Mononuclear Iron(III) Complex with Unusual Temperature Change of Color and Magneto-Structural Properties: Synthesis, Structure, Magnetization, Multi-frequency ESR and DFT Study

From the reaction of 2-hydroxy-6-methylpyridine (L) with iron(II) tetrafluoroborate, a new mononuclear iron(III) octahedral complex [FeL6](BF4)3 has been isolated. The color of the complex is reversible changing from red at...

Binding interaction of a ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase with fluoranthene in Pseudomonas aeruginosa DN1

Pseudomonas aeruginosa DN1 can efficiently utilize fluoranthene as its sole carbon source, and the initial reaction in the biodegradation process is catalyzed by a ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase (RHD). To clarify the binding interaction of RHD with fluoranthene in the strain DN1, the genes encoding alpha subunit (RS30940) and beta subunit (RS05115) of RHD were functionally characterized through multi-technique combination such as gene knockout and homology modeling as well as molecular docking analysis. The results showed that the mutants lacking the characteristic alpha subunit and/or beta subunit failed to degrade fluoranthene effectively. Based on the translated protein sequence and Ramachandran plot, 96.5% of the primary amino-acid sequences of the alpha subunit in the modeled structure of the RHD were in the permitted region, 2.3% in the allowed region, but 1.2% in the disallowed area. The catalytic mechanism mediated by key residues was proposed by the simulations of molecular docking, wherein the active site of alpha subunit constituted a triangle structure of the mononuclear iron atom and the two oxygen atoms coupled with the predicted catalytic ternary of His217-His222-Asp372 for the dihydroxylation reaction with fluoranthene. Those amino acid residues adjacent to fluoranthene were nonpolar groups, and the C7-C8 positions on the fluoranthene ring were estimated to be the best oxidation sites. The distance of C7-O and C8-O was 3.77 Å and 3.04 Å respectively, and both of them were parallel. The results of synchronous fluorescence and site-directed mutagenesis confirmed the roles of the predicted residues during catalysis. This binding interaction could enhance our understanding of the catalytic mechanism of RHDs and provide a solid foundation for further enzymatic modification.

Spontaneous assembly of redox-active iron-sulfur clusters at low concentrations of cysteine

Iron-sulfur (FeS) proteins are ancient and fundamental to life, being involved in electron transfer and CO2 fixation. FeS clusters have structures similar to the unit-cell of FeS minerals such as greigite, found in hydrothermal systems linked with the origin of life. However, the prebiotic pathway from mineral surfaces to biological clusters is unknown. Here we show that FeS clusters form spontaneously through interactions of inorganic Fe2+/Fe3+ and S2− with micromolar concentrations of the amino acid cysteine in water at alkaline pH. Bicarbonate ions stabilize the clusters and even promote cluster formation alone at concentrations >10 mM, probably through salting-out effects. We demonstrate robust, concentration-dependent formation of [4Fe4S], [2Fe2S] and mononuclear iron clusters using UV-Vis spectroscopy, 57Fe-Mössbauer spectroscopy and 1H-NMR. Cyclic voltammetry shows that the clusters are redox-active. Our findings reveal that the structures responsible for biological electron transfer and CO2 reduction could have formed spontaneously from monomers at the origin of life.

Binding Interaction of a Ring-hydroxylating Dioxygenase with Fluoranthene in Pseudomonas aeruginosa DN1

