The kinetics of reduction by free flavin semiquinones of the individual components of 1:1 complexes of yeast cytochrome c peroxidase and the cytochrome c from horse, tuna, and yeast, including several site-specific mutants of either the cytochrome c or cytochrome c peroxidase, have been studied. The orientations of the various cytochromes c within electrostatically-stabilized complexes with the peroxidase are not equivalent. This is shown by differential decreases in the rate constants for cytochrome reduction by neutral flavin semiquinones upon complexation which are in the order: tuna ≫ horse > yeast iso-2 > yeast iso-1. We have also directly measured the physiologically-significant intracomplex one-electron transfer rate constants from the ferrous cytochromes c to the peroxide-oxidized species of the peroxidase at several ionic strengths. The rate constants at low ionic strength are highly species dependent, again consistent with the contention that the orientations of the various cytochromes within the complex with CcP are not the same. Increasing the ionic strength in all cases resulted in an increase in the rate constant for the first-order process which controls electron transfer from cytochrome c to the peroxidase Compound I species of the peroxidase. When the two proteins are immobilized by covalent cross-linking, no such rate enhancement is observed, suggesting that the ionic strength effect is manifested by an increase in the number of geometric orientations between the two proteins which results in more rapid electron transfer. Similar rate enhancing effects are observed when positively charged residues on the surface of cytochrome c are converted to electrostatically neutral amino acids by site-specific mutagenesis. The effect of site-specific mutagenesis of two residues of cytochrome c peroxidase have also been studied. His-181, when converted to a glycine has little effect on the electron transfer rate constant, whereas when Trp-191 is converted to a phenylalanine no intracomplex electron transfer could be observed, indicating an obligatory role of this residue in the electron transfer process.

The structure of cytochrome c₅₅₅ from the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium thiosulfatophilum was determined by using a single isomorphous derivative, K₂HgI₄, in combination with its anomalous signal. The initial 2.25 angstrom map was modified by the technique of Fourier inversion. The smoothing function for the electron density map addressed three different features in the map, the solvent density, the protein density and the volume surrounding the heavy atom binding sites known to contain spurious peaks. This structure determination was undertaken for three reasons. First, Chlorobium thiosulfatophilum is a very primitive sulfur metabolizing bacterium and so its cytochrome c₅₅₅ structure is important for its evolutionary implications. Second, the oxidation-reduction potential of cytochrome c₅₅₅ is significantly different from the oxidation-reduction potential of other cytochromes whose structures have been determined. Comparisons with the other structures would provide information concerning the factors that are important in regulating oxidation-reduction potentials. Finally, the three dimensional structure may aid in explaining the pattern of reactivity cytochrome c₅₅₅ displays with mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase and reductase, which is reversed when compared to other bacterial c-type cytochromes. The resulting structure contains three alpha helices. These features are consistent with other c-type cytochrome molecules previously determined. Two regions of the map appear to be disordered and are difficult to interpret. Possible causes of this observation are discussed and related to the significance of the structure.

Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) is complex IV of the electron transport system, and catalyzes the reduction of molecular oxygen to water. It possesses ten nuclear-encoded subunits, the largest of which is COX4. Bayesian analysis suggests the isoform pair for this subunit arose early in vertebrate evolution, and tissue distribution of the COX4 paralogs is similar in mammals and teleosts: COX4-1 is ubiquitously transcribed while COX4-2 is present in large amounts only in brain and respiratory tissue. This subunit is of interest due to its apparent sensitivity to oxygen. During hypoxia, transcription switches from COX4-1 to COX4-2 in some mammalian tissues. However, questions remain about the regulation of this response as well as its pervasiveness across vertebrates. I investigated these uncertainties by measuring the transcriptional response of the COX4 paralogs to hypoxia