Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 Jan;38(1):62-9.
doi: 10.1021/ar030182c.

How to hide zinc in a small protein

Affiliations

How to hide zinc in a small protein

Claudia A Blindauer et al. Acc Chem Res. 2005 Jan.

Abstract

Small cysteine-rich proteins (metallothioneins) and related domains of some large proteins (e.g., lysine methyltransferases) bind tri- and tetranuclear zinc clusters with topologies resembling fragments of Zn(II) sulfide minerals. These clusters are ubiquitous in animals, plants, and bacteria. Bacterial metallothioneins can also contain histidines as cluster ligands and embed Zn(II) with a "treble-clef"-like finger fold. This unusual embedded Zn(II) is "hidden" and surprisingly inert toward Zn or Cd exchange. Clearly, proteins can exert fine control over both the thermodynamics and kinetics of zinc binding in thiolate clusters. Genome sequences suggest that related zinc-finger sites are common in a variety of bacteria.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources