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Nickel–Sulfonate Mode of Substrate Binding for Forward and Reverse Reactions of Methyl-SCoM Reductase Suggest a Radical Mechanism Involving Long-Range Electron Transfer

Journal Article · · Journal of the American Chemical Society
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.1c01086· OSTI ID:1797985
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [1]
  1. University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
  2. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL)
  3. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) catalyzes both the synthesis and the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). Its catalytic site contains Ni at the core of cofactor F430. The Ni ion, in its low-valent Ni(I) state, lights the fuse leading to homolysis of the C–S bond of methyl-coenzyme M (methyl-SCoM) to generate a methyl radical, which abstracts a hydrogen atom from coenzyme B (HSCoB) to generate methane and the mixed disulfide CoMSSCoB. Direct reversal of this reaction activates methane to initiate anaerobic methane oxidation. On the basis of the crystal structures, which reveal a Ni–thiol interaction between Ni(II)–MCR and inhibitor CoMSH, a Ni(I)–thioether complex with substrate methyl-SCoM has been transposed to canonical MCR mechanisms. Similarly, a Ni(I)–disulfide with CoMSSCoB is proposed for the reverse reaction. However, this Ni(I)–sulfur interaction poses a conundrum for the proposed hydrogen-atom abstraction reaction because the >6 Å distance between the thiol group of SCoB and the thiol of SCoM observed in the structures appears to be too long for such a reaction. The spectroscopic, kinetic, structural, and computational studies described here establish that both methyl-SCoM and CoMSSCoB bind to the active Ni(I) state of MCR through their sulfonate groups, forming a hexacoordinate Ni(I)–N/O complex, not Ni(I)–S. These studies rule out direct Ni(I)–sulfur interactions in both substrate-bound states. As a solution to the mechanistic conundrum, we propose that both the forward and the reverse MCR reactions emanate through long-range electron transfer from the Ni(I)–sulfonate complexes with methyl-SCoM and CoMSSCoB, respectively.

Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515; FG02-08ER15931; AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1797985
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1798184
Journal Information:
Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal Name: Journal of the American Chemical Society Journal Issue: 14 Vol. 143; ISSN 0002-7863
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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