in a variety of vertebrate models, and assessing the hypoxic induction of putative oxygen-responsive elements (HRE1, HRE2, and ORE) from candidate vertebrate species in a transfection experiment. I also examined the conservation of key elements of the COX4-2 gene and polypeptide in vertebrates. It was found that the hypoxia-responsiveness of COX4-2 may not be vital to the cellular response to hypoxia. COX4-1 transcripts remained in excess during hypoxia in all of the vertebrate models used with the exception of western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta), where COX4-2 transcripts remained in excess during control and hypoxic treatments. Only the HRE2 element from human COX4-2 was activated with hypoxic exposure, yet this along with the other features of the gene and polypeptide were not well conserved across mammals, and nearly absent outside of this lineage. These results provide evidence that COX4-2 may respond to hypoxia in only select few mammalian tissues, or that the function of this gene is not related to the cellular hypoxic response. / Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2012-11-25 20:51:59.419

Metallocofactors are ubiquitous in nature, serving multiple purposes in proteins. These metallocofactors typically act as the site of catalysis or as an electron relay to move electrons within the protein, or within the cell, and are very energetically costly to manufacture. Yet, in nature it can appear that supernumerary, or ‘auxiliary’ cofactors are apparent, with no clear function. In this thesis, I address the question of what roles additional cofactors play, and why they are retained. The radical S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) enzyme superfamily has displayed great diversity in the cofactor requirements for its members. Some members of this family contain only the canonical [4Fe-4S] cluster, which reductively cleaves AdoMet to initiate chemistry, while others have additional [2Fe-2S] or [4Fe-4S] clusters. Even greater cofactor complexity is seen with the B12-dependent subclass, featuring a cobalamin-binding domain in addition to the canonical FeS cluster. The majority of this thesis has focused on using the technique of protein film electrochemistry (PFE) to study members of various subclasses of this superfamily: a dehydrogenase: BtrN, two methylthiotransferases: MiaB and RimO, as well as OxsB and TsrM, two B12-dependent enzymes. By evaluating the redox properties of members of different subclasses, we have been able to shed light on the redox properties of this superfamily, in general, and observed that the redox properties of auxiliary clusters can differ widely between subclasses (e.g. BtrN versus MiaB). PFE has also been used to evaluate five ferredoxins that are possible electron donors for MiaB from Thermotoga maritima. Additionally, bacterial cytochrome c peroxidases (bCCPs) are diheme enzymes catalyzing the detoxification of hydrogen peroxide; however, a novel subclass of bCCPs containing a third heme-binding motif has been identified in enteric pathogens. Protein film electrochemistry has been used to study the redox properties of Escherichia coli YhjA, a member of this subgroup. Further characterization of this novel bCCP was achieved with electron paramagnetic resonance, optical spectroscopy, and steady-state kinetics. Through characterizing YhjA and members of the AdoMet radical enzyme superfamily, we have shed light on the role these additional cofactors play in the mechanism and how these enzymes are tuned for their specific chemistries. / 2018-08-11T00:00:00Z

A associação lipídio/citocromo c é importante e deve ser estudada, pois repercute na atividade peroxidática da proteína abordada e pode contribuir para o processo apoptótico, ou morte programada da célula, e também desempenha um papel significativo na cadeia respiratória. A natureza e a especificidade da interação do citocromo c com bicamadas lipídicas têm sido bastante investigadas ultimamente, mas informações detalhadas e precisas sobre tais assuntos ainda não existem. É aceito que ocorre primeiramente uma interação eletrostática entre a proteína citocromo c e as membranas fosfolipídicas. Em seguida, há uma interação hidrofóbica. Entretanto, ainda não é bem compreendido o papel da cadeia fosfolipídica. A associação do citocromo c com membranas lipídicas induz mudanças no estado de spin do átomo de ferro. A interação entre as vesículas carregadas e o citocromo c induz mudanças estruturais na proteína, as quais são refletidas no seu centro ativo, ou grupo heme. As mudanças do campo cristalino no sítio do ferro hemínico de forte para fraco são acompanhadas por mudanças do estado de spin de baixo para alto, respectivamente. Neste