Clean oxidation of thiolates to sulfinates in a four-coordinate CoIII complex with a mixed carboxamido N–thiolato S donor set: relevance to nitrile hydratase

A New Bis(thioether)-Dipyrrin N2S2 Ligand and Its Coordination Behaviors to Nickel, Copper and Zinc

Tetradentate N2S2 coordination platforms are widespread in biological system and have endowed the metalloenzymes and metalloproteins with abundant reactivities and functions. However, there have only three types of N2S2 scaffolds...

Co(III) Complexes with N2S3-Type Ligands as Structural/Functional Models for the Isocyanide Hydrolysis Reaction Catalyzed by Nitrile Hydratase

It has been before reported that, in addition to hydration of nitriles, the Fe-type nitrile hydratase (NHase) also catalyzes the hydrolysis of tert-butylisocyanide ( tBuNC). In order to investigate the unique isocyanide hydrolysis by NHase, we prepared three related Co(III) model complexes, PPh₄[Co(L)] (1), PPh₄[Co(L-O₃)] (2), and PPh₄[Co(L-O₄)] (3), where L is bis( N-(2-mercapto-2-methylpropionyl)aminopropyl)sulfide. The suffixes L-O₃ and L-O₄ indicate ligands with a sulfenate and a sulfinate and with two sulfinates, respectively, instead of the two thiolates of L. The X-ray analyses of 1 and 3 reveal trigonal bipyramidal and square pyramidal structures, respectively. Complex 2, however, has five-coordinate trigonal-bipyramidal geometry with η²-type S-O coordination by a sulfenyl group. Addition of tBuNC to 1, 2, and 3 induces an absorption spectral change as a result of formation of an octahedral Co(III) complex. This interpretation is also supported by the crystal structures of PPh₄[Co(L-O₄)( tBuNC)] (4) and (PPh₄)₂[Co(L-O₄)(CN)] (5). A water molecule interacts with 3 but cannot be activated as reported previously, as demonstrated by the lack of absorption spectral change in the pH range of 5.5-10.2. Interestingly, the coordinated tBuNC is hydrolyzed by 2 and 3 at pH 10.2 to produce tBuNH₂ and CO molecule, but 1 does not react. These findings provide strong evidence that hydrolysis of tBuNC by NHase proceeds not by activation of the coordinated water molecule but by coordination of the substrate. The mechanism of the hydrolysis reaction of tBuNC is explained with support provided by DFT calculations; a positively polarized C atom of tBuNC on the Co(III) center is nucleophilically attacked by a hydroxide anion activated through an interaction of the sulfenyl/sulfinyl oxygen with the nucleophile.

Sequential oxidations of thiolates and the cobalt metallocenter in a synthetic metallopeptide: implications for the biosynthesis of nitrile hydratase

Cobalt nitrile hydratases (Co-NHase) contain a catalytic cobalt(III) ion coordinated in an N2S3 first coordination sphere composed of two amidate nitrogens and three cysteine-derived sulfur donors: a thiolate (-SR), a sulfenate (-S(R)O(-)), and a sulfinate (-S(R)O2(-)). The sequence of biosynthetic reactions that leads to the post-translational oxidations of the metal and the sulfur ligands is unknown, but the process is believed to be initiated directly by oxygen. Herein we utilize cobalt bound in an N2S2 first coordination sphere by a seven amino acid peptide known as SODA (ACDLPCG) to model this oxidation process. Upon exposure to oxygen, Co-SODA is oxidized in two steps. In the first fast step (seconds), magnetic susceptibility measurements demonstrated that the metallocenter remains paramagnetic, that is, Co(2+), and sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is used to show that one of the thiolates is oxidized to sulfinate. In a second process on a longer time scale (hours), magnetic susceptibility measurements and Co K-edge XAS show that the metal is oxidized to Co(3+). Unlike other model complexes, additional slow oxidation of the second thiolate in Co-SODA is not observed, and a catalytically active complex is never formed. The likely reason is the absence of the axial thiolate ligand. In essence, the reactivity of Co-SODA can be described as between previously described models which either quickly convert to final product or are stable in air, and it offers a first glimpse into a possible oxidation pathway for nitrile hydratase biosynthesis.

