The catalytic role of the copper ligand H172 of peptidylglycine alpha-hydroxylating monooxygenase (PHM): a spectroscopic study of the H172A mutant

The spectroscopic characterization of the H172A mutant of peptidylglycine alpha-hydroxylating monooxygenase (PHM) was undertaken to determine the importance of this Cu(H) ligand in the catalytic mechanism of PHM. Mutation of this histidine reduced the activity of the enzyme over 300-fold with little effect on the structure of the oxidized form. However, the reduced enzyme showed a decrease in the average Cu-N(His) distances from 1.96 A in wild-type PHM to 1.89 A in H172A associated with a change in the structure of Cu(H) from distorted T-shaped planar in the wild type to 2-coordinate in the mutant. Binding of CO was retained at the Cu(M) site (similar to wild type), and peptide substrate binding continued to activate a second site for CO binding. Confirmation of this substrate-induced CO binding site at Cu(H) was obtained through the observation that loss of the H172 Cu(H) ligand caused a 3 cm(-)(1) blue shift in the nu(CO) for this copper carbonyl. Possible mechanistic roles for the H172 ligand are discussed.     

Synthesis, physico-chemical studies of manganese(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II), copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes with some p-substituted acetophenone benzoylhydrazones and their antimicrobial activity

Complexes of the type [M(pabh)(H2O)Cl], [M(pcbh)(H2O)Cl] and [M(Hpabh)(H2O)2 (SO4)] where, M = Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II); Hpabh = p-amino acetophenone benzoyl hydrazone and Hpcbh = p-chloro acetophenone benzoyl hydrazone have been synthesized and characterized with the help of elemental analyses, electrical conductance, magnetic susceptibility measurements, electronic, ESR and IR spectra, thermal (TGA & DTA) and X-ray diffraction studies. Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) chloride complexes are square planar, whereas their sulfate complexes have spin-free octahedral geometry. ESR spectra of Cu(II) complexes with Hpabh are axial and suggest d(x(2)-y(2) as the ground state. The ligand is bidentate bonding through > C = N--and deprotonated enolate group in all the chloro complexes, whereas, >C = N and >C = O groups in all the sulfato complexes. Thermal studies (TGA & DTA) on [Cu(Hpabh)(H2O)2(SO4)] indicate a multistep decomposition pattern, which are both exothermic and endothermic in nature. X-ray powder diffraction parameters for [Co(pabh)(H2O)Cl] and [Ni(Hpabh)(H2O)2(SO4)] correspond to tetragonal and orthorhombic crystal lattices, respectively. The ligands as well as their complexes show a significant antifungal and antibacterial activity. The metal complexes are more active than the ligand.     

Dioxygen activation by copper, heme and non-heme iron enzymes: comparison of electronic structures and reactivities

Enzymes containing heme, non-heme iron and copper active sites play important roles in the activation of dioxygen for substrate oxidation. One key reaction step is CH bond cleavage through H-atom abstraction. On the basis of the ligand environment and the redox properties of the metal, these enzymes employ different methods of dioxygen activation. Heme enzymes are able to stabilize the very reactive iron(IV)-oxo porphyrin-radical intermediate. This is generally not accessible for non-heme iron systems, which can instead use low-spin ferric-hydroperoxo and iron(IV)-oxo species as reactive oxidants. Copper enzymes employ still a different strategy and achieve H-atom abstraction potentially through a superoxo intermediate. This review compares and contrasts the electronic structures and reactivities of these various oxygen intermediates.     

Synthesis,characterization of some transition metal(II) complexes of acetone <Emphasis Type="Italic">p-</Emphasis>amino acetophenone salicyloyl hydrazone and their anti microbial activity

