| 1. |
- Bruschi, Maurizio, et al.
(författare)
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A DFT investigation on structural and redox properties of a synthetic Fe6S6 assembly closely related to the [FeFe]-hydrogenases active site
- 2008
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Ingår i: Comptes Rendus. Chimie. - : Elsevier BV. - 1631-0748. ; 11:8, s. 834-841
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the present contribution, a density functional theory (DFT) investigation is described regarding a recently synthesized Fe6S6 complex - see C. Tard, X. Liu, S.K. Ibrahim, M. Bruschi, L. De Gioia, S.C. Davies, X. Yang, L.-S. Wang, G. Sawers, C.J. Pickett, Nature 433 (2005) 610 - that is structurally and functionally related to the [FeFe]-hydrogenases active site (the so-called H-cluster, which includes a binuclear subsite directly involved in catalysis and an Fe4S4 cubane). The analysis of relative stabilities and atomic charges of different isomers evidenced that the structural and redox properties of the synthetic assembly are significantly different from those of the enzyme active site. A comparison between the hexanuclear cluster and simpler synthetic diiron models is also described; the results of such a comparison indicated that the cubane moiety can favour the stabilization of the cluster in a structure closely resembling the H-cluster geometry when the synthetic Fe6S6 complex is in its dianionic state. However, the opposite effect is observed when the synthetic cluster is in its monoanionic form.
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| 2. |
- Bruschi, Maurizio, et al.
(författare)
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Functionally Relevant Interplay between the Fe(4)S(4) Cluster and CN(-) Ligands in the Active Site of [FeFe]-Hydrogenases.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-5126 .- 0002-7863. ; 132:14, s. 4992-4992
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- [FeFe]-hydrogenases are highly efficient H(2)-evolving metalloenzymes that include cyanides and carbonyls in the active site. The latter is an Fe(6)S(6) cluster (the so-called H-cluster) that can be subdivided into a binuclear portion carrying the CO and CN(-) groups and a tetranuclear subcluster. The fundamental role of cyanide ligands in increasing the basicity of the H-cluster has been highlighted previously. Here a more subtle but crucial role played by the two CN(-) ligands in the active site of [FeFe]-hydrogenases is disclosed. In fact, QM/MM calculations on all-atom models of the enzyme from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans show that the cyanide groups fine-tune the electronic and redox properties of the active site, affecting both the protonation regiochemistry and electron transfer between the two subclusters of the H-cluster. Despite the crucial role of cyanides in the protein active site, the currently available bioinspired electrocatalysts generally lack CN(-) groups in order to avoid competition between the latter and the catalytic metal centers for proton binding. In this respect, we show that a targeted inclusion of phosphine ligands in hexanuclear biomimetic clusters may restore the electronic and redox features of the wild-type H-cluster.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Greco, Claudio, et al.
(författare)
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A QM/MM investigation of the activation and catalytic mechanism of Fe-only hydrogenases
- 2007
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Ingår i: Inorganic Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-510X .- 0020-1669. ; 46:15, s. 5911-5921
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fe-only hydrogenases are enzymes that catalyze dihydrogen production or oxidation, due to the presence of an unusual Fe6S6 cluster (the so-called H-cluster) in their active site, which is composed of a Fe2S2 subsite, directly involved in catalysis, and a classical Fe4S4 cubane cluster. Here, we present a hybrid quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) investigation of the Fe-only hydrogenase from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, in order to unravel key issues regarding the activation of the enzyme from its completely oxidized inactive state (H-ox(inac)) and the influence of the protein environment on the structural and catalytic properties of the H-cluster. Our results show that the Fe2S2 subcluster in the (FeFeII)-Fe-II redox statewhich is experimentally observed for the completely oxidized form of the enzymebinds a water molecule to one of its metal centers. The computed QM/MM energy values for water binding to the diferrous subsite are in fact over 70 kJ mol(-1); however, the affinity toward water decreases by 1 order of magnitude after a one-electron reduction of H-ox(inact), thus leading to the release of coordinated water from the H-cluster. The investigation of a catalytic cycle of the Fe-only hydrogenase that implies formation of a terminal hydride ion and a di(thiomethyl)amine (DTMA) molecule acting as an acid/base catalyst indicates that all steps have reasonable reaction energies and that the influence of the protein on the thermodynamic profile of H-2 production catalysis is not negligible. QM/MM results show that the interactions between the Fe2S2 subsite and the protein environment could give place to structural rearrangements of the H-cluster functional for catalysis, provided that the bidentate ligand that bridges the iron atoms in the binuclear subsite is actually a DTMA residue.
