The structure of Desulfovibrio vulgaris rubrerythrin reveals a unique combination of rubredoxin-like FeS4 and ferritin-like diiron domains.

We have determined the structure of rubrerythrin, a non-haem iron protein from the anaerobic sulphate-reducing bacterium, Desulfovibrio vulgaris (Hildenborough), by X-ray crystallography. The structure reveals a tetramer of two-domain subunits. Each subunit contains a four-helix bundle surrounding a diiron-oxo site and a C-terminal rubredoxin-like FeS4 domain. The diiron-oxo site contains a larger number of carboxylate ligands and a higher degree of solvent exposure than do those in other diiron-oxo proteins. The four-helix bundle of rubrerythrin closely resembles those of the ferritin and bacterioferritin subunits, suggesting a relationship among these proteins-consistent with the recently demonstrated ferroxidase activity of rubrerythrin.