Probing a Homoleptic PbS₃ Coordination Environment in a Designed Peptide Using ²⁰⁷Pb NMR Spectroscopy: Implications for Understanding the Molecular Basis of Lead Toxicity

The lead‐inhibited active site of a zinc‐binding metalloenzyme in a thiol‐rich coordination environment (PbS3) has been modeled by homoleptic three‐strand coiled‐coil peptides and characterized using natural‐abundance 207Pb NMR spectroscopy (see picture: 207Pb NMR signals from two binding sites of the same protein). 207Pb NMR spectroscopy could thus be used to identify and characterize important human proteins associated with lead toxicity.