MTO: the second member of a Drosophila dual copper-thionein system

FEBS Lett. 2003 Jan 2;533(1-3):72-8. doi: 10.1016/s0014-5793(02)03754-7.

Abstract

Drosophila MTO metal binding features were analyzed for comparison with MTN, the paralogous Drosophila metallothionein, and to classify MTO as either zinc- or copper-thionein. This was achieved by a combination of in vivo, in vitro and in silico methodologies. All the results unambiguously classified MTO as a second Drosophila copper-thionein, putting Drosophila forward as the only metazoan in which any zinc-thionein has still to be reported. Interestingly, experimental data only showed minor differences in the coordinative behavior of both MTs, but provided a characteristic spectroscopic fingerprint, revealing the possible binding of chloride anions in certain metal-MTO aggregates.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Copper / chemistry
  • DNA, Complementary / genetics
  • Drosophila Proteins / chemistry
  • Drosophila Proteins / genetics
  • Drosophila Proteins / metabolism*
  • Drosophila melanogaster / genetics
  • Drosophila melanogaster / metabolism
  • Metallothionein / chemistry
  • Metallothionein / genetics
  • Metallothionein / metabolism*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Molecular Structure
  • Phylogeny
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Zinc / chemistry

Substances

  • DNA, Complementary
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Copper
  • Metallothionein
  • Zinc