Complexes of the type [M(apash)Cl] and [M(Hapash)(H2O)SO4], where M = Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II); Hapash = acetone p-amino acetophenone salicyloyl hydrazone have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductance, magnetic moments, electronic, ESR and IR spectra, thermal studies (TGA & DTA) and X-ray diffraction studies. The ligand coordinates through two >C=N and a deprotonated enolate group in all the chloro complexes, whereas through two >C=N- and a >C=O group in all the sulfato complexes. The electronic spectra suggest a square planar geometry for Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) chloride complexes and an octahedral geometry for the sulfate complexes. ESR data show an isotropic symmetry for [Cu(apash)Cl] and [Cu(Hapash)(H2O)SO4] in solid state. However, ESR spectra of both Cu(II) complexes indicate the presence of unpaired electron in d x2-y2. The X-ray diffraction parameters for [Co(apash)Cl] and [Cu(Hapash)(H2O)SO4] complexes correspond to a tetragonal and an orthorhombic crystal lattices, respectively. Thermal studies of [Co(apash)Cl] complex shows a multi-step decomposition pattern. Most of the complexes show better antifungal activity than the standard miconazole against a number of pathogenic fungi. The antibacterial activity of these complexes has been evaluated against E. coli and Clostridium sp. which shows a moderate activity.     

Paramagnetic NMR investigations of Co(II) and Ni(II) amicyanin

 The paramagnetic ¹H NMR spectra of the Co(II) and Ni(II) substituted forms of the type 1 blue copper protein (cupredoxin) amicyanin have been assigned. This is the first such analysis of a cupredoxin, which has a distorted tetrahedral active site with the ligands provided by two histidines, a cysteine and a methionine. The isotropic shifts of the resonances in these spectra are compared with those of Co(II) and Ni(II) azurin. A number of interesting similarities and differences are found. The coordination of the metal by the two equatorial histidine ligands is very similar in both proteins. The interaction between the introduced metal and the thiolate sulfur of the equatorial cysteine ligand is enhanced in the amicyanin derivatives. Resonances belonging to the weak axial methionine ligand exhibit much larger shifts in the amicyanin derivatives, indicative of shorter M(II)-S(Met) distances. The presence of shorter axial M(II)-S(Met) and equatorial M(II)-S(Cys) distances in both Co(II) and Ni(II) amicyanin is ascribed to the absence of a second axially interacting amino acid at the active site of this cupredoxin. Received: 2 February 1999 / Accepted: 19 May 1999     

Oxidation of histidine residues in copper-zinc superoxide dismutase by bicarbonate-stimulated peroxidase and thiol oxidase activities: pulse EPR and NMR studies

In this work, we investigated the oxidative modification of histidine residues induced by peroxidase and thiol oxidase activities of bovine copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu-ZnSOD) using NMR and pulse EPR spectroscopy. 1D NMR and 2D-NOESY were used to determine the oxidative damage at the Zn(II) and Cu(II) active sites as well as at distant histidines. Results indicate that during treatment of SOD with hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) or cysteine in the absence of bicarbonate anion (HCO(3)(-)), both exchangeable and nonexchangeable protons were affected. Both His-44 and His-46 in the Cu(II) active site were oxidized based on the disappearance of NOESY cross-peaks between CH and NH resonances of the imidazole rings. In the Zn(II) site, only His-69, which is closer to His-44, was oxidatively modified. However, addition of HCO(3)(-) protected the active site His residues. Instead, resonances assigned to the His-41 residue, 11 ? away from the Cu(II) site, were completely abolished during both HCO(3)(-)-stimulated peroxidase activity and thiol oxidase activity in the presence of HCO(3)(-) . Additionally, ESEEM/HYSCORE and ENDOR studies of SOD treated with peroxide/Cys in the absence of HCO(3)(-) revealed that hyperfine couplings to the distal and directly coordinated nitrogens of the His-44 and His-46 ligands at the Cu(II) active site were modified. In the presence of HCO(3)(-), these modifications were absent. HCO(3)(-)-mediated, selective oxidative modification of histidines in SOD may be relevant to understanding the molecular mechanism of SOD peroxidase and thiol oxidase activities.     