trabalho, estuda-se sistematicamente a natureza da interação entre o citocromo c e a cadeia fosfolipídica. As mudanças estruturais no grupo heme foram correlacionadas com a natureza do lipídio, ou seja, com a carga da cabeça e com o tamanho e o tipo da cadeia fosfolipídica. Foram utilizados treze lipídios diferentes, naturais e sintetizados, com cabeças polares negativas e neutras e com cadeias carbônicas saturadas e insaturadas de diferentes comprimentos. Para tal investigação, utilizamos as técnicas: Ressonância Paramagnética Eletrônica (RPE) Onda Contínua (CW) e Pulsada (PW) e Dicroísmo Circular Magnético (MCD). As técnicas enunciadas avaliam as mudanças de estado de spin e a simetria do citocromo c nos seus estados férrico e ferroso. A interação lipoprotéica lipídio/citocromo c foi avaliada com lipídios diferentes, inclusive com o lipossomo PCPECL, que mimetiza a membrana interna da mitocôndria nos eucariontes. A partir dos resultados experimentais, sugerimos um modelo para esse tipo de associação. / This association lipid/cytochrome c is interesting to study in order to understand the peroxidase activity of this protein, that plays an important role in the respiratory chain and in the apoptosis process or the programmed cell death. The nature and specificity of the interaction of cytochrome c with lipid bilayers have been major goals in recent studies, but detailed information on that issue is not yet widely available. In this regard, it is generally accepted that the electrostatic interaction is an important factor in the association of cytochrome c with phospholipid membranes, followed by a hydrophobic interaction. However, the role played by the phospholipid chain is not well understood. The association of cytochrome c with negative membranes induces a change in the heme iron spin state. The interaction between the charged vesicles and cytochrome c leads to structural changes in the active central or heme group. The changing of the crystalline field of the heme iron from strong to weak is accompanied by spin states changes from low to high spin, respectively. These facts concerned us to investigate more systematically the nature of the interaction between cytochrome c and the phospholipid chains. The lipid-induced effects in the heme iron crystalline field are correlated to the nature of the charged head group and to the size and type of the phospholipid chain. Thirteen different lipids, nature and synthetic, were used, with negative and neutra1 polar head group and saturated and unsaturated acyl chains with different length. This work investigates the change of heme iron spin state and symmetry of ferric cytochrome c using Continuous Wave (CW) and pulsed (PW) Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) and Magnetic Circular Dichroism (MCD) techniques. These techniques analyze the spin state change and the symmetry of the iron cytochrome c in its ferric and ferrous states. The effect of the different lipids were analyzed, including PCPECL membrane that mimetics the inner mitocondrial membrane in eukaryotes.

A interação do citocromo c com a cardiolipina ocorre por interações eletrostáticas e hidrofóbicas. A formação do complexo citocromo c/ cardiolipina promove uma pequena mudança estrutural na proteína, que proporciona atividade peroxidásica ao citocromo c e consequentemente capacidade de oxidar substratos orgânicos, incluindo a cardiolipina. A oxidação da cardiolipina acompanhada da inserção de um grupo peróxido vem sendo relacionada à perda da interação hidrofóbica entre o complexo citocromo c/cardiolipina, que resulta no desligamento do citocromo c da membrana e na sua saída do espaço intermembranas para o citosol, onde essa proteína induz a cascata de apoptose. Neste trabalho foi avaliada a ligação do citocromo c a lipossomos contendo cardiolipina oxidada e a reatividade desta proteína com o mono-hidroperóxido da cardiolipina (TLCL(OOH)1) presente na membrana. Nossos dados mostraram que ocorre uma diminuição significativa na ligação do citocromo c a membrana oxidadas apenas quando 100% da cardiolipina presente na membrana está na forma de TLCL(OOH)1, condição que extrapolaria o que seria esperado para o sistema biológico. Análises por SDS-PAGE revelaram que o citocromo c sofre agregação na presença de membranas contendo TLCL(OOH)1, indicando que a proteína reage com este peróxido. De fato, determinamos a velocidade de reação do citocromo c com o TLCL(OOH)1 e com hidroperóxido do ácido linoléico, inseridos em membrana contendo cardiolipina (9,58 ± 0,16 x 102 M-1.s-1 e 6,91 ± 0,30 x 102 M-1.s-1, respectivamente). As velocidades de reação com os peróxidos de lipídio foram pelo menos 10 vezes superiores à velocidade medida com o peróxido