Sofia Pauleta
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry - PI of Microbial Stress Lab
https://sites.google.com/site/spauletagroup/ (email)
https://sites.google.com/site/spauletagroup/ (email)
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.
Maiti, Biplab KMaia, Luisa BSilveira, Celia MTodorovic, SmiljaCarreira, CintiaCarepo, Marta S PGrazina, RaquelMoura, IsabelPauleta, Sofia RMoura, Jose J GResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tGermanyJournal of biological inorganic chemistry : JBIC : a publication of the Society of Biological Inorganic ChemistryJ Biol Inorg Chem. 2015 Jul;20(5):821-9. doi: 10.1007/s00775-015-1268-0. Epub 2015 May 7.