picomolar [Cu(I)]. The Cu(His)3 active site is characterized in both oxidation states, revealing similarities to the CuT2 site in the natural enzyme. The species Cu(II)(TRIL23H)32+ in aqueous solution can be reduced to Cu(I)(TRIL23H)3+ using ascorbate, and reoxidized by nitrite with production of nitric oxide. At pH 5.8, with an excess of both the reductant (ascorbate) and the substrate (nitrite), the copper peptide Cu(II)(TRIL23H)32+ acts as a catalyst for the reduction of nitrite with at least five turnovers and no loss of catalytic efficiency after 3.7 h. The catalytic activity, which is first order in the concentration of the peptide, also shows a pH dependence that is described and discussed.

Lu, Y.

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 9970-9972, 10.1021/ja103516n

A conserved 2-His-1-Glu metal center, as found in natural nonheme iron-containing enzymes, was engineered into sperm whale myoglobin by replacing Leu29 and Phe43 with Glu and His, respectively (swMb L29E, F43H, H64, called FeBMb(-His)). A high resolution (1.65 Å) crystal structure of Cu(II)-CN−-FeBMb(-His) was determined, demonstrating that the unique 2-His-1-Glu metal center was successfully created within swMb. The FeBMb(-His) can bind Cu, Fe, or Zn ions, with both Cu(I)-FeBMb(-His) and Fe(II)-FeBMb(-His) exhibiting nitric oxide reductase (NOR) activities. Cu dependent NOR activity was significantly higher than that of Fe in the same metal binding site. EPR studies showed that the reduction of NO to N2O catalyzed by these two enzymes resulted in different intermediates; a five-coordinate heme-NO species was observed for Cu(I)-FeBMb(-His) due to the cleavage of the proximal heme Fe-His bond, while Fe(II)-FeBMb(-His) remained six-coordinate. Therefore, both the metal ligand, Glu29, and the metal itself, Cu or Fe, play crucial roles in NOR activity. This study presents a novel protein model of NOR and provides insights into a newly discovered member of the NOR family, gNOR.