Cupredoxins--a study of how proteins may evolve to use metals for bioenergetic processes
Moonsung Choi1, Victor L Davidson
1Department of Biochemistry, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 N. State St., Jackson, MS 39216-4505, USA.
Abstract:
Cupredoxins are small proteins that contain type I copper centers, which are ubiquitous in nature. They function as electron transfer shuttles between proteins. This review of the structure and properties of native cupredoxins, and those modified by site-directed mutagenesis, illustrates how these proteins may have evolved to specifically bind copper, develop recognition sites for specific redox partners, tune redox potential for a particular function, and allow for efficient electron transfer through the protein matrix. This is relevant to the general understanding of the roles of metals in energy metabolism, respiration and photosynthesis.
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