Pseudomonas aeruginosa DN1 can efficiently utilize fluoranthene as its sole carbon source, and the first step in the biodegradation process is catalyzed by a ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase (RHD). To better understand the binding interaction of RHD with fluoranthene in the strain DN1, the genes encoding alpha subunit (RS30940) and beta subunit (RS05115) of the RHD were functionally characterized using gene knockout approach and homology modeling combined with molecular docking. The results showed that the mutants lacking the characteristic alpha subunit and/or beta subunit failed to degrade fluoranthene effectively. Based on the translated protein sequence and Ramachandran plot, 96.5 % of the primary amino-acid sequences of the alpha subunit in the modeled structure of the RHD were in the permitted region, 2.3 % in the allowed region, but 1.2 % in the disallowed area. The active center of the alpha subunit constituted a triangle structure of the mononuclear iron atom and the two oxygen atoms coupled with a catalytic ternary of His217-His222-Asp372 for the dihydroxylation reaction with fluoranthene. Amino acid residues adjacent to fluoranthene were nonpolar groups, and the C7-C8 positions on the fluoranthene ring were estimated to be the best oxidation sites. The distance of C7-O and C8-O was 3.77 Å and 3.04Å respectively, and both of them were parallel. The results demonstrated that the dihydroxylation reaction was initiated at C7-C8 positions of the fluoranthene ring by RHD in P. aeruginosa DN1, indicating that the binding interaction may be useful for predicting substrate conversion of RHDs.

Comparison of Nonheme Manganese- and Iron-Containing Flavone Synthase Mimics

Heme and nonheme-type flavone synthase enzymes, FS I and FS II are responsible for the synthesis of flavones, which play an important role in various biological processes, and have a wide range of biomedicinal properties including antitumor, antimalarial, and antioxidant activities. To get more insight into the mechanism of this curious enzyme reaction, nonheme structural and functional models were carried out by the use of mononuclear iron, [FeII(CDA-BPA*)]2+ (6) [CDA-BPA = N,N,N’,N’-tetrakis-(2-pyridylmethyl)-cyclohexanediamine], [FeII(CDA-BQA*)]2+ (5) [CDA-BQA = N,N,N’,N’-tetrakis-(2-quinolilmethyl)-cyclohexanediamine], [FeII(Bn-TPEN)(CH3CN)]2+ (3) [Bn-TPEN = N-benzyl-N,N’,N’-tris(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,2- diaminoethane], [FeIV(O)(Bn-TPEN)]2+ (9), and manganese, [MnII(N4Py*)(CH3CN)]2+ (2) [N4Py* = N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,2-di(2-pyridyl)ethylamine)], [MnII(Bn-TPEN)(CH3CN)]2+ (4) complexes as catalysts, where the possible reactive intermediates, high-valent FeIV(O) and MnIV(O) are known and well characterised. The results of the catalytic and stoichiometric reactions showed that the ligand framework and the nature of the metal cofactor significantly influenced the reactivity of the catalyst and its intermediate. Comparing the reactions of [FeIV(O)(Bn-TPEN)]2+ (9) and [MnIV(O)(Bn-TPEN)]2+ (10) towards flavanone under the same conditions, a 3.5-fold difference in reaction rate was observed in favor of iron, and this value is three orders of magnitude higher than was observed for the previously published [FeIV(O)(N2Py2Q*)]2+ [N,N-bis(2-quinolylmethyl)-1,2-di(2-pyridyl)ethylamine] species.

Mononuclear iron(III) piperazine-derived complexes and application in the oxidation of cyclohexane

Oxygenated products from selective hydrocarbon oxidation have high commercial value as industrial feedstocks. One of the most important industrial processes is the cyclohexane oxidation to produce cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone. These organic substances have special importance in the Nylon manufacture as well as building blocks for a variety of commercially useful products. In this work we present the synthesis and characterization of a new mononuclear piperazine-derived series of iron(III) complexes and their catalytic activity towards cyclohexane oxidation essays. All complexes present octahedral high-spin iron(III) center according to elemental analysis, FTIR, UV-VIS and Mössbauer spectroscopy characterization. The cyclohexane oxidation resulted in cyclohexanol, cyclohexanone and cyclohexyl hydroperoxide as products, with yields up to 39 %. The best results were obtained with the complex (NH4)[Fe(BPPZ)Cl2] (BPPZ: lithium 1,4-bis-(propanoate) piperazine) and with hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. The reactions were carried out at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, which incomes a great advantage over the current industrial process of cyclohexane production.