Vasily S. Oganesyan

Mechanistic Insight into the Nitrosylation of the [4Fe−4S] Cluster of WhiB-like Proteins

The reactivity of protein bound iron-sulfur clusters with nitric oxide (NO) is well documented, but little is known about the actual mechanism of cluster nitrosylation. Here, we report studies of members of the Wbl family of [4Fe-4S] containing proteins, which play key roles in regulating developmental processes in actinomycetes, including Streptomyces and Mycobacteria, and have been shown to be NO responsive. Streptomyces coelicolor WhiD and Mycobacterium tuberculosis WhiB1 react extremely rapidly with NO in a multiphasic reaction involving, remarkably, 8 NO molecules per [4Fe-4S] cluster. The reaction is 10(4)-fold faster than that observed with O(2) and is by far the most rapid iron-sulfur cluster nitrosylation reaction reported to date. An overall stoichiometry of [Fe(4)S(4)(Cys)(4)](2-) + 8NO → 2[Fe(I)(2)(NO)(4)(Cys)(2)](0) + S(2-) + 3S(0) has been established by determination of the sulfur products and their oxidation states. Kinetic analysis leads to a four-step mechanism that accounts for the observed NO dependence. DFT calculations suggest the possibility that the nitrosylation product is a novel cluster [Fe(I)(4)(NO)(8)(Cys)(4)](0) derived by dimerization of a pair of Roussins red ester (RRE) complexes.

The Third Hydrogenase: A Ferracyclic Carbamoyl with Close Structural Analogy to the Active Site of Hmd

The synthesis of a close structural analogue of the active site of [Fe]-hydrogenase is described (see structure; C gray, H dark blue, Fe green, N light blue, O red, S yellow). Nature most probably constructs the five membered ferracyclic ring to poise the 2-hydroxy pyridine substituent in a position to assist the heterolytic cleavage of dihydrogen, and the accessibility of the analogue should now provide opportunities for probing this.

Paramagnetic Bridging Hydrides of Relevance to Catalytic Hydrogen Evolution at Metallosulfur Centers

Paramagnetic hydrides are likely intermediates in hydrogen-evolving enzymic and molecular systems. Herein we report the first spectroscopic characterization of well-defined paramagnetic bridging hydrides. Time-resolved FTIR spectroelectrochemical experiments on a subsecond time scale revealed that single-electron transfer to the μ-hydride di-iron dithiolate complex 1 generates a 37-electron valence-delocalized species with no gross structural reorganization of the coordination sphere. DFT calculations support and (1)H and (2)H EPR measurements confirmed the formation an S = ½ paramagnetic complex (g = 2.0066) in which the unpaired spin density is essentially symmetrically distributed over the two iron atoms with strong hyperfine coupling to the bridging hydride (A(iso) = -75.8 MHz).

A novel, general method of analyzing magnetic circular dichroism spectra and magnetization curves of high-spin metal ions: Application to the protein oxidized rubredoxin, Desulfovibrio gigas

We have developed a general theoretical approach for analyzing the intensities of magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra of paramagnetic species with S>1/2 in the nonlinear regions of temperature and magnetic field. The method takes full advantage of the irreducible tensor method in order to obtain maximum simplification from symmetry. The approach, which is based on a detailed treatment of spin-orbit coupling and Zeeman interaction in terms of the symmetry properties of basis sets of wave functions, factorizes contributions into bands with Gaussian and derivative shapes in order to extend earlier treatments based on the so-called linear field limit. The method is applied to analyze and fit the form of the MCD spectra and the MCD magnetization curves of pseudo-tetrahedral high-spin Fe(III), S=5/2, in the protein rubredoxin from Desulfovibrio gigas, a representative of a family of iron–sulphur proteins. This treatment provides for the first time a satisfactory fit of these curves over a temperature rang...

An electrochemical study of frustrated Lewis pairs: a metal-free route to hydrogen oxidation.

Frustrated Lewis pairs have found many applications in the heterolytic activation of H2 and subsequent hydrogenation of small molecules through delivery of the resulting proton and hydride equivalents. Herein, we describe how H2 can be preactivated using classical frustrated Lewis pair chemistry and combined with in situ nonaqueous electrochemical oxidation of the resulting borohydride. Our approach allows hydrogen to be cleanly converted into two protons and two electrons in situ, and reduces the potential (the required energetic driving force) for nonaqueous H2 oxidation by 610 mV (117.7 kJ mol–1). This significant energy reduction opens routes to the development of nonaqueous hydrogen energy technology.