Synthesis and physic-chemical properties of a copper(II) complex with 2-(2-pyridyl)iminotetrahydro-1,3-thiazine hydrochloride-water (1/2) (PyTzHCl.2H2O). Crystal structure of PyTz and [[CuCl(PyTz)]2(mu-Cl)2

The synthesis of 2-(2-pyridyl)iminotetrahydro-1,3-thiazine (PyTz) has been carried out, as well as the determination of its X-ray crystal structure, together with the coordination behaviour and equilibra study of PyTzHCl.2H2O with copper(II) in aqueous solution at 298 K and 0.1 M ionic strength in NaClO4. The formation constants are determined and discussed in terms of the characteristics of the ligand. The compound Di-mu-chloro-bis[chloro[2-(2-pyrydil-kappaN)amino-5,6-dihydro-4H-1,3-thiazine-kappaN]copper] has been isolated and its crystal and molecular structure determined by X-ray analysis. The structure consists of dimeric molecules [Cu2Cl4L2], in which copper ions are bridged by two chloro ligands. The geometry about each copper approximates to a distorted square pyramid with the bridging ligands occupying apical and equatorial sites of each copper ion, while the PyTz ligand and the remaining chloride ion are located in an equatorial plane. The compound was also characterized through elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility, electron paramagnetic resonance, and electronic and infrared spectroscopies.     

Electron tunneling in rhenium-modified Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurins

Laser flash-quench methods have been used to generate tyrosine and tryptophan radicals in structurally characterized rhenium-modified Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurins. Cu(I) to "Re(II)" electron tunneling in Re(H107) azurin occurs in the microsecond range. This reaction is much faster than that studied previously for Cu(I) to Ru(III) tunneling in Ru(H107) azurin, suggesting that a multistep ("hopping") mechanism might be involved. Although a Y108 radical can be generated by flash-quenching a Re(H107)M(II) (M=Cu, Zn) protein, the evidence suggests that it is not an active intermediate in the enhanced Cu(I) oxidation. Rather, the likely explanation is rapid conversion of Re(II)(H107) to deprotonated Re(I)(H107 radical), followed by electron tunneling from Cu(I) to the hole in the imidazole ligand.     

Does superoxide channel between the copper centers in peptidylglycine monooxygenase? A new mechanism based on carbon monoxide reactivity

Peptidylglycine monooxygenase (PHM) carries out the hydroxylation of the alpha-C atom of glycine-extended propeptides, the first step in the amidation of peptide hormones by the bifunctional enzyme peptidyl-alpha-amidating monooxygenase (PAM). Since PHM is a copper-containing monooxygenase, a study of the interaction between the reduced enzyme and carbon monoxide has been carried out as a probe of the interaction of the Cu(I) sites with O(2). The results show that, in the absence of peptide substrate, reduced PHM binds CO with a stoichiometry of 0.5 CO/Cu(I), indicating that only one of the two copper centers, Cu(B), forms a Cu(I)-carbonyl. FTIR spectroscopy shows a single band in the 2200-1950 cm(-)(1) energy region with nu(CO) = 2093 cm(-)(1) assigned to the intraligand C-O stretch via isotopic labeling with (13)CO. A His242Ala mutant of PHM, which deletes the Cu(B) site by replacing one of its histidine ligands, completely eliminates CO binding. EXAFS spectroscopy is consistent with binding of a single CO ligand with a Cu-C distance of 1.82 +/- 0.03 A. The Cu-S(met) distance increases from 2.23 +/- 0. 02 A in the reduced unliganded enzyme to 2.33 +/- 0.01 A in the carbonylated enzyme, suggesting that the methionine-containing Cu(B) center is the site of CO binding. The binding of the peptide substrate N-Ac-tyr-val-gly perturbs the CO ligand environment, eliciting an IR band at 2062 cm(-)(1) in addition to the 2093 cm(-)(1) band. (13)CO isotopic substitution assigns both frequencies as C-O stretching bands. The CO:Cu binding stoichiometry and peptide/CO FTIR titrations indicate that the 2062 cm(-)(1) band is due to binding of CO at a second site, most likely at the Cu(A) center. This suggests that peptide binding may activate the Cu(A) center toward O(2) binding and reduction to superoxide. As a result of these findings, a new mechanism is proposed involving channeling of superoxide across the 11 A distance between the two copper centers.     

