title: The catalytic center in nitrous oxide reductase, CuZ, is a copper-sulfide cluster.
abstract: The crystal structure of nitrous oxide reductase, the enzyme catalyzing the final step of bacterial denitrification in which nitrous oxide is reduced to dinitrogen, exhibits a novel catalytic site, called Cu(Z). This comprises a cluster of four copper ions bound by seven histidines and three other ligands modeled in the X-ray structure as OH(-) or H(2)O. However, elemental analyses and resonance Raman spectroscopy of isotopically labeled enzyme conclusively demonstrate that Cu(Z) has one acid-labile sulfur ligand. Thus, nitrous oxide reductase contains the first reported biological copper-sulfide cluster.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Metalloprotein Spectroscopy and Biology, School of Chemical Sciences, and School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Berks
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sanders-Loehr
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Dooley
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Zumft
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Thomson
mesh_terms: D000143:Acids; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization; D019281:Dimerization; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D008024:Ligands; D008280:Magnetics; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000737:chemistry*; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000201:enzymology; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D013440:Sulfides / Q000737:chemistry*; D013455:Sulfur / Q000737:chemistry; D014965:X-Rays
chemical_list: D000143:Acids; D008024:Ligands; D013440:Sulfides; D013455:Sulfur; D003300:Copper; D010088:Oxidoreductases; C022763:nitrous oxide reductase