Iron-sulfur centers molybdenum enzymes

These enzymes may contain other redox-active sites (iron-sulfur centers, hemes, and/or flavins), either in distinct domains of a single polypeptide or bound in separate subunits. These additional cofactors perform electron transfer from the molybdenum center to an external electron acceptor/donor. 

D. desulfuricans is able to grow on nitrate, inducing two enzymes that responsible for the steps of conversion of nitrate to nitrite (nitrate reductase-NAP), which is an iron-sulfur Mo-containing enzyme, and that for conversion of nitrite to ammonia (nitrite reduc-tase-NIR), which is a heme-containing enzyme. Nitrate reductase from D. desulfuricans is the only characterized enzyme isolated from a sulfate reducer that has this function. The enzyme is a monomer of 74 kDa and contains two MGD bound to a molybdenum and one [4Fe-4S] center (228, 229) in a single polypeptide chain of 753 amino acids. FXAFS data on the native nitrate reductase show that besides the two pterins coordinated to the molybdenum, there is a cysteine and a nonsulfur ligand, probably a Mo-OH (G. N. George, personal communication). 

XOD is one of the most complex flavoproteins and is composed of two identical and catalytically independent subunits each subunit contains one molybdenium center, two iron sulfur centers, and flavine adenine dinucleotide. The enzyme activity is due to a complicated interaction of FAD, molybdenium, iron, and labile sulfur moieties at or near the active site [260], It can be used to detect xanthine and hypoxanthine by immobilizing xanthine oxidase on a glassy carbon paste electrode [261], The elements are based on the chronoamperometric monitoring of the current that occurs due to the oxidation of the hydrogen peroxide which liberates during the enzymatic reaction. The biosensor showed linear dependence in the concentration range between 5.0 X 10 7 and 4.0 X 10-5M for xanthine and 2.0 X 10 5 and 8.0 X 10 5M for hypoxanthine, respectively. The detection limit values were estimated as 1.0 X 10 7 M for xanthine and 5.3 X 10-6M for hypoxanthine, respectively. Li used DNA to embed xanthine oxidase and obtained the electrochemical response of FAD and molybdenum center of xanthine oxidase [262], Moreover, the enzyme keeps its native catalytic activity to hypoxanthine in the DNA film. So the biosensor for hypoxanthine can be based on... 

Xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) is a molybdenum-containing complex homodimeric 300-kDa cytosolic enzyme. Each subunit contains a molybdopterin cofactor, two nonidentical iron-sulfur centers, and FAD (89). The enzyme has an important physiologic role in the oxidative metabolism of purines, e.g., it catalyzes the sequence of reactions that convert hypoxanthine to xanthine then to uric acid (Fig. 4.36). 

Xanthine oxidase catalyzes the oxidation of hypox-anthine and xanthine to uric acid. Xanthine oxidase is a complex metalloflavoprotein containing one molybdenum, one FAD and two iron-sulfur centers of the ferredoxine type in each of its two independent subunits. Usually, the enzyme is isolated from cow s milk. The enzyme is inhibited by allopurinol and related compounds. The production of uric acid from the substrate (xanthine) can be determined by measuring the change in optical density in the UV range. 

One of the most important enzymes in the world— nitrogenase, the plant protein that catalyzes nitrogen fixation— contains active clusters of iron, sulfur, and molybdenum atoms. Crystalline molybdenum (Mo) has a body-centered cubic unit cell d of Mo = 10.28 g/cm ). (a) Determine the edge length of the unit cell, (b) Calculate the atomic radius of Mo. 

The active form of selenium in M. vannielii has been identified as occurring as selenocysteine residues . In addition to selenium, the known selenium-dependent formate dehydrogenases contain molybdenum and iron-sulfur centers. The E. coli enzyme also contains cytochrome b subunits . It has been characterized as an approximately... 

This enzyme, as well as nicotinic acid hydroxylase was recently reported by Andreesan to be a selenoenzyme. The discovery of both these enzymes was based on the clever assumption that selenium might well be a component of multisubunit enzymes containing redox centers such as iron-sulfur, flavin, molybdenum, etc. When Clostridium acidiurici was cultured in media with supplemental selenium, an elevated activity of xanthine dehydrogenase was observed. The clostridial enzyme is comparable to mammalian xanthine oxidases in that it contains flavin adeninedinucleotide (FAD), molybdenum and nonheme iron. This enzyme functions in vivo under anaerobic conditions and appears to catalyze the reduction of uric acid to xanthine. Again it will be interesting to learn the form of selenium in this enzyme. 

