In vivo detection of a three iron cluster in fumarate reductase from Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli with plasmid amplified expression of fumarate reductase was grown anaerobically on a medium containing fumarate and glycerol and investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Anaerobically harvested cells exhibit an EPR signal characteristic of a reduced [2Fe-2S] cluster. Anaerobic addition of fumarate results in diminution of the reduced [2Fe-2S] signal and the appearance of the EPR signal associated with the oxidized 3Fe cluster. The results provide the first evidence for a trinuclear iron-sulfur cluster that exists in vivo, and suggest that the 3Fe cluster in purified fumarate reductase samples is not an artifact of the isolation procedure. The significance of this observation is discussed in relation to the physiological relevance of trinuclear iron-sulfur clusters.     

3Fe-4S] to [4Fe-4S] cluster conversion in Escherichia coli fumarate reductase by site-directed mutagenesis.

Site-directed mutants of Escherichia coli fumarate reductase in which FrdB Cys204, Cys210, and Cys214 were individually replaced by Ser and in which Val207 was replaced by Cys were constructed and overexpressed in a strain of E. coli lacking a wild-type copy of fumarate reductase and succinate dehydrogenase. The consequences of these mutations on bacterial growth, enzymatic activity, and the EPR properties of the constituent iron-sulfur clusters were investigated. The FrdB Cys204Ser, Cys210Ser, and Cys214Ser mutations result in enzymes with negligible activity that have dissociated from the membrane and consequently are incapable of supporting cell growth under conditions requiring a functional fumarate reductase. EPR studies indicate that these effects are associated with loss of both the [3Fe-4S] and [4Fe-4S] clusters, centers 3 and 2, respectively. In contrast, the FrdB Val207Cys mutation results in a functional membrane-bound enzyme that is able to support growth under anaerobic and aerobic conditions. However, EPR studies indicate that the indigenous [3Fe-4S]+,0 cluster (Em = -70 mV), center 3, has been replaced by a much lower potential [4Fe-4S]2+,+ cluster (Em = -350 mV), indicating that the primary sequence of the polypeptide determines the type of clusters assembled. The results of these studies afford new insights into the role of centers 2 and 3 in mediating electron transfer from menaquinol, the residues that ligate these clusters, and the intercluster magnetic interactions in the wild-type enzyme.     

Subunit location of the iron-sulfur clusters in fumarate reductase from Escherichia coli

The subunit location of the [2Fe-2S], [3Fe-4S], and [4Fe-4S] clusters in Escherichia coli fumarate reductase has been investigated by EPR studies of whole cells or whole cells extracts of a fumarate reductase deletion mutant with plasmid amplified expression of discrete fumarate reductase subunits or groups of subunits. The results indicate that both the [2Fe-2S] and [3Fe-4S] clusters are located entirely in the iron-sulfur protein subunit. Information concerning the specific cysteine residues that ligate these clusters has been obtained by investigating the EPR characteristics of cells of the deletion mutant amplified with a plasmid coding for the flavoprotein subunit and a truncated iron-sulfur protein subunit. While the results are not definitive with respect to the location of the [4Fe-4S] cluster, they are most readily interpreted in terms of this cluster being entirely in the flavoprotein subunit or bridging between the two catalytic domain subunits. These new results are discussed in light of the amino acid sequences of the two subunits and the sequences of structurally well characterized iron-sulfur proteins containing [2Fe-2S], [3Fe-4S], and [4Fe-4S] centers.     

Electron paramagnetic resonance study reveals a putative iron-sulfur cluster in human rpS3 protein

The human ribosomal protein S3 (rpS3) functions as a component of the 40S subunit and as a UV DNA repair endonuclease. This enzyme has an endonuclease activity for UV-irradiated and oxidatively damaged DNAs. DNA repair endonucleases recognize a variety of UV and oxidative base damages in DNA from E. coli to human cells. E. coli endonuclease III is especially known to have an iron-sulfur cluster as a co-factor. Here, we tried an electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) method for the first time to observe a known iron-sulfur cluster signal from E. coli endonuclease III that was previously reported. We compared it to the human rpS3 in order to find out whether or not the human protein contains an iron-sulfur cluster. As a result, we succeeded in observing a Fe EPR signal that is apparently from an iron-sulfur cluster in the human rpS3 endonuclease. The EPR signal from the human enzyme, consisting of three major parts, is similar to that from the E. coli enzyme, but it has a distinct extra peak.     

