Electron Spin-echo Envelope Modulation Spectroscopy Research Articles

On the theory of mixing-frequency electron spin-echo envelope modulation spectroscopy

It has recently been stated that the parametrization of the time variables in the one-dimensional (1-D) mixing-frequency electron spin-echo envelope modulation (MIF-ESEEM) experiment is incorrect and hence the wrong frequencies for correlated nuclear transitions are predicted. This paper is a direct response to such a claim, its purpose being to show that the parametrization in 1- and 2-D MIF-ESEEM experiments possesses the same form as that used in other 4-pulse incrementation schemes and predicts the same correlation frequencies. We show that the parametrization represents a shearing transformation of the 2-D time-domain and relate the resulting frequency domain spectrum to the HYSCORE spectrum in terms of a skew-projection. It is emphasized that the parametrization of the time-domain variables may be chosen arbitrarily and affects neither the computation of the correct nuclear frequencies nor the resulting resolution. The usefulness or otherwise of the MIF parameters |ψ| > 1 is addressed, together with the validity of the original claims of the authors with respect to resolution enhancement in cases of purely homogeneous and inhomogeneous broadening. Numerical simulations are provided to illustrate the main points.

Geometry of Reactant Centers in the CoII-Substrate Radical Pair State of Coenzyme B12-Dependent Ethanolamine Deaminase Determined by Using Orientation-Selection-ESEEM Spectroscopy

The distances and orientations among the C5‘ methyl group of 5‘-deoxyadenosine, the radical-bearing C1 carbon of the substrate radical, and the low spin (S=1/2) CoII in cob(II)alamin in the active site of coenzyme B12-dependent ethanolamine deaminase from Salmonella typhimurium have been characterized in the CoII-substrate radical pair state by using two-pulse X-band electron spin−echo electron paramagnetic resonance (ESE-EPR) and electron spin−echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopies in the disordered solid state. Our approach is based on the orientation-selection created in the EPR spectrum of the biradical by the axial electron−electron dipolar interaction. Simulation of the ESE-EPR line shape yielded CoII-radical exchange and dipole interaction terms, which were used to calculate the CoII-C1 distance of 11.1 A and the dependence of the EPR line shape on the angle between the CoII-C1 axis and the magnetic field vector. ESEEM spectroscopy performed at four magnetic field values addressed the coup...

Interaction of the substrate radical and the 5'-deoxyadenosine-5'-methyl group in vitamin B(12) coenzyme-dependent ethanolamine deaminase.

The distance and relative orientation of the C5' methyl group of 5'-deoxyadenosine and the substrate radical in vitamin B(12) coenzyme-dependent ethanolamine deaminase from Salmonella typhimurium have been characterized by using X-band two-pulse electron spin-echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy in the disordered solid state. The (S)-2-aminopropanol-generated substrate radical catalytic intermediate was prepared by cryotrapping steady-state mixtures of enzyme in which catalytically exchangeable hydrogen sites in the active site had been labeled by previous turnover on (2)H(4)-ethanolamine. Simulation of the time- and frequency-domain ESEEM requires two types of coupled (2)H. The strongly coupled (2)H has an effective dipole distance (r(eff)) of 2.2 A, and isotropic coupling constant (A(iso)) of -0.35 MHz. The weakly coupled (2)H has r(eff) = 3.8 A and A(iso) = 0 MHz. The best (2)H ESEEM time- and frequency-domain simulations are achieved with a model in which the hyperfine couplings arise from one strongly coupled hydrogen site and two equivalent weakly coupled hydrogen sites located on the C5' methyl group of 5'-deoxyadenosine. This model indicates that the unpaired electron on C1 of the substrate radical and C5' are separated by 3.2 A and are thus at closest contact. The close proximity of C1 and C5' indicates that C5' of the 5'-deoxyadenosyl moiety directly mediates radical migration between cobalt in cobalamin and the substrate/product site over a distance of 5-7 A in the active site of ethanolamine deaminase.

