Flavo-diiron proteins (FDPs) function as anaerobic nitric oxide scavengers in some microorganisms, catalyzing reduction of nitric to nitrous oxide. The FDP from Thermotoga maritima can be prepared in a deflavinated form with an intact diferric site (deflavo-FDP). Hayashi et al. [(2010) Biochemistry 49, 7040–7049] reported that reaction of NO with reduced deflavo-FDP produced substoichiometric N2O. Here we report a multispectroscopic approach to identify the iron species in the reactions of deflavo-FDP with NO. Mössbauer spectroscopy identified two distinct ferrous species after reduction of the antiferromagnetically coupled diferric site. Approximately 60% of the total ferrous iron was assigned to a diferrous species associated with the N2O-generating pathway. This pathway proceeds through successive diferrous-mononitrosyl (S = 1/2 FeII{FeNO}7) and diferrous-dinitrosyl (S = 0 [{FeNO}7]2) species that form within ∼100 ms of mixing of the reduced protein with NO. The diferrous-dinitrosyl intermediate converted to an antiferromagnetically coupled diferric species that was spectroscopically indistinguishable from that in the starting deflavinated protein. These diiron species closely resembled those reported for the flavinated FDP [Caranto et al. (2014) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 136, 7981–7992], and the time scales of their formation and decay were consistent with the steady state turnover of the flavinated protein. The remaining ∼40% of ferrous iron was inactive in N2O generation but reversibly bound NO to give an S = 3/2 {FeNO}7 species. The results demonstrate that N2O formation in FDPs can occur via conversion of S = 0 [{FeNO}7]2 to a diferric form without participation of the flavin cofactor.

Flavo-diiron proteins (FDPs) are non-heme iron containing enzymes that are widespread in anaerobic bacteria, archaea, and protozoa, serving as the terminal components to dioxygen and nitric oxide reductive scavenging pathways in these organisms. FDPs contain a dinuclear iron active site similar to that in hemerythrin, ribonucleotide reductase, and methane monooxygenase, all of which can bind NO and O2. However, only FDP competently turns over NO to N2O. Here, EPR and Mössbauer spectroscopies allow electronic characterization of the diferric and diferrous species of FDP. The exchange-coupling constant J (Hex = JS1·S2) was found to increase from +20 cm−1 to +32 cm−1 upon reduction of the diferric to the diferrous species, indicative of (1) at least one hydroxo bridge between the iron ions for both states and (2) a change to the diiron core structure upon reduction. In comparison to characterized diiron proteins and synthetic complexes, the experimental values were consistent with a dihydroxo bridged diferric core, which loses one hydroxo bridge upon reduction. DFT calculations of these structures gave values of J and Mössbauer parameters in agreement with experiment. Although the crystal structure shows a hydrogen bond between the iron bound aspartate and the bridging solvent molecule, the DFT calculations of structures consistent with the crystal structure gave calculated values of J incompatible with the spectroscopic results. We conclude that the crystal structure of the diferric state does not represent the frozen solution structure and that a mono-μ-hydroxo diferrous species is the catalytically functional state that reacts with NO and O2. The new EPR spectroscopic probe of the diferric state indicated that the diferric structure of FDP prior to and immediately after turnover with NO are flavin mononucleotide (FMN) dependent, implicating an additional proton transfer role for FMN in turnover of NO.