de hidrogênio (5,91 ± 0,18 x101 M-1.s-1). Assim, mostramos que o citocromo c liga-se à membrana contendo hidroperóxido de cardiolipina e que reage com o mesmo promovendo a formação de agregado protéico de alto peso molecular / The interaction of cytochrome c with cardiolipin is promoted by electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. The cytochrome c / cardiolipin complex formation causes structural changes in the protein that activates cytochrome c peroxidase activity, giving it the ability to oxidize organic substrates, including cardiolipin. The oxidation of cardiolipin coupled with a peroxide group insertion has been related to the loss of hydrophobic interactions between the cytochrome c / cardiolipin complex, resulting in cytochrome c release from the membrane and in its translocation from intermembranes space to cytosol, where this protein induces apoptosis cascade. In this work the binding of cytochrome c to liposomes containing oxidized cardiolipin and its reactivity with the membrane mono-hydroperoxides (TLCL(OOH)1) were evaluated. Our data showed a significant decrease in cytochrome c binding to oxidized membranes only when 100% of the membrane cardiolipin is in the TLCL(OOH)1 form, a condition that would extrapolate the expected concentrations that would be found in a biological system. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that cytochrome c undergoes aggregation in the presence of membranes containing TLCL(OOH)1, indicating that this protein reacts with the peroxide. In fact, we determined the rate of cytochrome c reaction with TLCL(OOH)1 and linoleic acid hydroperoxide inserted into cardiolipin containing membranes (9.58 ± 0.16 x 102 M-1s-1 and 6.91 ± 0.30 x 102 M-1s-1,respectively). The reaction rates obtained with lipid peroxides were at least 10 times higher than that obtained with hydrogen peroxide (5.91 ± 0.18 x 101 M-1s-1).Thus we show that cytochrome c binds to membrane containing cardiolipin hydroperoxides and reacts with it promoting the formation of high molecular weight protein aggregates.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / O emprego das tÃcnicas de eletroquÃmica, microbalanÃa de cristal quartzo (QCM â Quartz Crystal Microbalance) e ressonÃncia de plÃsmons de superfÃcie (SPR â Surface Plasmon Resonance) mostram que as espÃcies 1,4-ditiano (1,4-dt), 4-mercaptopiridina (pyS), 5-(4-piridil)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-tiol (Hpyt), tionicotinamida (TNA) e isotionicotinamida (iTNA) experimentam adsorÃÃo espontÃnea formando SAMs (Self-Assembled Monolayers) como resultado da imersÃo de substratos de ouro em soluÃÃo contendo estas espÃcies. As imagens obtidas por microscopia de varredura por tunelamento (STM â Scanning Tunneling Microscopy) indicam um arranjo prÃximo do hexagonal com exceÃÃo da iTNA cujas imagens nÃo foram conclusivas. Adicionalmente, as imagens indicam a existÃncia de defeitos nas SAMs mesmo apÃs longos perÃodos de imersÃo (24 h). Os estudos termodinÃmicos e cinÃticos dos processos de adsorÃÃo foram realizados por desorÃÃo redutiva em meio alcalino e QCM. Os valores dos potenciais de desorÃÃo redutiva, Edr, foram observados em −0,9, −0,8 e −0,5 V vs. Ag/AgCl/Cl- para a desorÃÃo de iTNA, TNA e Hpyt, respectivamente. Comparativamente Ãs espÃcies 1,4-dt (−0,8 V) e pyS (−0,5 V), o valor de Edr da SAM de Hpyt indica uma interaÃÃo sigma ao passo que aqueles observados para iTNA e TNA sugerem uma contribuiÃÃo pi adicional. Os valores de quantidade de material adsorvido (gama) e da taxa de recobrimento da superfÃcie (teta), calculados por desorÃÃo redutiva e impedÃncia eletroquÃmica, respectivamente, foram consistentes com as imagens de STM. Comparativamente aos resultados de desorÃÃo, os maiores valores de gama determinados por QCM foram atribuÃdos à presenÃa de molÃculas de Ãgua co-adsorvidas visto que foi observada uma relaÃÃo linear entre o excesso de massa e o momento de dipolo das espÃcies modificadoras. As curvas de desorÃÃo obtidas para pyS indicam a decomposiÃÃo da monocamada nÃo possibilitando, portanto, a determinaÃÃo dos parÃmetros termodinÃmicos e cinÃticos de adsorÃÃo. A correlaÃÃo com os resultados obtidos apÃs imersÃo do eletrodo de ouro em soluÃÃo de Na2S sugere que este processo està associado à quebra da ligaÃÃo C─S com formaÃÃo de uma camada de enxofre atÃmico e/ou oligomÃrico. As isotermas de adsorÃÃo obtidas para os processos de formaÃÃo das SAMs de Hpyt, TNA e iTNA, adequaram-se ao modelo de Langmuir permitindo a determinaÃÃo da variaÃÃo da energia livre de adsorÃÃo, ΔGads, como −35,9, −38,5 e −34,9 kJ mol−1, respectivamente. Estes valores sÃo indicativos de interaÃÃo forte sendo caracterÃsticos de processos de quimissorÃÃo. Para o modelo