Sofia Pauleta

A linear cluster formulated as [S2MoS2CuS2MoS2](3-), a unique heterometallic cluster found in biological systems, was identified in a small monomeric protein (named as Orange Protein). The gene coding for this protein is part of an operon mainly present in strict anaerobic bacteria, which is composed (in its core) by genes coding for the Orange Protein and two ATPase proposed to contain Fe-S clusters. In Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20, there is an ORF, Dde_3197 that encodes a small protein containing several cysteine residues in its primary sequence. The heterologously produced Dde_3197 aggregates mostly in inclusion bodies and was isolated by unfolding with a chaotropic agent and refolding by dialysis. The refolded protein contained sub-stoichiometric amounts of iron atoms/protein (0.5+/-0.2), but after reconstitution with iron and sulfide, high iron load contents were detected (1.8+/-0.1 or 3.4+/-0.2) using 2- and 4-fold iron excess. The visible absorption spectral features of the iron-sulfur clusters in refolded and reconstituted Dde_3197 are similar and resemble the ones of [2Fe-2S] cluster containing proteins. The refolded and reconstituted [2Fe-2S] Dde_3197 are EPR silent, but after reduction with dithionite, a rhombic signal is observed with gmax=2.00, gmed=1.95 and gmin=1.92, consistent with a one-electron reduction of a [2Fe-2S](2+) cluster into a [2Fe-2S](1+) state, with an electron spin of S=(1/2). The data suggests that Dde_3197 can harbor one or two [2Fe-2S] clusters, one being stable and the other labile, with quite identical spectroscopic properties, but stable to oxygen.

Molybdenum is found in the active site of enzymes usually coordinated by one or two pyranopterin molecules. Here, we mimic an enzyme with a mononuclear molybdenum-bis pyranopterin center by incorporating molybdenum in rubredoxin. In the molybdenum-substituted rubredoxin, the metal ion is coordinated by four sulfurs from conserved cysteine residues of the apo-rubredoxin and two other exogenous ligands, oxygen and thiol, forming a Mo((VI))-(S-Cys)4(O)(X) complex, where X represents -OH or -SR. The rubredoxin molybdenum center is stabilized in a Mo(VI) oxidation state, but can be reduced to Mo(IV) via Mo(V) by dithionite, being a suitable model for the spectroscopic properties of resting and reduced forms of molybdenum-bis pyranopterin-containing enzymes. Preliminary experiments indicate that the molybdenum site built in rubredoxin can promote oxo transfer reactions, as exemplified with the oxidation of arsenite to arsenate.

The complex [Ph4P]2[Cu(bdt)2] (1(red)) was synthesized by the reaction of [Ph4P]2[S2MoS2CuCl] with H2bdt (bdt = benzene-1,2-dithiolate) in basic medium. 1(red) is highly susceptible toward dioxygen, affording the one electron oxidized diamagnetic compound [Ph4P][Cu(bdt)2] (1(ox)). The interconversion between these two oxidation states can be switched by addition of O2 or base (Et4NOH = tetraethylammonium hydroxide), as demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry and UV-visible and EPR spectroscopies. Thiomolybdates, in free or complex forms with copper ions, play an important role in the stability of 1(red) during its synthesis, since in its absence, 1(ox) is isolated. Both 1(red) and 1(ox) were structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. EPR experiments showed that 1(red) is a Cu(II)-sulfur complex and revealed strong covalency on the copper-sulfur bonds. DFT calculations confirmed the spin density delocalization over the four sulfur atoms (76%) and copper (24%) atom, suggesting that 1(red) has a "thiyl radical character". Time dependent DFT calculations identified such ligand to ligand charge transfer transitions. Accordingly, 1(red) is better described by the two isoelectronic structures [Cu(I)(bdt2, 4S(3-,)*)](2-) <--> [Cu(II)(bdt2, 4S(4-))](2-). On thermodynamic grounds, oxidation of 1(red) (doublet state) leads to 1(ox) singlet state, [Cu(III)(bdt2, 4S(4-))](1-).

The Orange Protein (ORP) is a small bacterial protein, of unknown function, that harbors a unique molybdenum/copper (Mo/Cu) heterometallic cluster, [S2MoVIS2CuIS2MoVIS2]3-, noncovalently bound. The apo-ORP is able to promote the formation and stabilization of this cluster, using CuII- and MoVIS42- salts as starting metallic reagents, to yield a Mo/Cu-ORP that is virtually identical to the native ORP. In this work, we explored the ORP capability of promoting protein-assisted synthesis to prepare novel protein derivatives harboring molybdenum heterometallic clusters containing iron, cobalt, nickel, or cadmium in place of the "central" copper (Mo/Fe-ORP, Mo/Co-ORP, Mo/Ni-ORP, or Mo/Cd-ORP). For that, the previously described protein-assisted synthesis protocol was extended to other metals and the Mo/M-ORP derivatives (M = Cu, Fe, Co, Ni, or Cd) were spectroscopically (UV-visible and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)) characterized. The Mo/Cu-ORP and Mo/Cd-ORP derivatives are stable under oxic conditions, while the Mo/Fe-ORP, Mo/Co-ORP, and Mo/Ni-ORP derivatives are dioxygen-sensitive and stable only under anoxic conditions. The metal and protein quantification shows the formation of 2Mo:1M:1ORP derivatives, and the visible spectra suggest that the expected {S2MoS2MS2MoS2} complexes are formed. The Mo/Cu-ORP, Mo/Co-ORP, and Mo/Cd-ORP are EPR-silent. The Mo/Fe-ORP derivative shows an EPR S = 3/2 signal (E/D approximately 0.27, g approximately 5.3, 2.5, and 1.7 for the lower M= +/-1/2 doublet, and g approximately 5.7 and 1.7 (1.3 predicted) for the upper M = +/-3/2 doublet), consistent with the presence of either one S = 5/2 FeIII antiferromagnetically coupled to two S = 1/2 MoV or one S = 3/2 FeI and two S = 0 MoVI ions, in both cases in a tetrahedral geometry. The Mo/Ni-ORP shows an EPR axial S = 1/2 signal consistent with either one S = 1/2 NiI and two S = 0 MoVI or one S = 1/2 NiIII antiferromagnetically coupled to two S = 1/2 MoV ions, in both cases in a square-planar geometry. The Mo/Cu-ORP and Mo/Cd-ORP are described as {MoVI-CuI-MoVI} and {MoVI-CdII-MoVI}, respectively, while the other derivatives are suggested to exist in at least two possible electronic structures, {MoVI-MI-MoVI} <--> {MoV-MIII-MoV}.

