The interactions between two peptide ligands [Ac763CCAASTTGDCH773 (P1) and Ac743RRARSRVDIELLATRKSVSSCCAASTTGDCH773 (P2)]
derived from the cytoplasmic C-terminal
region of Eschericha coli FeoB protein and Fe(II),
Mn(II), and Zn(II) ions were investigated. The Feo system is regarded
as the most important bacterial Fe(II) acquisition system, being one
of the key virulence factors, especially in anaerobic conditions.
Located in the inner membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, FeoB protein
transports Fe(II) from the periplasm to the cytoplasm. Despite its
crucial role in bacterial pathogenicity, the mechanism in which the
metal ion is trafficked through the membrane is not yet elucidated.
In the gammaproteobacteria class, the cytoplasmic C-terminal part
of FeoB contains conserved cysteine, histidine, and glutamic and aspartic
acid residues, which could play a vital role in Fe(II) binding in
the cytoplasm, receiving the metal ion from the transmembrane helices.
In this work, we characterized the complexes formed between the whole
cytosolic C-terminal sequence of E. coli FeoB (P2) and its key polycysteine region (P1) with
Fe(II), Mn(II), and Zn(II) ions, exploring the specificity of the
C-terminal region of FeoB. With the help of a variety of potentiometric,
spectroscopic (electron paramagnetic resonance and NMR), and spectrometric
(electrospray ionization mass spectrometry) techniques and molecular
dynamics, we propose the metal-binding modes of the ligands, compare
their affinities toward the metal ions, and discuss the possible physiological
role of the C-terminal region of E. coli FeoB.