de Frumkin, os dados apresentaram melhores correlaÃÃes quando o parÃmetro de interaÃÃo (g) foi fixado em −0,45, −0,30 e −0,10, respectivamente, para as SAMs de Hpyt, TNA e iTNA indicando interaÃÃes repulsivas entre as molÃculas adjacentes. Os valores de pKa das SAMs de Hpyt (4,2), TNA (5,0 e 8,5) e iTNA (4,5 e 7,9) foi determinado por voltametria utilizando-se o Ãon complexo [Fe(CN)6]3−. Neste estudo, foram sugeridas modificaÃÃes, uma vez que o mÃtodo proposto na literatura dificulta a determinaÃÃo de mais de um valor de pKa como observado para as molÃculas de TNA e iTNA. As reaÃÃes de transferÃncia de elÃtrons (TE) das metaloproteÃnas citocromo c (cyt c) e mioglobina (Mb) foram estudadas utilizando-se as SAMs de Hpyt, TNA, iTNA, pyS e 1,4-dt. Para as SAMs de TNA e iTNA, o deslocamento positivo de 0,2V no valor do potencial de meia-onda do cyt c (pH~7,0) em relaÃÃo a forma nativa, foi atribuÃdo à densidade de carga positiva resultante da protonaÃÃo do grupo NH2 (pKa ~ 8,0). Resultados de QCM e SPR indicaram que hà a formaÃÃo de uma monocamada de cyt c sobre as SAMs estudadas. Esta monocamada, embora nÃo sendo redox ativa, permite o estudo da reaÃÃo de TE das molÃculas de cyt c em soluÃÃo sugerindo que este processo pode envolver os orbitais das molÃculas modificadoras. Para a metaloproteÃna Mb, utilizou-se uma SAM formada pelo aminoÃcido L-cisteÃna (cys), uma vez que nenhuma das SAMs estudadas acessou a reaÃÃo de TE. O processo redox foi observado em 0,086 V o que sugere a forma nativa. Os dados de QCM e SPR indicaram, tambÃm, a formaÃÃo de uma monocamada sobre a SAM de cys (Au/cys/Mb). Valores de â49,67 kJ mol−1 e −0,15 para ΔGads e g, respectivamente, foram calculados para a formaÃÃo da monocamada de Mb sobre a SAM de cys. O eletrodo Au/cys/Mb apresentou atividade catalÃtica em relaÃÃo a reaÃÃo de oxidaÃÃo do Ãcido ascÃrbico com uma diminuiÃÃo de 400 mV no sobrepotencial e uma reaÃÃo cineticamente controlada com uma constante de velocidade, kf, de ~2,0 x 10^4 L mol-1 s-1. / Electrochemical techniques, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and surface plÃsmons resonance (SPR) were used to study the formation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 1,4-ditiano (1,4-dt), 4-mercaptopyridine (pyS), 5-(4-piridinyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol (Hpyt), thionicotinamide (TNA) and thioisonicotinamide (iTNA) as a result of the immersion of gold substrates into the respective solutions. STM (Scanning Tunneling Microscopy) images indicate the sulfur atom as the adsorption site of these molecules and a hexagonal conformation on surface. For the iTNA molecule, the images were not conclusive. In addition, the images indicated the existence of defects even after longer immersion times (24 h). Thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the adsorption process were evaluated by reductive desorption in alkaline media and QCM. The reductive desorption potentials, Edr, were observed at −0.9, −0.8, and −0.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl for the desorption of iTNA, TNA and Hpyt, respectively. In comparison to 1,4-dt (−0.8 V) and pyS (−0.5 V) species, the Edr value of Hpyt indicates a sigma interaction whereas those of iTNA and TNA indicate an additional pi contribution. The values of the concentration of adsorbed material, gama, and fractional coverage (teta ~ 0.9), determined, respectively, by reductive desorption and impedance are consistent with the STM images. In comparison to the desorption data, the higher values of gama calculated by QCM were assigned to the presence of water molecules since a linear relation was observed between the dipole moment and the mass change calculated by QCM. The desorption curves acquired for the pyS SAM indicated the decomposition of the monolayer thus not allowing the determination of the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of adsorption. In comparison with the results obtained for the electrode modified after immersion in Na2S solution, it was suggested that this process is associated to the cleavage of the C─S bond which results in the formation of an adlayer composed of atomic and/or oligomeric sulfur species. The adsorption isotherms for Hpyt, TNA and iTNA fitted the Langmuir model of adsorption allowing the determination of the free energy of adsorption, ΔGads, as −35.9, −38.5 and −34,9 kJ/mol, respectively. These values are indicative of strong interaction being typical of chemisorption. For the Frumkin model, the best correlation was found when the interaction parameter, g, was established as −0.45, −0.20 and −0.10 for Hpyt, TNA and iTNA, respectively, indicating repulsive interactions between the adjacent molecules. Cyclic voltammetry