DFT calculations of comparative energetics and ENDOR/Mössbauer properties for two protonation states of the iron dimer cluster of ribonucleotide reductase intermediate X

Theoretical Insights into the Generation Mechanism of the Tyr122 Radical Catalyzed by Intermediate X in Class Ia Ribonucleotide Reductase

Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) catalyzes the reduction of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides in all organisms. There is an ∼35 Å long-range electron-hole transfer pathway during the catalytic process of class Ia RNR, which can be described as Tyr122β ↔ [Trp48β]? ↔ Tyr356β ↔ Tyr731α ↔ Tyr730α ↔ Cys439α. The formation of the Y122• radical initiates this long-range radical transfer process. However, the generation mechanism of Y122• is not yet clear due to confusion over the intermediate X structures. Based on the two reported X structures, we examined the possible mechanisms of Y122• generation by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our examinations revealed that the generation of the Y122• radical from the two different core structures of X was via a similar two-step reaction, with the first step of proton transfer for the formation of the proton receptor of Y122 and the second step of a proton-coupled long-range electron transfer reaction with the proton transfer from the Y122 hydroxyl group to the terminal hydroxide ligand of Fe1III and simultaneously electron transfer from the side chain of Y122 to Fe2IV. These findings provide an insight into the formation mechanism of Y122• catalyzed by the double-iron center of the β subunit of class Ia RNR.

Computational Description of Alkylated Iron-Sulfur Organometallic Clusters

The radical S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) enzyme superfamily has widespread roles in hydrogen atom abstraction reactions of crucial biological importance. In these enzymes, reductive cleavage of SAM bound to a [4Fe-4S]1+ cluster generates the 5'-deoxyadenosyl radical (5'-dAdo•) which ultimately abstracts an H atom from the substrate. However, overwhelming experimental evidence has surprisingly revealed an obligatory organometallic intermediate Ω exhibiting an Fe-C5'-adenosyl bond, whose properties are the target of this theoretical investigation. We report a readily applied, two-configuration version of broken symmetry DFT, denoted 2C-DFT, designed to allow the accurate description of the hyperfine coupling constants and g-tensors of an alkyl group bound to a multimetallic iron-sulfur cluster. This approach has been validated by the excellent agreement of its results both with those of multiconfigurational complete active space self-consistent field computations for a series of model complexes and with the results from electron nuclear double-resonance/electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic studies for the crystallographically characterized complex, M-CH3, a [4Fe-4S] cluster with a Fe-CH3 bond. The likewise excellent agreement between spectroscopic results and 2C-DFT computations for Ω confirm its identity as an organometallic complex with a bond between an Fe of the [4Fe-4S] cluster and C5' of the deoxyadenosyl moiety, as first proposed.

Mössbauer Property Calculations on Fea33+∙∙∙H2O∙∙∙CuB2+ Dinuclear Center Models of the Resting Oxidized as-Isolated Cytochrome c Oxidase

Mössbauer isomer shift and quadrupole splitting properties have been calculated using the OLYP‐D3(BJ) density functional method on previously obtained (W.‐G. Han Du, et al., Inorg Chem. 2020, 59, 8906–8915) geometry optimized Fe_a3³⁺−H₂O−Cu_B²⁺ dinuclear center (DNC) clusters of the resting oxidized (O state) “as‐isolated” cytochrome c oxidase (CcO). The calculated results are highly consistent with the available experimental observations. The calculations have also shown that the structural heterogeneities of the O state DNCs implicated by the Mössbauer experiments are likely consequences of various factors, particularly the variable positions of the central H₂O molecule between the Fe_a3³⁺ and Cu_B²⁺ sites in different DNCs, whether or not this central H₂O molecule has H‐bonding interaction with another H₂O molecule, the different spin states having similar energies for the Fe_a3³⁺ sites, and whether the Fe_a3³⁺ and Cu_B²⁺ sites are ferromagnetically or antiferromagnetically spin‐coupled.

Understanding desaturation/hydroxylation activity of castor stearoyl Δ9-Desaturase through rational mutagenesis

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Rationally designed mutations in the Δ⁹ desaturase promoted hydroxylation activity.

