Determination by X-ray absorption spectroscopy of the Fe-Fe separation in the oxidized form of the hydrxylase of methane monooxygenase alone and in the presence of MMOD

The diiron active site in the hydroxylase of Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) methane monooxygenase (MMOH) has been studied in the oxidized form by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Previous investigations by XAS and X-ray crystallography have identified two different distances (3.0 and 3.4 Å) between the two Fe atoms in the dinuclear site. The present study has employed a systematic extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) fitting methodology, utilizing known and simulated active site and relevant model structures, to determine unambiguously the Fe-Fe separation in the oxidized form of MMOH. Consistent and unique fits were only possible for an Fe-Fe distance of 3.0 Å. This methodology was then applied to study potential changes in the active site local structure in the presence of MMOD, a protein of unknown function in multicomponent MMO. Fe K-edge and EXAFS analyses revealed negligible changes in the diiron site electronic and geometric structure upon addition of MMOD to oxidized MMOH.