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Enzymes are long established as extremely efficient catalysts. Here, we show that enzymes can also be extremely efficient electrocatalysts (catalysts of redox reactions at electrodes). Despite being large and electronically insulating through most of their volume, some enzymes, when attached to an electrode, catalyze electrochemical reactions that are otherwise extremely sluggish (even with the best synthetic catalysts) and require a large overpotential to achieve a useful rate. These enzymes produce high electrocatalytic currents, displayed in single bidirectional voltammetric waves that switch direction (between oxidation and reduction) sharply at the equilibrium potential for the substrate redox couple. Notoriously irreversible processes such as CO2 reduction are thereby rendered electrochemically reversible—a consequence of molecular evolution responding to stringent biological drivers for thermodynamic efficiency. Enzymes thus set high standards for the catalysts of future energy technologies.

Multistep enzyme-catalyzed cascade reactions are highly efficient in nature due to the confinement and concentration of the enzymes within nanocompartments. In this way, rates are exceptionally high, and loss of intermediates minimised. Similarly, extended enzyme cascades trapped and crowded within the nanoconfined environment of a porous conducting metal oxide electrode material form the basis of a powerful way to study and exploit myriad complex biocatalytic reactions and pathways. One of the confined enzymes, ferredoxin-NADP + reductase, serves as a transducer, rapidly and reversibly recycling nicotinamide cofactors electrochemically for immediate delivery to the next enzyme along the chain, thereby making it possible to energize, control and observe extended cascade reactions driven in either direction depending on the electrode potential that is applied. Here we show as proof of concept the synthesis of aspartic acid from pyruvic acid or its reverse oxidative decarboxylation/deamination, involving five nanoconfined enzymes. Multistep enzymatic reactions (cascades) can be achieved by confining enzymes in synthetic materials, but ways to simultaneously energize, control and observe the reactions in real time are lacking. Here, bidirectional interconversion between aspartate and pyruvate by a five enzyme cascade trapped in electrode nanopores, addressable by laptop commands, is demonstrated.

This paper discusses the suitability of manganese for its function in catalysing the formation of molecular oxygen from water. Manganese is an abundant element. In terms of its inherent properties, Mn has a particularly rich redox chemistry compared with other d-block elements, with several oxidizing states accessible. The most stable-state Mn2+ behaves like a Group 2 element-it is mobile, weakly complexing, easily taken up by cells and redox-inactive in simple aqueous media. Only in the presence of suitable ligands does Mn2+ become oxidized, so it provides an uncomplicated building unit for the oxygen-evolving centre (OEC). The intermediate oxidation states Mn(III) and Mn(IV) are strongly complexed by O2− and form robust mixed-valence poly-oxo clusters in which the Mn(IV)/Mn(III) ratio can be elevated, one electron at a time, accumulating oxidizing potential and capacity. The OEC is a Mn4CaO x cluster that undergoes sequential oxidations by P680+ at potentials above 1 V, ultimately to a super-oxidized level that includes one Mn(V) or a Mn(IV)-oxyl radical. The latter is powerfully oxidizing and provides the crucial 'power stroke' necessary to generate an O-O bond. This leaves a centre still rich in Mn(IV), ensuring a rapid follow-through to O2.

