Characterization of a Peroxodiiron(III) Intermediate in the T201S Variant of Toluene/o-Xylene Monooxygenase Hydroxylase from Pseudomonas sp. OX1

We report the observation of a novel intermediate in the reaction of a reduced toluene/o-xylene monooxygenase hydroxylase (ToMOHred) T201S variant, in the presence of a regulatory protein (ToMOD), with dioxygen. This species is the first oxygenated intermediate with an optical band in any toluene monooxygenase. The UV−vis and Mössbauer spectroscopic properties of the intermediate allow us to assign it as a peroxodiiron(III) species, T201Speroxo, similar to Hperoxo in methane monooxygenase. Although T201S generates T201Speroxo in addition to optically transparent ToMOHperoxo, previously observed in wild-type ToMOH, this conservative variant is catalytically active in steady-state catalysis and single-turnover experiments and displays the same regiospecificity for toluene and slightly different regiospecificity for o-xylene oxidation.