A general approach for prediction of motional EPR spectra from Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations: application to spin labelled protein

A general approach for the prediction of EPR spectra directly and completely from single dynamical trajectories generated from Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations is described. The approach is applicable to an arbitrary system of electron and nuclear spins described by a general form of the spin-Hamiltonian for the entire motional range. It is shown that for a reliable simulation of motional EPR spectra only a single truncated dynamical trajectory generated until the point when correlation functions of rotational dynamics are completely relaxed is required. The simulation algorithm is based on a combination of the propagation of the spin density matrix in the Liouville space for this initial time interval and the use of well defined parameters calculated entirely from the dynamical trajectory for prediction of the evolution of the spin density matrix at longer times. A new approach is illustrated with the application to a nitroxide spin label MTSL attached to the protein sperm whale myoglobin. It is shown that simulation of the EPR spectrum, which is in excellent agreement with experiment, can be achieved from a single MD trajectory. Calculations reveal the complex nature of the dynamics of a spin label which is a superposition of the fast librational motions within dihedral states, of slow rotameric dynamics among different conformational states of the nitroxide tether and of the slow rotational diffusion of the protein itself. The significance of the slow rotameric dynamics of the nitroxide tether on the overall shape of the EPR spectrum is analysed and discussed.

Molecular dynamics and EPR spectroscopic studies of 8CB liquid crystal

We report successful simulation of motional EPR spectra of the liquid crystal 8CB doped with a cholestane nitroxide spin probe from fully atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The spectra are calculated directly and completely from MD trajectories using our novel MD-EPR methodology. Predicted changes in molecular order, dynamics and EPR spectra across the N–I phase transitions show excellent agreement with experimental results. A nanosecond exchange dynamics between disordered and partially ordered meta-stable states is revealed at the N–I transition point and is confirmed by EPR measurements. This study demonstrates that a unique combination of state-of-the-art molecular modelling at the atomistic level and EPR spectroscopy, with introduced paramagnetic probes, allows accurate estimation of the local order and motional parameters of the mesogens. In particular, it is shown that an accurate estimation of the rotation correlation times for different molecular axes in liquid crystals can be achieved and correlated directly with the motions of the spin probe. We also demonstrate the successful simulation of a low temperature smectic-A liquid crystal phase in 8CB. Here, the simulations correctly predict the experimental layer spacing in 8CB and show directly the presence of a strong local preference for anti-parallel arrangements of molecules. The latter leads to a layer-spacing of D ≈ 1.4 molecular lengths.

Magnetic circular dichroism of symmetry and spin forbidden transitions of high-spin metal ions

Recently we have developed a general method of analyzing magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra and magnetization curves of high-spin metal ions for spin-allowed transitions [Oganesyan et al., J. Chem. Phys. 110, 762 (1999)]. In the present article this approach is extended to cover the cases of spin- and symmetry-forbidden transitions. At high ligand fields many low-energy ligand field transitions become spin-forbidden. Extraction of information content about the electronic structure of the ground state can be obtained through the analysis and correlation of the positions, signs, and intensities of the MCD bands and magnetization curves of these transitions. The casting of the theory in terms of the irreducible tensor method allows full advantage to be taken of any symmetry elements and simplifies multielectron calculations. The theory is valid over the entire range of magnetic field strength and, therefore, allows the information content of spectra over the full field and temperature range to be expl...

Prediction of EPR Spectra of Liquid Crystals with Doped Spin Probes from Fully Atomistic Molecular Dynamics Simulations: Exploring Molecular Order and Dynamics at the Phase Transition

Liquid crystals spin their secrets: Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra are predicted directly and completely from fully atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of 4-cyano-4-n-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) nematic liquid crystals with a doped nitroxide spin probe (depicted in yellow; red curve = simulated and blue curve = measured EPR spectrum).

Magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy as a probe of the structures of the metal sites in metalloproteins.

Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) is a powerful probe of the electronic and geometric structures of metal centres in metalloproteins. MCD has provided significant insight into the nature of the axial donors at haem centres and, more recently, sophisticated methods for the analysis of MCD spectra have had a major impact on the study of the electronic structures of the ground states of a range of Cu, non-haem iron and Mo-containing active sites. This detail, together with data from other complimentary spectroscopies, has played a major role in defining the chemistry underpinning the catalysis achieved by these metal centres.