Assembly mechanism of [Fe2S2] cluster in ferredoxin from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

Ferredoxin is a typical iron-sulfur protein that is ubiquitous in biological redox systems. This study investigates the in vitro assembly of a [Fe2S2] cluster in the ferredoxin from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans in the presence of three scaffold proteins: IscA, IscS, and IscU. The spectra and MALDI-TOF MS results for the reconstituted ferredoxin confirm that the iron-sulfur cluster was correctly assembled in the protein. The inactivation of cysteine desulfurase by L-allylglycine completely blocked any [Fe2S2] cluster assembly in the ferredoxin in E. coli, confirming that cysteine desulfurase is an essential component for iron-sulfur cluster assembly. The present results also provide strong evidence that [Fe2S2] cluster assembly in ferredoxin follows the AUS pathway.     

Iron-sulfur cluster biosynthesis: characterization of Escherichia coli CYaY as an iron donor for the assembly of [2Fe-2S] clusters in the scaffold IscU

The biogenesis of iron-sulfur [Fe-S] clusters requires the coordinated delivery of both iron and sulfide. Sulfide is provided by cysteine desulfurases that use L-cysteine as sulfur source. So far, the physiological iron donor has not been clearly identified. CyaY, the bacterial ortholog of frataxin, an iron binding protein thought to be involved in iron-sulfur cluster formation in eukaryotes, is a good candidate because it was shown to bind iron. Nevertheless, no functional in vitro studies showing an involvement of CyaY in [Fe-S] cluster biosynthesis have been reported so far. In this paper we demonstrate for the first time a specific interaction between CyaY and IscS, a cysteine desulfurase participating in iron-sulfur cluster assembly. Analysis of the iron-loaded CyaY protein demonstrated a strong binding of Fe(3+) and a weak binding of Fe(2+) by CyaY. Biochemical analysis showed that the CyaY-Fe(3+) protein corresponds to a mixture of monomer, intermediate forms (dimer-pentamers), and oligomers with the intermediate one corresponding to the only stable and soluble iron-containing form of CyaY. Using spectroscopic methods, this form was further demonstrated to be functional in vitro as an iron donor during [Fe-S] cluster assembly on the scaffold protein IscU in the presence of IscS and cysteine. All of these results point toward a link between CyaY and [Fe-S] cluster biosynthesis, and a possible mechanism for the process is discussed.     

The prosthetic groups of succinate dehydrogenase: 30 years from discovery to identification

Recent studies using magnetic circular dichroism at cryogenic temperatures, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and linear electric field effect-EPR (LEFE) of succinate dehydrogenase in membranes and in soluble, homogeneous preparations demonstrated the presence of 3 different Fe-S clusters in the mammalian enzyme, as well as in a similar bacterial enzyme, fumarate reductase from Escherichia coli. There is one each of the 2Fe, 3Fe, and 4Fe clusters. Thus, succinate dehydrogenase is the first enzyme which has been shown to contain all 3 of these Fe-S clusters. The enzyme also contains 1 mol 8-[N(3)-histidyl]-FAD. It has taken the combined expertise of many laboratories and 15 years of effort to identify the flavin component, and nearly 3 decades to identify the Fe-S clusters. The data from physical methods appear to be internally consistent, in harmony with the results of chemical analysis, and provide a rational explanation for earlier results by the cluster extrusion method. There remains, however, a number of interesting and substantive questions for future investigations. This review traces the tortuous path, the many pitfalls and false leads, which have led us from the discovery of nonheme iron and ‘bound’ flavin in the enzyme to elucidation of their structures.     

Regulation of the expression of human ferrochelatase by intracellular iron levels.

