Coordination geometries of selected transition metal ions (Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, and Hg2+) in metalloproteins.

In order to determine preferred coordination geometries of six divalent cations (Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, and Hg2+), two sources of experimental data were exploited: Protein Data Bank and Cambridge Structural Database. Metal-binding sites of approximately 100 metalloproteins and 3000 smaller transition metal complexes were analyzed and classified. The correlation between the geometries of small-molecule crystal structures and the metal-binding sites in metalloproteins was investigated. The abundance of amino acid residues participating in coordination metal-protein bonds of metalloproteins was evaluated. From the performed analysis it follows that the octahedral arrangement is preferred by Co2+ and Ni2+, tetrahedral by Zn2+, square planar by Cu2+, and linear by Hg2+. Cadmium (II) cation tends to bind in both tetrahedral and octahedral arrangements and single coordination geometry cannot be unambiguously ascribed to it.