Iron-and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases are a diverse family of non-heme iron enzymes that catalyze various important oxidations in cells. A key structural motif of these dioxygenases is a facial triad of 2-histidines-1-carboxylate that coordinates the Fe(II) at the catalytic site. Using histone demethylase JMJD1A and DNA repair enzyme ABH2 as examples, we show that this family of dioxygenases is highly sensitive to inhibition by carcinogenic nickel ions. We find that, with iron, the 50% inhibitory concentrations of nickel (IC 50 Nickel compounds are human respiratory carcinogens (1), causing a very high incidence of lung and nasal cancers in nickel refinery workers (2). Over 20 years ago, our group reported that cells phagocytosed particulate nickel compounds, and the dissolution of these particles inside of the cells generated high concentrations of free nickel ions in the cytoplasm and nucleus (3). Using a dye that fluoresces when intracellular nickel ion binds to it, we showed that both soluble and insoluble nickel compounds were able to elevate the levels of nickel ions in the cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments (4). A strong correlation was found between the uptake of particulate nickel compounds by cells and subsequent cell transformation (5), suggesting that intracellular nickel ion concentration is a major determinant of toxicity and carcinogenicity of nickel compounds. Identifying the intracellular targets of nickel ions is therefore crucial to understand the underlying mechanism for the carcinogenic effects of nickel compounds.Silencing of tumor suppressor gene(s) by epigenetic mechanisms represents one of the potential mechanisms of nickel carcinogenesis. Epigenetic events, which include DNA methylation and histone modifications, are ubiquitously involved in the regulation of gene expression. By using a transgenic cell model with the target gene placed near heterochromatin, we were the first to demonstrate that nickel exposure caused a very high frequency of transgene silencing by increasing DNA methylation and repressive histone marks at the promoter of the silenced transgene (6 -8). In animal experiments, injection of particulate nickel compounds (nickel sulfide or nickel subsulfide) into mice induced formation of malignant fibrous histiocytomas and sarcomas, with the p16 and Fhit genes often found to be epigenetically silenced in these cancers (9,10). Additional studies have demonstrated that nickel exposure caused truncation of histone H2B and H2A as well as global alterations of a variety of histone modifications, such as histone acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitination (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20). However, the underlying mechanisms responsible for these nickel-induced epigenetic alterations are poorly understood. In our recent study, we reported that nickel increases the global levels of mono-and di-methylated histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9me1 and H3K9me2) not by affecting histone methyltransferases but rather by inhibiting a group of unidentified iron-and...

Prolyl Hydroxylase Domain 2 (PHD2) is deemed a primary oxygen sensor in humans yet many details of its underlying mechanism are still not fully understood. (Fe2++αKG)PHD2 is 6-coordinate, with a 2His/1Asp facial triad occupying 3 coordination sites, a bidentate α-ketoglutarate occupying two sites and an aquo ligand in the final site. Turnover is thought to be initiated upon release of the aquo ligand, creating a site for O2 to bind at the iron. Herein we show that steady-state turnover is faster under acidic conditions, with kcat exhibiting a kinetic pKa = 7.22. A variety of spectroscopic probes were employed to identify the active-site acid, through comparison of (Fe2++αKG)PHD2 at pH 6.50 with pH 8.50. The near-UV circular dichroism spectrum was virtually unchanged at elevated pH, indicating that the secondary structure did not change as a function of pH. UV-visible and Fe X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicated that the primary coordination sphere of Fe2+ changed upon increasing the pH; EXAFS analysis found a short Fe-(O/N) bond length of 1.96 Å at pH 8.50, strongly suggesting that the aquo ligand was deprotonated at this pH. Solvent isotope effects were measured during steady-sate turnover over a wide pH-range, with an inverse SIE of on kcat observed (D2Okcat = 0.91 ± 0.03) for the acid form; a similar SIE was observed for the basic form of enzyme (D2Okcat = 0.9 ± 0.1), with an acid equilibrium offset of ΔpKa = 0.67 ± 0.04. The inverse SIE indicated that aquo release from the active site Fe2+ immediately precedes a rate-limiting step, suggesting that turnover in this enzyme may be partially limited by the rate of O2 binding or activation, and suggesting that aquo release is relatively slow. The unusual kinetic pKa further suggested that PHD2 might function physiologically to sense both intracellular pO2 as well as pH, which could provide for feedback between anaerobic metabolism and hypoxia sensing.

