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The aerobic oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide is catalysed by the Mo/Cu-containing CO-dehydrogenase enzyme in the soil bacterium Oligotropha carboxidovorans, enabling the organism to grow on the small gas molecule as carbon and energy source. It was shown experimentally that silver can be substituted for copper in the active site of Mo/Cu CODH to yield a functional enzyme. In this study, we employed QM/MM calculations to investigate whether the reaction mechanism of the silver-substituted enzyme is similar to that of the native enzyme. Our results suggest that the Ag-substituted enzyme can oxidize CO and release CO2 following the same reaction steps as the native enzyme, with a computed rate-limiting step of 10.4 kcal/mol, consistent with experimental findings. Surprisingly, lower activation energies for C−O bond formation have been found in the presence of silver. Furthermore, comparison of rate constants for reduction of copper- and silver-containing enzymes suggests a discrepancy in the transition state stabilization upon silver substitution. We also evaluated the effects that differences in the water-active site interaction may exert on the overall energy profile of catalysis. Finally, the formation of a thiocarbonate intermediate along the catalytic pathway was found to be energetically unfavorable for the Ag-substituted enzyme. This finding aligns with the hypothesis proposed for the wild-type form, suggesting that the creation of such species may not be necessary for the enzymatic catalysis of CO oxidation.

The aerobic CO dehydrogenase from Oligotropha carboxidovorans is an environmentally crucial bacterial enzyme for maintenance of subtoxic concentration of CO in the lower atmosphere, as it allows for the oxidation of CO to CO2 which takes place at its Mo−Cu heterobimetallic active site. Despite extensive experimental and theoretical efforts, significant uncertainties still concern the reaction mechanism for the CO oxidation. In this work, we used the hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical approach to evaluate whether a water molecule present in the active site might act as a nucleophile upon formation of the new C−O bond, a hypothesis recently suggested in the literature. Our study shows that activation of H2O can be favoured by the presence of the Mo=Oeq group. However, overall our results suggest that mechanisms other than the nucleophilic attack by Mo=Oeq to the activated carbon of the CO substrate are not likely to constitute reactive channels for the oxidation of CO by the enzyme.

Some microorganisms, like the aerobic soil bacteria, Oligotropha carboxidovorans, have the capability to oxidize the highly toxic atmospheric gas carbon monoxide (CO) into CO2 through CO dehydrogenase enzymes, whose active site contains a bimetallic MoCu center. Over the last decades, a number of experimental and theoretical investigations were devoted to understanding the mechanism of CO oxidation and, in particular, the role of a very stable thiocarbonate intermediate that may be formed during the catalytic cycle. The occurrence of such an intermediate was reported to make the CO2 release step kinetically difficult. In this work, by using an accurate QM/MM approach and energy refinement by means of the BigQM method, we were able to determine the role of such an intermediate and propose a novel mechanism for the oxidation of CO into CO2 by Mo/Cu CO dehydrogenase. Surprisingly, we found that the detachment of CO2 occurs directly from the product of the Mo=O nucleophilic attack reaction on the carbon of CO aided by the transient coordination of the active site glutamate to the Mo ion. The estimated activation barrier is in good agreement with the experimental one, while the thiocarbonate turned out to not interfere with the CO-oxidation catalytic cycle. The results highlight the importance of the environmental effects in the assembly of the molecular model and in the choice of the computational protocol. Our accurate modeling of the enzyme also allowed us to exclude the involvement of a frustrated Lewis pair in the CO-oxidation mechanism, which has recently been suggested based on an analysis of structural and electronic features of synthetic mimics of the Mo/Cu CO dehydrogenase active site.

Triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) is a key enzyme in glycolysis that catalyses the interconversion of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and dihydroxy­acetone phosphate. This simple reaction involves the shuttling of protons mediated by protolysable side chains. The catalytic power of TIM is thought to stem from its ability to facilitate the deprotonation of a carbon next to a carbonyl group to generate an enediolate intermediate. The enediolate intermediate is believed to be mimicked by the inhibitor 2-phosphoglycolate (PGA) and the subsequent enediol intermediate by phosphoglycolohydroxamate (PGH). Here, neutron structures of Leishmania mexicana TIM have been determined with both inhibitors, and joint neutron/X-ray refinement followed by quantum refinement has been performed. The structures show that in the PGA complex the postulated general base Glu167 is protonated, while in the PGH complex it remains deprotonated. The deuteron is clearly localized on Glu167 in the PGA–TIM structure, suggesting an asymmetric hydrogen bond instead of a low-barrier hydrogen bond. The full picture of the active-site protonation states allowed an investigation of the reaction mechanism using density-functional theory calculations.

The MoCu CO dehydrogenase enzyme not only transforms CO into CO2 but it can also oxidise H2. Even if its hydrogenase activity has been known for decades, a debate is ongoing on the most plausible mode for the binding of H2 to the enzyme active site and the hydrogen oxidation mechanism. In the present work, we provide a new perspective on the MoCu-CODH hydrogenase activity by improving the in silico description of the enzyme. Energy refinement-by means of the BigQM approach-was performed on the intermediates involved in the dihydrogen oxidation catalysis reported in our previously published work (Rovaletti, et al. "Theoretical Insights into the Aerobic Hydrogenase Activity of Molybdenum-Copper CO Dehydrogenase." Inorganics 7 (2019) 135). A suboptimal description of the H2-HN(backbone) interaction was observed when the van der Waals parameters described in previous literature for H2 were employed. Therefore, a new set of van der Waals parameters is developed here in order to better describe the hydrogen-backbone interaction. They give rise to improved binding modes of H2 in the active site of MoCu CO dehydrogenase. Implications of the resulting outcomes for a better understanding of hydrogen oxidation catalysis mechanisms are proposed and discussed.

The Mo/Cu-dependent CO dehydrogenase from O. carboxidovorans is an enzyme that is able to catalyse CO oxidation to CO2; moreover, it also expresses hydrogenase activity, as it is able to oxidize H2. Here, we have studied the dihydrogen oxidation catalysis by this enzyme using QM/MM calculations. Our results indicate that the equatorial oxo ligand of Mo is the best suited base for catalysis. Moreover, extraction of the first proton from H2 by means of this basic centre leads to the formation of a Mo-OH-CuIH hydride that allows for the stabilization of the copper hydride, otherwise known to be very unstable. In light of our results, two mechanisms for the hydrogenase activity of the enzyme are proposed. The first reactive channel depends on protonation of the sulphur atom of a Cu-bound cysteine residues, which appears to favour the binding and activation of the substrate. The second reactive channel involves a frustrated Lewis pair, formed by the equatorial oxo group bound to Mo and by the copper centre. In this case, no binding of the hydrogen molecule to the Cu center is observed but once H2 enters into the active site, it can be split following a low-energy path

We present a theoretical investigation providing key insights on a long-standing controversial issue that dominated the debate on carbon monoxide oxidation by Mo–Cu CO-dehydrogenases. Previous investigations gravitate around the possible occurrence of a thiocarbonate intermediate, that was repeatedly reported to behave as a thermodynamic sink on the catalytic energy landscape. By using a hierarchy of quantum mechanical and hybrid quantum/classical models of the enzyme, we show that no such energy sink is present on the catalytic energy profile. Consequent perspectives for the definition of a novel mechanistic proposal for the enzyme-catalyzed CO-oxidation are discussed in light of the recent literature.

[FeFe]-Hydrogenases harbor a {2Fe3S} assembly bearing two CO and two CN- groups, a mu-CO ligand, and a vacant coordination site trans to the mu-CO group. Recent theoretical results obtained studying the isolated {2Fe3S} subsite indicated that one of the CN- ligands can easily move from the crystallographic position to the coordination site trans to the mu-CO group; such an isomerization would have a major impact on substrates and inhibitors binding regiochemistry and, consequently, on the catalytic mechanism. To shed light on this crucial issue, we have carried out hybrid QM/MM and free energy perturbation calculations on the whole enzyme, which demonstrate that the protein environment plays a crucial role and maintains the CN- group fixed in the position observed in the crystal structure; these results strongly support the hypothesis that the vacant coordination site trans to the mu-CO group has a crucial functional relevance both in the context of CO-mediated inhibition of the enzyme and in dihydrogen oxidation/evolution catalysis.

