Spectroscopic and Theoretical Studies of Mononuclear Non-heme Iron Enzymes

Download or read book Spectroscopic and Theoretical Studies of Mononuclear Non-heme Iron Enzymes written by Adrienne Renee Diebold and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mononuclear non-heme iron enzymes are an important class with a wide range of medical, pharmaceutical and environmental applications. Within this class, the oxygen activating enzymes use Fe(II) to activate O2 for reaction with the substrate. The focus of this thesis is on understanding two major themes of the oxygen activating enzymes - the role of the (2His/1 carboxylate) facial triad and the initial O2 reaction steps of alpha-keto acid-dependent dioxygenases - using a combination of spectroscopic techniques and DFT calculations. For ferrous systems, abs/CD/MCD/VTVH MCD studies define the geometric and electronic structure of the ferrous site. In combination with DFT calculations, a structure/function picture of the ferrous sites is developed. To extend these studies to the initial steps of O2 binding, studies with NO as an O2 analogue ({FeNO}7/{FeO2}8) utilize EPR/abs/CD/MCD/VTVH MCD spectroscopy with DFT calculations to elucidate important effects of the substrate on the {FeNO}7 bond. These effects are used in the computational extension to the experimentally inaccessible O2 bound complexes giving insight into the initial steps of O2 binding and activation. Taken together, these studies shed light on the rational for facial triad ligation at the Fe(II) site in the oxygen activating enzymes and how the Fe(II) ligand set tunes the specific reactivity of these enzymes.