Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
23
pubmed:dateCreated
1986-3-19
pubmed:abstractText
Metallothioneins are unique diamagnetic metal thiolate cluster proteins. Both vertebrate and invertebrate forms contain, besides their large cysteine content (30%), up to 14% lysine plus arginine. In the amino acid sequences, the basic residues are juxtaposed to cysteine residues and have been suggested to play a role in neutralizing the excess negative charge of the metal thiolate complexes [Kojima, Y., Berger, C., Vallee, B. L., & Kägi, J. H. R. (1976) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 73, 3413-3417]. To document such a function, we compared the susceptibility of the lysine residues in cadmium and zinc metallothioneins and in the metal-free S-carboxamidomethyl derivative toward arylation by trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid. The results show an at least 20-fold lower initial rate of reaction with the metal-containing as opposed to that with the metal-free form, indicating a protective effect of metal complex formation on the lysine residues, the degree of protection being dependent on the nature of the metal. The modification of the lysine residues by trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid produces changes in the CD spectral features of the cadmium thiolate cluster structure. The lowered chemical reactivity of the lysine residues in the metal-containing form correlates with an upward displacement of their average pKa's to 10.9 from 10.3 in the metal-free S-carboxamidomethyl derivative. We attribute these effects at least in part to hydrogen bonding of the positively charged epsilon-amino groups to the thiolate ligands of the negatively charged cadmium thiolate units.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Nov
pubmed:issn
0006-2960
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
5
pubmed:volume
24
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
6717-22
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1985
pubmed:articleTitle
Interaction of lysine residues with the metal thiolate clusters in metallothionein.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't