1H Pulsed ENDOR and ESEEM Evidence That the Bis-imidazole Complexes of Iron(III) Tetraphenylchlorin and Tetraphenylporphyrin Have the Same Order of g Values, and the Same Electronic Ground State

The electronic structures of the bis-imidazole complexes of iron(III) tetraphenylporphyrin ([(TPP)Fe(ImH)(2)](+)) and iron(III) tetraphenylchlorin ([(TPC)Fe(ImH)(2)](+)) in frozen glassy solutions have been studied by the pulsed electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) technique of Mims and by electron spin-echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy. ESEEM spectra have been used to determine the orientation of the imidazole ligand planes with respect to the g tensor axes. In the ENDOR spectra, the manifestations of the implicit TRIPLE effect described and explained earlier by Doan et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1996, 118, 7014) were seen. In this work, the explicit expressions describing this effect were derived for the first time and used to successfully simulate the proton ENDOR spectra at the low- (LF) and high-field (HF) edges of the EPR spectrum. Using pulsed ENDOR, we have been able to determine the spin density distributions in the pi-systems of both tetrapyrroles and show that [(TPC)Fe(ImH)(2)](+) has the electronic orbital ground state (d(xy)())(2)(d(xz)(),d(yz)())(3), the same as that known for [(TPP)Fe(ImH)(2)](+), and the largest principal g value corresponds to the g tensor axis 3, which is normal to the heme plane. For the TPP complex, the g tensor axis 1, corresponding to the smallest principal g value, was found to be at an angle phi(1) of 30-35 degrees from the N-Fe-N axis, with the ligand planes rotated by the angle of 20-25 degrees in the opposite direction. For the TPC complex, phi(1) was found to be about 25 degrees from the direction N(I)-Fe-N(III), where N(I) corresponds to the nitrogen of the saturated pyrrole ring. The ligand planes in this complex were found to be oriented at an angle of about 10 degrees in the opposite direction.

Structural Changes Induced in p21 Ras upon GAP-334 Complexation as Probed by ESEEM Spectroscopy and Molecular-Dynamics Simulation

Background: The means by which the protein GAP accelerates GTP hydrolysis, and thereby downregulates growth signaling by p21 Ras, is of considerable interest, particularly inasmuch as p21 mutants are implicated in a number of human cancers. A GAP “arginine finger,” identified by X-ray crystallography, has been suggested as playing the principal role in the GTP hydrolysis. Mutagenesis studies, however, have shown that the arginine can only partially account for the 10 5-fold increase in the GAP-accelerated GTPase rate of p21. Results: We report electron spin-echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) studies of GAP-334 complexed with GMPPNP bound p21 in frozen solution, together with molecular-dynamics simulations. Our results indicate that, in solution, the association of GAP-334 with GTP bound p21 induces a conformational change near the metal ion active site of p21. This change significantly reduces the distances from the amide groups of p21 glycine residues 60 and 13 to the divalent metal ion. Conclusions: The movement of glycine residues 60 and 13 upon the binding of GAP-334 in solution provides a physical basis to interpret prior mutagenesis studies, which indicated that Gly-60 and Gly-13 of p21 play important roles in the GAP-dependent GTPase reaction. Gly-60 and Gly-13 may play direct catalytic roles and stabilize the attacking water molecule and β,γ-bridging oxygen, respectively, in p21. The amide proton of Gly-60 could also play an indirect role in catalysis by supplying a crucial hydrogen bonding interaction that stabilizes loop L4 and therefore the position of other important catalytic residues.

ESEEM studies of succinate:ubiquinone reductase from Paracoccus denitrificans.

Electron spin-echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy has been performed in order to obtain structural information about the environment of the reduced [2Fe-2S] cluster (S-1 center), the oxidized [3Fe-4S] cluster (S-3 center), and the flavin semiquinone radical in purified succinate:ubiquinone reductase from Paracoccus denitrificans. Spectral simulations of the ESEEM data from the reduced [2Fe-2S] yielded nuclear quadrupole interaction parameters that are indicative of peptide nitrogens. We also observed a weak interaction between the oxidized [3Fe-4S] cluster and a peptide 14N. There was no evidence for coordination of any of the Fe atoms to 14N atoms of imidazole rings. The ESEEM data from the flavin semiquinone radical were more complicated. Here, evidence was obtained for interactions between the unpaired electron and only the two nitrogen atoms in the flavin ring.

