IscU, the central scaffold protein in the bacterial ISC iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster biosynthesis system, has long been recognized to bind a Zn ion at its active site. While initially regarded as an artifact, Zn binding has been shown to induce stabilization of the IscU structure that may mimic a state biologically relevant to IscU's role in Fe-S cluster biosynthesis. More recent studies have revealed that SufU, a homologous protein involved in Fe-S cluster biosynthesis in Gram-positive bacteria, also binds a Zn ion with structural implications. Given the widespread occurrence of the "IscU-like" protein fold, particularly among Fe-S cluster biosynthesis systems, an interesting question arises as to whether Zn ion binding and the resulting structural alterations are common properties in IscU-like proteins. Interactions between IscU and specific metal ions are investigated and compared side-by-side with those of SufU from a representative Gram-positive bacterium in the phylum Firmicutes. These studies were extended with additional transition metal ions chosen to investigate the influence of coordination geometry on selectivity for binding at the active sites of IscU and SufU. Monitoring and comparing the conformational behavior and stabilization afforded by different transition metal ions upon IscU and SufU revealed similarities between the two proteins and suggest that metal-dependent conformational transitions may be characteristic of U-type proteins involved in Fe-S cluster biosynthesis.

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