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| 5. |
- Greco, Claudio, et al.
(författare)
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Fast Generation of Broken-Symmetry States in a Large System Including Multiple Iron-Sulfur Assemblies: Investigation of QM/MM Energies, Clusters Charges, and Spin Populations
- 2011
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Ingår i: International Journal of Quantum Chemistry. - : Wiley. - 0020-7608. ; 111:14, s. 3949-3960
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A density functional theory study is presented regarding the energetics and the Mulliken population analyses of a quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) system including multiple iron-sulfur clusters in the QM region. The [FeFe]-hydrogenase from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans was studied, and both the active site (an Fe6S6 assembly generally referred to as the H-cluster) and an ancillary Fe4S4 site were treated at the BP86-RI/TZVP level. The antiferromagnetic coupling that characterizes both sites was modeled using the broken-symmetry (BS) approach. For such a QM system, 36 different BS couplings can be defined, depending on the localization of spin excess on the various spin centers. All the BS states were obtained by means of an effective and simple method for spin localization, that is here described and compared with more sophisticated approaches already available in literature. The variation of the QM/MM energy among the various geometry-optimized protein models was found to be less than 25 kJ mol(-1). This energy variation almost doubles if no geometry optimization is performed. A detailed analysis of the additive nature of these variations in QM/MM energy is reported. The Mulliken charges show very small variations among the 36 BS states, whereas the Mulliken spin populations were found to be somewhat more variable. The relevance of such variations is discussed in light of the available Mossbauer and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopic data for the enzyme. Finally, the influence of the basis set on the spin populations, charges, and structural parameters of the models was investigated, by means of QM/MM computations on the same system at the BP86-RI/SVP level. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem 111: 3949-3960, 2011
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| 6. |
- Greco, Claudio, et al.
(författare)
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Isocyanide in Biochemistry? A Theoretical Investigation of the Electronic Effects and Energetics of Cyanide Ligand Protonation in [FeFe]-Hydrogenases
- 2011
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Ingår i: Chemistry: A European Journal. - : Wiley. - 1521-3765 .- 0947-6539. ; 17:6, s. 1954-1965
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The presence of Fe-bound cyanide ligands in the active site of the proton-reducing enzymes [FeFe]-hydrogenases has led to the hypothesis that such Bronsted-Lowry bases could be protonated during the catalytic cycle, thus implying that hydrogen isocyanide (HNC) might have a relevant role in such crucial microbial metabolic paths. We present a hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) study of the energetics of CN- protonation in the enzyme, and of the effects that cyanide protonation can have on [FeFe]-hydrogenase active sites. A detailed analysis of the electronic properties of the models and of the energy profile associated with H-2 evolution clearly shows that such protonation is dysfunctional for the catalytic process. However, the inclusion of the protein matrix surrounding the active site in our QM/MM models allowed us to demonstrate that the amino acid environment was finely selected through evolution, specifically to lower the Bronsted-Lowry basicity of the cyanide ligands. In fact, the conserved hydrogen-bonding network formed by these ligands and the neighboring amino acid residues is able to impede CN- protonation, as shown by the fact that the isocyanide forms of [FeFe]-hydrogenases do not correspond to stationary points on the enzyme QM/MM potential-energy surface.
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| 7. |
- Greco, Claudio, et al.
(författare)
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Magnetic Properties of [FeFe]-Hydrogenases: A Theoretical Investigation Based on Extended QM and QM/MM Models of the H-Cluster and Its Surroundings
- 2011
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Ingår i: European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry. - : Wiley. - 1099-0682 .- 1434-1948. ; :7, s. 1043-1049
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the present contribution, we report a theoretical investigation of the magnetic properties of the dihydrogen-evolving enzyme [FeFe]-hydrogenase, based on both DFT models of the active site (the H-cluster, a Fe6S6 assembly including a binuclear portion directly involved in substrates binding), and QM/MM models of the whole enzyme. Antiferromagnetic coupling within the H-cluster has been treated using the broken-symmetry approach, along with the use of different density functionals. Results of g value calculations turned out to vary as a function of the level of theory and of the extension of the model. The choice of the broken-symmetry coupling scheme also had a significant influence on the calculated g values, for both the active-ready (H-ox) and the CO-inhibited (H-ox-CO) enzyme forms. However, hyper-fine coupling-constant calculations were found to provide more consistent results. This allowed us to show that the experimentally detected delocalization of an unpaired electron at the binuclear subcluster in Desulfovibrio desulfuricans Hox is compatible with a weak interaction between the catalytic centre and a low-weight exogenous ligand like a water molecule.
