Resonance Raman spectra of Fe-S proteins are sensitive to the cluster type, structure and symmetry. Furthermore, bands that originate from bridging and terminal Fe-S vibrations in the 2Fe-2S, 3Fe-4S and 4Fe-4S clusters can be sensitively distinguished in the spectra, as well as the type of non-cysteinyl coordinating ligands, if present. For these reasons, resonance Raman spectroscopy has been playing an exceptionally active role in the studies of Fe-S proteins of diverse structures and functions. We provide here a concise overview of the structural information that can be obtained from resonance Raman spectroscopy on Fe-S clusters, and in parallel, refer to their thermodynamic properties (e.g., reduction potential), which together define the physiological roles of Fe-S proteins. We demonstrate how the knowledge gained over the past several decades on simple clusters nowadays enables studies of complex structures that include Fe-S clusters coupled to other centers and transient processes that involve cluster inter-conversion, biogenesis, disassembly and catalysis.
Keywords: Iron-sulfur proteins; Reduction potential; Resonance Raman spectroscopy.