Chemical rescue of a site-modified ligand to a [4Fe-4S] cluster in PsaC, a bacterial-like dicluster ferredoxin bound to Photosystem I

Mikhail L. Antonkine, Estelle M. Maes, Roman S. Czernuszewicz, Christoph Breitenstein, Eckhard Bill, Christopher J. Falzone, Ramakrishnan Balasubramanian, Carolyn Lubner, Donald A. Bryant, John H. Golbeck

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Scopus citations

Abstract

Chemical rescue of site-modified amino acids using externally supplied organic molecules represents a powerful method to investigate structure-function relationships in proteins. Here we provide definitive evidence that aryl and alkyl thiolates, reagents typically used for in vitro iron-sulfur cluster reconstitutions, serve as rescue ligands to a site-specifically modified [4Fe-4S]1+,2+ cluster in PsaC, a bacterial dicluster ferredoxin-like subunit of Photosystem I. PsaC binds two low-potential [4Fe-4S]1+,2+ clusters termed FA and FB. In the C13G/C33S variant of PsaC, glycine has replaced cysteine at position 13 creating a protein that is missing one of the ligating amino acids to iron-sulfur cluster FB. Using a variety of analytical techniques, including non-heme iron and acid-labile sulfur assays, and EPR, resonance Raman, and Mössbauer spectroscopies, we showed that the C13G/C33S variant of PsaC binds two [4Fe-4S]1+,2+ clusters, despite the absence of one of the biological ligands. 19F NMR spectroscopy indicated that the external thiolate replaces cysteine 13 as a substitute ligand to the FB cluster. The finding that site-modified [4Fe-4S]1+,2+ clusters can be chemically rescued with external thiolates opens new opportunities for modulating their properties in proteins. In particular, it provides a mechanism to attach an additional electron transfer cofactor to the protein via a bound, external ligand.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)712-724
Number of pages13
JournalBiochimica et Biophysica Acta - Bioenergetics
Volume1767
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2007

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Biophysics
  • Biochemistry
  • Cell Biology

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