The three-dimensional structure of the gallium complex of azoverdin, a siderophore of Azomonas macrocytogenes ATCC 12334, determined by NMR using residual dipolar coupling constants.

In iron-deficient conditions, Azomonas macrocytogenes ATCC 12334 excretes a fluorescent siderophore called azoverdin, which is composed of a six-amino-acid peptide chain linked to a chromophore. Azoverdin chelates iron(III) very strongly, solubilizing it and transporting it back into the cells using an outer-membrane receptor. This compound is related to the pyoverdins, the peptidic siderophores of Pseudomonas, but differs in the site on the chromophore at which the peptide is covalently linked. This feature identifies azoverdin as a member of a new class of pyoverdins: the isopyoverdins. We report the three-dimensional structure of azoverdin-Ga(III) in solution. The use of orientational constraints obtained from the measurement of residual dipolar couplings using samples dissolved in a liquid crystalline medium allowed us to define the absolute configuration of the metal complex, which is Delta. The structure is characterized by a U-shape adopted by the peptide chain, with the N(delta)-acetyl-N(delta)-hydroxyornithine side chains adopting extended conformations in order to chelate the gallium ion. This conformation leaves a large open space permitting access to the gallium ion. The structural consequences of the particular isopyoverdin chemical structure are discussed in the context of the three-dimensional structures of other pyoverdins.