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Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Chemiluminescence-based Assays for Detection of Nitric Oxide and its Derivatives from Autoxidation and Nitrosated Compounds
Published on: February 16, 2022
A motif for reversible nitric oxide interactions in metalloenzymes
Shiyu Zhang1, Marie M Melzer1, S Nermin Sen2
1Department of Chemistry, Georgetown University, Box 571227, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
Abstract:
Nitric oxide (NO) participates in numerous biological processes, such as signalling in the respiratory system and vasodilation in the cardiovascular system. Many metal-mediated processes involve direct reaction of NO to form a metal-nitrosyl (M-NO), as occurs at the Fe(2+) centres of soluble guanylate cyclase or cytochrome c oxidase. However, some copper electron-transfer proteins that bear a type 1 Cu site (His2Cu-Cys) reversibly bind NO by an unknown motif. Here, we use model complexes of type 1 Cu sites based on tris(pyrazolyl)borate copper thiolates [Cu(II)]-SR to unravel the factors involved in NO reactivity. Addition of NO provides the fully characterized S-nitrosothiol adduct [Cu(I)](κ(1)-N(O)SR), which reversibly loses NO on purging with an inert gas. Computational analysis outlines a low-barrier pathway for the capture and release of NO. These findings suggest a new motif for reversible binding of NO at bioinorganic metal centres that can interconvert NO and RSNO molecular signals at copper sites.
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