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Proton and electron transfer to the active site is crucial for the Δ⁹D to desaturate

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Detailed analysis of all enzymatic products of the Δ⁹D was carried out

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Insight into the chemo-, and stereoselectivity of non-heme diiron enzymes was obtained

A recently proposed reaction mechanism of soluble Δ⁹ desaturase (Δ⁹D) allowed us to identify auxiliary residues His203, Asp101, Thr206 and Cys222 localized near the di-iron active site that are supposedly involved in the proton transfer (PT) to and from the active site. The PT, along with the electron transfer (ET), seems to be crucial for efficient desaturation. Thus, perturbing the major PT chains is expected to impair the native reaction and (potentially) amplify minor reaction channels, such as the substrate hydroxylation. To verify this hypothesis, we mutated the four residues mentioned above into their counterparts present in a soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO), and determined the reaction products of mutants. We found that the mutations significantly promote residual monohydroxylation activities on stearoyl-CoA, often at the expense of native desaturation activity. The favored hydroxylation positions are C₉, followed by C₁₀ and C₁₁. Reactions with unsaturated substrate, oleoyl-CoA, yield erythro-9,10-diol, cis-9,10-epoxide and a mixture of allylic alcohols. Additionally, using 9- and 11-hydroxystearoyl-CoA, we showed that the desaturation reaction can proceed only with the hydroxyl group at position C₁₁, whereas the hydroxylation reaction is possible in both cases, i.e. with hydroxyl at position C₉ or C₁₁. Despite the fact that the overall outcome of hydroxylation is rather modest and that it is mostly the desaturation/hydroxylation ratio that is affected, our results broaden understanding of the origin of chemo- and stereoselectivity of the Δ⁹D and provide further insight into the catalytic action of the NHFe₂ enzymes.

Proton-Electron Transfer to the Active Site Is Essential for the Reaction Mechanism of Soluble Δ9-Desaturase

A full understanding of the catalytic action of non-heme iron (NHFe) and non-heme diiron (NHFe₂) enzymes is still beyond the grasp of contemporary computational and experimental techniques. Many of these enzymes exhibit fascinating chemo-, regio-, and stereoselectivity, in spite of employing highly reactive intermediates which are necessary for activations of most stable chemical bonds. Herein, we study in detail one intriguing representative of the NHFe₂ family of enzymes: soluble Δ⁹ desaturase (Δ⁹D), which desaturates rather than performing the thermodynamically favorable hydroxylation of substrate. Its catalytic mechanism has been explored in great detail by using QM(DFT)/MM and multireference wave function methods. Starting from the spectroscopically observed 1,2-μ-peroxo diferric P intermediate, the proton-electron uptake by P is the favored mechanism for catalytic activation, since it allows a significant reduction of the barrier of the initial (and rate-determining) H-atom abstraction from the stearoyl substrate as compared to the "proton-only activated" pathway. Also, we ruled out that a Q-like intermediate (high-valent diamond-core bis-μ-oxo-[Fe^IV]₂ unit) is involved in the reaction mechanism. Our mechanistic picture is consistent with the experimental data available for Δ⁹D and satisfies fairly stringent conditions required by Nature: the chemo-, stereo-, and regioselectivity of the desaturation of stearic acid. Finally, the mechanisms evaluated are placed into a broader context of NHFe₂ chemistry, provided by an amino acid sequence analysis through the families of the NHFe₂ enzymes. Our study thus represents an important contribution toward understanding the catalytic action of the NHFe₂ enzymes and may inspire further work in NHFe₍₂₎ biomimetic chemistry.