Mammalian ferrochelatase, the terminal enzyme of the heme biosynthetic pathway, catalyzes the insertion of a ferrous ion into protoporphyrin and contains a labile [2Fe-2S] cluster center at the C-terminus. To clarify the roles of the iron-sulfur cluster in the expression of mammalian ferrochelatase, enzyme activity in human erythroleukemia K562 cells under iron-depleted conditions was examined. Treatment of cells with an iron chelator, desferrioxamine, resulted in a decrease in enzyme activity, in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Heme content decreased during desferrioxamine treatment of the cells. Addition of ferric ion-nitrilotriacetate [Fe (III)NTA] to desferrioxamine-containing cultures led to restoration of the reduction in the enzyme activity. While RNA blots showed that the amount of ferrochelatase mRNA remained unchanged during these treatments, the amount of ferrochelatase decreased with a concomitant decrease in enzyme activity. When full-length human ferrochelatase was expressed in Cos7 cells, the activity was found mainly in the mitochondria and was decreased markedly by treatment with desferrioxamine. The activity in Cos7 cells expressing human ferrochelatase in cytoplasm decreased with desferrioxamine, but to a lesser extent. When Escherichia coli ferrochelatase, which lacks the iron-sulfur cluster, was expressed in Cos7 cells, the activity did not change following any treatment. Conversely, the addition of Fe (III)NTA to the culture of K562 and Cos7 cells led to an increase in ferrochelatase activity. These results indicate that the expression of mammalian ferrochelatase is regulated by intracellular iron levels, via the iron-sulfur cluster center at the C-terminus, and this contributes to the regulation of the biosynthesis of heme at the terminal step.     

Characterization by electron paramagnetic resonance and studies on subunit location and assembly of the iron-sulfur clusters of Bacillus subtilis succinate dehydrogenase

Succinate dehydrogenase is a conserved membrane-bound enzyme consisting of two nonidentical subunits: a flavo iron-sulfur protein (Fp) subunit, containing a covalently bound flavin, and an iron-sulfur protein (Ip) subunit. Bacillus subtilis succinate dehydrogenase in wild type bacteria and 12 well characterized succinate dehydrogenase-defective mutants were examined by low temperature EPR spectroscopy to characterize the enzyme and study subunit location and biosynthesis of its iron-sulfur clusters. The wild type B. subtilis enzyme contains iron-sulfur clusters which are analogous to clusters S-1 and S-3 of bovine heart succinate dehydrogenase but with slightly different EPR characteristics. Spins from cluster S-2 were not detectable as in the case of the intact form of bovine heart succinate dehydrogenase. However, dithionite reduction of the B. subtilis enzyme greatly enhanced spin relaxation of the ferredoxin-type cluster S-1, indicating the presence of the cluster S-2. Iron-sulfur cluster S-1 was found to be assembled in soluble succinate dehydrogenase subunits in the cytoplasm, but only if full-length Fp polypeptides and relatively large fragments of Ip polypeptides were present. Cluster S-1 was not detected in mutants with soluble mutated Fp polypeptides or in a mutant totally lacking Ip subunit polypeptide. Iron-sulfur clusters S-1, S-2, and S-3 were assembled also when the covalently bound flavin in the Fp subunit was absent. Clusters S-1 and S-3 in the membrane-bound flavin-deficient succinate dehydrogenase were not reduced by succinate but could be reduced by electron transfer from NADH dehydrogenase via the menaquinone pool.     

Spectroscopic changes during a single turnover of biotin synthase: destruction of a [2Fe-2S] cluster accompanies sulfur insertion.

Biotin synthase catalyzes the insertion of a sulfur atom between the saturated C6 and C9 carbons of dethiobiotin. Catalysis requires AdoMet and flavodoxin and generates 5'-deoxyadenosine and methionine, suggesting that biotin synthase is an AdoMet-dependent radical enzyme. Biotin synthase (BioB) is aerobically purified as a dimer of 38.4 kDa monomers that contains 1-1.5 [2Fe-2S](2+) clusters per monomer and can be reconstituted with exogenous iron, sulfide, and reductants to contain up to two [4Fe-4S] clusters per monomer. The iron-sulfur clusters may play a dual role in biotin synthase: a reduced iron-sulfur cluster is probably involved in radical generation by mediating the reductive cleavage of AdoMet, while recent in vitro labeling studies suggest that an iron-sulfur cluster also serves as the immediate source of sulfur for the biotin thioether ring. Consistent with this dual role for iron-sulfur clusters in biotin synthase, we have found that the protein is stable, containing one [2Fe-2S](2+) cluster and one [4Fe-4S](2+) cluster per monomer. In the present study, we demonstrate that this mixed cluster state is essential for optimal activity. We follow changes in the Fe and S content and UV/visible and EPR spectra of the enzyme during a single turnover and conclude that during catalysis the [4Fe-4S](2+) cluster is preserved while the [2Fe-2S](2+) cluster is destroyed. We propose a mechanism for incorporation of sulfur into dethiobiotin in which a sulfur atom is oxidatively extracted from the [2Fe-2S](2+) cluster.     

