In vitro incorporation of different transition metal ions into a cambialistic superoxide dismutase from Propionibacterium shermanii

Manganese and microbial pathogenesis: sequestration by the Mammalian immune system and utilization by microorganisms

Bacterial and fungal pathogens cause a variety of infectious diseases and constitute a significant threat to public health. The human innate immune system represents the first line of defense against pathogenic microbes and employs a range of chemical artillery to combat these invaders. One important mechanism of innate immunity is the sequestration of metal ions that are essential nutrients. Manganese is one nutrient that is required for many pathogens to establish an infective lifestyle. This review summarizes recent advances in the role of manganese in the host-pathogen interaction and highlights Mn(II) sequestration by neutrophil calprotectin as well as how bacterial acquisition and utilization of manganese enables pathogenesis.

Corroborative models of the cobalt(II) inhibited Fe/Mn superoxide dismutases

Attempting to model superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes, we designed two new N3O-donor ligands to provide the same set of donor atoms observed in the active site of these enzymes: K(i)Pr2TCMA (potassium 1,4-diisopropyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane-N-acetate) and KBPZG (potassium N,N-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolylmethyl) glycinate). Five new Co(II) complexes (1-5) were obtained and characterized by X-ray crystallography, mass spectrometry, electrochemistry, magnetochemistry, UV-vis, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies. The crystal structures of 1 and 3-5 revealed five-coordinate complexes, whereas complex 2 is six-coordinate. The EPR data of complexes 3 and 4 agree with those of the Co(II)-substituted SOD, which strongly support the proposition that the active site of the enzyme structurally resembles these models. The redox behavior of complexes 1-5 clearly demonstrates the stabilization of the Co(II) state in the ligand field provided by these ligands. The irreversibility displayed by all of the complexes is probably related to an electron-transfer process followed by a rearrangement of the geometry around the metal center for complexes 1 and 3-5 that probably changes from a trigonal bipyramidal (high spin, d7) to octahedral (low spin, d6) as Co(II) is oxidized to Co(III), which is also expected to be accompanied by a spin-state conversion. As the redox potentials to convert the Co(II) to Co(III) are high, it can be inferred that the redox potential of the Co(II)-substituted SOD may be outside the range required to convert the superoxide radical (O2*-) to hydrogen peroxide, and this is sufficient to explain the inactivity of the enzyme. Finally, the complexes reported here are the first corroborative structural models of the Co(II)-substituted SOD.