Demonstration of a conserved histidine and two water ligands at the Mn2+ site in Diocleinae lectins by pulsed EPR spectroscopy.

Lectins from the Diocleinae subtribe, including Canavalia brasiliensis, Canavalia bonariensis, Canavalia grandiflora, Cratylia floribunda, Dioclea grandiflora, Dioclea guianensis, Dioclea rostrata, Dioclea violacea, and Dioclea virgata, have been recently isolated and characterized in terms of their carbohydrate binding specificities. Although all of the lectins are Man/Glc specific, they possess different biological activities. In the present study, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy demonstrates that all nine Diocleinae lectins contain Mn2+. The spectra of C. floribunda and D. rostrata suggest Mn2+ site symmetry different from that of the other seven lectins. However, electron spin-echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy indicates that all nine lectins are coordinated to a histidyl imidazole, with similar electron-nuclear coupling to the Mn2+-bound imidazole nitrogen. ESEEM also demonstrates ligation of two water molecules to Mn2+ in all nine Diocleinae lectins. Thus, the EPR and ESEEM data indicate the presence of a Mn2+ binding site in the above Diocleinae lectins with a conserved histidine residue and two water ligands.

Nitrogen ligation to the manganese cluster of Photosystem II in the absence of the extrinsic proteins and as a function of pH.

Three extrinsic proteins (PsbO, PsbP and PsbQ), with apparent molecular weights of 33, 23 and 17 kDa, bind to the lumenal side of Photosystem II (PS II) and stabilize the manganese, calcium and chloride cofactors of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC). The effect of these proteins on the structure of the tetramanganese cluster, especially their possible involvement in manganese ligation, is investigated in this study by measuring the reported histidine-manganese coupling [Tang et al. (1994) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 91: 704-708] of PS II membranes depleted of none, two or three of these proteins using ESEEM (electron spin echo envelope modulation) spectroscopy. The results show that neither of the three proteins influence the histidine ligation of manganese. From this, the conserved histidine of the 23 kDa protein can be ruled out as a manganese ligand. Whereas the 33 and 17 kDa proteins lack conserved histidines, the existence of a 33 kDa protein-derived carboxylate ligand has been posited; our results show no evidence for a change of the manganese co-ordination upon removal of this protein. Studies of the pH-dependence of the histidine-manganese coupling show that the histidine ligation is present in PS II centers showing the S(2) multiline EPR signal in the pH-range 4.2-9.5.

In vivo coordination structural changes of a potent insulin-mimetic agent, bis(picolinato)oxovanadium(IV), studied by electron spin-echo envelope modulation spectroscopy

Bis(picolinato)oxovanadium(IV) [VO(pic) 2] is one of the most potent insulin-mimetic vanadium complexes. To probe coordination structural changes of this complex in vivo and provide insights into the origin of its high potency, an electron spin-echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) study was performed on organs (kidney, liver and bone) of VO(pic) 2- and VOSO 4-treated rats. Kidney and liver samples from both types of rats exhibited a 14N ESEEM signal that could be attributed to equatorially coordinating amine nitrogen. The relative intensity of the amine signal was larger for the organs of the rat treated with the less potent VOSO 4, suggesting that this amine coordination inhibits the insulin-mimetic activity. The spectra of kidney and liver from the VO(pic) 2-treated rat contained a weak signal due to the picolinate imine nitrogen. This suggests that some picolinato species (including both the bispicolinato and a partially decomposed monopicolinato species) still exist in the organs as a minor species, where the proportions of the picolinato species to the total amount of the EPR-detectable V IVO species are estimated as 8–16% in the kidney and 12–24% in the liver. The picolinate ligand presumably serves to prevent VO 2+ from being converted into the inactive amine-coordinated species. Bone samples from both types of rats exhibited an ESEEM signal due to 31P nuclei. The VO 2+ in bone is therefore most likely incorporated into the hydroxyapatite Ca 10(PO 4) 6(OH) 2 matrix, which is consistent with the hypothesis that the bone-accumulated VO 2+ is gradually released and transported to other organs as is Ca 2+. No 14N signals were observed, even in the bone samples of the VO(pic) 2-treated rats, indicating that vanadium uptake by bone requires complete decomposition of the complex.