Transport of Cu(II) from an albumin mimic peptide, GlyGlyHisGly, to histidine and penicillamine

Cu in blood has been believed to transport into cell via albumin and some amino acids. To shed light on the Cu transport process we studied the reaction of the Cu(II)-peptide with the amino acid by absorption and CD spectra. Albumin mimic peptides GlyGly-L-HisGly (GGHG) and penta-Gly(G5) formed stable 4N coordinated Cu(II) complexes, but in the reaction with histidine (His) and penicillamine (Pes) the ternary Cu(II) complex formations were observed different by the kinetic study. Cu(II)-G5 complexes reacted with Pes to form the ternary complex Cu(H(-1)G5)(Pes(-)) which was subsequently transformed to the binary complex Cu(Pes(-))(2). In the system with GGHG the Cu(II) was also transported from GGHG to Pes, but the ternary Cu(H(-1)GGHG)(Pes(-)) complex as the intermediate was detected a trace. The ternary complex would be spontaneously transformed to Cu(Pes(-))(2) upon forming, because the rate constant of the ternary complex formation k(1+)= approximately 2M(-1)s(-1) was less than k(2+)= approximately 5 x 10(2)M(-1)s(-1) for the Cu(Pes(-))(2) formation at physiological pH. In the Cu(II)-GGHG-His system the ternary Cu(H(-1)GGHG)(His) complex was also hardly identified because the formation constant K(1) and k(1+) were very small and the equilibrium existed between Cu(H(-2)GGHG) and Cu(His)(2) and its overall equilibrium constant beta(2) for Cu(His)(2) was very small to be 1.00+/-0.05 M(-1) at pH 9.0. These results indicated that the ternary complex is formed in the Cu transport process from the albumin to the amino acid, but His imidazole nitrogen in the fourth-binding site of Cu(II) strongly resists the replacement by the incoming ligand.     

Cu2+ site in photosynthetic bacterial reaction centers from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Rhodobacter capsulatus, and Rhodopseudomonas viridis

The interaction of metal ions with isolated photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs) from the purple bacteria Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Rhodobacter capsulatus, and Rhodopseudomonas viridis has been investigated with transient optical and magnetic resonance techniques. In RCs from all species, the electrochromic response of the bacteriopheophytin cofactors associated with Q(A)(-)Q(B) --> Q(A)Q(B)(-) electron transfer is slowed in the presence of Cu(2+). This slowing is similar to the metal ion effect observed for RCs from Rb. sphaeroides where Zn(2+) was bound to a specific site on the surface of the RC [Utschig et al. (1998) Biochemistry 37, 8278]. The coordination environments of the Cu(2+) sites were probed with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, providing the first direct spectroscopic evidence for the existence of a second metal site in RCs from Rb. capsulatus and Rps. viridis. In the dark, RCs with Cu(2+) bound to the surface exhibit axially symmetric EPR spectra. Electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectral results indicate multiple weakly hyperfine coupled (14)N nuclei in close proximity to Cu(2+). These ESEEM spectra resemble those observed for Cu(2+) RCs from Rb. sphaeroides [Utschig et al. (2000) Biochemistry 39, 2961] and indicate that two or more histidines ligate the Cu(2+) at the surface site in each RC. Thus, RCs from Rb. sphaeroides, Rb. capsulatus, and Rps. viridis each have a structurally analogous Cu(2+) binding site that is involved in modulating the Q(A)(-)Q(B) --> Q(A)Q(B)(-) electron-transfer process. Inspection of the Rps. viridis crystal structure reveals four potential histidine ligands from three different subunits (M16, H178, H72, and L211) located beneath the Q(B) binding pocket. The location of these histidines is surprisingly similar to the grouping of four histidine residues (H68, H126, H128, and L211) observed in the Rb. sphaeroides RC crystal structure. Further elucidation of these Cu(2+) sites will provide a means to investigate localized proton entry into the RCs of Rb. capsulatus and Rps. viridis as well as locate a site of protein motions coupled with electron transfer.     

Synthesis and DNA binding/cleavage of mononuclear copper(II) phenanthroline/bipyridine proline complexes

The complexes [Cu(II)(phen)(L-Pro)(H2O)]+ ClO4(-) (1; phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) and [Cu(II)(bipy)(L-Pro)(H2O)]+ ClO4(-) (2; bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine) were synthesized and characterized by IR, magnetic susceptibility, UV/VIS, EPR, ESI-MS, elemental analysis, and theoretical calculations. The metal center was found in a square-pyramidal geometry. UV/VIS, thermal-denaturation, and fluorescence-spectroscopic studies were conducted to assess the interaction of the complexes with CT-DNA. An intercalative mode of binding was found, with intrinsic binding constants (Kb) of 3.86x10(3) and 4.6x10(3) M(-1) and Stern-Volmer quenching constants (K) of 0.15 and 0.11 for 1 and 2, respectively. Interestingly, none of the Cu(II) complexes was able to cleave pUC-19 DNA, which is attributed to the absence of a Pro amide H-atom and inhibition of the formation of an OH radical from the axially coordinated H2O molecule.     

