Metal ions are an important part of many natural proteins, providing structural, catalytic and electron transfer functions. Reproducing these functions in a designed protein is the ultimate challenge to our understanding of them. Here, we present an artificial metallohydrolase, which has been shown by X-ray crystallography to contain two different metal ions – a Zn(II) ion which is important for catalytic activity and a Hg(II) ion which provides structural stability. This metallohydrolase displays catalytic activity that compares well with several characteristic reactions of natural enzymes. It catalyses p-nitrophenyl acetate hydrolysis (pNPA) to within ~100-fold of the efficiency of human carbonic anhydrase (CA)II and is at least 550-fold better than comparable synthetic complexes. Similarly, CO2 hydration occurs with an efficiency within ~500-fold of CAII. While histidine residues in the absence of Zn(II) exhibit pNPA hydrolysis, miniscule apopeptide activity is observed for CO2 hydration. The kinetic and structural analysis of this first de novo designed hydrolytic metalloenzyme uncovers necessary design features for future metalloenzymes containing one or more metals.

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A series of oxoperoxovanadium(V) complexes (ligands:  H3nta = nitrilotriacetic acid, H3heida = N-(2-hydroxyethyl)iminodiacetic acid, H2ada = N-(2-amidomethyl)iminodiacetic acid, Hbpg = N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)glycine, and tpa = N,N,N-tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine) were characterized as functional models for the vanadium haloperoxidase enzymes. The crystal structures of K[VO(O2)Hheida], K[VO(O2)ada], [VO(O2)bpg], and H[VO(O2)bpg]2(ClO4) were obtained. These complexes all possess a distorted pentagonal bipyramidal coordination sphere containing a side-on bound peroxide. In the presence of sufficient acid equivalents these complexes catalyze the two-electron oxidation of bromide or iodide by peroxide. Halogenation of an organic substrate was demonstrated by following the visible conversion of Phenol Red to Bromophenol Blue. In the absence of substrate, dioxygen can be generated by the halide-assisted disproportionation of hydrogen peroxide. In addition, some of these complexes can efficiently catalyze the peroxidative halogenation reaction, performing multiple turnovers in minutes. The kinetic analysis of the halide oxidation reaction indicates a mechanism which is first order in protonated peroxovanadium complex and halide. The bimolecular rate constants for both bromide and iodide oxidation were determined, with the iodide rates being approximately 5−6 times faster than the bromide rates. The rate constants obtained for bromide oxidation range from a maximum of 280 M-1 s-1 for the Hheida complex to a minimum of 21 M-1 s-1 for the Hbpg complex. The pK a of activation for each complex in acetonitrile was determined to range from 5.4 to 6.0. On the basis of the chemistry observed for these model compounds, a mechanism of halide oxidation and a detailed catalytic cycle are proposed for the vanadium haloperoxidase enzyme.

Recent advances in the study of the Oxygen Evolving Complex (OEC) of Photosystem II (PSII) include structural information attained from several X-ray crystallographic (XRD) and spectroscopic (XANES and EXAFS) investigations. The possible structural features gleaned from these studies have enabled synthetic chemists to design more accurate model complexes, which in turn, offer better insight into the possible pathways used by PSII to drive photosynthetic water oxidation catalysis. Mononuclear model compounds have been used to advance the knowledge base regarding the physical properties and reactivity of high-valent (Mn(IV) or Mn(V)) complexes. Such investigations have been especially important in regard to the manganyl (Mn(IV)=O or Mn(V)≡O) species, as there are no reports, to date, of any structural characterized multinuclear model compounds that incorporate such a functionality. Dinuclear and trinuclear model compounds have also been thoroughly studied in attempts to draw further comparison to the physical properties observed in the natural system and to design systems of catalytic relevance. As the reactive center of the OEC has been shown to contain an oxo-Mn(4)Ca cluster, exact structural models necessitate a tetranuclear Mn core. The number of models that make use of Mn(4) clusters has risen substantially in recent years, and these models have provided evidence to support and refute certain mechanistic proposals. Further work is needed to adequately address the rationale for Ca (and Cl) in the OEC and to determine the sequence of events that lead to O(2) evolution.