These slides describe the recent literature on the structure of the iron sulfur cluster of nitrogenase active site, FeMo-co. Included are: a comparison of industrial vs. biological ammonia production, several crystal structures from the literature including the unknown until recently hypervalent carbon atom in the center, and a brief mention of the troubling sterics of the active site as crystallized.
This suite of activities can be used as a unit exploring the use of small molecule models and biophysical techniques to illuminate complicated biomolecules. The Parent LO: Modeling the FeB center in bacterial Nitric Oxide reductase is a short, data-filled and well-written article that is approachable with an undergraduate's level of understanding.
This Five Slides About provides an overview of the concept of magnetic susceptibility for paramagnetic metal centers. Three methods are discussed, namely the Evans NMR Method, the magnetic balance and SQUID (Superconducting QUantum Interference Device). The availability of each method varies across institutions.
This learning object consists of a bibliography of materials concerning bioinorganic chemistry which have appeared in C&E News over approximately the past 15 years (1999-2014). Many come from the Science and Technology Concentrates, some from News of the Week, others are full articles, and a few are letters to the editor. They cover a wide variety of bioinorganic topics. Also included are citations for the articles from the primary literature paper referred to in the respective C&E News articles.
These Five Slides About examine the structure and function of the iron binding and transport protein transferrin. Students learn that transferrin also acts as an iron buffer and as a potential antimicrobial agent. The structure of the protein is explored in detail; it consists of a single polypeptide (80kDa) folded into two lobes, each of which can bind a single iron in a high affinity region. Changes in the protein as a result of iron uptake is discussed. The iron binding region and the requirement of a bidentate synergistic anion (carbonate) are examined.
This web resource is a TEDx talk about zinc and zinc's role in the early stages of the maturation of the egg. This would be a great introduction video for a gen chem, inorganic, or bioinorganic chemistry course. It introduces the idea that Zinc is stored in specific locations on the egg and then released all at the same time.
In this literature discussion, students read a paper about a cobalt metallopeptide that imitates the active site of the enzyme nitrile hydratase. Specifically, the model complex is oxidized by air to produce a coordination sphere with both cysteine thiolate and sulfinic acid ligands, much like the post-translationally oxidized cysteine ligands in the biological system.
This is an in-class PDB exercise based on the paper "Mechanisms Controlling the Cellular Metal Economy" by Gilston and O'Halloran. Students are asked to visualize the metal binding sites of several proteins discussed in the paper, highlighting unusual metal geometries. After identifying the amino acid residues involved in metal binding, students will discuss the bond structure in terms of HSAB theory.
This five slides about chemical exchange transfer (CEST) discusses the magnetic properties of paramagnetic metal ions and their use as MR imaging agents. This includes tranditional contrast agents that affect the relaxation rate of nearby water protons and paramagnetic shift reagents suitable for CEST imaging applications. A recent redox-active cobalt complex is presented as an innovative agent for mapping redox imbalances in vivo.
This is a literature discussion of a review by Tom O'Halloran (The link to the paper is included in the "Web Resources" below). The review covers concepts of metal content in cells, metal trasport, storage, and regulation. Its a good review to start a broader or deeper discussion about metals in biology. We have provided some questions to help guide the student discussion. These questions can be given to students prior to coming to class, and the answers can either be used for the in-class discussion and/or collected.