Dibromidobis(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-κN 2)cobalt(II)

In the mononuclear title complex, [CoBr2(C5H8N2)2], the CoII atom is coordinated by two N atoms from two monodentate 3,5-dimethyl­pyrazole ligands and two Br atoms in a highly distorted tetra­hedral geometry. In the crystal, the complex mol­ecules are linked by inter­molecular N—H⋯Br hydrogen bonds into chains along [101]. An intra­molecular N—H⋯Br hydrogen bond is also present

Diaqua­bis­(pyridine-2-carboxyl­ato-κ2 N,O)manganese(II) dimethyl­formamide hemisolvate

There are two crystallographically independent complex mol­ecules with very similar geometries in the unit cell of the title compound, [Mn(C6H4NO2)2(H2O)2]·0.5C3H7NO. The central ion is situated in a distorted octa­hedral environment of two N- and four O-donor atoms from two pyridine-2-carboxyl­ate ligands and two cis-disposed water mol­ecules. The carboxyl­ate ligands are coordinated in a chelate fashion with the formation of two five-membered rings. In the crystal, the complex mol­ecules are connected by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the coordinated water mol­ecules and the uncoordinated carboxyl­ate O atoms, thus forming hydrogen-bonded walls disposed perpendicularly to the bc plane

fac-Tris(pyridine-2-carboxyl­ato-κ2 N,O)cobalt(III)

In the title compound, [Co(C6H4NO2)3], the CoIII ion lies on a threefold rotation axis and is in a distorted octa­hedral environment defined by three N and three O donor atoms from three fac-disposed pyridine-2-carboxyl­ate ligands. The ligands are coordinated in a chelate fashion, forming three five-membered rings. In the crystal, translationally related complex molecules are organized into columns along [001] via C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

General Aspects of Metal Ions as Signaling Agents in Health and Disease

This review focuses on the current knowledge on the involvement of metal ions in signaling processes within the cell, in both physiological and pathological conditions. The first section is devoted to the recent discoveries on magnesium and calcium-dependent signal transduction—the most recognized signaling agents among metals. The following sections then describe signaling pathways where zinc, copper, and iron play a key role. There are many systems in which changes in intra- and extra-cellular zinc and copper concentrations have been linked to important downstream events, especially in nervous signal transduction. Iron signaling is mostly related with its homeostasis. However, it is also involved in a recently discovered type of programmed cell death, ferroptosis. The important differences in metal ion signaling, and its disease-leading alterations, are also discussed

CH vs. HC—Promiscuous Metal Sponges in Antimicrobial Peptides and Metallophores

Histidine and cysteine residues, with their imidazole and thiol moieties that deprotonate at approximately physiological pH values, are primary binding sites for Zn(II), Ni(II) and Fe(II) ions and are thus ubiquitous both in peptidic metallophores and in antimicrobial peptides that may use nutritional immunity as a way to limit pathogenicity during infection. We focus on metal complex solution equilibria of model sequences encompassing Cys–His and His–Cys motifs, showing that the position of histidine and cysteine residues in the sequence has a crucial impact on its coordination properties. CH and HC motifs occur as many as 411 times in the antimicrobial peptide database, while similar CC and HH regions are found 348 and 94 times, respectively. Complex stabilities increase in the series Fe(II) < Ni(II) < Zn(II), with Zn(II) complexes dominating at physiological pH, and Ni(II) ones—above pH 9. The stabilities of Zn(II) complexes with Ac-ACHA-NH2 and Ac-AHCA-NH2 are comparable, and a similar tendency is observed for Fe(II), while in the case of Ni(II), the order of Cys and His does matter—complexes in which the metal is anchored on the third Cys (Ac-AHCA-NH2) are thermodynamically stronger than those where Cys is in position two (Ac-ACHA-NH2) at basic pH, at which point amides start to take part in the binding. Cysteine residues are much better Zn(II)-anchoring sites than histidines; Zn(II) clearly prefers the Cys–Cys type of ligands to Cys–His and His–Cys ones. In the case of His- and Cys-containing peptides, non-binding residues may have an impact on the stability of Ni(II) complexes, most likely protecting the central Ni(II) atom from interacting with solvent molecules