title: Human Sco1 functional studies and pathological implications of the P174L mutant.
abstract: The pathogenic mutant (P174L) of human Sco1 produces respiratory chain deficiency associated with cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) assembly defects. The solution structure of the mutant in its Cu(I) form shows that Leu-174 prevents the formation of a well packed hydrophobic region around the metal-binding site and causes a reduction of the affinity of copper(I) for the protein. K(D) values for Cu(I)WT-HSco1 and Cu(I)P174L-HSco1 are approximately 10(-17) and approximately 10(-13), respectively. The reduction potentials of the two apo proteins are similar, but slower reduction/oxidation rates are found for the mutant with respect to the WT. The mitochondrial metallochaperone in the partially oxidized Cu(1)(I)Cox17(2S-S) form, at variance with the fully reduced Cu(4)(I)Cox17, interacts transiently with both WT-HSco1 and the mutant, forming the Cox17/Cu(I)/HSco1 complex, but copper is efficiently transferred only in the case of WT protein. Cu(1)(I)Cox17(2S-S) indeed has an affinity for copper(I) (K(D) approximately 10(-15)) higher than that of the P174L-HSco1 mutant but lower than that of WT-HSco1. We propose that HSco1 mutation, altering the structure around the metal-binding site, affects both copper(I) binding and redox properties of the protein, thus impairing the efficiency of copper transfer to CcO. The pathogenic mutation therefore could (i) lessen the Sco1 affinity for copper(I) and hence copper supply for CcO or (ii) decrease the efficiency of reduction of CcO thiols involved in copper binding, or both effects could be produced by the mutation.
authors.affiliation: Magnetic Resonance Center (CERM) and Department of Chemistry, University of Florence, Via Luigi Sacconi 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Banci
authors.forename: Ivano
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bertini
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ciofi-Baffoni
authors.forename: Iliana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Leontari
authors.forename: Manuele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martinelli
authors.forename: Peep
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Palumaa
authors.forename: Rannar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sillard
authors.forename: Shenlin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D009154:Mutation; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011487:Protein Conformation; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; C489345:SCO1 protein, human; D003300:Copper; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV