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Britt RD, Rauchfuss TB, Rao G. The H-cluster of [FeFe] Hydrogenases: Its Enzymatic Synthesis and Parallel Inorganic Semisynthesis. Acc Chem Res 2024. [PMID: 38937148 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.4c00231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
ConspectusNature's prototypical hydrogen-forming catalysts─hydrogenases─have attracted much attention because they catalyze hydrogen evolution at near zero overpotential and ambient conditions. Beyond any possible applications in the energy sphere, the hydrogenases feature complicated active sites, which implies novel biosynthetic pathways. In terms of the variety of cofactors, the [FeFe]-hydrogenase is among the most complex.For more than a decade, we have worked on the biosynthesis of the active site of [FeFe] hydrogenases. This site, the H-cluster, is a six-iron ensemble consisting of a [4Fe-4S]H cluster linked to a [2Fe]H cluster that is coordinated to CO, cyanide, and a unique organic azadithiolate ligand. Many years ago, three enzymes, namely, HydG, HydE, and HydF, were shown to be required for the biosynthesis and the in vitro maturation of [FeFe] hydrogenases. The structures of the maturases were determined crystallographically, but still little progress was made on the biosynthetic pathway. As described in this Account, the elucidation of the biosynthetic pathway began in earnest with the identification of a molecular iron-cysteinate complex produced within HydG.In this Account, we present our most recent progress toward the molecular mechanism of [2Fe]H biosynthesis using a collaborative approach involving cell-free biosynthesis, isotope and element-sensitive spectroscopies, as well as inorganic synthesis of purported biosynthetic intermediates. Our study starts from the radical SAM enzyme HydG that lyses tyrosine into CO and cyanide and forms an Fe(CO)2(CN)-containing species. Crystallographic identification of a unique auxiliary 5Fe-4S cluster in HydG leads to a proposed catalytic cycle in which a free cysteine-chelated "dangler" Fe serves as the platform for the stepwise formation of a [4Fe-4S][Fe(CO)(CN)(cysteinate)] intermediate, which releases the [Fe(CO)2(CN)(cysteinate)] product, Complex B. Since Complex B is unstable, we applied synthetic organometallic chemistry to make an analogue, syn-B, and showed that it fully replaces HydG in the in vitro maturation of the H-cluster. Syn-B serves as the substrate for the next radical SAM enzyme HydE, where the low-spin Fe(II) center is activated by 5'-dAdo• to form an adenosylated Fe(I) intermediate. We propose that this Fe(I) species strips the carbon backbone and dimerizes in HydE to form a [Fe2(SH)2(CO)4(CN)2]2- product. This mechanistic scenario is supported by the use of a synthetic version of this dimer complex, syn-dimer, which allows for the formation of active hydrogenase with only the HydF maturase. Further application of this semisynthesis strategy shows that an [Fe2(SCH2NH2)2(CO)4(CN)2]2- complex can activate the apo hydrogenase, marking it as the last biosynthetic intermediate en route to the H-cluster. This combined enzymatic and semisynthetic approach greatly accelerates our understanding of H-cluster biosynthesis. We anticipate additional mechanistic details regarding H-cluster biosynthesis to be gleaned, and this methodology may be further applied in the study of other complex metallocofactors.
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Affiliation(s)
- R David Britt
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Thomas B Rauchfuss
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61820, United States
| | - Guodong Rao
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
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Villarreal DG, Rao G, Tao L, Liu L, Rauchfuss TB, Britt RD. Characterizing the Biosynthesis of the [Fe(II)(CN)(CO) 2(cysteinate)] - Organometallic Product of the Radical-SAM Enzyme HydG by EPR and Mössbauer Spectroscopy. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:9295-9302. [PMID: 37861415 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c05495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
[FeFe]-hydrogenases employ a catalytic H-cluster, consisting of a [4Fe-4S]H cluster linked to a [2Fe]H subcluster with CO, CN- ligands, and an azadithiolate bridge, which mediates the rapid redox interconversion of H+ and H2. In the biosynthesis of this H-cluster active site, the radical S-adenosyl-l-methionine (radical SAM, RS) enzyme HydG plays the crucial role of generating an organometallic [Fe(II)(CN)(CO)2(cysteinate)]- product that is en route to forming the H-cluster. Here, we report direct observation of this diamagnetic organometallic Fe(II) complex through Mössbauer spectroscopy, revealing an isomer shift of δ = 0.10 mm s-1 and quadrupole splitting of ΔEQ = 0.66 mm s-1. These Mössbauer values are a change from the starting values of δ = 1.15 mm s-1 and ΔEQ = 3.23 mm s-1 for the ferrous "dangler" Fe in HydG. These values of the observed product complex B are in good agreement with Mössbauer parameters for the low-spin Fe2+ ions in synthetic analogues, such as 57Fe Syn-B, which we report here. These results highlight the essential role that HydG plays in converting a resting-state high-spin Fe(II) to a low-spin organometallic Fe(II) product that can be transferred to the downstream maturase enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Villarreal
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Guodong Rao
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Lizhi Tao
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Liang Liu
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana─Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Thomas B Rauchfuss
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana─Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - R David Britt
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
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Britt RD, Tao L, Rao G, Chen N, Wang LP. Proposed Mechanism for the Biosynthesis of the [FeFe] Hydrogenase H-Cluster: Central Roles for the Radical SAM Enzymes HydG and HydE. ACS BIO & MED CHEM AU 2022; 2:11-21. [PMID: 35187536 PMCID: PMC8855341 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomedchemau.1c00035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Radical S-adenosylmethionine (radical SAM or rSAM) enzymes use their S-adenosylmethionine cofactor bound to a unique Fe of a [4Fe-4S] cluster to generate the "hot" 5'-deoxyadenosyl radical, which drives highly selective radical reactions via specific interactions with a given rSAM enzyme's substrate. This Perspective focuses on the two rSAM enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of the organometallic H-cluster of [FeFe] hydrogenases. We present here a detailed sequential model initiated by HydG, which lyses a tyrosine substrate via a 5'-deoxyadenosyl H atom abstraction from those amino acid's amino group, initially producing dehydroglycine and an oxidobenzyl radical. In this model, two successive radical cascade reactions lead ultimately to the formation of HydG's product, a mononuclear Fe organometallic complex: [Fe(II)(CN)(CO)2(cysteinate)]-, with the iron originating from a unique "dangler" Fe coordinated by a cysteine ligand providing a sulfur bridge to another [4Fe-4S] auxiliary cluster in the enzyme. In turn, in this model, [Fe(II)(CN)(CO)2(cysteinate)]- is the substrate for HydE, the second rSAM enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway, which activates this mononuclear organometallic unit for dimerization, forming a [Fe2S2(CO)4(CN)2] precursor to the [2Fe] H component of the H-cluster, requiring only the completion of the bridging azadithiolate (SCH2NHCH2S) ligand. This model is built upon a foundation of data that incorporates cell-free synthesis, isotope sensitive spectroscopies, and the selective use of synthetic complexes substituting for intermediates in the enzymatic "assembly line". We discuss controversies pertaining to this model and some remaining open issues to be addressed by future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- R David Britt
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Lizhi Tao
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Guodong Rao
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Nanhao Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Lee-Ping Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
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Nicolet Y, Cherrier MV, Amara P. Radical SAM Enzymes and Metallocofactor Assembly: A Structural Point of View. ACS BIO & MED CHEM AU 2022; 2:36-52. [PMID: 37102176 PMCID: PMC10114646 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomedchemau.1c00044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
This Review focuses on the structure-function relationship of radical S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) enzymes involved in the assembly of metallocofactors corresponding to the active sites of [FeFe]-hydrogenase and nitrogenase [MoFe]-protein. It does not claim to correspond to an extensive review on the assembly machineries of these enzyme active sites, for which many good reviews are already available, but instead deals with the contribution of structural data to the understanding of their chemical mechanism (Buren et al. Chem. Rev.2020, 142 ( (25), ) 11006-11012; Britt et al. Chem. Sci.2020, 11 ( (38), ), 10313-10323). Hence, we will present the history and current knowledge about the radical SAM maturases HydE, HydG, and NifB as well as what, in our opinion, should be done in the near future to overcome the existing barriers in our understanding of this fascinating chemistry that intertwine organic radicals and organometallic complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvain Nicolet
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, Metalloproteins Unit, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Mickael V. Cherrier
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, Metalloproteins Unit, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Patricia Amara
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, Metalloproteins Unit, F-38000 Grenoble, France
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Rao G, Chen N, Marchiori DA, Wang LP, Britt RD. Accumulation and Pulse Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Investigation of the 4-Oxidobenzyl Radical Generated in the Radical S-Adenosyl-l-methionine Enzyme HydG. Biochemistry 2022; 61:107-116. [PMID: 34989236 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The radical S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) enzyme HydG cleaves tyrosine to generate CO and CN- ligands of the [FeFe] hydrogenase H-cluster, accompanied by the formation of a 4-oxidobenzyl radical (4-OB•), which is the precursor to the HydG p-cresol byproduct. Native HydG only generates a small amount of 4-OB•, limiting detailed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectral characterization beyond our initial EPR lineshape study employing various tyrosine isotopologues. Here, we show that the concentration of trapped 4-OB• is significantly increased in reactions using HydG variants, in which the "dangler Fe" to which CO and CN- bind is missing or substituted by a redox-inert Zn2+ ion. This allows for the detailed characterization of 4-OB• using high-field EPR and electron nuclear double resonance spectroscopy to extract its g-values and 1H/13C hyperfine couplings. These results are compared to density functional theory-predicted values of several 4-OB• models with different sizes and protonation states, with a best fit to the deprotonated radical anion configuration of 4-OB•. Overall, our results depict a clearer electronic structure of the transient 4-OB• radical and provide new insights into the radical SAM chemistry of HydG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guodong Rao
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Nanhao Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - David A Marchiori
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Lee-Ping Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - R David Britt
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
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