Reactive and potentially toxic cofactors such as copper ions are imported into eukaryotic cells and incorporated into target proteins by unknown mechanisms. Atx1, a prototypical copper chaperone protein from yeast, has now been shown to act as a soluble cytoplasmic copper(I) receptor that can adopt either a two- or three-coordinate metal center in the active site. Atx1 also associated directly with the Atx1-like cytosolic domains of Ccc2, a vesicular protein defined in genetic studies as a member of the copper-trafficking pathway. The unusual structure and dynamics of Atx1 suggest a copper exchange function for this protein and related domains in the Menkes and Wilson disease proteins.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.