Identification of dimethylbenzimidazole axial coordination and characterization of (14)N superhyperfine and nuclear quadrupole coupling in Cob(II)alamin bound to ethanolamine deaminase in a catalytically-engaged substrate radical-Cobalt(II) biradical state.

Cobalt(II)-(14)N superhyperfine and (14)N nuclear quadrupole couplings in cryotrapped free and ethanolamine deaminase-bound cob(II)alamin have been characterized in the disordered solid state by using X-band electron spin-echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy. Enzyme-bound cob(II)alamin was cryotrapped after formation by substrate-initiated, thermally activated cleavage of the cobalt-carbon bond of adenosylcobalamin. Free dimethylbenzimidazole axial base-on cob(II)alamin was formed by photolysis of the corresponding adenosylcobalamin and cryotrapped in glycerol-aqueous glass. Three-pulse ESEEM experiments were performed by using microwave pulse excitation at the g( perpendicular) value of Co(II) at magnetic field values of 287.0 and 345.0 mT and over a range of tau values from 227 to 1316 ns. Two common sets of (14)N features are distinguished in the ESEEM spectra. One set is assigned to the remote (N1) nitrogen in the dimethylbenzimidazole alpha-axial ligand by using two independent approaches: (a) comparison of ESEEM from cob(II)alamin with ESEEM from cob(II)inamide-ligand model compounds and (b) from the correspondence between the N1 (14)N nuclear quadrupole parameters derived from ESEEM simulations and those computed by using density functional theory. The second set is assigned to the corrin ring (14)N nuclei. The results identify the coenzyme's on-board dimethylbenzimidazole moiety as the alpha-axial ligand to cob(II)alamin in ethanolamine deaminase in the substrate radical-Co(II) biradical catalytic intermediate state. Thus, Co(II) is a pentacoordinate, alpha-axial liganded complex during turnover. We infer that dimethylbenzimidazole is also the alpha-axial ligand to the intact coenzyme in the resting enzyme. A 14% increase in the isotropic hyperfine coupling of the remote dimethylbenzimidazole (14)N nucleus in enzyme-bound versus free base-on cob(II)alamin shows an enhanced delocalization of unpaired spin density from Co(II) onto the axial ligand, which would contribute to the acceleration of the cobalt-carbon bond cleavage rate in situ.

Interactions of Substrate and Product Radicals with CoII in Cobalamin and with the Active Site in Ethanolamine Deaminase, Characterized by ESE-EPR and 14N ESEEM Spectroscopies

Interactions of the cryotrapped 2-aminopropanol-1-yl substrate radical and aminoethanol-derived product radical catalytic intermediates with the active site of vitamin B12 coenzyme-dependent ethanolamine deaminase from Salmonella typhimurium in disordered frozen aqeuous solution have been characterized by using X-band electron spin−echo electron paramagnetic resonance (ESE-EPR) and electron spin−echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopies performed at 6 K. ESE-EPR spectra show that the doublet splitting of the radical line shape by electron−electron exchange and dipolar interactions with CoII in cob(II)alamin is stronger for the substrate radical (11.1 mT) than for the product radical (7.1 mT). The aminoethanol-derived product radical unpaired spin density at C2 is therefore positioned closer to CoII than the 2-aminopropanol-1-yl substrate radical unpaired spin density at C1. Multifrequency three-pulse ESEEM spectra obtained at g = 2.00 for each radical display the same τ- and magnetic field-dependent...

The binding of imidazole in an azurin-like blue-copper site.