The IscA from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is an iron-sulfur protein which assemble the [Fe4S4] cluster with intracellular iron and sulfur

IscA was proposed to be involved in the iron-sulfur cluster assembly in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans encoded by the iscSUA operon, but the role of IscA in the iron-sulfur cluster assembly still remains controversial. In this study, the IscA from A. ferrooxidans ATCC 23270 was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified by affinity chromatography to homogeneity. To our surprise, the purified IscA was observed to be an iron-sulfur protein according to MALDI-TOF-MS and spectra results, which was capable of recruiting intracellular iron and sulfur and hosted a stable [Fe4S4] cluster. Site-directed mutagenesis for the protein revealed that Cys35, Cys99 and Cys101 were in ligating with the [Fe4S4] cluster. The [Fe4S4] cluster could be assembled in apoIscA with Fe2+ and sulfide in vitro. The IscA from A. ferrooxidans may function as a scaffold protein for the pre-assembly of Fe-S cluster and then transfer it to target proteins in A. ferrooxidans.     

Identification of an unusual [2Fe-2S]-binding motif in the CDP-6-deoxy-D-glycero-l-threo-4-hexulose-3-dehydrase from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis: implication for C-3 deoxygenation in the biosynthesis of 3,6-dideoxyhexoses

CDP-6-deoxy-L-threo-D-glycero-4-hexulose-3-dehydrase (E(1)) catalyzes the C-3 deoxygenation in the biosynthesis of 3,6-dideoxyhexoses in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. E(1) is a pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate (PMP)-dependent enzyme that also contains a [2Fe-2S] center. This iron-sulfur cluster is catalytically essential, since removal of the [2Fe-2S] center leads to inactive enzyme. To identify the [2Fe-2S] core in E(1) and to study the effect of impairing the iron-sulfur cluster on the activity of E(1), a series of E(1) cysteine mutants were constructed and their catalytic properties were characterized. Our results show that E(1) displays a cluster-binding motif (C-X(57)-C-X(1)-C-X(7)-C) that has not been observed previously for [2Fe-2S] proteins. The presence of such an unusual iron-sulfur cluster in E(1), along with the replacement of the active site lysine by a histidine residue (H220), reflects a distinct evolutionary path for this enzyme. The cysteine residues (C193, C251, C253, C261) implicated in the binding of the iron-sulfur cluster in E(1) are conserved in the sequences of its homologues. It is likely that E(1) and its homologues constitute a new subclass in the family of iron-sulfur proteins, which are distinguished not only by their cluster ligation patterns but also by the chemistry used in catalyzing a simple, albeit mechanistically challenging, reaction.     

In Vitro Assembly of [Fe4S4] Cluster in High Potential Iron–Sulfur Protein from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

High-potential iron-sulfur protein (HiPIP) has been proposed to be involved in the iron respiratory electron transport chain in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, which contains an [Fe(4)S(4)] cluster. We report here the assembly of an [Fe(4)S(4)] cluster in HiPIP from A. ferrooxidans ATCC 23270 in vitro in the presence of Fe(2+) and sulfide. The spectra and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry results of holoHiPIP confirmed that the iron-sulfur cluster was correctly assembled into the protein.     

An EPR and electron nuclear double resonance investigation of carbon monoxide binding to hydrogenase I (bidirectional) from Clostridium pasteurianum W5