Influence of sequential thiolate oxidation on a nitrile hydratase mimic probed by multiedge X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Nitrile hydratases (NHases) are Fe(III)- and Co(III)-containing hydrolytic enzymes that convert nitriles into amides. The metal-center is contained within an N(2)S(3) coordination motif with two post-translationally modified cysteinates contained in a cis arrangement, which have been converted into a sulfinate (R-SO(2)(-)) and a sulfenate (R-SO(-)) group. Herein, we utilize Ru L-edge and ligand (N-, S-, and P-) K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopies to probe the influence that these modifications have on the electronic structure of a series of sequentially oxidized thiolate-coordinated Ru(II) complexes ((bmmp-TASN)RuPPh(3), (bmmp-O(2)-TASN)RuPPh(3), and (bmmp-O(3)-TASN)RuPPh(3)). Included is the use of N K-edge spectroscopy, which was used for the first time to extract N-metal covalency parameters. We find that upon oxygenation of the bis-thiolate compound (bmmp-TASN)RuPPh(3) to the sulfenato species (bmmp-O(2)-TASN)RuPPh(3) and then to the mixed sulfenato/sulfinato speices (bmmp-O(3)-TASN)RuPPh(3) the complexes become progressively more ionic, and hence the Ru(II) center becomes a harder Lewis acid. These findings are reinforced by hybrid DFT calculations (B(38HF)P86) using a large quadruple-ζ basis set. The biological implications of these findings in relation to the NHase catalytic cycle are discussed in terms of the creation of a harder Lewis acid, which aids in nitrile hydrolysis.

Sulfur versus iron oxidation in an iron-thiolate model complex

In the absence of base, the reaction of [Fe(II)(TMCS)]PF6 (1, TMCS = 1-(2-mercaptoethyl)-4,8,11-trimethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane) with peracid in methanol at -20 °C did not yield the oxoiron(IV) complex (2, [Fe(IV)(O)(TMCS)]PF6), as previously observed in the presence of strong base (KO(t)Bu). Instead, the addition of 1 equiv of peracid resulted in 50% consumption of 1. The addition of a second equivalent of peracid resulted in the complete consumption of 1 and the formation of a new species 3, as monitored by UV-vis, ESI-MS, and Mössbauer spectroscopies. ESI-MS showed 3 to be formulated as [Fe(II)(TMCS) + 2O](+), while EXAFS analysis suggested that 3 was an O-bound iron(II)-sulfinate complex (Fe-O = 1.95 Å, Fe-S = 3.26 Å). The addition of a third equivalent of peracid resulted in the formation of yet another compound, 4, which showed electronic absorption properties typical of an oxoiron(IV) species. Mössbauer spectroscopy confirmed 4 to be a novel iron(IV) compound, different from 2, and EXAFS (Fe═O = 1.64 Å) and resonance Raman (ν(Fe═O) = 831 cm(-1)) showed that indeed an oxoiron(IV) unit had been generated in 4. Furthermore, both infrared and Raman spectroscopy gave indications that 4 contains a metal-bound sulfinate moiety (ν(s)(SO2) ≈ 1000 cm (-1), ν(as)(SO2) ≈ 1150 cm (-1)). Investigations into the reactivity of 1 and 2 toward H(+) and oxygen atom transfer reagents have led to a mechanism for sulfur oxidation in which 2 could form even in the absence of base but is rapidly protonated to yield an oxoiron(IV) species with an uncoordinated thiol moiety that acts as both oxidant and substrate in the conversion of 2 to 3.

