Comparisons among evolutionarily related enzymes offer opportunities to reveal how structural differences produce different catalytic activities. Two structurally-related enzymes, E. coli alkaline phosphatase (AP) and X. axonopodis nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase (NPP) have nearly identical binuclear Zn2+ catalytic centers, but show tremendous differential specificity for hydrolysis of phosphate monoesters or phosphate diesters. To determine if there are differences in Zn2+ coordination in the two enzymes that might contribute to catalytic specificity, we analyzed both x-ray absorption spectroscopic and x-ray crystallographic data. We report a 1.29 Å crystal structure of alkaline phosphatase with bound phosphate, allowing evaluation of interactions at the AP metal site with high resolution. To make systematic comparisons between AP and NPP, we measured zinc extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) for AP and NPP in the free enzyme forms, with AMP and inorganic phosphate ground-state analogs, and with vanadate transition state analogs. These studies yielded average zinc-ligand distances in AP and NPP free-enzyme forms and ground-state analog forms that were identical within error, suggesting little difference in metal ion coordination among these forms. Upon binding of vanadate to both enzymes, small increases in average metal-ligand distances were observed, consistent with an increased coordination number. Slightly longer increases were observed in NPP relative to AP, which could arise from subtle rearrangements of the active site or differences in the geometry of the bound vanadyl species. Overall, the results suggest that the binuclear Zn2+ catalytic site remains very similar between AP and NPP during the course of a reaction cycle.

Terminal oxo complexes of the late transition metals Pt, Pd, and Au have been reported by us in Science and Journal of the American Chemical Society. Despite thoroughness in characterizing these complexes (multiple independent structural methods and up to 17 analytical methods in one case), we have continued to study these structures. Initial work on these systems was motivated by structural data from X-ray crystallography and neutron diffraction and (17)O and (31)P NMR signatures which all indicated differences from all previously published compounds. With significant new data, we now revisit these studies. New X-ray crystal structures of previously reported complexes K(14)[P(2)W(19)O(69)(OH(2))] and "K(10)Na(3)[Pd(IV)(O)(OH)WO(OH(2))(PW(9)O(34))(2)]" and a closer examination of these structures are provided. Also presented are the (17)O NMR spectrum of an (17)O-enriched sample of [PW(11)O(39)](7-) and a careful combined (31)P NMR-titration study of the previously reported "K(7)H(2)[Au(O)(OH(2))P(2)W(20)O(70)(OH(2))(2)]." These and considerable other data collectively indicate that previously assigned terminal Pt-oxo and Au-oxo complexes are in fact cocrystals of the all-tungsten structural analogues with noble metal cations, while the Pd-oxo complex is a disordered Pd(II)-substituted polyoxometalate. The neutron diffraction data have been re-analyzed, and new refinements are fully consistent with the all-tungsten formulations of the Pt-oxo and Au-oxo polyoxometalate species.

N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMED), the simplest and most extensively used peralkylated diamine ligand, is conspicuously absent from those known to form a bis(μ–oxo)dicopper(III) (O) species, [(TMED)2Cu(III)2O2]2+, upon oxygenation of its Cu(I) complex. Presented here is the characterization of this O species and its reactivity towards exogenous substrates. Its formation is complicated both by the instability of the [(TMED)Cu(I)]1+ precursor and by competitive formation of a presumed mixed-valent trinuclear [(TMED)3Cu3(μ3-O)2]3+ (T) species. Under most reaction conditions, the T species dominates, yet, the O species can be formed preferentially (> 80%) upon oxygenation of acetone solutions, if the copper concentration is low (< 2 mM) and [(TMED)Cu(I)]1+ is prepared immediately before use. The experimental data of this simplest O species provides a benchmark by which to evaluate DFT computational methods for geometry optimization and spectroscopic predictions. The enhanced thermal stability of [(TMED)2Cu(III)2O2]2+ and its limited steric demands compared to other O species allows more efficient oxidation of exogenous substrates, including benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde (80% yield), highlighting the importance of ligand structure to not only enhance the oxidant stability but also maintain accessibility to the nascent metal/O2 oxidant.

DFsc is a single chain de novo designed 4-helix bundle peptide that mimics the core protein fold and primary ligand set of various binuclear non-heme iron enzymes. DFsc and the E11D, Y51L and Y18F single amino acid variants have been studied using a combination of near-IR circular dichroism (CD), magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), variable temperature variable field MCD (VTVH MCD) and x-ray absorption (XAS) spectroscopies. The biferrous sites are all weakly antiferromagnetically coupled with μ-1,3 carboxylate bridges and one 4-coordinate and one 5-coordinate Fe, very similar to the active site of Class I ribonucleotide reductase (R2) providing open coordination positions on both irons for dioxygen to bridge. From perturbations of the MCD and VTVH MCD the iron proximal to Y51 can be assigned as the 4-coordinate center and XAS results show that Y51 is not bound to this iron in the reduced state. The two open coordination positions on one iron in the biferrous state would become occupied by dioxygen and Y51 along the O2 reaction coordinate. Subsequent binding of Y51 functions as an internal spectral probe of the O2 reaction and as a proton source that would promote loss of H2O2. Coordination by a ligand that functions as a proton source could be a structural mechanism used by natural binuclear iron enzymes to drive their reactions past peroxo biferric level intermediates.