Synthesis,structure and nuclease properties of several ternary copper(II) peptide complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline

Three new ternary peptide-Cu(II)-1,10-phenanthroline (phen) complexes, [Cu(L-ala-gly)(phen)].3.5H(2)O 1, [Cu(L-val-gly)(phen)] 2 and [Cu(gly-L-trp)(phen)].2H(2)O 3, have been prepared and structurally characterised. These compounds exist as distorted square pyramidal complexes with the five co-ordination sites occupied by the tridentate peptide dianion and the two heterocyclic nitrogens of the phenanthroline ligand. The bulk of the lateral chain in the peptide moiety determines the relative disposition of the phen ligand. Thus, in [Cu(L-val-gly)(phen)] 2, the phenanthroline plane is deviated towards the opposite side of the isopropyl group of the L-valine moiety. On the other hand, in [Cu(gly-L-trp)(phen)].2H(2)O 3 the absence of stacking interactions between phen and indole rings and the presence of an intramolecular CH...pi interaction should be pointed out. These complexes exhibit significant differences in their nuclease activity which depends on the nature of the peptidic moiety, the complex [Cu(gly-L-trp) (phen)].2H(2)O 3 being the most active.     

A copper-methionine interaction controls the pH-dependent activation of peptidylglycine monooxygenase

The pH dependence of native peptidylglycine monooxygenase (PHM) and its M314H variant has been studied in detail. For wild-type (WT) PHM, the intensity of the Cu-S interaction visible in the Cu(I) extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data is inversely proportional to catalytic activity over the pH range of 3-8. A previous model based on more limited data was interpreted in terms of two protein conformations involving an inactive Met-on form and an active flexible Met-off form [Bauman, A. T., et al. (2006) Biochemistry 45, 11140-11150] that derived its catalytic activity from the ability to couple into vibrational modes critical for proton tunneling. The new studies comparing the WT and M314H variant have led to the evolution of this model, in which the Met-on form has been found to be derived from coordination of an additional Met residue, rather than a more rigid conformer of M314 as previously proposed. The catalytic activity of the mutant decreased by 96% because of effects on both k(cat) and K(M), but it displayed the same activity-pH profile with a maximum around pH 6. At pH 8, the reduced Cu(I) form gave spectra that could be simulated by replacement of the Cu(M) Cu-S(Met) interaction with a Cu-N/O interaction, but the data did not unambiguously assign the ligand to the imidazole side chain of H314. At pH 3.5, the EXAFS still showed the presence of a strong Cu-S interaction, establishing that the Met-on form observed at low pH in WT cannot be due to a strengthening of the Cu(M)-methionine interaction but must arise from a different Cu-S interaction. Therefore, lowering the pH causes a conformational change at one of the Cu centers that brings a new S donor residue into a favorable orientation for coordination to copper and generates an inactive form. Cys coordination is unlikely because all Cys residues in PHM are engaged in disulfide cross-links. Sequence comparison with the PHM homologues tyramine β-monooxygenase and dopamine β-monooxygenase suggests that M109 (adjacent to H site ligands H107 and H108) is the most likely candidate. A model is presented in which H108 is protonated with a pK(a) of 4.6 to generate the inactive low-pH form with Cu(H) coordinated by M109, H107, and H172.     