Use of metallopeptide based mimics demonstrates that the metalloprotein nitrile hydratase requires two oxidized cysteinates for catalytic activity

Nitrile hydratases (NHases) are non-heme Fe(III) or non-corrin Co(III) containing metalloenzymes that possess an N(2)S(3) ligand environment with nitrogen donors derived from amidates and sulfur donors derived from cysteinates. A closely related enzyme is thiocyanate hydrolase (SCNase), which possesses a nearly identical active-site coordination environment as CoNHase. These enzymes are redox inactive and perform hydrolytic reactions; SCNase hydrolyzes thiocyanate anions while NHase converts nitriles into amides. Herein an active CoNHase metallopeptide mimic, [Co(III)NHase-m1] (NHase-m1 = AcNH-CCDLP-CGVYD-PA-COOH), that contains Co(III) in a similar N(2)S(3) coordination environment as CoNHase is reported. [Co(III)NHase-m1] was characterized by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), gel-permeation chromatography (GPC), Co K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (Co-S: 2.21 Å; Co-N: 1.93 Å), vibrational, and optical spectroscopies. We find that [Co(III)NHase-m1] will perform the catalytic conversion of acrylonitrile into acrylamide with up to 58 turnovers observed after 18 h at 25 °C (pH 8.0). FTIR data used in concert with calculated vibrational data (mPWPW91/aug-cc-TZVPP) demonstrates that the active form of [Co(III)NHase-m1] has a ligated SO(2) (ν = 1091 cm(-1)) moiety and a ligated protonated SO(H) (ν = 928 cm(-1)) moiety; when only one oxygenated cysteinate ligand (i.e., a mono-SO(2) coordination motif) or the bis-SO(2) coordination motif are found within [Co(III)NHase-m1] no catalytic activity is observed. Calculations of the thermodynamics of ligand exchange (B3LYP/aug-cc-TZVPP) suggest that the reason for this is that the SO(2)/SO(H) equatorial ligand motif promotes both water dissociation from the Co(III)-center and nitrile coordination to the Co(III)-center. In contrast, the under- or overoxidized motifs will either strongly favor a five coordinate Co(III)-center or strongly favor water binding to the Co(III)-center over nitrile binding.

Metalation of Cyclic Pseudopeptidic Thiosulfinates with Ni(II) and Zn(II) after Ring Opening: A Mechanistic Investigation

Thiosulfinates are an emerging class of oxidized sulfur species that are frequently supposed to be involved in biochemical processes. Reaction of 12- and 10-membered ring pseudopeptidic thiosulfinates 1a (4,4,7,7-tetramethyl-1,3,4,7,8,10-hexahydro-5,6,1,10-benzodithiadiazacyclododecine-2,9-dione 5-oxide) and 1b (3,3,6,6-tetramethyl-1,8-dihydro-4,5,1,8-benzodithiadiazecine-2,7(3H,6H)-dione 4-oxide) with a Ni(II) salt leads after ring cleavage under alkaline conditions to the isolation of diamidato/thiolato/sulfinato complexes. These two thiolato/sulfinato complexes of nickel, which can also be prepared by dioxygen oxidation of the parent diamidato/dithiolato complexes, were characterized by X-ray crystallography. They show a square-planar geometry with a S-bonded sulfinato ligand. A similar reaction between 1b and a Zn(II) salt leads to a thiolato/sulfinato complex with an O-bonded sulfinate via the intermediate formation of a mixed thiolato/sulfinic ester. On the basis of 1H NMR, IR, and mass analyses, the sulfinic ester in the intermediate is proposed to be O-bonded to the zinc center. Then, an in-depth study of the cleavage of these thiosulfinates with the oxyanions RO- and HO- was performed. This led, after trapping of the open species with CH3I, to the identification of three polyfunctionalized products containing a methyl thioether, with either an isothiazolidin-3-one S-oxide, a methyl sulfone, or a methyl sulfinic ester. All of these products arise from a selective nucleophilic attack at the sulfinyl sulfur, promoted either directly by RO- or HO- or by an internal peptidic nitrogen of the thiosulfinate after deprotonation with RO- or HO-.

Influence of cobalt substitution on the activity of iron-type nitrile hydratase: are cobalt type nitrile hydratases regulated by carbon monoxide?

