Redox properties and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of the transition state complex of Azotobacter vinelandii nitrogenase

Nitrogenase is a two-component metalloenzyme that catalyzes a MgATP hydrolysis driven reduction of substrates. Aluminum fluoride plus MgADP inhibits nitrogenase by stabilizing an intermediate of the on-enzyme MgATP hydrolysis reaction. We report here the redox properties and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signals of the aluminum fluoride-MgADP stabilized nitrogenase complex of Azotobacter vinelandii. Complex formation lowers the midpoint potential of the [4Fe-4S] cluster in the Fe protein. Also, the two-electron reaction of the unique [8Fe-7S] cluster in the MoFe protein is split in two one-electron reactions both with lower midpoint potentials. Furthermore, a change in spin-state of the two-electron oxidized [8Fe-7S] cluster is observed. The implications of these findings for the mechanism of MgATP hydrolysis driven electron transport within the nitrogenase protein complex are discussed.