Fe-only hydrogenases are enzymes that catalyze dihydrogen production or oxidation, due to the presence of an unusual Fe6S6 cluster (the so-called H-cluster) in their active site, which is composed of a Fe2S2 subsite, directly involved in catalysis, and a classical Fe4S4 cubane cluster. Here, we present a hybrid quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) investigation of the Fe-only hydrogenase from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, in order to unravel key issues regarding the activation of the enzyme from its completely oxidized inactive state (H-ox(inac)) and the influence of the protein environment on the structural and catalytic properties of the H-cluster. Our results show that the Fe2S2 subcluster in the (FeFeII)-Fe-II redox statewhich is experimentally observed for the completely oxidized form of the enzymebinds a water molecule to one of its metal centers. The computed QM/MM energy values for water binding to the diferrous subsite are in fact over 70 kJ mol(-1); however, the affinity toward water decreases by 1 order of magnitude after a one-electron reduction of H-ox(inact), thus leading to the release of coordinated water from the H-cluster. The investigation of a catalytic cycle of the Fe-only hydrogenase that implies formation of a terminal hydride ion and a di(thiomethyl)amine (DTMA) molecule acting as an acid/base catalyst indicates that all steps have reasonable reaction energies and that the influence of the protein on the thermodynamic profile of H-2 production catalysis is not negligible. QM/MM results show that the interactions between the Fe2S2 subsite and the protein environment could give place to structural rearrangements of the H-cluster functional for catalysis, provided that the bidentate ligand that bridges the iron atoms in the binuclear subsite is actually a DTMA residue.

A density functional theory study is presented regarding the energetics and the Mulliken population analyses of a quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) system including multiple iron-sulfur clusters in the QM region. The [FeFe]-hydrogenase from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans was studied, and both the active site (an Fe6S6 assembly generally referred to as the H-cluster) and an ancillary Fe4S4 site were treated at the BP86-RI/TZVP level. The antiferromagnetic coupling that characterizes both sites was modeled using the broken-symmetry (BS) approach. For such a QM system, 36 different BS couplings can be defined, depending on the localization of spin excess on the various spin centers. All the BS states were obtained by means of an effective and simple method for spin localization, that is here described and compared with more sophisticated approaches already available in literature. The variation of the QM/MM energy among the various geometry-optimized protein models was found to be less than 25 kJ mol-1. This energy variation almost doubles if no geometry optimization is performed. A detailed analysis of the additive nature of these variations in QM/MM energy is reported. The Mulliken charges show very small variations among the 36 BS states, whereas the Mulliken spin populations were found to be somewhat more variable. The relevance of such variations is discussed in light of the available Mössbauer and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopic data for the enzyme. Finally, the influence of the basis set on the spin populations, charges, and structural parameters of the models was investigated, by means of QM/MM computations on the same system at the BP86-RI/SVP level. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A QM/MM investigation of the active-ready (Hox) form of [FeFe]-hydrogenase from D. desulfuricans, in which the electronic properties of all Fe-S clusters (H, F and F') have been simultaneously described using DFT, was carried out with the aim of disclosing a possible interplay between the H-cluster and the accessory iron-sulfur clusters in the initial steps of the catalytic process leading to H2 formation. It turned out that one-electron addition to the active-ready form leads to reduction of the F'-cluster and not of the H-cluster. Protonation of the H-cluster in H ox is unlikely, and in any case it would not trigger electron transfer from the accessory Fe4S4 clusters to the active site. Instead, one-electron reduction and protonation of the active-ready form trigger electron transfer within the protein, a key event in the catalytic cycle. In particular, protonation of the H-cluster after one-electron reduction of the enzyme lowers the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals localized on the H-cluster to such an extent that a long-range electron transfer from the F'-cluster towards the H-cluster itself is allowed. © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