Frozen solutions of the azurin mutant His117Gly in the presence of excess of methyl-substituted imidazoles have been investigated by electron spin-echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy at 9 GHz. The addition of imidazole is known to reconstitute a blue-copper site and variation of the non-protein bound ligand [N-methyl-, 2-methyl-, 4(5)-methylimidazole] has allowed the study of the copper-imidazole binding as a model for histidine binding in such sites. Quadrupole and hyperfine tensors of the remote nitrogen of the imidazoles have been determined. The quadrupole tensors indicate that the methyl-substituted imidazoles in the mutant adopt the same orientation relative to copper as the histidine-117 in the wild-type protein. Analysis of the hyperfine tensors in terms of spin densities reveals that the spin density on the remote nitrogen of the substituted imidazole has sigma and a variable pi character, depending on the position of the methyl group. For azurin the corresponding spin density is of virtually pure sigma character. In conclusion, blue-copper sites show subtle variations as regards the histidine/imidazole centred part of the wavefunction of the unpaired electron.

An electron spin-echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) study of the QA binding pocket of PS II reaction centers from spinach and Synechocystis.

We have used electron spin-echo envelope modulation spectroscopy (ESEEM) to characterize the protein-cofactor interactions present in the QA- binding pocket of PS II centers isolated from spinach and Synechocystis. We conclude that the ESEEM spectrum of QA- is the result of interactions of the S = 1/2 electron spin of QA- with the I = 1 nuclear spins of the peptide nitrogens of two different amino acids. One peptide nitrogen has ESEEM peaks near 0.7, 2.0, 2.85, and 5.0 MHz with isotropic and dipolar hyperfine couplings of Aiso = 2.0 MHz and Adip = 0.25 MHz, respectively. On the basis of these hyperfine couplings we predict the existence of a strong hydrogen bond between QA- and the peptide nitrogen with a hydrogen bond distance of about 2 A. We have not identified the amino acid origin of this peptide nitrogen. By using amino acid specific isotopic labeling in conjunction with site-directed mutagenesis, we demonstrate that the second peptide nitrogen is that of D2-Ala260, with ESEEM peaks near 0.6 and 1.5 MHz and an isotropic hyperfine coupling, Aiso, less than 0.2 MHz. This small isotropic coupling suggests that the D2-Ala260 peptide nitrogen at best forms a weak hydrogen bond with QA-.

Electron paramagnetic resonance and electron spin echo study of supported and unsupported vanadium oxides

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopies have been used to characterize paramagnetic centers in crystalline and gel forms of vanadium pentoxide as well as vanadia supported on silica, titania, and magnesia. A number of different paramagnetic centers are observed in the bulk and supported vanadia phases that are characterized by their spin Hamiltonian parameters. ESEEM data for all the bulk vanadium oxide samples show intense modulation at the 51V Larmor frequency. This modulation originates from interlayer VO2+ species in gel samples and from V4+ centers in crystalline oxides. The intensity of the 51V modulation varies considerably from sample to sample depending on the specific nature of the paramagnetic center. For the supported vanadia samples, complex EPR spectra are obtained that show two classes of signals. Signals with narrow linewidths and resolved hyperfine structure are observed suggesting magnetically isolated V4+ in addition to dipolar exchange broadened signals. ESEEM spectroscopy reveals that the spectra observed for vanadia supported on silica are from surface bound vanadyl species that interact with predominantly diamagnetic surface vanadia clusters. In contrast, for vanadia supported on titania, the V4+ signals observed by pulsed EPR show no modulation. The absence of modulation is attributed to well dispersed surface vanadyl species and subsurface V4+6c centers. Vanadium supported on magnesia interacts to form new magnesium vanadate phases containing V4+6c. It is shown that ESEEM is a valuable tool for characterizing vanadia supported on various oxides.

