This study investigates dioxygen binding and 2‐oxoglutarate (2OG) coordination by two model non‐heme FeII/2OG enzymes: a class 7 histone demethylase (PHF8) that catalyzes the hydroxylation of its H3K9me2 histone substrate leading to demethylation reactivity and the ethylene‐forming enzyme (EFE), which catalyzes two competing reactions of ethylene generation and substrate l‐Arg hydroxylation. Although both enzymes initially bind 2OG by using an off‐line 2OG coordination mode, in PHF8, the substrate oxidation requires a transition to an in‐line mode, whereas EFE is catalytically productive for ethylene production from 2OG in the off‐line mode. We used classical molecular dynamics (MD), quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) MD and QM/MM metadynamics (QM/MM‐MetD) simulations to reveal that it is the dioxygen binding process and, ultimately, the protein environment that control the formation of the in‐line FeIII‐OO⋅− intermediate in PHF8 and the off‐line FeIII‐OO⋅− intermediate in EFE.
This review summarizes the structures, biochemical properties, and mechanisms of two major biological sources of ethylene, the ethylene-forming enzyme (EFE) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) oxidase (ACCO). EFE is found in...
The sudden COVID-19 outbreak has
obstructed the conventional method
of teaching causing a mandated shift to virtual platforms. A developing
country like India which predominantly depended on conventional methods
of teaching and learning in the pre-COVID era is gradually gaining
success in effectively transitioning into virtual classrooms with
the aid of digital programs and online platforms to resume theoretical
education. However, chemistry education, in particular, which involves
the physical approach to experimentation in conventional laboratories,
requires a practical and effective alternative in the virtual arena.
Though the country’s digital progress has provided virtual
experiments that can be helpful in laboratory learning, only very
few instructors/teachers are aware of such opportunities. The adaptability
and accessibility to virtual laboratories in the Indian context also
remain unclear due to various factors that influence the transition
from conventional laboratories to virtual laboratories. Therefore,
we attempted to evaluate the learning prospects of students by taking
up the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) screen experiments for virtual
titration as an example. This article aims to reflect information
from the feedback of students on their first virtual laboratory experience
and after completing an academic year to record learning outcomes
in comparison to their prior experience on conventionally carrying
out titration experiments and to highlight the features of the virtual
laboratories that were preferred by students. Among the various components
of the virtual laboratory, students state that the quiz is a component
that is engaging and ensures knowledge progression. Conclusively,
the students perceive that virtual laboratory experiments should be
an integrated part of the laboratory curriculum for enhanced learning.
In summary, our work throws light on the need for virtual laboratories
in chemistry education in India and its prospect in the postpandemic
period.
Invited for the cover of this issue are Christo Z. Christov and co‐workers at Michigan Technological University, University of Oxford, and Michigan State University. The image depicts the oxygen diffusion channel in class 7 histone demethylase (PHF8) and ethylene‐forming enzyme (EFE) and changes in the enzymes’ conformations upon binding. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202300138.
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