In the present contribution, we report a theoretical investigation of the magnetic properties of the dihydrogen-evolving enzyme [FeFe]-hydrogenase, based on both DFT models of the active site (the H-cluster, a Fe6S 6 assembly including a binuclear portion directly involved in substrates binding), and QM/MM models of the whole enzyme. Antiferromagnetic coupling within the H-cluster has been treated using the broken-symmetry approach, along with the use of different density functionals. Results of g value calculations turned out to vary as a function of the level of theory and of the extension of the model. The choice of the broken-symmetry coupling scheme also had a significant influence on the calculated g values, for both the active-ready (Hox) and the CO-inhibited (Hox-CO) enzyme forms. However, hyperfine coupling-constant calculations were found to provide more consistent results. This allowed us to show that the experimentally detected delocalization of an unpaired electron at the binuclear subcluster in Desulfovibrio desulfuricans Hox is compatible with a weak interaction between the catalytic centre and a low-weight exogenous ligand like a water molecule. © 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Key stereoelectronic properties of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans [FeFe]-hydrogenase (DdH) were investigated by quantum mechanical description of its complete inorganic core, which includes a Fe6S6 active site (the H-cluster), as well as two ancillary Fe4S4 assemblies (the F and F' clusters). The partially oxidized, active-ready form of DdH is able to efficiently bind dihydrogen, thus starting H2 oxidation catalysis. The calculations allow us to unambiguously assign a mixed Fe(II)Fe(I) state to the catalytic core of the activeready enzyme and show that H2 uptake exerts subtle, yet crucial influences on the redox properties of DdH. In fact, H2 binding can promote electron transfer from the H-cluster to the solvent-exposed F'-cluster, thanks to a 50% decrease of the energy gap between the HOMO (that is localized on the H-cluster) and the LUMO (which is centered on the F'-cluster). Our results also indicate that the binding of the redox partners of DdH in proximity of its F'-cluster can trigger one-electron oxidation of the H2-bound enzyme, a process that is expected to have an important role in H2 activation. Our findings are analyzed not only from a mechanistic perspective, but also in consideration of the physiological role of DdH. In fact, this enzyme is known to be able to catalyze both the oxidation and the evolution of H2, depending on the cellular metabolic requirements. Hints for the design of targeted mutations that could lead to the enhancement of the oxidizing properties of DdH are proposed and discussed. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

The presence of Fe-bound cyanide ligands in the active site of the proton-reducing enzymes [FeFe]-hydrogenases has led to the hypothesis that such Brønsted-Lowry bases could be protonated during the catalytic cycle, thus implying that hydrogen isocyanide (HNC) might have a relevant role in such crucial microbial metabolic paths. We present a hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) study of the energetics of CN - protonation in the enzyme, and of the effects that cyanide protonation can have on [FeFe]-hydrogenase active sites. A detailed analysis of the electronic properties of the models and of the energy profile associated with H2 evolution clearly shows that such protonation is dysfunctional for the catalytic process. However, the inclusion of the protein matrix surrounding the active site in our QM/MM models allowed us to demonstrate that the amino acid environment was finely selected through evolution, specifically to lower the Brønsted-Lowry basicity of the cyanide ligands. In fact, the conserved hydrogen-bonding network formed by these ligands and the neighboring amino acid residues is able to impede CN- protonation, as shown by the fact that the isocyanide forms of [FeFe]-hydrogenases do not correspond to stationary points on the enzyme QM/MM potential-energy surface. © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The active site of the [FeFe] hydrogenases contains two Fe ions bound to one Cys ligand, three CO molecules, two CN- ions, and a dithiolate ligand. The nature of the last of these has been much discussed, and it has been suggested that it contains C, N, or O as the bridgehead atom. Most experimental studies indicate a N atom, whereas a recent density functional theory (DFT) study of a crystal structure indicated an O atom. Here, we performed quantum refinement on the same crystal structure with five different models of the dithiolate ligand X(CH2S-)2, with X = CH 2, NH2+, NH (two conformations), or O; we found that structures with a N bridgehead atom actually provide the best fit to the raw crystallographic data. Quantum refinement is standard crystallographic refinement in which the molecular mechanics force field normally used to supplement the experimental raw data to give a more chemical structure is replaced by more accurate DFT calculations for the active site. Thereby, we obtain structures that are an ideal compromise between DFT and crystallography.

