Biomedical subjects

Mary C Corbett

Publications and source records attributed to Mary C Corbett.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Nitrogenase Fe protein: A molybdate/homocitrate insertase.

The Fe protein is indispensable for nitrogenase catalysis and biosynthesis. However, its function in iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco) biosynthesis has not been clearly defined. Here we show that the Fe protein can act as a Mo/homocitrate insertase that mobilizes Mo/homocitrate for the maturation of FeMoco precursor on NifEN. Further, we establish that Mo/homocitrate mobilization by the Fe protein likely involves hydrolysis of MgATP and protein-protein interaction between the Fe protein and NifEN. Our findings not only clarify the role of the Fe protein in FeMoco assembly and assign another function to this multitask enzyme but also provide useful insights into a mechanism of metal trafficking required for the assembly of complex metalloproteins such as nitrogenase.

Azotobacter vinelandii↗

PubMed2006

FeMo cofactor maturation on NifEN.

FeMo cofactor (FeMoco) biosynthesis is one of the most complicated processes in metalloprotein biochemistry. Here we show that Mo and homocitrate are incorporated into the Fe/S core of the FeMoco precursor while it is bound to NifEN and that the resulting fully complemented, FeMoco-like cluster is transformed into a mature FeMoco upon transfer from NifEN to MoFe protein through direct protein-protein interaction. Our findings not only clarify the process of FeMoco maturation, but also provide useful insights into the other facets of nitrogenase chemistry.

Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy↗

PubMed2006

Reversible O-O bond cleavage in copper-dioxygen isomers: impact of anion basicity.

Low-temperature oxygenation of copper(I) complexes of N,N,N',N'-tetraethylpropane-1,3-diamine yields solutions containing both mu-eta2:eta2-peroxodicopper(II) (P) and bis(mu-oxo)dicopper(III) (O) valence isomers. The P/O equilibrium position depends on the nature of the counteranion; P is favored with more basic anions. Titration and EXAFS experiments as well as DFT calculations suggest that axial donation from a sulfonate anion to the copper centers imparts an electronic/electrostatic bias toward the P isomer.

Anions↗

PubMed2006

Structural insights into a protein-bound iron-molybdenum cofactor precursor.

The iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco) of the nitrogenase MoFe protein is a highly complex metallocluster that provides the catalytically essential site for biological nitrogen fixation. FeMoco is assembled outside the MoFe protein in a stepwise process requiring several components, including NifB-co, an iron- and sulfur-containing FeMoco precursor, and NifEN, an intermediary assembly protein on which NifB-co is presumably converted to FeMoco. Through the comparison of Azotobacter vinelandii strains expressing the NifEN protein in the presence or absence of the nifB gene, the structure of a NifEN-bound FeMoco precursor has been analyzed by x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The results provide physical evidence to support a mechanism for FeMoco biosynthesis. The NifEN-bound precursor is found to be a molybdenum-free analog of FeMoco and not one of the more commonly suggested cluster types based on a standard [4Fe-4S] architecture. A facile scheme by which FeMoco and alternative, non-molybdenum-containing nitrogenase cofactors are constructed from this common precursor is presented that has important implications for the biosynthesis and biomimetic chemical synthesis of FeMoco.

Azotobacter vinelandii↗

PubMed2005

Nitrogenase reactivity with P-cluster variants.

Nitrogenase is a multicomponent metalloenzyme that catalyzes the conversion of atmospheric dinitrogen to ammonia. For decades, it has been generally believed that the [8Fe-7S] P-cluster of nitrogenase component 1 is indispensable for nitrogenase activity. In this study, we identified two catalytically active P-cluster variants by activity assays, metal analysis, and EPR spectroscopic studies. Further, we showed that both P-cluster variants resemble [4Fe-4S]-like centers based on x-ray absorption spectroscopic experiments. We believe that our findings challenge the dogma that the standard P-cluster is the only cluster species capable of supporting substrate reduction at the FeMo cofactor and provide important insights into the general mechanism of nitrogenase catalysis and assembly.

Azotobacter vinelandii↗

PubMed2004

Mo K- and L-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopic study of the ADP.AlF4--stabilized nitrogenase complex: comparison with MoFe protein in solution and single crystal.

The utility of using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to study metalloproteins and, specifically, the enzyme complex nitrogenase, is highlighted by this study comparing both the structural and Mo-localized electronic features of the iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco) in isolated MoFe protein and in the ADP.AlF4--stabilized complex of the MoFe protein with the Fe protein. No major differences are found at Mo between the two protein forms. The excellent quality of the data at both the Mo K and L edges will provide a baseline for analysis of other intermediates in the nitrogenase cycle. A new capability to delineate various contributions in the resting state of FeMoco is being pursued through polarized single-crystal XAS. The initial results point to the feasibility of using this technique for the analysis of scattering from the as yet unidentified atom at the center of FeMoco.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

PubMed2004

Comparison of iron-molybdenum cofactor-deficient nitrogenase MoFe proteins by X-ray absorption spectroscopy: implications for P-cluster biosynthesis.

Nitrogenase, the enzyme system responsible for biological nitrogen fixation, is believed to utilize two unique metalloclusters in catalysis. There is considerable interest in understanding how these metalloclusters are assembled in vivo. It has been presumed that immature iron-molybdenum cofactor-deficient nitrogenase MoFe proteins contain the P-cluster, although no biosynthetic pathway for the assembly of this complex cluster has been identified as yet. Through the comparison by iron K-edge x-ray absorption edge and extended fine structure analyses of cofactor-deficient MoFe proteins resulting from nifH and nifB deletion strains of Azotobacter vinelandii, a novel [Fe-S] cluster is identified in the DeltanifH MoFe protein. The iron-iron scattering displayed by the DeltanifH MoFe protein is more similar to that of a standard [Fe(4)S(4)]-containing protein than that of the DeltanifB MoFe protein, which is shown to contain a "normal" P-cluster. The iron-sulfur scattering of the DeltanifH MoFe protein, however, indicates differences in its cluster from an [Fe(4)S(4)](Cys)(4) site that may be consistent with the presence of either oxygenic or nitrogenic ligation. Based on these results, models for the [Fe-S] center in the DeltanifH MoFe protein are constructed, the most likely of which consist of two separate [Fe(4)S(4)] sites, each with some non-cysteinyl coordination. This type of model suggests that the P-cluster is formed by the condensation of two [Fe(4)S(4)] fragments, possibly concomitant with Fe protein (NifH)-induced conformational change.

Azotobacter vinelandii↗