Iron ribonucleotide reductases

Figure 1.9 Examples of functionally important intrinsic metal atoms in proteins, (a) The di-iron center of the enzyme ribonucleotide reductase. Two iron atoms form a redox center that produces a free radical in a nearby tyrosine side chain. The iron atoms are bridged by a glutamic acid residue and a negatively charged oxygen atom called a p-oxo bridge. The coordination of the iron atoms is completed by histidine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid side chains as well as water molecules, (b) The catalytically active zinc atom in the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. The zinc atom is coordinated to the protein by one histidine and two cysteine side chains. During catalysis zinc binds an alcohol molecule in a suitable position for hydride transfer to the coenzyme moiety, a nicotinamide, [(a) Adapted from P. Nordlund et al., Nature 345 593-598, 1990.)...

When induced in macrophages, iNOS produces large amounts of NO which represents a major cytotoxic principle of those cells. Due to its affinity to protein-bound iron, NO can inhibit a number of key enzymes that contain iron in their catalytic centers. These include ribonucleotide reductase (rate-limiting in DNA replication), iron-sulfur cluster-dependent enzymes (complex I and II) involved in mitochondrial electron transport and cis-aconitase in the citric acid cycle. In addition, higher concentrations of NO,... 

Thiobacillus ferrooxidans function. 6, 651 Rhus vernicifera stellacyanin structure, 6,651 Riboflavin 5 -phosphate zinc complexes, 5,958 Ribonucleotide reductases cobalt, 6,642 iron, 6,634... 

Labarre JF (1978) Conformational Analysis in Inorganic Chemistry Semi-Empirical Quantum Calculation vs. Experiment. 35 1-35 Lammers M, Follmann H (1983) The Ribonucleotide Reductases A Unique Group of Metalloenzymes Essential for Cell Proliferation. 54 27-91 Le Brun NE, Thomson AJ, Moore GR (1997) Metal Centres of Bacterioferritins of Non-Heam-Iron-Containing Cyrochromes 6557. 88 103-138... 

Treatment via chelation has been observed for 2-acetylpyridine thiosemi-carbazone derivatives, which have been found to possess inhibitory activity for the RNA-polymerases of the influenza virus [133]. The iron(III) complexes were shown to be 3 to 6 times more active as inhibitors of partially purified ribonucleotide reductase (no added iron) compared to uncomplexed thiosemi-carbazone [128]. Raina and Srivastava [134] prepared and characterized low spin iron(III) complexes of 2-acetylpyridine thiosemicarbazone, [Fe(8-H)2A] (A = NO3, OH, Cl, N3, NCS or NO2), which were proposed as being seven-coordinate. However, all but the azide complex are 1 1 electrolytes in DMF and their solid ESR spectra are rhombic with the g-values being about 2.20,2.15 and 2.00. Of the six complexes, the azide ion seems to interact ihost strongly with the iron(III) center. 

The iron(III) complexes of 21 and 22 were shown to be 3 to 6 times more active as inhibitors of partially purified ribonucleotide reductase than un-complexed thiosemicarbazones [128]. The mechanism of antitumor action by these complexes still remains largely speculative, although some excellent preliminary studies have appeared. It has been postulated [148] that tridentate... 

The general influence of covalency can be qualitatively explained in a very basic MO scheme. For example, we may consider the p-oxo Fe(III) dimers that are encountered in inorganic complexes and nonheme iron proteins, such as ribonucleotide reductase. In spite of a half-filled crystal-field model), the ferric high-spin ions show quadrupole splittings as large as 2.45 mm s < 0, 5 = 0.53 mm s 4.2-77 K) [61, 62]. This is explained... 

Non-heme Di-Iron Enzymes Methane Monooxygenase and Ribonucleotide Reductase... 

Metalloenzymes with non-heme di-iron centers in which the two irons are bridged by an oxide (or a hydroxide) and carboxylate ligands (glutamate or aspartate) constitute an important class of enzymes. Two of these enzymes, methane monooxygenase (MMO) and ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) have very similar di-iron active sites, located in the subunits MMOH and R2 respectively. Despite their structural similarity, these metal centers catalyze very different chemical reactions. We have studied the enzymatic mechanisms of these enzymes to understand what determines their catalytic activity [24, 25, 39-41]. 

Ribonucleotide reductase is responsible for the conversion of the four biological ribonucleotides (RNA) into their corresponding deoxy forms (DNA). Although RNR is not an oxygenase during its primary catalyzed reaction (the conversion of ribonucleotides), it activates oxygen to generate a stable tyrosyl radical that is essential to the overall mechanism [46 49]. The common link between the chemistry of MMO and RNR is the activation of O2 by the di-iron active site. 

The next five transition metals iron, cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc are of undisputed importance in the living world, as we know it. The multiple roles that iron can play will be presented in more detail later in Chapter 13, but we can already point out that, with very few exceptions, iron is essential for almost all living organisms, most probably because of its role in forming the amino acid radicals required for the conversion of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides in the Fe-dependent ribonucleotide reductases. In those organisms, such as Lactobacilli6, which do not have access to iron, their ribonucleotide reductases use a cobalt-based cofactor, related to vitamin B12. Cobalt is also used in a number of other enzymes, some of which catalyse complex isomerization reactions. Like cobalt, nickel appears to be much more extensively utilized by anaerobic bacteria, in reactions involving chemicals such as CH4, CO and H2, the metabolism of which was important... 

Studies on three different iron-sulfur enzyme systems, which all require S-adenosyl methionine—lysine 2,3-aminomutase, pyruvate formate lyase and anaerobic ribonucleotide reductase—have led to the identification of SAM as a major source of free radicals in living cells. As in the dehydratases, these systems have a [4Fe-4S] centre chelated by only three cysteines with one accessible coordination site. The cluster is active only in the reduced... 

Figure 13.25 Three-dimensional structures of diiron proteins. The iron-binding subunits of (a) haemery-thrin, (b) bacterioferritin, (c) rubryerythrin (the FeS centre is on the top), (d) ribonucleotide reductase R2 subunit, (e) stearoyl-acyl carrier protein A9 desaturase, (f) methane monooxygenase hydroxylase a-subunit. (From Nordlund and Eklund, 1995. Copyright 1995, with permission from Elsevier.)...

The binuclear iron unit consisting of a (p,-oxo(or hydroxo))bis(p.-carboxylato)diiron core is a potential common structural feature of the active sites of hemerythrin, ribonucleotide reductase, and the purple acid phosphatases. Synthetic complexes having such a binuclear core have recently been prepared their characterization has greatly facilitated the comparison of the active sites of the various proteins. The extent of structural analogy among the different forms of the proteins is discussed in light of their spectroscopic and magnetic properties. It is clear that this binuclear core represents yet another stractural motif with the versatility to participate in different protein functions. 

A new class of metalloprotelns containing polynuclear, non-heme oxo-bridged iron complexes has emerged recently. Dinuclear centers are present in hemerythrin (Hr), ribonucleotide reductase (RR), purple acid phosphatases (PAP) and, possibly, methane monooxygenase (MMO) these centers as well as model compounds are reviewed in Chapter 8. 

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