New Insights into Coenzyme a Interaction with Mercury Ions Provided by Mass Spectrometric and Circular Dichroism Spectroscopic Approaches

Abstract

The interaction of coenzyme A (CoA) with mercury ions was investigated using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Our results indicated a 1:1 stoichiometric CoA-Hg complex at physiological pH. Furthermore, the CoA conformation considerably changed in the presence of mercury ions. In addition, a by-product of the reaction, thiocoenzyme A, was identified using mass spectrometry.