Dioxygen Activation by Nonheme Diiron Enzymes: Diverse Dioxygen Adducts, High-Valent Intermediates, and Related Model Complexes

A growing subset of metalloenzymes activates dioxygen with nonheme diiron active sites to effect substrate oxidations that range from the hydroxylation of methane and the desaturation of fatty acids to the deformylation of fatty aldehydes to produce alkanes and the six-electron oxidation of aminoarenes to nitroarenes in the biosynthesis of antibiotics. A common feature of their reaction mechanisms is the formation of O2 adducts that evolve into more reactive derivatives such as diiron(II,III)-superoxo, diiron(III)-peroxo, diiron(III,IV)-oxo, and diiron(IV)-oxo species, which carry out particular substrate oxidation tasks. In this review, we survey the various enzymes belonging to this unique subset and the mechanisms by which substrate oxidation is carried out. We examine the nature of the reactive intermediates, as revealed by X-ray crystallography and the application of various spectroscopic methods and their associated reactivity. We also discuss the structural and electronic properties of the model complexes that have been found to mimic salient aspects of these enzyme active sites. Much has been learned in the past 25 years, but key questions remain to be answered.

Comparison of Experimental and Broken Symmetry Density Functional Theory Calculated Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Parameters for the Manganese Catalase Active Site in the Superoxidized MnIII/MnIV State

Broken symmetry density functional theory has been used to calculate g-tensor, ⁵⁵Mn, ¹⁴N, and ¹⁷O hyperfine couplings for active site models of superoxidized Mn^III/Mn^IV manganese catalase both in its native and azide-inhibited form. While a good agreement is found between the calculated and experimental g-tensor and ⁵⁵Mn hyperfine couplings for all models, the active site geometry and Mn ion oxidation state can only be readily distinguished based on a comparison of the calculated and experimental ¹⁴N azide and ¹⁷O HFCs. This comparison shows that only models containing a Jahn-Teller distorted 5-coordinate (Mn^III)₂ site and a 6-coordinate (Mn^IV)₁ site can satisfactorily reproduce the experimental ¹⁴N and ¹⁷O hyperfine couplings.

Broken Symmetry DFT Calculations/Analysis for Oxidized and Reduced Dinuclear Center in Cytochrome c Oxidase: Relating Structures, Protonation States, Energies, and Mössbauer Properties in ba3 Thermus thermophilus

The Fea3(3+)···CuB(2+) dinuclear center (DNC) structure of the as-isolated oxidized ba3 cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) from Thermus thermophilus (Tt) is still not fully understood. When the proteins are initially crystallized in the oxidized state, they typically become radiolyticly reduced through X-ray irradiation. Several X-ray crystal structures of reduced ba3 CcO from Tt are available. However, depending on whether the crystals were prepared in a lipidic cubic phase environment or in detergent micelles, and whether the CcO's were chemically or radiolyticly reduced, the X-ray diffraction analysis of the crystals showed different Fea3(2+)···CuB(+) DNC structures. On the other hand, Mössbauer spectroscopic experiments on reduced and oxidized ba3 CcOs from Tt (Zimmermann et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1988, 85, 5779-5783) revealed multiple (57)Fea3(2+) and (57)Fea3(3+) components. Moreover, one of the (57)Fea3(3+) components observed at 4.2 K transformed from a proposed "low-spin" state to a different high-spin species when the temperature was increased above 190 K, whereas the other high-spin (57)Fea3(3+) component remained unchanged. In the current Article, in order to understand the heterogeneities of the DNC in both Mössbauer spectra and X-ray crystal structures, the spin crossover of one of the (57)Fea3(3+) components, and how the coordination and spin states of the Fea3(3+/2+) and Cu(2+/1+) sites relate to the heterogeneity of the DNC structures, we have applied density functional OLYP calculations to the DNC clusters established based on the different X-ray crystal structures of ba3 CcO from Tt. As a result, specific oxidized and reduced DNC structures related to the observed Mössbauer spectra and to spectral changes with temperature have been proposed. Our calculations also show that, in certain intermediate states, the His233 and His283 ligand side chains may dissociate from the CuB(+) site, and they may become potential proton loading sites during the catalytic cycle.