As paradigms for proton-coupled electron transfer in enzymes and benchmarks for a fully renewable H₂ technology, [FeFe]-hydrogenases behave as highly reversible electrocatalysts when immobilized on an electrode, operating in both catalytic directions with minimal overpotential requirement. Using the [FeFe]-hydrogenases from Clostridium pasteurianum (CpI) and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (CrHydA1) we have conducted site-directed mutagenesis and protein film electrochemistry to determine how efficient catalysis depends on the longrange coupling of electron and proton transfer steps. Importantly, the electron and proton transfer pathways in [FeFe]-hydrogenases are well separated from each other in space. Variants with conservative substitutions (glutamate to aspartate) in either of two positions in the proton-transfer pathway retain significant activity and reveal the consequences of slowing down proton transfer for both catalytic directions over a wide range of pH and potential values. Proton reduction in the variants is impaired mainly by limiting the turnover rate, which drops sharply as the pH is raised, showing that proton capture from bulk solvent becomes critical. In contrast, hydrogen oxidation is affected in two ways: by limiting the turnover rate and by a large overpotential requirement that increases as the pH is raised, consistent with the accumulation of a reduced and protonated intermediate. A unique observation having fundamental significance is made under conditions where the variants still retain sufficient catalytic activity in both directions: An inflection appears as the catalytic current switches direction at the 2H⁺/H₂ thermodynamic potential, clearly signaling a departure from electrocatalytic reversibility as electron and proton transfers begin to be decoupled.

A virus hijacks host cellular machineries and metabolites in order to reproduce. In response, the innate immune system activates different processes to fight back. Although many aspects of these processes have been well investigated, the key roles played by iron–sulfur [FeS] clusters, which are among the oldest classes of bio-inorganic cofactors, have barely been considered. Here we discuss how several [FeS] cluster-containing proteins activate, support and modulate the innate immune response to restrict viral infections, and how some of these proteins simultaneously support the replication of viruses. We also propose models of function of some proteins in the innate immune response and argue that [FeS] clusters in many of these proteins act as biological ‘fuses’ to control the response. We hope this overview helps to inspire future research in the emerging field of bio-inorganic virology/immunology and that such studies may reveal new molecular insight into the links between viral infections and diseases like cancer and neurodegeneration. Viruses use the cellular machinery of their host organism to reproduce. This Review discusses how [FeS] cluster-containing proteins activate, support and modulate the innate immune response to restrict viral infections as well as highlighting how some of these proteins simultaneously support the replication of viruses.

Significance The isolation of an active formate hydrogenlyase is a breakthrough in understanding the molecular basis of bacterial hydrogen production. For over 100 years, Escherichia coli has been known to evolve H ₂ when cultured under fermentative conditions. Glucose is metabolized to formate, which is then oxidized to CO ₂ with the concomitant reduction of protons to H ₂ by a single complex called formate hydrogenlyase, which had been genetically, but never biochemically, characterized. In this study, innovative molecular biology and electrochemical experiments reveal a hydrogenase enzyme with the unique ability to sustain H ₂ production even under high partial pressures of H ₂. Harnessing bacterial H ₂ production offers the prospect of a source of fully renewable H ₂ energy, freed from any dependence on fossil fuel. Under anaerobic conditions, Escherichia coli can carry out a mixed-acid fermentation that ultimately produces molecular hydrogen. The enzyme directly responsible for hydrogen production is the membrane-bound formate hydrogenlyase (FHL) complex, which links formate oxidation to proton reduction and has evolutionary links to Complex I, the NADH:quinone oxidoreductase. Although the genetics, maturation, and some biochemistry of FHL are understood, the protein complex has never been isolated in an intact form to allow biochemical analysis. In this work, genetic tools are reported that allow the facile isolation of FHL in a single chromatographic step. The core complex is shown to comprise HycE (a [NiFe] hydrogenase component termed Hyd-3), FdhF (the molybdenum-dependent formate dehydrogenase-H), and three iron-sulfur proteins: HycB, HycF, and HycG. A proportion of this core complex remains associated with HycC and HycD, which are polytopic integral membrane proteins believed to anchor the core complex to the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. As isolated, the FHL complex retains formate hydrogenlyase activity in vitro. Protein film electrochemistry experiments on Hyd-3 demonstrate that it has a unique ability among [NiFe] hydrogenases to catalyze production of H ₂ even at high partial pressures of H ₂. Understanding and harnessing the activity of the FHL complex is critical to advancing future biohydrogen research efforts.

