Binding of Copper and Cisplatin to Atox1 Is Mediated by Glutathione through the Formation of Metal-Sulfur Clusters.

Copper is an essential nutrient required for many biological processes involved in primary metabolism, but free copper is toxic due to its ability to catalyze formation of free radicals. To prevent toxic effects, in the cell copper is bound to proteins and low molecular weight compounds, such as glutathione, at all times. The widely used chemotherapy agent cisplatin is known to bind to copper-transporting proteins, including copper chaperone Atox1. Cisplatin interactions with Atox1 and other copper transporters are linked to cancer resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. Here we analyze the binding of copper and cisplatin to Atox1 in the presence of glutathione under redox conditions that mimic intracellular environment. We show that copper(I) and glutathione form large polymers with a molecular mass of approximately 8 kDa, which can transfer copper to Atox1. Cisplatin also can form polymers with glutathione, albeit at a slower rate. Analysis of simultaneous binding of copper and cisplatin to Atox1 under physiological conditions shows that both metals are bound to the protein through copper-sulfur-platinum bridges.

Identification and initial characterisation of a Plasmodium falciparum Cox17 copper metallochaperone.

Copper is an essential micronutrient for all living organisms as an important catalytic co-factor for key enzymes. In higher eukaryotes intracellular copper is distributed by copper metallochaperones. Copper chelators such as neocuproine and tetrathiomolybdate inhibit Plasmodium falciparum erythrocytic development, indicating a requirement for copper by the parasite. A screen of the P. falciparum genome database identified eight potential copper-requiring protein orthologs, including four candidate copper metallochaperones implicated in the delivery of copper to cytochrome-c oxidase. A P. falciparum Cox17 ortholog (PfCox17) was recombinantly expressed and the purified protein bound reduced copper in vitro. PfCox17 was localised to the parasite cytoplasm. Characterisation of plasmodial proteins involved in copper metabolism will help us understand the role of this essential microelement in plasmodial homeostasis.

Structural and metal binding characterization of the C-terminal metallochaperone domain of membrane fusion protein SilB from Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34.

Detoxification of heavy metal ions in Proteobacteria is tightly controlled by various systems regulating their sequestration and transport. In Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34, a model organism for heavy metal resistance studies, the sil determinant is potentially involved in the efflux of silver and copper ions. Proteins SilA, SilB, and SilC form a resistance nodulation cell division (RND)-based transport system in which SilB is the periplasmic adaptor protein belonging to the membrane fusion protein (MFP) family. In addition to the four domains typical of known MFPs, SilB has a fifth additional C-terminal domain, called SilB(440-521), which is characterized here. Structure and backbone dynamics of SilB(440-521) have been investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance, and the residues of the metal site were identified from (15)N- and (13)C-edited HSQC spectra. The solution structure and additional metal binding experiments demonstrated that this C-terminal domain folds independently of the rest of the protein and has a conformation and a Ag(+) and Cu(+) binding specificity similar to those determined for CusF from Escherichia coli. The small protein CusF plays a role in metal trafficking in the periplasm. The similarity with CusF suggests a potential metallochaperone role for SilB(440-521) that is discussed in the context of simultaneous expression of different determinants involved in copper resistance in C. metallidurans CH34.