Redox and acid-base properties of asymmetric non-heme (hydr)oxo-bridged diiron complexes

The diiron unit is commonly found as the active site in enzymes that catalyze important biological transformations. Two μ-(hydr)oxo-diiron(iii) complexes with the ligands 2,2'-(2-methyl-2-(pyridine-2-yl)propane-1,3-diyl)bis(azanediyl)bis(methylene)diphenol (H2L) and 2,2'-(2-methyl-2(pyridine-2-yl)propane-1,3-diyl)bis(azanediyl)bis(methylene)bis(4-nitrophenol) (H2L(NO2)), namely [(FeL)2(μ-O)] () and [(FeL(NO2))2(μ-OH)]ClO4 () were synthesized and characterized. In the solid state, both structures are asymmetric, with unsupported (hydr)oxo bridges. Intramolecular hydrogen bonding of the ligand NH groups to the phenolate O atoms hold the diiron cores in a bent configuration (Fe-O-Fe angle of 143.7° for and 140.1° for ). A new phenolate bridged diferrous complex, [(FeL)2] (), was synthesized and characterized. Upon exposure to air the diferrous complex is oxidized to the diferric . Cyclic voltammetry at different scan rates and chemical reduction of [(FeL)2(μ-OH)]BPh4 () with cobaltocene revealed disproportionation followed by proton transfer, and a mixed-valence species could not be trapped. Subsequent exposure to molecular oxygen results in the formation of . Electrochemical studies of indicate easier reduction of the diiron(iii/iii) to the mixed-valence state than for . The protonation of by benzoic acid to form [(FeL)2(μ-OH)](+) only changes the Fe-O-Fe angle by 5° (from 143.7° to 138.6°), and the pKa of the hydroxo bridge is estimated to be about 20.4. We attribute this high pKa partly to stabilization of the benzoate by hydrogen bonding to the ligand's amine proton. Magnetic susceptibility studies on solid samples of and yielded values of the antiferromagnetic exchange coupling constants, J, for these S = 5/2 dimers of -13.1 cm(-1) and -87.5 cm(-1), respectively, typical of such unsupported hydroxo- and oxo-bridges.

Reactivity of the binuclear non-heme iron active site of Δ⁹ desaturase studied by large-scale multireference ab initio calculations

The results of density matrix renormalization group complete active space self-consistent field (DMRG-CASSCF) and second-order perturbation theory (DMRG-CASPT2) calculations are presented on various structural alternatives for the O-O and first C-H activating step of the catalytic cycle of the binuclear nonheme iron enzyme Δ(9) desaturase. This enzyme is capable of inserting a double bond into an alkyl chain by double hydrogen (H) atom abstraction using molecular O2. The reaction step studied here is presumably associated with the highest activation barrier along the full pathway; therefore, its quantitative assessment is of key importance to the understanding of the catalysis. The DMRG approach allows unprecedentedly large active spaces for the explicit correlation of electrons in the large part of the chemically important valence space, which is apparently conditio sine qua non for obtaining well-converged reaction energetics. The derived reaction mechanism involves protonation of the previously characterized 1,2-μ peroxy Fe(III)Fe(III) (P) intermediate to a 1,1-μ hydroperoxy species, which abstracts an H atom from the C10 site of the substrate. An Fe(IV)-oxo unit is generated concomitantly, supposedly capable of the second H atom abstraction from C9. In addition, several popular DFT functionals were compared to the computed DMRG-CASPT2 data. Notably, many of these show a preference for heterolytic C-H cleavage, erroneously predicting substrate hydroxylation. This study shows that, despite its limitations, DMRG-CASPT2 is a significant methodological advancement toward the accurate computational treatment of complex bioinorganic systems, such as those with the highly open-shell diiron active sites.

Computational electrochemistry: prediction of liquid-phase reduction potentials

This article reviews recent developments and applications in the area of computational electrochemistry. Our focus is on predicting the reduction potentials of electron transfer and other electrochemical reactions and half-reactions in both aqueous and nonaqueous solutions. Topics covered include various computational protocols that combine quantum mechanical electronic structure methods (such as density functional theory) with implicit-solvent models, explicit-solvent protocols that employ Monte Carlo or molecular dynamics simulations (for example, Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics using the grand canonical ensemble formalism), and the Marcus theory of electronic charge transfer. We also review computational approaches based on empirical relationships between molecular and electronic structure and electron transfer reactivity. The scope of the implicit-solvent protocols is emphasized, and the present status of the theory and future directions are outlined.