Hydrogen atom abstraction by Cu(II)- and Zn(II)-phenoxyl radical complexes, models for the active form of galactose oxidase

The Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes of phenoxyl radical species [M(II)(L1*)(NO3)]+ (M=Cu or Zn, L1H: 2-methylthio-4-tert-butyl-6-[[bis[2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl]amino]methyl]phenol ) and [M(II)(L2*)(NO3)]+ (M=Cu or Zn, L2H: 2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-[[bis[2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl]amino]methyl]phenol) are prepared as model complexes of the active form of galactose oxidase (GAO). Hydrogen atom abstraction of 1,4-cyclohexadiene and tert-butyl substituted phenols by the GAO model complexes proceeds very efficiently to give benzene and the corresponding phenoxyl radical or its C-C coupling dimer as the oxidation products, respectively. Kinetic analyses on the oxidation reactions have shown that the hydrogen atom abstraction of the phenol substrates is significantly enhanced by the coordinative interaction of the OH group to the metal ion center of the complex, providing valuable insight into the enzymatic mechanism of the alcohol oxidation. Details of the substrate-activation process have been discussed based on the activation parameters (deltaH* and deltaS*) of the reactions.     

Biochemical and crystallographic studies of the Met144Ala, Asp92Asn and His254Phe mutants of the nitrite reductase from Alcaligenes xylosoxidans provide insight into the enzyme mechanism

Dissimilatory nitrite reductase catalyses the reduction of nitrite (NO(2)(-)) to nitric oxide (NO). Copper-containing nitrite reductases contain both type 1 and type 2 Cu sites. Electron transfer from redox partners is presumed to be mediated via the type 1 Cu site and used at the catalytic type 2 Cu centre along with the substrate nitrite. At the type 2 Cu site, Asp92 has been identified as a key residue in substrate utilisation, since it hydrogen bonds to the water molecule at the nitrite binding site. We have also suggested that protons enter the catalytic site via Asp92, through a water network that is mediated by His254. The role of these residues has been investigated in the blue copper nitrite reductase from Alcaligenes xylosoxidans (NCIMB 11015) by a combination of point mutation, enzymatic activity measurement and structure determination.In addition, it has been suggested that the enzyme operates via an ordered mechanism where an electron is transferred to the type 2 Cu site largely when the second substrate nitrite is bound and that this is controlled via the lowering of the redox potential of the type 2 site when it is loaded with nitrite. Thus, a small perturbation of the type 1 Cu site should result in a significant effect on the activity of the enzyme. For this reason a mutation of Met144, which is the weakest ligand of the type 1 Cu, is investigated. The structures of H254F, D92N and M144A have been determined to 1.85 A, 1.9 A and 2.2 A resolution, respectively. The D92N and H254F mutants have negligible or no activity, while the M144A mutant has 30 % activity of the native enzyme. Structural and spectroscopic data show that the loss of activity in H254F is due to the catalytic site being occupied by Zn while the loss/reduction of activity in D92N/M144A are due to structural reasons. The D92N mutation results in the loss of the Asp92 hydrogen bond to the Cu-ligated water. Therefore, the ligand is no longer able to perform proton abstraction. Even though the loss of activity in H254F is due to lack of catalytic Cu, the mutation does cause the disruption of the water network, confirming its key role in proton channel. The structure of the H254F mutant is the first case where full occupancy Zn at the type 2 Cu site is observed, but despite the previously noted similarity of this site to the carbonic anhydrase catalytic site, no carbonic anhydrase activity is observed. The H254F and D92N mutant structures provide, for the first time, observation of surface Zn sites which may act as a Zn sink and prevent binding of Zn at the catalytic Cu site in the native enzyme.     

Synthesis, characterization and antitumor studies of Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes of N-salicyloyl-N'-o-hydroxythiobenzhydrazide

A new ligand N-salicyloyl-N'-o-hydroxythiobenzhydrazide (H2Sotbh) forms complexes [Mn(HSotbh)2], [Fe(Sotbh-H)(H2O)2], [M(Sotbh)] [M=Co(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II)] and [Ni(Sotbh)(H(2)O)2], which were characterized by various physico-chemical techniques. M?ssbauer spectrum of [Fe(Sotbh-H)(H2O)2] reveals the quantum admixture of 5/2 and 3/2 spin-states. Mn(II), Cu(II) and Ni(II) complexes were observed to inhibit the growth of tumor in vitro, whereas, Fe(III), Co(II), Zn(II) complexes did not. In vivo administration of Mn(II), Cu(II) and Ni(II) resulted in prolongation of survival of tumor bearing mice. Tumor bearing mice administered with Mn(II), Cu(II) and Ni(II) complexes showed reversal of tumor growth associated induction of apoptosis in lymphocytes. The paper discusses the possible mechanisms and therapeutic implication of the H2Sotbh and its metal complexes in tumor regression and tumor growth associated immunosuppression.     

