Probing the metal specificity mechanism of superoxide dismutase from human pathogen Clostridium difficile

The molecular mechanism of the metal specificity to superoxide dismutase from human pathogen C. difficile (SODcd) was investigated by X-ray crystallography, spectroscopy, SOD activity assay, electrochemistry, and DFT calculations, and the results indicate that the cognate metal characters tuned by the metal micro-environment dominate the metal specificity of the SODcd.