Previous M?ssbauer and electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) studies of oxidized hydrogenase I (bidirectional) from Clostridium pasteurianum W5 demonstrated that this enzyme contains two diamagnetic [4Fe-4S]2+ clusters and an iron-sulfur center of unknown structure and composition that is characterized by its novel M?ssbauer and ENDOR properties. In the present study we combine ENDOR and EPR measurements to show that the novel cluster contains 3-4 iron atoms. In addition, we have used EPR and ENDOR spectroscopies to investigate the effect of binding the competitive inhibitor carbon monoxide to oxidized hydrogenase I, using 13C-labeled CO and enzyme isotopically enriched in 57Fe. Treatment of oxidized enzyme with CO causes the g-tensor of the paramagnetic center to change from rhombic to axial symmetry. The observation of a 13C signal by ENDOR spectroscopy and analysis of the EPR broadening show that a single CO covalently binds to the paramagnetic center. The 13C hyperfine coupling constant (Ac approximately equal to 21 MHz) is within the range observed for inorganic iron-carbonyl clusters. The observation of 57Fe ENDOR signals from two types of iron site ([A1c] approximately 30-34 MHz; [A2c] approximately 6 MHz) and resolved 57Fe hyperfine interactions in the EPR spectrum from two nuclei characterized by [A1c] confirm that the iron-sulfur cluster remains intact upon CO coordination, but show that CO binding greatly changes the 57Fe hyperfine coupling constants.     

Identification of the iron-sulfur center of spinach ferredoxin-nitrite reductase as a tetranuclear center, and preliminary EPR studies of mechanism.

EPR spectroscopic and chemical analyses of spinach nitrite reductase show that the enzyme contains one reducible iron-sulfur center, and one site for binding either cyanide or nitrite, per siroheme. The heme is nearly all in the high spin ferric state in the enzyme as isolated. The extinction coefficient of the enzyme has been revised to E386 = 7.6 X 10(4) cm-1 (M heme)-1. The iron-sulfur center is reduced with difficulty by agents such as reduced methyl viologen (equilibrated with 1 atm of H2 at pH 7.7 in the presence of hydrogenase) or dithionite. Complexation of the enzyme with CO (a known ligand for nitrite reductase heme) markedly increases the reducibility of the iron-sulfur center. New chemical analyses and reinterpretation of previous data show that the enzyme contains 6 mol of iron and 4 mol of acid-labile S2-/mol of siroheme. The EPR spectrum of reduced nitrite reductase in 80% dimethyl sulfoxide establishes clearly that the enzyme contains a tetranuclear iron-sulfur (Fe4S4) center. The ferriheme and Fe4S4 centers are reduced at similar rates (k = 3 to 4 s-1) by dithionite. The dithionite-reduced Fe4S4 center is rapidly (k = 100 s-1) reoxidized by nitrite. These results indicate a role for the Fe4S4 center in catalysis.     

Glutamate synthase from Bacillus subtilis PCI 219

Reduced pyridine nucleotide dependent glutamate synthase [L-glutamate: NADP+ oxidoreductase (transaminating); EC 1.4.1.13] was purified to homogeneity from Bacillus subtilis PCI 219. The molecular weight of the enzyme was 210,000, and the enzyme was composed of two nonidentical subunits with molecular weights of 160,000 and 56,000. The absorption and CD spectra of the enzyme indicated that the enzyme is an iron-sulfur flavoprotein. The enzyme was found to contain 1:1:7.4:8.7 mol of FMN, FAD, iron atoms, and acid-labile sulfur atoms per mol (MW 210,000). EPR measurements of the NADPH-reduced enzyme at 77K revealed the formation of a stable flavin semiquinone intermediate; however, none of the signals originating from the iron-sulfur cluster was observed. Still at 4.2K the EPR signals in the region of g = 2, which may originate from the paramagnetic iron-sulfur cluster, were clearly observed for both the isolated and dithionite-reduced states of the enzyme. The enzyme exhibited a wide coenzyme specificity, and either NADPH or NADH could be used as electron donor, although the latter was less effective. The enzyme activity was also expressed when ammonium chloride was substituted for L-glutamine. The optimum pHs for NADPH-Gln-, NADH-Gln-, and NADPH-NH3-dependent reactions were 7.8, 6.9, and 9.4, respectively. The apoenzyme exhibited substantial inactivation of the Gln-dependent activities but still retained the NH3-dependent activities. Enzyme reduction-oxidation experiments, initial velocity experiments, and product inhibition patterns revealed that both the NADPH-Gln- and NADH-Gln-dependent reactions coincided with the two-site ping-pong uni-uni bi-bi kinetic mechanism, while the NADPH-NH3-dependent reaction deviated from Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The Gln-dependent activities were inhibited by several TCA cycle members, especially L-malate and fumarate, as well as L-methionine-SR-sulfoximine, pyridoxal-5'-phosphate, and pCMB. The regulation of the glutamate synthase, glutamine synthetase [EC 6.3.1.2], and glutamate dehydrogenase [EC 1.4.1.3] activities was examined with cultures of cells grown with various nitrogen and carbon sources.     

