Solvation effects on structure and dynamics of Co(III)-cysteine complexes in water : a DFT-based molecular dynamics study

International audienceStructural, dynamical, and vibrational properties of complexes made of metal cobalt(III) coordinated to different amounts of cysteine molecules were investigated with DFT-based Car−Parrinello molecular dynamics (CPMD) simulations in liquid water solution. The systems are composed of Co(III):3Cys and Co(III):2Cys immersed in liquid water which are modeled by about 110 explicit water molecules, thus one of the biggest molecular systems studied with ab initio molecular simulations so far. In such a way, we were able to investigate structural and dynamical properties of a model of a typical metal binding site used by several proteins. Cobalt, mainly a toxicological agent, can replace the natural binding metal and thus modify the biochemical activity. The structure of the surrounding solvent around the metal−ligands complexes is reported in detail, as well as the metal−ligands coordination bonds, using radial distribution functions and electronic analyses with Mayer bond orders. Structures of the Cocysteine complexes are found in very good agreement with EXAFS experimental data, stressing the importance of considering the surrounding solvent in the modeling. A vibrational analysis is also conducted and compared to experiment, which strengthens the reliability of the solvent interactions with the Cocysteine complexes from our molecular dynamics simulations, as well as the dynamics of the systems. From this preliminary analysis, we could suggest a vibrational fingerprint able to distinguish Co(III):2Cys from Co(III):3Cys. Our simulations also show the importance of considering a quantum explicit solvent, as solute-to-solvent proton transfer events have been observed

XAS examination of glutathione cobalt complexes in solution.

International audienceIn the present work, we have investigated the coordination modes of cobalt with glutathione (γ-l-glutamyl-l-cysteinyl-glycine, GSH). A systematic study of cobalt-GSH complexes at basic and neutral pH has been undertaken with a multi-spectroscopic approach combined with quantum chemistry calculations. XAS (x-ray absorption spectroscopy) has been performed at the cobalt K edge in order to shed light into the cation coordination sphere and formal oxidation states. XANES (x-ray absorption near edge structure) enabled to show that in basic and neutral media, cobalt oxidation state is equal to +III and +II respectively. EXAFS (extended x-ray absorption fine structure) provided indications on the donor atoms involved in the coordination with cobalt as well as the bond lengths. DFT (density functional theory)-based calculations and NMR experiments have been performed to assess the most stable structure of the cobalt-GSH complex in basic conditions