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| 8. |
- Greco, Claudio, et al.
(författare)
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Mechanistic and Physiological Implications of the Interplay among Iron-Sulfur Clusters in [FeFe]-Hydrogenases. A QM/MM Perspective
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-5126 .- 0002-7863. ; 133:46, s. 18742-18749
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Key stereoelectronic properties of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans [FeFe]-hydrogenase (DdH) were investigated by quantum mechanical description of its complete inorganic core, which includes a Fe6S6 active site (the H-cluster), as well as two ancillary Fe4S4 assemblies (the F and F' clusters). The partially oxidized, active-ready form of DdH is able to efficiently bind dihydrogen, thus starting H-2 oxidation catalysis. The calculations allow us to unambiguously assign a mixed Fe(H)Fe(I) state to the catalytic core of the active-ready enzyme and show that H-2 uptake exerts subtle, yet crucial influences on the redox properties of DdH. In fact, H-2 binding can promote electron transfer from the H-cluster to the solvent-exposed F'-cluster, thanks to a 50% decrease of the energy gap between the HOMO (that is localized on the H-cluster) and the LUMO (which is centered on the F'-cluster). Our results also indicate that the binding of the redox partners of DdH in proximity of its F'-cluster can trigger one-electron oxidation of the H-2-bound enzyme, a process that is expected to have an important role in H-2 activation. Our findings are analyzed not only from a mechanistic perspective, but also in consideration of the physiological role of DdH. In fact, this enzyme is known to be able to catalyze both the oxidation and the evolution of H-2, depending on the cellular metabolic requirements. Hints for the design of targeted mutations that could lead to the enhancement of the oxidizing properties of DdH are proposed and discussed.
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| 9. |
- Greco, Claudio, et al.
(författare)
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Probing the Effects of One-Electron Reduction and Protonation on the Electronic Properties of the Fe-S Clusters in the Active-Ready Form of [FeFe]-Hydrogenases. A QM/MM Investigation.
- 2011
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Ingår i: ChemPhysChem. - : Wiley. - 1439-7641 .- 1439-4235. ; 12:17, s. 3376-3382
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A QM/MM investigation of the active-ready (Hox) form of [FeFe]-hydrogenase from D. desulfuricans, in which the electronic properties of all Fe-S clusters (H, F and F') have been simultaneously described using DFT, was carried out with the aim of disclosing a possible interplay between the H-cluster and the accessory iron-sulfur clusters in the initial steps of the catalytic process leading to H2 formation. It turned out that one-electron addition to the active-ready form leads to reduction of the F'-cluster and not of the H-cluster. Protonation of the H-cluster in Hox is unlikely, and in any case it would not trigger electron transfer from the accessory Fe4S4 clusters to the active site. Instead, one-electron reduction and protonation of the active-ready form trigger electron transfer within the protein, a key event in the catalytic cycle. In particular, protonation of the H-cluster after one-electron reduction of the enzyme lowers the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals localized on the H-cluster to such an extent that a long-range electron transfer from the F'-cluster towards the H-cluster itself is allowed.
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| 10. |
- Greco, Claudio, et al.
(författare)
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Structural insights into the active-ready form of [FeFe]-Hydrogenase and mechanistic details of its inhibition by carbon monoxide
- 2007
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Ingår i: Inorganic Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-510X .- 0020-1669. ; 46:18, s. 7256-7258
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- [FeFe]-Hydrogenases harbor a {2Fe3S} assembly bearing two CO and two CN- groups, a mu-CO ligand, and a vacant coordination site trans to the mu-CO group. Recent theoretical results obtained studying the isolated {2Fe3S} subsite indicated that one of the CN- ligands can easily move from the crystallographic position to the coordination site trans to the mu-CO group; such an isomerization would have a major impact on substrates and inhibitors binding regiochemistry and, consequently, on the catalytic mechanism. To shed light on this crucial issue, we have carried out hybrid QM/MM and free energy perturbation calculations on the whole enzyme, which demonstrate that the protein environment plays a crucial role and maintains the CN- group fixed in the position observed in the crystal structure; these results strongly support the hypothesis that the vacant coordination site trans to the mu-CO group has a crucial functional relevance both in the context of CO-mediated inhibition of the enzyme and in dihydrogen oxidation/evolution catalysis.
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