Modeling nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopic data of binuclear non-heme iron enzymes using density functional theory

Nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) is a powerful technique that can provide geometric structural information on key reaction intermediates of Fe-containing systems when utilized in combination with density functional theory (DFT). However, in the case of binuclear non-heme iron enzymes, DFT-predicted NRVS spectra have been found to be sensitive to truncation method used to model the active sites of the enzymes. Therefore, in this study various-level truncation schemes have been tested to predict the NRVS spectrum of a binuclear non-heme iron enzyme, and a reasonably sized DFT model that is suitable for employing the NRVS/DFT combined methodology to characterize binuclear non-heme iron enzymes has been developed.

Density functional study for the bridged dinuclear center based on a high-resolution X-ray crystal structure of ba3 cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus

Strong electron density for a peroxide type dioxygen species bridging the Fea3 and CuB dinuclear center (DNC) was observed in the high-resolution (1.8 Å) X-ray crystal structures (PDB entries 3S8G and 3S8F) of ba3 cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) from Thermus thermophilus. The crystals represent the as-isolated X-ray photoreduced CcO structures. The bridging peroxide was proposed to arise from the recombination of two radiation-produced HO(•) radicals formed either very near to or even in the space between the two metals of the DNC. It is unclear whether this peroxide species is in the O2(2-), O2(•)(-), HO2(-), or the H2O2 form and what is the detailed electronic structure and binding geometry including the DNC. In order to answer what form of this dioxygen species was observed in the DNC of the 1.8 Å X-ray CcO crystal structure (3S8G), we have applied broken-symmetry density functional theory (BS-DFT) geometric and energetic calculations (using OLYP potential) on large DNC cluster models with different Fea3-CuB oxidation and spin states and with O2(2-), O2(•)(-), HO2(-), or H2O2 in the bridging position. By comparing the DFT optimized geometries with the X-ray crystal structure (3S8G), we propose that the bridging peroxide is HO2(-). The X-ray crystal structure is likely to represent the superposition of the Fea3(2+)-(HO2(-))-CuB(+) DNC's in different states (Fe(2+) in low spin (LS), intermediate spin (IS), or high spin (HS)) with the majority species having the proton of the HO2(-) residing on the oxygen atom (O1) which is closer to the Fea3(2+) site in the Fea3(2+)-(HO-O)(-)-CuB(+) conformation. Our calculations show that the side chain of Tyr237 is likely trapped in the deprotonated Tyr237(-) anion form in the 3S8G X-ray crystal structure.

On Predicting Mössbauer Parameters of Iron-Containing Molecules with Density-Functional Theory

The performance of six frequently used density functional theory (DFT) methods (RPBE, OLYP, TPSS, B3LYP, B3LYP*, and TPSSh) in the prediction of Mössbauer isomer shifts(δ) and quadrupole splittings (ΔEQ) is studied for an extended and diverse set of Fe complexes. In addition to the influence of the applied density functional and the type of the basis set, the effect of the environment of the molecule, approximated with the conducting-like screening solvation model (COSMO) on the computed Mössbauer parameters, is also investigated. For the isomer shifts the COSMO-B3LYP method is found to provide accurate δ values for all 66 investigated complexes, with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.05 mm s-1 and a maximum deviation of 0.12 mm s-1. Obtaining accurate ΔEQ values presents a bigger challenge; however, with the selection of an appropriate DFT method, a reasonable agreement can be achieved between experiment and theory. Identifying the various chemical classes of compounds that need different treatment allowed us to construct a recipe for ΔEQ calculations; the application of this approach yields a MAE of 0.12 mm s-1 (7% error) and a maximum deviation of 0.55 mm s-1 (17% error). This accuracy should be sufficient for most chemical problems that concern Fe complexes. Furthermore, the reliability of the DFT approach is verified by extending the investigation to chemically relevant case studies which include geometric isomerism, phase transitions induced by variations of the electronic structure (e.g., spin crossover and inversion of the orbital ground state), and the description of electronically degenerate triplet and quintet states. Finally, the immense and often unexploited potential of utilizing the sign of the ΔEQ in characterizing distortions or in identifying the appropriate electronic state at the assignment of the spectral lines is also shown.

