1.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 120(27): e2219036120, 2023 07 04.
Artigo
em Inglês
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37364102
RESUMO
We report the preparation and spectroscopic characterization of a highly elusive copper site bound exclusively to oxygen donor atoms within a protein scaffold. Despite copper generally being considered unsuitable for use in MRI contrast agents, which in the clinic are largely Gd(III) based, the designed copper coiled coil displays relaxivity values equal to, or superior than, those of the Gd(III) analog at clinical field strengths. The creation of this new-to-biology proteinaceous CuOx-binding site demonstrates the power of the de novo peptide design approach to access chemistry for abiological applications, such as for the development of MRI contrast agents.