Cyanobacteria account for a significant percentage of aquatic primary productivity even in areas where the concentrations of essential micronutrients are extremely low. To better understand the mechanism of iron selectivity and transport, the structure of the solute binding domain of an ATP binding cassette iron transporter, FutA1, was determined in the presence and absence of iron. The iron ion is bound within the "C-clamp" structure via four tyrosine and one histidine residues. There are extensive interactions between these ligating residues and the rest of the protein such that the conformations of the side chains remain relatively unchanged as the iron is released by the opening of the metal binding cleft. This is in stark contrast to the zinc-binding protein, ZnuA, where the domains of the metalbinding protein remain relatively fixed, whereas the ligating residues rotate out of the binding pocket upon metal release. The rotation of the domains in FutA1 is facilitated by two flexible -strands running along the back of the protein that act like a hinge during domain motion. This motion may require relatively little energy since total contact area between the domains is the same whether the protein is in the open or closed conformation. Consistent with the pH dependence of iron binding, the main trigger for iron release is likely the histidine in the ironbinding site. Finally, neither FutA1 nor FutA2 binds iron as a siderophore complex or in the presence of anions, and both preferentially bind ferrous over ferric ions.Bioavailable iron is a limiting nutrient for primary production in large areas of the oceans. This concentration of free iron in aquatic environments is dynamic and varies greatly depending upon the local environment. Fe 3ϩ is notoriously insoluble in water at neutral pH values, whereas Fe 2ϩ is very soluble but highly susceptible to oxidation by atmospheric oxygen. Microbes play a large role in the cycling of iron between the ferric and ferrous forms and generally reduce ferric iron under anaerobic conditions by using it as a final electron acceptor. Conversely, microbes can oxidize ferrous iron under aerobic conditions when other compounds such as nitrate are the final electron acceptors. Organisms can import either form of iron. A number of bacteria, algae, and Cyanobacteria increase the bioavailability of ferric iron through the secretion of organic molecules, such as siderophores, into the extracellular environment. These compounds have exceptionally high binding affinities for iron (association constants of ϳ10
MϪ1 ) and essentially scavenge ferric iron from the extracellular environment before the organism imports the entire complex into the cell (e.g. Ref. 1). In some cases these siderophores may actually facilitate a photochemical reduction of the bound ferric ion (2). Alternatively, ferric iron can be locally reduced to the more soluble ferrous form and imported directly. This latter can be accomplished by the organisms itself as is the case with some algal species that use ferric chel...