Metals articles within Nature Chemistry

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The metal-dependent, bifunctional isoprenyl diphosphate synthase PcIDS1 from the leaf beetle Phaedon cochleariae integrates substrate, product and metal-ion concentrations to tune its dynamic reactivity. Now structural and functional analyses reveal that this enzyme uses both catalytic centres to form geranyl pyrophosphate, while one domain is inactivated during farnesyl pyrophosphate production.

    • Felix Ecker
    • , Abith Vattekkatte
    •  & Michael Groll

  • Article |

    Zinc fluxes have now been shown to be essential in the fertilization of amphibian eggs. Furthermore, manganese(ii), which is initially bound to low-molecular-weight carboxylates, is stored and released with zinc from cortical vesicles following fertilization. This rapid metal ion release blocks the otherwise fatal entry of a second sperm.

    • John F. Seeler
    • , Ajay Sharma
    •  & Thomas V. O’Halloran

  • Article |

    A method to fabricate heterotrimeric three-stranded coiled-coil peptide structures has now been developed using coordination around a Pb(ii) centre. The heterotrimeric structures require only three cysteines that bind to Pb(ii) to form a trigonal pyramidal structure, and the formation of an adjacent cavity in which water can hydrogen bond to the cysteine sulfur atoms.

    • Audrey E. Tolbert
    • , Catherine S. Ervin
    •  & Vincent L. Pecoraro

  • Article |

    Natural hydrogenases exclusively utilize Ni and/or Fe to activate or produce hydrogen. Now, a catalytically active [Mn]-hydrogenase has been prepared by incorporating a synthetic Mn complex into the apoenzyme of [Fe]-Hydrogenase. The semi-synthetic [Mn]-hydrogenase shows higher activity than the corresponding Fe analogue.

    • Hui-Jie Pan
    • , Gangfeng Huang
    •  & Xile Hu

  • Article |

    The biosynthesis of the [FeFe] hydrogenase active site H-cluster requires several Fe–S proteins that perform poorly understood reactions. Now, a reaction intermediate trapped in the enzyme HydG is shown to contain a [(Cys)Fe(CO)(CN)] species identified as the first organometallic Fe moiety en route to the catalytic H-cluster.

    • Guodong Rao
    • , Lizhi Tao
    •  & R. David Britt

  • Article |

    Cancer stem cells are typically refractory to conventional treatments. Now, an unprecedented mechanism has been discovered by which salinomycin and derivatives can sequester iron in lysosomes leading to cytoplasmic iron depletion and the subsequent production of reactive oxygen species that are lethal to the cell. This discovery of the importance of iron in cancer stem cell maintenance provides an opportunity for developing new therapeutics.

    • Trang Thi Mai
    • , Ahmed Hamaï
    •  & Raphaël Rodriguez

  • In Your Element |

    Gregory Girolami recounts how element 76 beat a close competitor to the title of densest known metal and went on to participate in Nobel Prize-winning reactions.

    • Gregory Girolami

  • In Your Element |

    Sodium, ubiquitous on Earth in living organisms, oceans and minerals — all the way to table salt — may seem like one of the more ordinary elements. Margit S. Müller highlights why we, like the fairytale king, should not take it for granted.

    • Margit S. Müller

  • In Your Element |

    Although reports on the use of nickel can be traced back to 3,500 BC, Catherine Drennan points to a resurgence of interest in nickel-based chemistry in the energy and environmental areas.

    • Catherine L. Drennan

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