A 2.8 Å Fe-Fe separation in the Fe2(III/IV) intermediate, X, from Escherichia coli ribonucleotide reductase

A class Ia ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) employs a μ-oxo-Fe2(III/III)/tyrosyl radical cofactor in its β subunit to oxidize a cysteine residue ~35 Å away in its α subunit; the resultant cysteine radical initiates substrate reduction. During self-assembly of the Escherichia coli RNR-β cofactor, reaction of the protein's Fe2(II/II) complex with O2 results in accumulation of an Fe2(III/IV) cluster, termed X, which oxidizes the adjacent tyrosine (Y122) to the radical (Y122(•)) as the cluster is converted to the μ-oxo-Fe2(III/III) product. As the first high-valent non-heme-iron enzyme complex to be identified and the key activating intermediate of class Ia RNRs, X has been the focus of intensive efforts to determine its structure. Initial characterization by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy yielded a Fe-Fe separation (d(Fe-Fe)) of 2.5 Å, which was interpreted to imply the presence of three single-atom bridges (O(2-), HO(-), and/or μ-1,1-carboxylates). This short distance has been irreconcilable with computational and synthetic models, which all have d(Fe-Fe) ≥ 2.7 Å. To resolve this conundrum, we revisited the EXAFS characterization of X. Assuming that samples containing increased concentrations of the intermediate would yield EXAFS data of improved quality, we applied our recently developed method of generating O2 in situ from chlorite using the enzyme chlorite dismutase to prepare X at ~2.0 mM, more than 2.5 times the concentration realized in the previous EXAFS study. The measured d(Fe-Fe) = 2.78 Å is fully consistent with computational models containing a (μ-oxo)2-Fe2(III/IV) core. Correction of the d(Fe-Fe) brings the experimental data and computational models into full conformity and informs analysis of the mechanism by which X generates Y122(•).

Nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopic and computational study of high-valent diiron complexes relevant to enzyme intermediates

High-valent intermediates of binuclear nonheme iron enzymes are structurally unknown despite their importance for understanding enzyme reactivity. Nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy combined with density functional theory calculations has been applied to structurally well-characterized high-valent mono- and di-oxo bridged binuclear Fe model complexes. Low-frequency vibrational modes of these high-valent diiron complexes involving Fe motion have been observed and assigned. These are independent of Fe oxidation state and show a strong dependence on spin state. It is important to note that they are sensitive to the nature of the Fe2 core bridges and provide the basis for interpreting parallel nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy data on the high-valent oxo intermediates in the binuclear nonheme iron enzymes.

High-valent [MnFe] and [FeFe] cofactors in ribonucleotide reductases

Ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) are essential for DNA synthesis in most organisms. In class-Ic RNR from Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct), a MnFe cofactor in subunit R2 forms the site required for enzyme activity, instead of an FeFe cofactor plus a redox-active tyrosine in class-Ia RNRs, for example in mouse (Mus musculus, Mm). For R2 proteins from Ct and Mm, either grown in the presence of, or reconstituted with Mn and Fe ions, structural and electronic properties of higher valence MnFe and FeFe sites were determined by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and complementary techniques, in combination with bond-valence-sum and density functional theory calculations. At least ten different cofactor species could be tentatively distinguished. In Ct R2, two different Mn(IV)Fe(III) site configurations were assigned either L(4)Mn(IV)(μO)(2)Fe(III)L(4) (metal-metal distance of ~2.75Å, L = ligand) prevailing in metal-grown R2, or L(4)Mn(IV)(μO)(μOH)Fe(III)L(4) (~2.90Å) dominating in metal-reconstituted R2. Specific spectroscopic features were attributed to an Fe(IV)Fe(III) site (~2.55Å) with a L(4)Fe(IV)(μO)(2)Fe(III)L(3) core structure. Several Mn,Fe(III)Fe(III) (~2.9-3.1Å) and Mn,Fe(III)Fe(II) species (~3.3-3.4Å) likely showed 5-coordinated Mn(III) or Fe(III). Rapid X-ray photoreduction of iron and shorter metal-metal distances in the high-valent states suggested radiation-induced modifications in most crystal structures of R2. The actual configuration of the MnFe and FeFe cofactors seems to depend on assembly sequences, bound metal type, valence state, and previous catalytic activity involving subunit R1. In Ct R2, the protonation of a bridging oxide in the Mn(IV)(μO)(μOH)Fe(III) core may be important for preventing premature site reduction and initiation of the radical chemistry in R1.

