Metalloproteins have been widely employed by nature as sensors of small molecules, including NO, CO, O2, ethylene, CO2, among others. The diversity of metal sites used for this goal includes mono- and binuclear iron sites to heme, iron-sulfur clusters, copper, and others, which supports a broad biochemistry of these proteins. Nonetheless, they all share some particular features: 1) metal site, 2) recognition of a small molecule and 3) regulated biological response. During the last decades, many advances were achieved with detailed structural and functional aspects of these systems being unfolded. Some of these proteins have also been explored as targets for medicinal purposes, while others exhibit a potential for agricultural applications. These proteins have also been applied as tools for chemistry and biochemistry purposes opening new horizons.
We wish to congregate some key metalloprotein sensors of gaseous small molecules to have their advances and basic aspects of functioning accrued in a Research Topic. This issue can be an opportunity to illustrate the diversity of these systems that can respond to different small molecules and also to the same one using diverse metal sites, enlightening the reader of how nature evolved to accommodate that. Besides this, it is also a great opportunity to gather current applications created for these systems, particularly thinking of the development of inhibitors or activators for these sensing proteins (e.g. soluble guanylate cyclase and DevS/DosT) with medicinal use, as well as the use as chemical/biological tools and in synthetic biology
We are looking to have contributions on the novelties of the major gaseous sensor metalloproteins (listed below) and investigations on their applications, either in medicine, agriculture, or as chemical and biochemical tools. Authors should submit Reviews, Mini Review, Perspective, and Original research.
• Iron-sulfur cluster proteins involved in small gaseous molecule sensing
• Heme-based sensors: new systems and current advances
• Mono- and Bi-nuclear iron protein sensors
• Copper-based protein sensors
• Hemerythrin-based protein sensors
• Applications related to gaseous sensor proteins – inhibitors/activators in medicine, proteins as chemical/biochemical tools or use in synthetic biology
Metalloproteins have been widely employed by nature as sensors of small molecules, including NO, CO, O2, ethylene, CO2, among others. The diversity of metal sites used for this goal includes mono- and binuclear iron sites to heme, iron-sulfur clusters, copper, and others, which supports a broad biochemistry of these proteins. Nonetheless, they all share some particular features: 1) metal site, 2) recognition of a small molecule and 3) regulated biological response. During the last decades, many advances were achieved with detailed structural and functional aspects of these systems being unfolded. Some of these proteins have also been explored as targets for medicinal purposes, while others exhibit a potential for agricultural applications. These proteins have also been applied as tools for chemistry and biochemistry purposes opening new horizons.
We wish to congregate some key metalloprotein sensors of gaseous small molecules to have their advances and basic aspects of functioning accrued in a Research Topic. This issue can be an opportunity to illustrate the diversity of these systems that can respond to different small molecules and also to the same one using diverse metal sites, enlightening the reader of how nature evolved to accommodate that. Besides this, it is also a great opportunity to gather current applications created for these systems, particularly thinking of the development of inhibitors or activators for these sensing proteins (e.g. soluble guanylate cyclase and DevS/DosT) with medicinal use, as well as the use as chemical/biological tools and in synthetic biology
We are looking to have contributions on the novelties of the major gaseous sensor metalloproteins (listed below) and investigations on their applications, either in medicine, agriculture, or as chemical and biochemical tools. Authors should submit Reviews, Mini Review, Perspective, and Original research.
• Iron-sulfur cluster proteins involved in small gaseous molecule sensing
• Heme-based sensors: new systems and current advances
• Mono- and Bi-nuclear iron protein sensors
• Copper-based protein sensors
• Hemerythrin-based protein sensors
• Applications related to gaseous sensor proteins – inhibitors/activators in medicine, proteins as chemical/biochemical tools or use in synthetic biology