Hyperfine and Nuclear Quadrupole Couplings of the Coordinated Nitrogen of Oxovanadium(IV) Phthalocyanines Studied by Electron Spin-Echo Envelope Modulation Spectroscopy

Abstract Electron spin-echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) measurements were made for three substituted oxovanadium(IV) phthalocyanines ([VO(tcpc)], [VO(tbpc)], and [VO(tapc)]), where the phthalocyanine rings are modified with four carboxyl, t-butyl, and amino groups, respectively. The 14N hyperfine coupling (HFC) and nuclear quadrupole coupling (NQC) tensors of the phthalocyanine isoindole nitrogens were determined by computer simulations of orientationally selected ESEEM spectra. The HFC tensors of these three complexes were found to be almost identical, and no appreciable effects from the substituents were detected. The isotropic HFC constants, as determined by the simulations, are |Aiso| = 7.08, 7.08, and 7.05 MHz for [VO(tcpc)], [VO(tbpc)], and [VO(tapc)], respectively. The NQC constants were also found to be very similar to one another: e2qQ/h = 2.2, 2.1, and 2.0 MHz for [VO(tcpc)], [VO(tbpc)], and [VO(tapc)], respectively. However, the simulations revealed a difference in the orientation of the NQC unique axis, where the unique axis is parallel to the V–N bond in [VO(tcpc)] and [VO(tbpc)], whereas this axis is perpendicular to the V–N bond within the phthalocyanine plane in [VO(tapc)]. An analysis of the NQC parameters based on the Townes-Dailey model indicates an increase in the electron population of the nitrogen π orbital in [VO(tapc)], which is consistent with the expected effects of the amino group.

ESEEM Investigations of the High pH and Low pH Forms of Chicken Liver Sulfite Oxidase

Two-pulse and four-pulse electron spin−echo envelope modulation spectroscopy (ESEEMS) at two operational frequencies and two-dimensional hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopy (HYSCORES), have been used to probe the MoV coordination environment of sulfite oxidase in H2O and D2O solutions, buffered at pH 9.5 and 7.0 with ∼100 mM Tris-type buffers. At pH 9.5 the ESEEM and HYSCORE results definitively reveal the presence of one solvent-exchangeable D(H) near the MoV center, probably in the form of a Mo−OH(D) moiety. The orientation of this group is not fixed (although it is substantially restricted) and thus gives rise to a distribution of hyperfine interaction (hfi) parameters. The resulting loss of amplitude makes direct observation of a proton-related line using ESEEM impossible. However, such a line is observable in ESEEM spectra of the comparable deuterated enzyme because the narrower distribution of hfi parameters leads to less line broadening of the ESEEM spectra. ESEEM and HYSCORE spectra of sul...

Tetragonally distorted Cr2+ ions in BaF2 and SrCl2 studied by ESEEM spectroscopy

Electron spin echoes on tetragonally distorted non-Kramers Cr2+ ions in chromium doped BaF2 and SrCl2 single crystals have been observed. The superhyperfine interaction (shf) with the nearest halide ions has been studied using the electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) signal. For Cr2+ in BaF2 the nearest coordination shell consists of four equivalent fluorine ions in a plane perpendicular to the defect tetragonal axis, the Cr2+ ion being off-centre displaced towards the fluorine plane. The Cr2+ shf tensor for BaF2 has been determined. For SrCl2:Cr ESEEM signals associated to the shf interaction with nearest chloride ions were observed but the measurements did not allow us to give a definitive defect model in this case.