Two synthetic strategies of tetrathiomolybdate-metal clusters with the potential to be used as NMR structural probes for the location of the metal cofactor in the orange protein (ORP) are described. The first strategy is based on the substitution reaction in which small organic ligands bind directly to the metal centre in a molybdenumcopper hetero-dinuclear cluster. Interaction between [PPh4]2[MoS4CuCl] and either aliphatic [beta-mercaptoethanol (b-me)] or aromatic [o-aminobenzenethiol (abt)] thiols in the presence of a strong base resulted in the formation of [Ph4P]2[S2MoS2Cu(b-me)] (1a) and [Et4N]2[S2MoS2Cu(abt)]center dot H2O center dot 0.25DMF (1b), which can be used to obtain intermolecular NOEs. The compound 1a readily hydrolyzed to [Ph4P]2[OSMoS2Cu(b-me)] (1ahydro) in contact with a protic solvent. The second strategy consisted of the incorporation of cadmium into tetrathiomolybdate ([MoS4]2), which gives rise to the trinuclear cluster compound [PPh4]2[(MoS4)2Cd] (2). All clusters were characterized spectroscopically and their structure determined by X-ray diffraction. The NMR spectroscopic data are consistent with the formation of a complex with a 1:1 ratio of {MoS4Cu} and thiol. The 113Cd NMR chemical shift of compound 2 is consistent with the cadmium having a tetrahedral geometry and coordinated by four sulfur ligands. The tetraphenylphosphonium cation in compound 1a was replaced by a tetramethylammonium countercation originating in the water-soluble compound [Me4N-1a]. Solubility in aqueous buffers is a requirement for incorporating this cluster into apo-ORP. These compounds will be used to identify the exact location of the ORP heterometallic cluster using NMR methodologies.

Three fluorinated Mo-Cu-thiolate isomers,[Ph4Ph[S2MoS2Cu(n-SPhF)], [n-SPhF = 2-fluorothiophenol (la)], 3-fluorothiophenol (lb), and 4-fluorothiophenol (1c)] were synthesized and spectroscopically characterized. The F-19-NMR signal of the fluorine atom in the.benzene has different chemical shift for each isomer, which is highly influenced by the local environment that can be manipulated by different solvents and solutes. The fluorine-19 chemical shift is an advantageous NMR structural probe in alternative to H-1-NMR [B.K. Maiti, T. Aviles, M. Matzapetakis, I. Moura, S.R. Pauleta, JJ.G. Moura, Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. (2012) 4159.], that can be used to provide local information on the pocket of the metal cluster in the Orange Protein (ORP). (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The cucurbit[8]uril (CB8) synthetic receptor is shown to form high-affinity host–guest complexes with dicationic dithienylethene (DTE) photoswitches in water. ITC experiments combined with computational studies suggest that the formation of the inclusion complexes is mainly driven by a combination of hydrophobic effects, ion–dipole, hydrogen- and chalcogen-bonding interactions. The binding affinities were observed to be much higher for the DTE closed isomers, reaching values in the picomolar range (up to 1011 M−1) while the open isomers display up to 10 000-fold lower affinities, setting ideal conditions for the development of robust photoswitchable host–guest complexes. The light-responsive affinity of these photoswitches toward CB8 was explored to control the encapsulation and release of nanomolar affinity steroids via competitive guest replacement.

Metalloenzymes control enzymatic activity by changing the characteristics of the metal centers where catalysis takes place. The conversion between inactive and active states can be tuned by altering the coordination number of the metal site, and in some cases by an associated conformational change. These processes will be illustrated using heme proteins (cytochrome c nitrite reductase, cytochrome c peroxidase and cytochrome cd(1) nitrite reductase), non-heme proteins (superoxide reductase and [ NiFe]-hydrogenase), and copper proteins (nitrite and nitrous oxide reductases) as examples. These examples catalyze electron transfer reactions that include atom transfer, abstraction and insertion.

This book is devoted to denitrification, an anaerobic process that is used by a wide range of bacteria for energy generation. The overall process involves nitrate, which is present in soil or water, being reduced to gaseous dinitrogen. This initial chapter aims to place denitrification in the larger context of the nitrogen biogeochemical cycle (a bird's eye view). Detailed topics are developed through the many following contributions. Denitrification is a landscape for probing the structures, functions and mechanisms of action of a wide range of highly specialised metalloenzymes. These carry out, sequentially, four oxo-transfer reactions: NO3 - → NO2 - → NO → N2O → N2. The environmental implications of these processes are of particular relevance. Nitrate accumulation and the release of nitrous oxide into the atmosphere due to the excessive use of fertilisers in agriculture are examples of two environmental problems in which denitrification plays a central role. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2017.