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One of the paradigms of Zn2+ metallobiochemistry is that coordination of water to Zn2+ provides a mechanism of activation that involves lowering the pKa by approximately 7 pH units. This idea has become central to the development of mechanisms of action for zinc metalloproteins. However, the direct measurement of the pKa of water bound to Zn2+ in a metalloprotein has yet to be accomplished. Developing models for Zn2+-OH2 species has been a significant challenge, but we have utilized solid-state 67Zn NMR spectroscopy as a means to characterize one of the few examples of water bound to mononuclear tetrahedral Zn2+: ([Tp(But,Me)]Zn(OH2))[HOB(C6F5)3]. The measured quadrupole coupling (Cq) constant is 4.3 MHz with an asymmetry parameter of etaq of 0.6. Likewise, due to the small value of Cq, anisotropic shielding also contributed to the observed 67Zn NMR lineshape. As expected, the computed values of the magnetic resonance parameters depend critically on the nature of the anion. The predicted value of Cq for ([Tp(But,Me)]Zn(OH2))[HOB(C6F5)3] is -4.88 MHz. We discuss the results of these calculations in terms of the nature of the anion, the local electrostatics, and its subsequent hydrogen bonding to [Tp(But,Me)]Zn(OH2)+.

We present here a (67)Zn solid-state NMR investigation of Zn(2+) substituted rubredoxin. The sample has been prepared as both a dry powder and a frozen solution to determine the effects of static disorder on the NMR line shape. Low-temperature experiments have been performed at multiple fields to determine the relative contributions to the NMR line shape from the electric field gradient and the anisotropic shielding tensors. Finally we present the theoretical interpretation of the experimental results utilizing a combined quantum mechanical molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approach. Theory predicts a sizable contribution from anisotropic shielding as compared with previously examined model systems. This is in good agreement with the experimental data.

The pH dependence of the (67)Zn solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of human carbonic anhydrase (CAII) has been investigated to characterize the nature of the fourth ligand. CAII, through the Zn(2+)-bound hydroxide, catalyzes the deceptively simple reaction: CO(2) + H(2)O <==> HCO(3)(-) + H(+). The accepted mechanism for CAII would predict that water would be bound to the Zn(2+) at pH 5 and hydroxide would be bound at pH 8.5. The measured values for the electric field gradient (EFG) or quadrupole coupling constant (Cq) for CAII are independent of pH within the limits of the experimental error, i.e., 9.8 +/- 0.2 MHz. The EFG interaction has been predicted by ab initio electronic structure calculations for water and hydroxide bound to the zinc, including various levels of hydrogen bonding. After comparing the predicted Cq's with the experimental values, we conclude that the species present from pH 5-8.5 is the hydroxide form. The NMR data presented here is not consistent with the accepted mechanism for CAII. We show that the NMR data is consistent with an alternative mechanism of CAII.

The tris(pyrazolyl)hydroborato zinc complexes [Tp(But,Me)]ZnX (where X = Br, Cl, and OH) have been examined by low-temperature solid-state (67)Zn NMR spectroscopy. The value of the quadrupole coupling constant, Cq, for the zinc increased monotonically with the electronegativity of the bound substituent X, e.g., Br < Cl << OH. Calculations on the methylimidazole complex [(MeImH)(3)Zn(OH)](+) as a model for the active site of carbonic anhydrase indicate that the computed electric field gradient tensor is in good agreement with the experimental and calculated values for [Tp(But,Me)]ZnOH.

Solid-state (67)Zn NMR spectra of model compounds for metalloproteins, such as [H(2)B(3,5-Me(2)pz)(2)](2)Zn (pz denotes pyrazolyl ring), have been obtained using low temperatures (10 K) to enhance the Boltzmann factor in combination with cross polarization (CP) from (1)H to (67)Zn. Attempts to observe spectra of other model compounds, such as [H(2)B(pz)(2)](2)Zn, were hindered by long relaxation times of the protons. To decrease the proton relaxation times, the high-spin six-coordinate complex [HB(3,4,5-Me(3)pz)(3)](2)Fe has been investigated as a dopant. NMR and EPR measurements have shown that this Fe(II) dopant effectively reduces the (1)H spin lattice relaxation time, T(1), of the zinc samples in the temperature range 5-10 K with minimal perturbations of the (1)H spin lattice relaxation time in the rotating frame, T(1)(rho). Using this methodology, we have determined the (67)Zn NMR parameters of four- and six-coordinate zinc(II) poly(pyrazolyl)borate complexes that are useful models for systems of biological importance. The (67)Zn NMR parameters are contrasted to the corresponding changes in the (113)Cd NMR parameters for the analogous compounds. Further, these investigations have demonstrated that a temperature-dependent phase transition occurs in the neighborhood of 185 K for [HB(3,5-Me(2)pz)(3)](2)Zn; the other poly(pyrazolyl)borate complexes we investigated did not show this temperature-dependent behavior. This conclusion is confirmed by a combination of room-temperature high-field (18.8 T) solid-state (67)Zn NMR spectroscopy and low-temperature X-ray methods. The utilization of paramagnetic dopants should enable low-temperature cross polarization experiments to be performed on a wide variety of nuclides that are important in bioinorganic chemistry, for example, (25)Mg, (43)Ca, and (67)Zn.

The crystal structure, quadrupole coupling parameters, and the orientation of the electric field gradient tensors for each site of zinc formate dihydrate have been determined. There are two distinct sites in the asymmetric unit: one containing four in-plane waters with two bridging formats, the other containing six bridging formates. The solid-state NMR lineshapes have been assigned to their respective sites by using isotopic labeling and cross-polarization methods. The hydrated site corresponds to the lineshape having a quadrupole coupling constant (Cq) of 9.6 MHz and the anhydrous site has a Cq of 6.2 MHz. The absence of chemical shielding contributions to the observed lineshapes has been verified with a high-field solid-state NMR experiment performed at 18.8 T.

Examines the crystal structure, quadrupole coupling parameters, and the orientation of the electric field gradient tensors of zinc formate dihydrate. Use of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Importance of understanding the nature of the zinc site in metalloproteins; Performance of a diffraction analysis.