Stepwise Disintegration of the Photosynthetic Oxygen-Evolving Complex

Photosynthetic water oxidation catalyzed by Photosystem II takes place at a site that comprises a redox-active tyrosine, YZ, a tetramanganese cluster, and, in addition to its redox components, two inorganic cofactors, calcium and chloride. Recent work suggests that YZ and the metal site are intimately linked in the oxidation and deprotonation reactions of substrate water. The metal cluster stores oxidizing equivalents and provides binding sites for the substrate from which YZ is proposed to abstract hydrogen atoms during the catalytic cycle of photosystem II. Intrinsic to this hydrogen-abstraction mechanism for water oxidation is an intimate structural and functional relationship between the metal site and YZ, which predicts that the local YZ environment will be sensitive to the composition and integrity of the metal cluster. To test this postulate, we have examined the YZ site and its status with respect to solvent exposure under varying degrees of disassembly of the oxygen-evolving complex. 1H2H-isotope exchange was carried out for various times in samples devoid of Mn, Ca2+, and Cl-, and in samples depleted exclusively of Ca2+. The YZ and S2YZ species were cryotrapped to high yield in these two preparations, respectively, and the radical site was characterized by using electron spin-echo envelope modulation spectroscopy. The isotope exchange at the YZ site was completed with an upper limit on the minutes time scale in both the (Mn)4-depleted and the Ca-depleted samples. The number of isotope-exchangeable protons in the site and their distances to YZ were found to be different in the two systems, indicating that YZ is shielded from the solvent in the Ca-depleted system and, upon removal of the (Mn)4 cluster, becomes accessible to bulk water. The results from an electron spin-echo analysis of S2YZ, in the weak-coupling limit, suggest that YZ in samples that retain the (Mn)4 cluster, but lack Ca2+, is involved in a bifurcated hydrogen bond. The data for both classes of samples are consistent with a hydrogen-abstraction function for YZ in water oxidation and provide insight into the light-driven assembly of the (Mn)4 cluster. (Less)

The Effects of Cryoprotection on the Structure and Activity of p21ras:Implications for Electron Spin-Echo Envelope Modulation Spectroscopy

Electron spin-echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy is widely used to investigate the active sites of biological molecules in frozen solutions. Various cryoprotection techniques, particularly the addition of co-solvents, are commonly employed in the preparation of such samples. In conjunction with ESEEM studies of Mn(II) guanosine nucleotide complexes of p21ras,we have investigated the effects of cryoprotection on the spectroscopy, the structure, and the activity of this protein. Echo decay times, which typically govern ESEEM spectral resolution, were found to vary linearly with the concentration of glycerol or methyl α-D-glucopyranoside (MG), with both additives equally effective on a per-mole basis. The effect of glycerol and MG on the ESEEM amplitudes of various protein nucleiwas studied inrasp21·Mn(II)·5′guanylylimido-diphosphate(p21·Mn(II)-GMPPNP) complexes: these additives did not alter the distances of these nuclei from the Mn(II) ion. In particular, in p21 incorporating [2H-3]Thr, the Mn(II)-[2H-3]Thr35 distance was found to be unaffected by the concentration of cryoprotectant or the rate of freezing. The proximity of the cryoprotectants to the Mn(II) ion was probed by2H ESEEM in solutions made with d5-glycerol and d7-methyl α-D-glucopyranoside (d7-MG). In p21·Mn(II)GMPPNP, the large deuterium modulations from the d5-glycerol exhibit saturation behavior with increasing d5-glycerol concentration, implying that glycerol, a widely used cryoprotectant, replaces the aquo ligands of the Mn(II) ion. The interaction between the Mn(II) ion of p21 and MG, however, is less intimate: the deuterium ESEEM amplitudes are much smaller for samples prepared with d7-MG than with d5-glycerol. Several polyhydroxylic compounds were found to have essentially no effect on the ability of the guanosine 5′-triphosphate (GTP) hydrolysis activating protein, GAP334, to catalyze hydrolysis of p21·guanosine 5′-triphosphate. This observation implies that the introduction of cryoprotectant does not significantly perturb the structure of p21 and gives insight into the mechanism of the GTPase reaction.

Crystallographic, Electrochemical, and Pulsed EPR Study of Copper(II) Polyimidazole Complexes Relevant to the Metal Sites of Copper Proteins(,).

