A Tyrosyl−Dimanganese Coupled Spin System is the Native Metalloradical Cofactor of the R2F Subunit of the Ribonucleotide Reductase of Corynebacterium ammoniagenes

The X-ray crystallographic structure of the native R2F subunit of the ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) of Corynebacterium ammoniagenes ATCC 6872 is reported, with a resolution of 1.36 A. The metal site contains an oxo/hydroxo-bridged manganese dimer, located near a tyrosine residue (Y115). The coordination of the manganese dimer and its distance to a nearby tyrosine residue resemble the di-iron metalloradical cofactor of class I RNR from Escherichia coli. Multifrequency EPR measurements of the highly active C. ammoniagenes R2F subunit show that the metal site contains a ferromagnetically exchange-coupled MnIIIMnIII dimer weakly coupled to a tyrosyl radical. A mechanism for the metalloradical cofactor (MnIIIMnIIIY•) generation is proposed. H2O2 (HO2−) instead of O2 is hypothesized as physiological oxidant for the Mn dimer which in turn oxidizes the tyrosine Y115. Changes in the ligand sphere of both manganese ions during metalloradical generation direct the complex formation of this cofactor, disfavoring alt...