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Abstract

"Hyd-1", produced by Escherichia coli , exemplifies a special class of [NiFe]-hydrogenase that can sustain high catalytic H₂ oxidation activity in the presence of O₂-an intruder that normally incapacitates the sulfur- and electron-rich active site. The mechanism of "O₂ tolerance" involves a critical role for the Fe-S clusters of the electron relay, which is to ensure the availability-for immediate transfer back to the active site-of all of the electrons required to reduce an attacking O₂ molecule completely to harmless H₂O. The unique [4Fe-3S] cluster proximal to the active site is crucial because it can rapidly transfer two of the electrons needed. Here we investigate and establish the equally crucial role of the high potential medial [3Fe-4S] cluster, located >20 Å from the active site. A variant, P242C, in which the medial [3Fe-4S] cluster is replaced by a [4Fe-4S] cluster, is unable to sustain steady-state H₂ oxidation activity in 1% O₂. The [3Fe-4S] cluster is essential only for the first stage of complete O₂ reduction, ensuring the supply of all three electrons needed to form the oxidized inactive state "Ni-B" or "Ready" (Ni(III)-OH). Potentiometric titrations show that Ni-B is easily reduced (E_m ≈ +0.1 V at pH 6.0); this final stage of the O₂-tolerance mechanism regenerates active enzyme, effectively completing a competitive four-electron oxidase cycle and is fast regardless of alterations at the proximal or medial clusters. As a consequence of all these factors, the enzyme's response to O₂, viewed by its electrocatalytic activity in protein film electrochemistry (PFE) experiments, is merely to exhibit attenuated steady-state H₂ oxidation activity; thus, O₂ behaves like a reversible inhibitor rather than an agent that effectively causes irreversible inactivation. The data consolidate a rich picture of the versatile role of Fe-S clusters in electron relays and suggest that Hyd-1 can function as a proficient hydrogen oxidase.