Copper(II) complexes of the following polyimidazole ligands have been synthesized: bis(imidazol-2-yl)methane (BIM), bis(imidazol-2-yl) ketone (BIK), 4-(imidazol-4-ylmethyl)-2-(imidazol-2-ylmethyl)imidazole (TRIM), bis[4-(imidazol-4-ylmethyl)imidazol-2-yl]methane (TIM), and bis[4-(imidazol-4-ylmethyl)imidazol-2-yl] ketone (TIK). Their crystal structures have been determined using X-ray diffraction. [Cu(ClO(4))(2)(BIM)(2)], 1, belongs to the triclinic space group P&onemacr; system, a = 7.161(4) Å, b = 7.986(6) Å, c = 9.865(3) Å, alpha = 76.73(5) degrees, beta = 71.18(3) degrees, gamma = 76.44(5) degrees, Z = 1, T = 291 K; R = 0.035, R(w) = 0.036 for 1668 reflections; Cu-N = 1.998(3) and 2.001(2) Å, Cu-O = 2.574(4) Å, in a tetragonal geometry. [Cu(BIK)(2)](ClO(4))(2), 2, belongs to the monoclinic space group C2/c system, a = 9.029(3) Å, b = 12.497(2)Å, c = 19.197(2) Å, beta = 94.59(2) degrees, Z = 4, T = 291 K; R = 0.056, R(w) = 0.061 for 1052 reflections; Cu-N = 1.961(7) and 1.954(7) Å, in a distorted tetrahedral geometry. [CuCl(TRIM)(CH(3)OH)]Cl, 6, belongs to the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n system, a = 14.192(5) Å, b = 13.832(5) Å, c = 7.913(3) Å, beta = 90.55(4) degrees, Z = 4, T = 291 K; R = 0.062, R(w) = 0.057 for 1377 reflections; Cu-N = 1.987(7), 2.007(7) and 2.007(6) Å, Cu-O = 2.521(7) Å, Cu-Cl = 2.298(2) Å, in a square pyramidal geometry. [Cu(ClO(4))(TIM)](ClO(4)), 4, belongs to the triclinic space group P&onemacr; system, a = 9.604(4) Å, b = 11.508(6) Å, c = 12.003(8) Å, alpha = 58.79(4) degrees, beta = 94.59(2) degrees, gamma = 67.43(3) degrees, Z = 2, T = 291 K; R = 0.057, R(w) = 0.062 for 2084 reflections; Cu-N = 1.985(7), 1.964(7), 1.967(7), and 1.966(7) Å, Cu-O = 2.553(8) Å, in a distorted square pyramidal geometry. [CuCl(TIK)](ClO(4)), 7, belongs to the triclinic space group P&onemacr; system, a = 7.432(3) Å, b = 12.573(3) Å, c = 12.945(2) Å, alpha = 114.94(4) degrees, beta = 92.46(2) degrees, gamma = 103.49(3) degrees, Z = 2, T = 291 K; R = 0.043, R(w) = 0.049 for 2305 reflections; Cu-N = 1.984(5), 1.989(5), 2.012(5), and 1.979(5) Å, Cu-Cl = 2.796(2) Å, in a distorted bipyramidal geometry. In methanol solution, the perchlorato complexes 1, 2, Cu(TRIM)(ClO(4))(2) (3), 4, and Cu(TIK)(ClO(4))(2) (5) exhibited redox potentials from -215 to +284 mV vs NHE together with a visible absorption from 604 to 728 nm. Electron spin-echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy data, particularly the nuclear quadrupole interaction (NQI) parameters e(2)qQ and eta of the remote nitrogen (N1H), were analyzed and interpreted according to the model devised by Jiang et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990, 112, 9035) with reference to Cu(HIm)(4)(ClO(4))(2). The results are the following: (i) C2 substitution of the imidazole ring, next to the remote nitrogen (1, 2) decreases the asymmetry parameter eta to ca. 0.75 compared to 1.00 for Cu(HIm)(4)(ClO(4))(2); this effect of C2 substitution on the symmetry of the electric field gradient at N1H appears similar for both the electron-donating methylene substituents (1) and the electron-withdrawing carbonyl group (2). (ii) The electron-donating or -withdrawing properties of the substituent are reflected by the variation of the e(2)qQ parameter, increasing from 1.43 to 1.75 MHz (1) or decreasing to 1.38 MHz (2), and by the nu(+) transition shifting toward higher frequencies from 1.49 to 1.65 MHz (1, 3, 4) or to lower frequencies to 1.29 MHz (2, 5). The use of the eta and nu(+) parameters to assign the Ndelta vs Nepsilon coordination of histidine to the metal and to detect modified histidine in copper-binding proteins is discussed.