Enhanced rare-earth separation with a metal-sensitive lanmodulin dimer.

ABSTRACT: Technologically critical rare-earth elements are notoriously difficult to separate, owing to their subtle differences in ionic radius and coordination number^1-3. The natural lanthanide-binding protein lanmodulin (LanM)^4,5 is a sustainable alternative to conventional solvent-extraction-based separation⁶. Here we characterize a new LanM, from Hansschlegelia quercus (Hans-LanM), with an oligomeric state sensitive to rare-earth ionic radius, the lanthanum(III)-induced dimer being >100-fold tighter than the dysprosium(III)-induced dimer. X-ray crystal structures illustrate how picometre-scale differences in radius between lanthanum(III) and dysprosium(III) are propagated to Hans-LanM's quaternary structure through a carboxylate shift that rearranges a second-sph

SUBMITTER: Mattocks JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10232371 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature