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Heterometallic [AgFe3S4] ferredoxin variants: synthesis, characterization, and the first crystal structure of an engineered heterometallic iron–sulfur protein

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Abstract

Heterometallic [AgFe3S4] iron–sulfur clusters assembled in wild-type Pyrococcus furiosus ferredoxin and two variants, D14C and D14H, are characterized. The crystal structure of the [AgFe3S4] D14C variant shows that the silver(I) ion is indeed part of the cluster and is coordinated to the thiolate group of residue 14. Cyclic voltammetry shows one redox pair with a reduction potential of +220 mV versus the standard hydrogen electrode which is assigned to the [AgFe3S4]2+/+ couple. The oxidized form of the [AgFe3S4] D14C variant is stable in the presence of dioxygen, whereas the oxidized forms of the [AgFe3S4] wild type and D14H variants convert to the [Fe3S4] ferredoxin form. The monovalent d 10 silver(I) ion stabilizes the [Fe3S4]+/0 cluster fragment, as opposed to divalent d 10 metal ions, resulting in more than 0.4 V difference in reduction potentials between the silver(I) and, e.g., zinc(II) heterometallic [MFe3S4] ferredoxins. The trend in reduction potentials for the variants containing the [AgFe3S4] cluster is wild type ≤ D14C < D14H and shows the same trend as reported for the variants containing the [Fe3S4] cluster, but is different from the D14C < D14H < wild type trend reported for the [Fe4S4] ferredoxin. The similarity in the reduction potential trend for the variants containing the heterometallic [AgFe3S4] cluster and the [Fe3S4] cluster can be rationalized in terms of the electrostatic influence of the residue 14 side chains, rather than the dissociation constant of this residue, as is the case for [Fe4S4] ferredoxins. The trends in reduction potentials are in line with there being no electronic coupling between the silver(I) ion and the Fe3S4 fragment.

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Abbreviations

Fe–S:

Iron–sulfur

PDB:

Protein Data Bank

RMSD:

Root mean square deviation

SHE:

Standard hydrogen electrode

Tris/HCl:

Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminoethane titrated with HCl

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge MAX-lab (Lund, Sweden) for provision of synchrotron radiation beam time and Marjolein Thunnissen for expert help and guidance. We thank Jingdong Zhang for use of her potentiostat and advice on electrochemistry. We thank Johan Jeziorski Jensen for his participation in obtaining some of the electrochemistry data. This study was supported by a grant from the Danish Council for Independent Research Within Technology and Production Sciences (grant no. 09-064199). The work by I.N.J.-S. was funded by the National Development Agency of Hungary with financial support from the Research and Technology Innovation Fund (project number 80038). The Technical University of Denmark is acknowledged for providing a PhD scholarship for L.T.H.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 207, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark

    Maja Martic, Ida Noémi Jakab-Simon, Lærke Tvedebrink Haahr & Hans Erik Mølager Christensen

  2. Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, 2628 BC, Delft, The Netherlands

    Wilfred Raymond Hagen

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  1. Maja Martic
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Correspondence to Hans Erik Mølager Christensen.

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M. Martic and I.N. Jakab-Simon contributed equally to this project and should be considered joint first authors.

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Martic, M., Jakab-Simon, I.N., Haahr, L.T. et al. Heterometallic [AgFe3S4] ferredoxin variants: synthesis, characterization, and the first crystal structure of an engineered heterometallic iron–sulfur protein. J Biol Inorg Chem 18, 261–276 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00775-012-0971-3

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