Failure to insert the iron-sulfur cluster into the Rieske iron-sulfur protein impairs both center N and center P of the cytochrome bc1 complex

Mutation of a serine that forms a hydrogen bond to the iron-sulfur cluster of the Rieske iron-sulfur protein to a cysteine results in a respiratory-deficient yeast strain due to formation of iron-sulfur protein lacking the iron-sulfur cluster. The Rieske apoprotein lacking the iron-sulfur cluster is inserted into both monomers of the dimeric cytochrome bc(1) complex and processed to mature size, but the protein lacking iron-sulfur cluster is more susceptible to proteolysis. In addition, the protein environment of center P in one half of the dimer is affected by failure to insert the iron-sulfur cluster as indicated by the fact that only one molecule of myxothiazol can be bound to the cytochrome bc(1) dimer. Although the bc(1) complex lacking the Rieske iron-sulfur cluster cannot oxidize ubiquinol through center P, rates of reduction of cytochrome b by menaquinol through center N are normal. However, less cytochrome b is reduced through center N, and only one molecule of antimycin can be bound at center N in the bc(1) dimer lacking iron-sulfur cluster. These results indicate that failure to insert the [2Fe-2S] cluster impairs assembly of the Rieske protein into the bc(1) complex and that this interferes with proper assembly of both center P and center N in one half of the dimeric enzyme.     

Iron-sulfur interconversions in the anaerobic ribonucleotide reductase from Escherichia coli

The anaerobic ribonucleotide reductase from Escherichia coli contains an iron-sulfur cluster which, in the reduced [4Fe-4S]⁺ form, serves to reduce S-adenosylmethionine and to generate a catalytically essential glycyl radical. The reaction of the reduced cluster with oxygen was studied by UV-visible, EPR, NMR, and Mössbauer spectroscopies. The [4Fe-4S]⁺ form is shown to be extremely sensitive to oxygen and converted to [4Fe-4S]²⁺, [3Fe-4S]^+/0, and to the stable [2Fe-2S]²⁺ form. It is remarkable that the oxidized protein retains full activity. This is probably due to the fact that during reduction, required for activity, the iron atoms, from 2Fe and 3Fe clusters, readily reassemble to generate an active [4Fe-4S] center. This property is discussed as a possible protective mechanism of the enzyme during transient exposure to air. Futhermore, the [2Fe-2S] form of the protein can be converted into a [3Fe-4S] form during chromatography on dATP-Sepharose, explaining why previous preparations of the enzyme were shown to contain large amounts of such a 3Fe cluster. This is the first report of a 2Fe to 3Fe cluster conversion.     

Glutathione-complexed [2Fe-2S] clusters function in Fe–S cluster storage and trafficking

Glutathione-coordinated [2Fe-2S] complex is a non-protein-bound [2Fe-2S] cluster that is capable of reconstituting the human iron-sulfur cluster scaffold protein IscU. This complex demonstrates physiologically relevant solution chemistry and is a viable substrate for iron-sulfur cluster transport by Atm1p exporter protein. Herein, we report on some of the possible functional and physiological roles for this novel [2Fe-2S](GS₄) complex in iron-sulfur cluster biosynthesis and quantitatively characterize its role in the broader network of Fe–S cluster transfer reactions. UV–vis and circular dichroism spectroscopy have been used in kinetic studies to determine second-order rate constants for [2Fe-2S] cluster transfer from [2Fe-2S](GS₄) complex to acceptor proteins, such as human IscU, Schizosaccharomyces pombe Isa1, human and yeast glutaredoxins (human Grx2 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Grx3), and human ferredoxins. Second-order rate constants for cluster extraction from these holo proteins were also determined by varying the concentration of glutathione, and a likely common mechanism for cluster uptake was determined by kinetic analysis. The results indicate that the [2Fe-2S](GS₄) complex is stable under physiological conditions, and demonstrates reversible cluster exchange with a wide range of Fe–S cluster proteins, thereby supporting a possible physiological role for such centers.