[FeFe]-hydrogenases are highly efficient H-2-evolving metalloenzymes that include cyanides and carbonyls in the active site. The latter is an Fe6S6 cluster (the so-called H-cluster) that can be subdivided into a binuclear portion carrying the CO and CN- groups and a tetranuclear subcluster. The fundamental role of cyanide ligands in increasing the basicity of the H-cluster has been highlighted previously. Here a more subtle but crucial role played by the two CN- ligands in the active site of [FeFe]-hydrogenases is disclosed. In fact, QM/MM calculations on all-atom models of the enzyme from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans show that the cyanide groups fine-tune the electronic and redox properties of the active site, affecting both the protonation regiochemistry and electron transfer between the two subclusters of the H-cluster. Despite the crucial role of cyanides in the protein active site, the currently available bioinspired electrocatalysts generally lack CN- groups in order to avoid competition between the latter and the catalytic metal centers for proton binding. In this respect, we show that a targeted inclusion of phosphine ligands in hexanuclear biomimetic clusters may restore the electronic and redox features of the wild-type H-cluster.

Nature's recipe: A theoretical study analyzes how the environment of the [FeFe] hydrogenase's catalytic cofactor affects its chemical properties, particularly the relative stability of complexes with bridging and terminal hydride ligands (see picture; Fe teal, S yellow, C green, N blue, O red, H gray). The results help to elucidate key rules for the design of bioinspired synthetic catalysts for H2 production. © 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

In the present contribution, a density functional theory (DFT) investigation is described regarding a recently synthesized Fe6S6 complex - see C. Tard, X. Liu, S.K. Ibrahim, M. Bruschi,next term L. De Gioia, S.C. Davies, X. Yang, L.-S. Wang, G. Sawers, C.J. Pickett, Nature 433 (2005) 610 - that is structurally and functionally related to the [FeFe]-hydrogenases active site (the so-called H-cluster, which includes a binuclear subsite directly involved in catalysis and an Fe4S4 cubane). The analysis of relative stabilities and atomic charges of different isomers evidenced that the structural and redox properties of the synthetic assembly are significantly different from those of the enzyme active site. A comparison between the hexanuclear cluster and simpler synthetic diiron models is also described; the results of such a comparison indicated that the cubane moiety can favour the stabilization of the cluster in a structure closely resembling the H-cluster geometry when the synthetic Fe6S6 complex is in its dianionic state. However, the opposite effect is observed when the synthetic cluster is in its monoanionic form.

Localized multipole moments up to the fifth moment as well as localized dipole polarizabilities are calculated with the MpProp and the newly developed LoProp methods for a total of 20 molecules, predominantly derived from amino acids. A comparison of electrostatic potentials calculated from the multipole expansion obtained by the two methods with ab initio results shows that both methods reproduce the electrostatic interaction with an elementary charge with a mean absolute error of similar to 1.5 kJ/mol at contact distance and less than 0.1 kJ/mol at distances 2 angstrom further out when terms up to the octupole moments are included. The polarizabilities are tested with homogenous electric fields and are-found to have similar accuracy. The MpProp method gives better multipole moments unless diffuse basis sets are used, whereas LoProp gives better polarizabilities.