Flavo-diiron proteins (FDPs) are widespread in anaerobic bacteria, archaea, and protozoa, where they serve as the terminal components of dioxygen and nitric oxide reductive scavenging pathways. FDPs contain an N,O-ligated diiron site adjacent to a flavin mononucleotide (FMN) cofactor. The diiron site is structurally similar to those in hemerythrin, ribonucleotide reductase, and methane monooxygenase. However, only FDPs turn over NO to N2O at significant rates and yields. Previous studies revealed sequential binding of two NO molecules to the diferrous site, forming mono- and dinitrosyl intermediates leading to N2O formation. In the present work, these mono- and dinitrosyl intermediates have been characterized by EPR and Mössbauer spectroscopies and DFT calculations. Our results show that the iron proximal to the cofactor binds the first NO to form the diiron mononitrosyl complex, implying the iron distal to the FMN binds the second NO to form the diiron dinitrosyl intermediate. The exchange-coupling constants, J (H = JS1·S2), were found to differ substantially, +17 cm−1 for the diiron mononitrosyl and +60 cm−1 for the diiron dinitrosyl. Notwithstanding this large difference, our findings indicate retention of at least one hydroxo bridge throughout the NOR catalytic cycle. The Mossbauer hyperfine parameters and DFT calculations confirmed a semibridging NO− ligand in the mononitrosyl intermediate that lowers the exchange parameter. The DFT calculations on the dinitrosyl intermediate suggest a contribution to J from direct exchange between the S = 1 spins on the NO− ligands, which could initiate N-N bond formation. Our results provide insight into why FDPs are the only known nonheme diiron enzymes that competently turn over NO to N2O.

Human ABH2 repairs DNA lesions by using an Fe(II)- and αKG-dependent oxidative demethylation mechanism. The structure of the active site features the facial triad of protein ligands consisting of the side chains of two histidine and one aspartate residues that is common to many nonheme Fe(II) oxygenases. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) of metallated (Fe and Ni) samples of ABH2 were used to investigate the mechanism of ABH2 and its inhibition by Ni(II) ions. The data are consistent with a sequential mechanism that features a five coordinate metal center in both the presence and absence of the α-ketoglutarate cofactor. This aspect is not altered in the Ni(II)-substituted enzyme, and both metals are shown to bind the cofactor. When substrate is bound to the native Fe(II) complex with α-ketoglutarate bound, a five-coordinate Fe(II) center is retained that features an open coordination position for O2 binding. However, in the case of the Ni(II)-substituted enzyme, the complex that forms in the presence of cofactor and substrate is six-coordinate, and therefore features no open coordination site for oxygen activation at the metal.

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Occupational and/or environmental exposure to nickel has been implicated in various types of cancer, and in vitro exposure to nickel compounds results in accumulation of Ni(II) ions in cells. One of the major targets of Ni(II) ions inside the cell is Fe(II)- and αKG-dependent dioxygenases. Using JMJD2A and JMJD2C as examples, we show that JMJD2 family of histone demethylases, which are products of putative oncogenes as well as Fe(II)- and αKG-dependent dioxygenases, are highly sensitive to inhibition by Ni(II) ions. In this work, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) has been used to investigate the Fe(II) active site of truncated JMJD2A and JMJD2C (1 – 350 aa) in the presence and absence of αKG and/or substrate to obtain mechanistic details of the early steps in catalysis that precede O2 binding in histone demethylation by the JMJD2 family of histone demethylases. Zinc K-edge XAS has been performed on the resting JMJD2A (with iron in the active site) to confirm the presence of the expected structural zinc site. XAS of the Ni(II)-substituted enzymes has also been performed to investigate the inhibition of these enzymes by Ni(II) ions. Our XAS results indicate that the five-coordinate Fe(II) center in the resting enzyme is retained in the binary and ternary complexes. In contrast, the Ni(II) center is six-coordinate in the resting enzyme, binary and ternary complexes. XAS results indicate that both Fe(II) and Ni(II) bind αKG in the binary and ternary complexes. The electron density build-up that is observed at the Fe(II) center in the presence of αKG and substrate is not observed at the Ni(II) center. Thus, both electronic and steric factors are responsible for Ni-induced inhibition of the JMJD2 family of histone demethylases. Ni-induced inhibition of these enzymes may explain the alteration of the epigenetic mechanism of gene expression that is responsible for Ni-induced carcinogenesis.