Comamonas testosteroni Ni1 nitrile hydratase is a Fe-type nitrile hydratase whose native and recombinant forms are identical. Here, the iron of Ni1 nitrile hydratase was replaced by cobalt using a chaperone based Escherichia coli expression system. Cobalt (CoNi1) and iron (FeNi1) enzymes share identical Vmax (30 nmol min(-1) mg(-1)) and Km (200 microM) toward their substrate and identical Ki values for the known competitive inhibitors of FeNi1. However, nitrophenols used as inhibitors do display a different inhibition pattern on both enzymes. Furthermore, CoNi1 and FeNi1 are also different in their sensitivity to nitric oxide and carbon monoxide, CO being selective of the cobalt enzyme. These differences are rationalized in relation to the nature of the catalytic metal center in the enzyme.

Modeling the Active Site of Nitrile Hydratase: Synthetic Strategies to Ensure Simultaneous Coordination of Carboxamido-N and Thiolato-S to Fe(III) Centers

A general strategy for synthesizing Fe(III) complexes of ligands containing carboxamido-N and thiolato-S donors has been described. Reaction of the doubly deprotonated ligand PyPepS2- (where PyPepSH2=N-2-mercaptophenyl-2'-pyridinecarboxamide) with Fe(III) salts in DMF had previously afforded the Fe(III) complex (Et4N)[Fe(PyPepS)2] without any problem(s) associated with autoredox reactions of the thiolate functionality. In the present work, similar reactions with the doubly deprotonated ligand PiPepS2- (where PiPepSH2=2-mercapto-N-pyridin-2-yl-methylbenzamide) with Fe(III) salts, however, fail to afford any Fe(III) complex because of autoredox reactions. The break in the conjugation in the PiPepSH2 ligand frame is the key reason for this difference in behavior between these two very similar ligands. This is demonstrated by the fact that the same reaction with AqPepS2- (where AqPepSH2=2-mercapto-N-quinolin-8-yl-benzamide), another ligand with extended conjugation, affords the Fe(III) complex (Et4N)[Fe(AqPepS)2] without any synthetic complication. It is therefore evident that ligands in which the carboxamide and thiolate functionalities are kept in conjugation could be used to isolate Fe(III) complexes with carboxamido-N and thiolato-S coordination. This finding will be very helpful in future research work in the area of modeling the active site of Fe-containing nitrile hydratase.

Oxidation of Zn(N2S2) complexes to disulfonates: relevance to zinc-finger oxidation under oxidative stress

A series of Zn(N2S2) complexes has been prepared, and characterized. They have different nitrogen donors such as, either two amidates, two amines, two imines or one amidate and one imine. A bis-amidato dithiolato complex has been structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and exhibits a distorted tetrahedral structure. Oxidation of all these complexes with dioxirane or anhydrous H2O2 results in the formation of a unique product, the disulfonate species. Most often, zinc was found to be released during the course of the oxidation. The bis-imine/bis-sulfonate species is the only one to retain zinc. This complex was crystallized with two pyridine molecules. Its crystal structure reveals a distorted octahedral environment around the zinc cation.

Post-translational modification of Rhodococcus R312 and Comamonas NI1 nitrile hydratases

Nitrile hydratases (NHases) are industrially significant iron- and cobalt-containing enzymes used in the large-scale synthesis of acrylamide. Previous reports have shown that the active site peptides of NHases are post-translationally modified by oxidation of cysteine residues, and that these modifications are essential for catalysis. We report mass spectrometric evidence of the oxidation states of the active site cysteines in the iron coordination spheres of two iron-containing nitrile hydratases, namely R312 NHase from Rhodococcus rhodochrous strain R312 and NI1 NHase from Comamonas testosteroni. At least one of these cysteines is oxidised to a sulfinic acid (SO(2)H) and there is also evidence suggesting an additional oxidation to a sulfenic acid (SOH). This is the first evidence for the presence of these oxidation states for full-length NHases and for Fe-NHases from different microorganisms. The presence of these covalent modifications was confirmed by performing mass spectrometry on the active site peptide of R312 NHase, under native, reduced and carboxymethylated conditions. We also show the nitrosylation of the iron by mass spectrometry, as well as the release of NO by photoirradiation.