was used to determinate the pKa of the SAMs of Hpyt (4.2), TNA (5.0 and 8.5) and iTNA (4.5 and 7.9) by using [Fe(CN)6]3− as a probe molecule. For this study, some changes were suggested since in the method proposed in the literature the existence of more than one protonation site was not considered thus not allowing the determination of more than one pKa value as was observed for TNA and iTNA molecules. Electron transfer reactions (TE) of cytochrome c (cyt c) and myoglobin (Mb) metalloproteins were studied by using the SAMs of Hpyt, TNA, iTNA, pyS and 1,4-dt. For the SAMs formed with TNA and iTNA, the positive shift of 0.2V on the half-wave potential of cyt c in relation to that of the native protein, was assigned to the positive charge density on surface in consequence of the protonation of NH2 groups (pKa~8.0) since these measurements were carried out in physiological medium. QCM and SPR data indicated the formation of a monolayer of cyt c on the studied SAMs. This monolayer, although not being electroactive, allows the study of the TE reaction of the cyt c molecules in solution suggesting that this process involves the orbitals of the modifier molecules. For the Mb metalloprotein, a SAM of L-cysteine amino acid was used since none of the studied sulfur molecules was able to access the TE reaction. The redox process was observed at 0.086 V suggesting the native form of Mb. QCM and SPR data indicated, also, the formation of a monolayer of Mb on the cys SAM (Au/cys/Mb). Values of â49.67 kJ mol−1 and −0.15 for ΔGads and g, respectively, were calculated for the formation of the monolayer of Mb on the cys SAM. The electrode Au/cys/Mb presented catalytic activity toward the oxidation reaction of ascorbic acid presenting a decrease of 400 mV in the overpotential and a kinetic controlled with a rate constant, kf, of 2.0 x 104 L mol-1 s-1.

<p>In silico ligand docking is a versatile and common technique when predicting ligands and inhibitors for protein binding sites. The various docking programmes aim to calculate binding energies and to predict interactions, thus identifying potential ligands.The currently available programmes lack satisfying means by which to account for structural water molecules which can either mediate protein-ligand contacts or be displaced upon ligand binding. The present project aims to generate data to facilitate the global work of developing scoring functions in docking programmes to account for structural water molecules contribution to ligand binding to fill the said void. This is done by validating the performance of docking using a simple model system (cytochrome C peroxidase (CCP) W191G) containing four well ordered, deeply buried structural water molecules which are known to either interact with a ligand or to be displaced upon ligand binding.Known ligands were docked into eight (crystallographically determined) receptor set-ups comprising the receptor and no, one or two of the water molecules. The performance was validated by comparison of the binding modes of the docked ligands and the crystal structures, comparison of docking scores of the ligands in the different set-ups, enrichment of the ligands from a database of decoys and finally by predicting new ligands from the decoy database. In addition a high resolution crystal structure of CCP W191G in complex with 3-aminopyridine (3AP) was determined in order to resolve ambiguities in the binding mode of this ligand.</p>

Copper is an essential cofactor of two mitochondrial enzymes: cytochrome c oxidase (COX) and the mitochondrial localized fraction of Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (Sod1p). Copper incorporation into these enzymes is facilitated by a growing number of metallochaperone proteins. Here we describe two novel copper chaperones of COX, Cmc1 and Cmc2. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, both Cmc1 and Cmc2 localize to the mitochondrial inner membrane facing the intermembrane space. Cmc1 and Cmc2 are essential for full expression of COX and cellular respiration, contain a twin Cx9C domain, and are conserved from yeast to humans. Additionally, the presence or absence of these proteins not only determines full assembly of functional COX but also affects metallation of Sod1 suggesting these proteins might play a role on co-modulation of copper transfer to COX and Sod1. CMC1 overexpression does not rescue the respiratory defect of cmc2 mutants or vise versa. However, Cmc2 physically interacts with Cmc1 and the absence of Cmc2 induces a 5-fold increase in Cmc1 accumulation in the mitochondrial membranes. We conclude that Cmc1 and Cmc2 have cooperative but non-overlapping functions in cytochrome c oxidase biogenesis.

No description available.