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Maolin Guo

Publications and source records attributed to Maolin Guo.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Double-strand hydrolysis of DNA by a magnesium(II) complex with diethylenetriamine.

The development of artificial nucleases that hydrolyze DNA or RNA is of great interest in molecular biology, biotechnology, and medicine. We now report that a magnesium(II) complex of diethylenetriamine (Mg-dien) can effectively promote the double-stranded cleavage of plasmid DNA and the dideoxynucleotide dApdA under physiological conditions of pH and temperature. Experiments performed in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, radical scavengers, or under rigorously anaerobic conditions indicate that DNA cleavage mediated by Mg-dien occurs via a hydrolytic path. Mg-dien efficiently hydrolyzes supercoiled pBR322 DNA and the pseudo-first-order rate constant at 37 degrees C and pH 8.0 is estimated to be 1.60 h(-1). The dinucleotide dApdA hydrolysis, with Mg-dien at 170 microM, shows a rate enhancement factor of ca. 5 x 10(8). 1H and 31P(1H) NMR studies show that Mg-dien effectively hydrolyzes 5'-dAMP to give deoxyadenosine and inorganic phosphate. While Mg2+ has been found at the catalytic sites of many natural nucleases, Mg-dien appears to be the first synthetic Mg2+-containing system capable of hydrolyzing dideoxynucleotides and DNA and thus may provide a simple model system to assist mechanistic studies of naturally occurring nucleases.

DNA↗

Crystal structure and characterization of a cytochrome c peroxidase-cytochrome c site-specific cross-link.

A specific covalently cross-linked complex between redox partners yeast cytochrome c peroxidase (CCP) and cytochrome c (cyt. c) has been made by engineering cysteines into CCP and cyt. c that form an intermolecular disulfide bond in high yield. The crystal structure of the cross-linked complex has been solved to 1.88-A resolution and closely resembles the structure of the noncovalent complex [Pellitier, H. & Kraut, J. (1992) Science 258, 1748-1755]. The higher resolution of the covalent complex has enabled the location of ordered water molecules at the peroxidase-cytochrome c interface that serve to bridge between the two proteins by hydrogen bonding. As in the noncovalent complex, direct electrostatic interactions between protein groups appear not to be critical in complex formation. UV-visible spectroscopic and stopped-flow studies indicate that CCP in the covalent complex reacts normally with H(2)O(2) to give compound I. Stopped-flow kinetic studies also show that intramolecular electron transfer between the cross-linked ferrocytochrome c and the Trp-191 cation radical site in CCP compound I occurs fast and is nearly complete within the dead time ( approximately 2 ms) of the instrument. These results indicate that the structure of the covalent complex closely mimics the physiological electron transfer complex. In addition, single-turnover and steady-state experiments reveal that CCP compound I in the covalent complex oxidizes exogenously added ferrocytochrome c at a slow rate (t(1/2) approximately 2 min), indicating that CCP does not have a second independent site for physiologically relevant electron transfer.

Base Sequence↗

A novel protein-mineral interface.

Transferrins transport Fe3+ and other metal ions in mononuclear-binding sites. We present the first evidence that a member of the transferrin superfamily is able to recognize multi-nuclear oxo-metal clusters, small mineral fragments that are the most abundant forms of many metals in the environment. We show that the ferric ion-binding protein from Neisseria gonorrhoeae (nFbp) readily binds clusters of Fe3+, Ti4+, Zr4+ or Hf4+ in solution. The 1.7 A resolution crystal structure of Hf-nFbp reveals three distinct types of clusters in an open, positively charged cleft between two hinged protein domains. A di-tyrosyl cluster nucleation motif (Tyr195-Tyr196) is situated at the bottom of this cleft and binds either a trinuclear oxo-Hf cluster, which is capped by phosphate, or a pentanuclear cluster, which in turn can be capped with phosphate. This first high-resolution structure of a protein-mineral interface suggests a novel metal-uptake mechanism and provides a model for protein-mediated mineralization/dissimilation, which plays a critical role in geochemical processes.

Animals↗

Direct assessment of the reduction potential of the [4Fe-4S](1+/0) couple of the Fe protein from Azotobacter vinelandii.

Recently, it has been demonstrated that the [4Fe-4S] cluster of the Fe protein of nitrogenase from Azotobacter vinelandii can be reduced to an unprecedented all-ferrous state. In this work, the reduction potential for the formation of the all-ferrous state is measured by the reactions of the reduced and oxidized Fe protein with a variety of chemical redox active agents, and by mediated spectroelectrochemical titration. Redox titrations obtain a potential ca. -790 mV/NHE for the formation of the all-ferrous state, a value consistent with the chemical reactivity experiments and with recent theoretical calculations. At present, no known redox protein in A. vinelandii is capable of generating the all-ferrous Fe protein.