Mössbauer properties of the diferric cluster and the differential iron(II)-binding affinity of the iron sites in protein R2 of class Ia Escherichia coli ribonucleotide reductase: a DFT/electrostatics study

The R2 subunit of class-Ia ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) from Escherichia coli (E. coli) contains a diiron active site. Starting from the apo-protein and Fe(II) in solution at low Fe(II)/apoR2 ratios, mononuclear Fe(II) binding is observed indicating possible different Fe(II) binding affinities for the two alternative sites. Further, based on their Mössbauer spectroscopy and two-iron-isotope reaction experiments, Bollinger et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1997, 119, 5976-5977) proposed that the site Fe1, which bonds to Asp84, should be associated with the higher observed (57)Fe Mössbauer quadrupole splitting (2.41 mm s(-1)) and lower isomer shift (0.45 mm s(-1)) in the Fe(III)Fe(III) state, site Fe2, which is further from Tyr122, should have a greater affinity for Fe(II) binding than site Fe1, and Fe(IV) in the intermediate X state should reside at site Fe2. In this paper, using density functional theory (DFT) incorporated with the conductor-like screening (COSMO) solvation model and with the finite-difference Poisson-Boltzmann self-consistent reaction field (PB-SCRF) methodologies, we have demonstrated that the observed large quadrupole splitting for the diferric state R2 does come from site Fe1(III) and it is mainly caused by the binding position of the carboxylate group of the Asp84 sidechain. Further, a series of active site clusters with mononuclear Fe(II) binding at either site Fe1 or Fe2 have been studied, which show that with a single dielectric medium outside the active site quantum region, there is no energetic preference for Fe(II) binding at one site over another. However, when including the explicit extended protein environment in the PB-SCRF model, the reaction field favors the Fe(II) binding at site Fe2 rather than at site Fe1 by ~9 kcal mol(-1). Therefore our calculations support the proposal of the previous Mössbauer spectroscopy and two-iron-isotope reaction experiments by Bollinger et al.

DFT calculations for intermediate and active states of the diiron center with a tryptophan or tyrosine radical in Escherichia coli ribonucleotide reductase

Class Ia ribonucleotide reductase subunit R2 contains a diiron active site. In this paper, active-site models for the intermediate X-Trp48(•+) and X-Tyr122(•), the active Fe(III)Fe(III)-Tyr122(•), and the met Fe(III)Fe(III) states of Escherichia coli R2 are studied, using broken-symmetry density functional theory incorporated with the conductor-like screening solvation model. Different structural isomers and different protonation states have been explored. Calculated geometric, energetic, Mössbauer, hyperfine, and redox properties are compared with available experimental data. Feasible detailed structures of these intermediate and active states are proposed. Asp84 and Trp48 are most likely the main contributing residues to the result that the transient Fe(IV)Fe(IV) state is not observed in wild-type class Ia E. coli R2. Asp84 is proposed to serve as a proton-transfer conduit between the diiron cluster and Tyr122 in both the tyrosine radical activation pathway and the first steps of the catalytic proton-coupled electron-transfer pathway. Proton-coupled and simple redox potential calculations show that the kinetic control of proton transfer to Tyr122(•) plays a critical role in preventing reduction from the active Fe(III)Fe(III)-Tyr122(•) state to the met state, which is potentially the reason why Tyr122(•) in the active state can be stable over a very long period.