Polysulfide reductase The isolated polysulfide reductase consists of the three subunits predicted by the psrABC operon, and contains a molybdenum ion coordinated by two molecules of molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide (MGD) [26,28] (Fig. 2). These cofactors are likely to be bound to the catalytic subunit PsrA together with a [4Fe-4S] iron-sulfur center which is predicted by the sequence of PsrA. Four additional [4Fe-4S] iron-sulfur centers are predicted by the sequence of PsrB. The isolated enzyme contains 20 mol of free iron and... 

Molybdoenzymns At present, 6 oligomeric oxi-doreductases are known, which contain Mo as an essential constituent 1. Nitrogenase (see) 2. Nitrate reductase, EC 1.6.6.3 (see) 3. Xanthine oxidase, EC 1.2.3.2 (see), from animals and bacteria 4. Aldehyde oxidase, EC 1.2.3.1 from animal liver, which catalyses the reaction R-CHO + HjO R-COOH + 2H + 2e 5. Sulfite oxidase, EC 1.18.3.1 from mammalian and bird liver (Af, 114,000 2 subunits), which catalyses the reaction S03 + HjO-> SO/ + 2H + 2e this enzyme also contains a b5-like cytochrome and passes electrons directly to cytochrome c in the respiratory chain and 6. Formate dehydrogenase, EC 1.2.1.2, a membrane-bound protein from E. coli, containing one atom each of molybdenum and selenium, one heme group and nonheme iron-sulfur centers. It is NAD -dependent and catalyses the reaction HCOO + NAD CO2 -I- NADH. 

Kinetics and interactions of molybdenum and iron-sulfur centers in bacterial enzymes of the xanthine oxidase family Mechanistic implications. Biochemistry 38 14077-14087. 

Nitrate reductases from E. coli and other sources have been reviewed by Stouthamer (1976). When this organism is grown anaerobically on nitrate, the nitrate is capable of acting as the terminal acceptor of its electron transport chain, being reduced to nitrite in the process. Apart from molybdenum, where the nitrate interacts, the enzyme also contains in its molecule several iron-sulfur centers and, in some preparations, heme as well. In the conventional assay, reduced benzyl viologen serves as electron donor. 

A large number of studies devoted to metal-sulfur centers are motivated by the occurrence of such arrangements at the active site of various metalloenzymes [1-13]. Mononuclear complexes with Mo=0 func-tion(s) and possessing sulfur ligands in their coordination sphere have been extensively investigated since they can be seen as models of the active site of enzymes such as nitrate- and DM SO reductases or sulfite- and xanthine oxidases [1-4]. On the other hand, a large variety of mono-, di-, and polynuclear Mo—S centers have been synthesized in order to produce functional models of the Mo-nitrogenase since the exact nature (mono-, di- or polynuclear) of the metal center, where N2 interacts within the iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMo—co) of the enzyme is still unknown [4-8]. 

Iron-sulfur proteins contain non-heme iron and inorganic (acid-labile) sulfur in their active centers as 4Fe-4S or 2Fe-2S or, in the case of rubredoxin, as one iron alone. The iron is always bonded to cysteine sulfur. They catalyze redox reactions between +350 and —600 mV (hydrogen electrode = —420 mV). They are usually of low molecular weight (6000-15,000 Daltons) but can form complex enzymes with molybdenum and flavin. They occur as soluble or membrane-bound proteins and catalyze key reactions in photosynthesis, oxidative phosphorylation, nitrogen fixation, H2 metabolism, steroid hydroxylation, carbon and sulfur metabolism, etc. They occur in all organisms so far investigated and may... 

There is, however, more direct evidence for the presence of Mo (IV) in the cycle of xanthine oxidase. This evidence comes from the experiments of Massey and co-workers (24) who used alloxanthine (l) to trap the enzyme in its reduced state. A strong complex is formed between the reduced enzyme and alloxanthine, and excess alloxanthine and reductant can be removed. The enzyme is then reoxidized with Fe(CN)63", and two electrons per molybdenum center are found after the electrons required for the reoxidation of the iron-sulfur and flavin groupings are... 

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