Azotobacter vinelandii↗

Synergistic anion and metal binding to the ferric ion-binding protein from Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

The 34-kDa periplasmic iron-transport protein (FBP) from Neisseria gonorrhoeae (nFBP) contains Fe(III) and (hydrogen)phosphate (synergistic anion). It has a characteristic ligand-to-metal charge-transfer absorption band at 481 nm. Phosphate can be displaced by (bi)carbonate to give Fe.CO(3).nFBP (lambda(max) 459 nm). The local structures of native Fe-PO(4)-nFBP and Fe.CO(3).nFBP were determined by EXAFS at the FeK edge using full multiple scattering analysis. The EXAFS analysis reveals that both phosphate and carbonate ligands bind to FBP in monodentate mode in contrast to transferrins, which bind carbonate in bidentate mode. The EXAFS analysis also suggests an alternative to the crystallographically determined position of the Glu ligand, and this in turn suggests that an H-bonding network may help to stabilize monodentate binding of the synergistic anion. The anions oxalate, pyrophosphate, and nitrilotriacetate also appear to serve as synergistic anions but not sulfate or perchlorate. The oxidation of Fe(II) in the presence of nFBP led to a weak Fe(III).nFBP complex (lambda(max) 471 nm). Iron and phosphate can be removed from FBP at low pH (pH 4.5) in the presence of a large excess of citrate. Apo-FBP is less soluble and less stable than Fe.nFBP and binds relatively weakly to Ga(III) and Bi(III) but not to Co(III) ions, all of which bind strongly to apo-human serum transferrin.

Anions↗

The FeMoco-deficient MoFe protein produced by a nifH deletion strain of Azotobacter vinelandii shows unusual P-cluster features.

The His-tag MoFe protein expressed by the nifH deletion strain Azotobacter vinelandii DJ1165 (Delta(nifH) MoFe protein) was purified in large quantity. The alpha(2)beta(2) tetrameric Delta(nifH) MoFe protein is FeMoco-deficient based on metal analysis and the absence of the S = 3/2 EPR signal, which arises from the FeMo cofactor center in wild-type MoFe protein. The Delta(nifH) MoFe protein contains 18.6 mol Fe/mol and, upon reduction with dithionite, exhibits an unusually strong S = 1/2 EPR signal in the g approximately 2 region. The indigo disulfonate-oxidized Delta(nifH) MoFe protein does not show features of the P(2+) state of the P-cluster of the Delta(nifB) MoFe protein. The oxidized Delta(nifH) MoFe protein is able to form a specific complex with the Fe protein containing the [4Fe-4S](1+) cluster and facilitates the hydrolysis of MgATP within this complex. However, it is not able to accept electrons from the [4Fe-4S](1+) cluster of the Fe protein. Furthermore, the dithionite-reduced Delta(nifH) MoFe can be further reduced by Ti(III) citrate, which is quite unexpected. These unusual catalytic and spectroscopic properties might indicate the presence of a P-cluster precursor or a P-cluster trapped in an unusual conformation or oxidation state.

Azotobacter vinelandii↗

Unusual features for zirconium(IV) binding to human serum transferrin.

Human serum apotransferrin (hTF) binds to Zr(IV) slowly in the presence of nitrilotriacetate (NTA), citrate or ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) as donor ligands. For Zr(NTA)(2)(2-) as donor, equilibrium was reached in ca. 2 h (pH 7.4, 298 K, 10 mM Hepes, 5 mM bicarbonate) and full loading of the N- and C-lobe sites was achievable to give Zr(2)-hTF. (13)C NMR data suggest that carbonate can bind as a synergistic anion. (1)H and 2D [(1)H,(13)C] (using epsilon-[(13)C]Met-hTF) NMR studies show that there is little lobe-selectively in the order of Zr(IV) uptake. Fe(III) displaced Zr(IV) from the C-lobe of Zr(2)-hTF first, followed by the N-lobe. However, in the presence of a large excess of NTA, Zr(IV) binds to the N-lobe of holo-hTF (Fe(2)-hTF) first followed by the C-lobe. The (1)H and (13)C NMR chemical shift changes for epsilon-[(13)CH(3)] of Met464, which is close to the C-lobe site, are quite distinct from those observed previously for Al(III), Fe(III), Ti(IV), Ga(III) and Bi(III) binding to hTF, suggesting that Zr(IV) binding may not induce lobe closure [as observed previously for Hf(IV)]. This may affect receptor recognition and play a role in the different biological behaviour of Zr(IV) compared to Ti(IV).

Binding Sites↗