Metallo-beta-lactamases are bacterial enzymes that may function with either one or two zinc ions bound in the active site. In this work, the binding of benzylpenicillin to mono-zinc metallo-beta-lactamase from Bacillus cereus has been investigated in a docking procedure applying a combined quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical method as the final step. It is demonstrated that the substrate can bind with the carbonyl oxygen of the lactam ring coordinating to the zinc ion, and with the zinc-bound hydroxide ion in position for a nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl carbon of the lactam ring. In some structures, both the histidine and the cysteine at the other (unoccupied) metal-binding site are in a proper position to function as proton shuttles in proton transfer from the previously zinc-bound hydroxide, to the nitrogen in the lactam ring. In addition, the hydrophobic region formed by Phe34, Val39, Trp59, and Ala89 interacts with the phenyl group of benzylpenicillin, whereas the carboxylate group may be stabilized by Lys171 and Asn180. Alternatively, the carboxylate can bind to the zinc ion, prohibiting the nucleophilic attack of the zinc-bound hydroxide on the lactam carbonyl carbon. However, such a structure is energetically disfavored compared to the other enzyme-substrate complexes.

Two central steps in the hydrolysis of lactam antibiotics catalyzed by mononuclear metallo-beta-lactamases, formation of the tetrahedral intermediate and its breakdown by proton transfer, are studied for model systems using the density functional B3LYP method. Metallo-beta-lactamases have two metal ion binding sites, one of which is occupied in the mononuclear species. In this work it is assumed that catalysis takes place at zinc site 1, which is modeled by the metal ion, three imidazole rings, and a hydroxide ion. The lactam ring, a minimal model of beta-lactam antibiotics, is initially coordinating to the zinc ion. Potential proton shuttles from the second (unoccupied) metal-binding site (water, Asp, or Cys) are included in some calculations. The calculated reaction barrier for formation of the tetrahedral intermediate is 13 kcal/mol, close to what is observed experimentally for the rate-limiting step. The barrier for the breakdown of the intermediate is low, 0-10 kcal/mol, if it is assisted by a water molecule or by a Cys or Asp model. Thus, the results indicate that proton transfer is not rate-limiting, and that any of the residues from the second metal site may function as proton shuttle. For most studied systems, the tetrahedral structure is a stable intermediate. Moreover, the C-N bond in the lactam ring is intact in this intermediate, as well as in the following transition state-its cleavage is induced by proton transfer to the nitrogen atom in the lactam ring. However, for the model with Asp as a proton shuttle, attack of the zinc-bond hydroxide ion seems to be concerted with the proton transfer. We have also studied the effect of replacing one of the histidine ligands by an asparagine or glutamine residue, giving a zinc site representative of other subclasses of metallo-beta-lactamases. This has only a small effect on the calculated reaction barriers. Likewise, if the zinc ion is replaced by cadmium, only small changes in the reaction barrier for proton tr

Two central steps in the hydrolysis of lactam antibiotics catalyzed by mononuclear metallo-beta-lactamases, formation of the tetrahedral intermediate and its breakdown by proton transfer, are studied for model systems using the density functional B3LYP method. Metallo-beta-lactamases have two metal ion binding sites, one of which is occupied in the mononuclear species. In this work it is assumed that catalysis takes place at zinc site 1, which is modeled by the metal ion, three imidazole rings, and a hydroxide ion. The lactam ring, a minimal model of beta-lactam antibiotics, is initially coordinating to the zinc ion. Potential proton shuttles from the second (unoccupied) metal-binding site (water, Asp, or Cys) are included in some calculations. The calculated reaction barrier for formation of the tetrahedral intermediate is 13 kcal/mol, close to what is observed experimentally for the rate-limiting step. The barrier for the breakdown of the intermediate is low, 0-10 kcal/mol, if it is assisted by a water molecule or by a Cys or Asp model. Thus, the results indicate that proton transfer is not rate-limiting, and that any of the residues from the second metal site may function as proton shuttle. For most studied systems, the tetrahedral structure is a stable intermediate. Moreover, the C-N bond in the lactam ring is intact in this intermediate, as well as in the following transition state-its cleavage is induced by proton transfer to the nitrogen atom in the lactam ring. However, for the model with Asp as a proton shuttle, attack of the zinc-bond hydroxide ion seems to be concerted with the proton transfer. We have also studied the effect of replacing one of the histidine ligands by an asparagine or glutamine residue, giving a zinc site representative of other subclasses of metallo-beta-lactamases. This has only a small effect on the calculated reaction barriers. Likewise, if the zinc ion is replaced by cadmium, only small changes in the reaction barrier for proton tr