Oxygen cleavage with manganese and iron in ribonucleotide reductase from Chlamydia trachomatis

The oxygen cleavage in Chlamydia trachomatis ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) has been studied using B3LYP* hybrid density functional theory. Class Ic C. trachomatis RNR lacks the radical-bearing tyrosine, crucial for activity in conventional class I (subclass a and b) RNR. Instead of the Fe(III)Fe(III)-Tyr(rad) active state, C. trachomatis RNR has a mixed Mn(IV)Fe(III) metal center in subunit II (R2). A mixed MnFe metal center has never been observed as a radical cofactor before. The active state is generated by reductive oxygen cleavage at the metal site. On the basis of calculated barriers for oxygen cleavage in C. trachomatis R2 and R2 from Escherichia coli with a diiron, a mixed manganese-iron, and a dimanganese center, conclusions can be drawn about the effect of changing metals in R2. The oxygen cleavage is found to be governed by two factors: the redox potentials of the metals and the relative stability of the different peroxides. Mn(IV) has higher stability than Fe(IV), and the barrier is therefore lower with a mixed metal center than with a diiron center. With a dimanganese center, an asymmetric peroxide is more stable than the symmetric peroxide, and the barrier therefore becomes too high. Calculated proton-coupled redox potentials are compared to identify three possible R2 active states, the Fe(III)Fe(III)-Tyr(rad) state, the Mn(IV)Fe(III) state, and the Mn(IV)Mn(IV) state. A tentative energy profile of the thermodynamics of the radical transfer from R2 to subunit I is constructed to illustrate how the stability of the active states can be understood from a thermodynamical point of view.

The prediction of Fe Mössbauer parameters by the density functional theory: a benchmark study

We report the performance of eight density functionals (B3LYP, BPW91, OLYP, O3LYP, M06, M06-2X, PBE, and SVWN5) in two Gaussian basis sets (Wachters and Partridge-1 on iron atoms; cc-pVDZ on the rest of atoms) for the prediction of the isomer shift (IS) and the quadrupole splitting (QS) parameters of Mössbauer spectroscopy. Two sources of geometry (density functional theory-optimized and X-ray) are used. Our data set consists of 31 iron-containing compounds (35 signals), the Mössbauer spectra of which were determined at liquid helium temperature and where the X-ray geometries are known. Our results indicate that the larger and uncontracted Partridge-1 basis set produces slightly more accurate linear correlations of electronic density used for the prediction of IS and noticeably more accurate results for the QS parameter. We confirm and discuss the earlier observation of Noodleman and co-workers that different oxidation states of iron produce different IS calibration lines. The B3LYP and O3LYP functionals have the lowest errors for either IS or QS. BPW91, OLYP, PBE, and M06 have a mixed success whereas SVWN5 and M06-2X demonstrate the worst performance. Finally, our calibrations and conclusions regarding the best functional to compute the Mössbauer characteristics are applied to candidate structures for the peroxo and Q intermediates of the enzyme methane monooxygenase hydroxylase (MMOH), and compared to experimental data in the literature.

Density functional theory analysis of structure, energetics, and spectroscopy for the Mn-Fe active site of Chlamydia trachomatis ribonucleotide reductase in four oxidation states

Models for the Mn-Fe active site structure of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) from pathogenic bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) in different oxidation states have been studied in this paper, using broken-symmetry density functional theory (DFT) incorporated with the conductor like screening (COSMO) solvation model and also with finite-difference Poisson-Boltzmann self-consistent reaction field (PB-SCRF) calculations. The detailed structures for the reduced Mn(II)-Fe(II), the met Mn(III)-Fe(III), the oxidized Mn(IV)-Fe(III) and the superoxidized Mn(IV)-Fe(IV) states are predicted. The calculated properties, including geometries, (57)Fe Mossbauer isomer shifts and quadrupole splittings, and (57)Fe and (55)Mn electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) hyperfine coupling constants, are compared with the available experimental data. The Mössbauer and energetic calculations show that the (mu-oxo, mu-hydroxo) models better represent the structure of the Mn(IV)-Fe(III) state than the di-mu-oxo models. The predicted Mn(IV)-Fe(III) distances (2.95 and 2.98 A) in the (mu-oxo, mu-hydroxo) models are in agreement with the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) experimental value of 2.92 A (Younker et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 15022-15027). The effect of the protein and solvent environment on the assignment of the Mn metal position is examined by comparing the relative energies of alternative mono-Mn(II) active site structures. It is proposed that if the Mn(II)-Fe(II) protein is prepared with prior addition of Mn(II) or with Mn(II) richer than Fe(II), Mn is likely positioned at metal site 2, which is further from Phe127.