Improved hybrid optimization algorithm for 3D protein structure prediction

Diuron, a chlorine-substituted dimethyl herbicide, is widely used in agriculture. Though the degradation of diuron in water has been studied much with experiments, little is known about the detailed degradation mechanism from the molecular level. In this work, the degradation mechanisms for OH-induced reactions of diuron in water phase are investigated at the MPWB1K/6–311+G(3df,2p)//MPWB1K/6–31+G(d,p) level with polarizable continuum model (PCM) calculation. Three reaction types including H-atom abstraction, addition, and substitution are identified. For H-atom abstraction reactions, the calculation results show that the reaction abstracting H atom from the methyl group has the lowest energy barrier; the potential barrier of ortho- H (H1’) abstraction is higher than the meta- H abstraction, and the reason is possibly that part of the potential energy is to overcome the side chain torsion for the H1’ abstraction reaction. For addition pathways, the ortho- site (C (2) atom) is the most favorable site that OH may first attack; the potential barriers for OH additions to the ortho- sites (pathways R7 and R8) and the chloro-substituted para- site (R10) are lower than other sites, indicating the ortho- and para- sites are more favorable to be attacked, matching well with the -NHCO- group as an ortho-para directing group.

Novel polynuclear platinum adducts detected during the reactions of [Pt(Met-S,N)Cl2] with gamma-glutathione and L-cysteine

The reactions of platinum(II) complexes with thiol containing molecules are highly relevant to the mechanism of action of platinum-based drugs. This work presents the electrospray mass spectrometry (ESMS) and NMR results on the reactions of [Pt(l-MetH-S,N)Cl(2)] (l-MetH: l-methionine) with gamma-glutathione (GSH) and l-cysteine (l-Cys) at different pH and different molar ratios. Polymeric species such as [Pt(2)(micro-SG-S)(2)(Met-S,N)(2)], [Pt(3)(micro-SG-S)(4)(Met-S,N)(2)], [Pt(4)(micro-SG-S)(6)(Met-S,N)(2)] and [Pt(5)(micro-SG-S)(8)(Met-S,N)(2)] (l-Met: deprotonated l-methionine) were detected and were stable for long hours. For both reactions, the polymerization extent decreased with the increase of pH. For the reaction of l-Cys, only mononuclear complex [Pt(l-Met-S,N)(l-Cys-S,N)] was observed when pH>9. The observation and identification of polymeric (higher than binuclear) adducts of Pt(II)/GSH and Pt(II)/l-Cys appears to be unprecedented.     

Investigations of the alkaline and acid transitions of umecyanin, a stellacyanin from horseradish roots

The effect of pH on Cu(I) and Cu(II) umecyanin (UCu), a phytocyanin obtained from horseradish roots, has been studied by electronic and NMR spectroscopy and using direct electrochemical measurements. A pK(a) value of approximately 9.5-9.8 is observed for the alkaline transition in UCu(II), and this leads to a slightly altered active site structure, as indicated by the changes in the paramagnetic 1H NMR spectrum. Electrochemical studies show that the pK(a) value for this transition in UCu(I) is 9.9. The alkaline transition is caused by the deprotonation of a surface lysine residue, with Lys96 being the most likely candidate. The isotropically shifted resonances in the (1)H NMR spectrum of UCu(II) also shift upon lowering the pH (pK(a) 5.8), and this can be assigned to the protonation of the surface (noncoordinating) His65 residue. This histidine titrates in UCu(I) with a pK(a) of 6.3. The reduction potential of the protein in this range is also dependent on pH, and pK(a) values matching those from NMR, for the two oxidation states of the protein, are obtained. There is no evidence for either of the active site histidines (His44 and His90) titrating in UCu(I) in the pH range studied (down to pH 3.7). Also highlighted in these studies are the remarkable active site similarities between umecyanin and the other phytocyanins which possess an axial Gln ligand.