Ivosidenib, an inhibitor of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) R132C and R132H variants, is approved for the treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Resistance to ivosidenib due to a second site mutation of IDH1 R132C, leading to IDH1 R132C/S280F, has emerged. We describe biochemical, crystallographic, and cellular studies on the IDH1 R132C/S280F and R132H/S280F variants that inform on the mechanism of second-site resistance, which involves both modulation of inhibitor binding at the IDH1 dimer-interface and alteration of kinetic properties, which enable more efficient 2-HG production relative to IDH1 R132C and IDH1 R132H. Importantly, the biochemical and cellular results demonstrate that it should be possible to overcome S280F mediated resistance in AML patients by using alternative inhibitors, including some presently in phase 2 clinical trials. The development of IDH variant inhibitors is a breakthrough as it is the first time metabolism has been successfully targeted by small molecule drugs in cancer. Here the authors report studies on resistance to the pioneer drug ivosidenib leading to identification of inhibitors retaining activity.

The extraordinary ability of Fe- and Ni-containing enzymes to catalyze rapid and efficient H ⁺/H ₂ interconversion—a property otherwise exclusive to platinum metals—has been investigated in a series of experiments combining variable-temperature protein film voltammetry with mathematical modeling. The results highlight important differences between the catalytic performance of [FeFe]-hydrogenases and [NiFe]-hydrogenases and justify a simple model for reversible catalytic electron flow in enzymes and electrocatalysts that should be widely applicable in fields as diverse as electrochemistry, catalysis, and bioenergetics. The active site of [FeFe]-hydrogenases, an intricate Fe-carbonyl complex known as the “H cluster,” emerges as a supreme catalyst.

Green algae such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii synthesize an [FeFe] hydrogenase that is highly active in hydrogen evolution. However, the extreme sensitivity of [FeFe] hydrogenases to oxygen presents a major challenge for exploiting these organisms to achieve sustainable photosynthetic hydrogen production. In this study, the mechanism of oxygen inactivation of the [FeFe] hydrogenase CrHydAI from G reinhardtii has been investigated. X-ray absorption spectroscopy shows that reaction with oxygen results in destruction of the [4Fe-4S] domain of the active site H-cluster while leaving the di-iron domain $(2Fe_H )$essentially intact. By protein film electrochemistry we were able to determine the order of events leading up to this destruction. Carbon monoxide, a competitive inhibitor of CrHydAI which binds to an Fe atom of the $(2Fe_yH )$domain and is otherwise not known to attack FeS clusters in proteins, reacts nearly two orders of magnitude faster than oxygen and protects the enzyme against oxygen damage. These results therefore show that destruction of the [4Fe-4S] cluster is initiated by binding and reduction of oxygen at the di-iron domain—a key step that is blocked by carbon monoxide. The relatively slow attack by oxygen compared to carbon monoxide suggests that a very high level of discrimination can be achieved by subtle factors such as electronic effects (specific orbital overlap requirements) and steric constraints at the active site.

An oxygen-tolerant respiratory [NiFe]-hydrogenase is proven to be a four-electron hydrogen/oxygen oxidoreductase, catalyzing the reaction 2 H ₂ + O ₂ = 2 H ₂O, equivalent to hydrogen combustion, over a sustained period without inactivating. At least 86% of the H ₂O produced by Escherichia coli hydrogenase-1 exposed to a mixture of 90% H ₂ and 10% O ₂ is accounted for by a direct four-electron pathway, whereas up to 14% arises from slower side reactions proceeding via superoxide and hydrogen peroxide. The direct pathway is assigned to O ₂ reduction at the [NiFe] active site, whereas the side reactions are an unavoidable consequence of the presence of low-potential relay centers that release electrons derived from H ₂ oxidation. The oxidase activity is too slow to be useful in removing O ₂ from the bacterial periplasm; instead, the four-electron reduction of molecular oxygen to harmless water ensures that the active site survives to catalyze sustained hydrogen oxidation.