Superoxide dismutase, functional activity

Effect of Pressure on Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Reactions of Seven-Coordinate Iron Complexes in Aqueous Solution It has been shown that seven-coordinate Fe(III) diaqua complexes consisting of a pentaaza macrocyclic ligand possess superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and therefore could serve an imitative SOD function.360 Choosing appropriate chemical composition of a chelate system yielded suitable pKa values for the two coordinated water molecules so that the Fe(III) complexes of 2,6-diacetylpyridine-bis(semicarbazone) (dapsox) and 2,6-diacetylpyridine-bis(semioxamazide) (dapsc) (see Scheme 7.12) would be present principally in the highly active aqua-hydroxo form in solution at physiological pH.361... 

CL Eisher, J-L Chen, J Li, D Bashford, L Noodleman. Density-functional and electrostatic calculations for a model of a manganese superoxide dismutase active site in aqueous solution. J Phys Chem 100 13498-13505, 1996. 

This discussion of copper-containing enzymes has focused on structure and function information for Type I blue copper proteins azurin and plastocyanin, Type III hemocyanin, and Type II superoxide dismutase s structure and mechanism of activity. Information on spectral properties for some metalloproteins and their model compounds has been included in Tables 5.2, 5.3, and 5.7. One model system for Type I copper proteins39 and one for Type II centers40 have been discussed. Many others can be found in the literature. A more complete discussion, including mechanistic detail, about hemocyanin and tyrosinase model systems has been included. Models for the blue copper oxidases laccase and ascorbate oxidases have not been discussed. Students are referred to the references listed in the reference section for discussion of some other model systems. Many more are to be found in literature searches.50... 

Metals in biological systems function in a number of different ways. Group 1 and 2 metals operate as structural elements or in the maintenance of charge and osmotic balance (Table 1.2). Transition metal ions that exist in single oxidation states, such as zinc(II), function as structural elements in superoxide dismutase and zinc fingers, or, as an example from main group +2 ions, as triggers for protein activity—that is, calcium ions in calmodulin or troponin C... 

These systems are also described as normal copper proteins due to their conventional ESR features. In the oxidized state, their color is light blue (almost undetectable) due to weak d-d transitions of the single Cu ion. The coordination sphere around Cu, which has either square planar or distorted tetrahedral geometry, contains four ligands with N and/or 0 donor atoms [ 12, 22]. Representative examples of proteins with this active site structure (see Fig. 1) and their respective catalytic function include galactose oxidase (1) (oxidation of primary alcohols) [23,24], phenylalanine hydroxylase (hydroxy-lation of aromatic substrates) [25,26], dopamine- 6-hydroxylase (C-Hbond activation of benzylic substrates) [27] and CuZn superoxide dismutase (disproportionation of 02 superoxide anion) [28,29]. 

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