T versus D in the MTCXXC motif of copper transport proteins plays a role in directional metal transport

To avoid toxicity and control levels of metal ions, organisms have developed specific metal transport systems. In humans, the cytoplasmic Cu chaperone Atox1 delivers Cu to metal-binding domains of ATP7A/B in the Golgi, for incorporation into Cu-dependent proteins. The Cu-binding motif in Atox1, as well as in target Cu-binding domains of ATP7A/B, consists of a MX1CXXC motif where X1 = T. The same motif, with X1 = D, is found in metal-binding domains of bacterial zinc transporters, such as ZntA. The Asp is proposed to stabilize divalent over monovalent metals in the binding site, although metal selectivity in vivo appears predominantly governed by protein–protein interactions. To probe the role of T versus D at the X1 position for Cu transfer in vitro, we created MDCXXC variants of Atox1 and the fourth metal-binding domain of ATP7B, WD4. We find that the mutants bind Cu like the wild-type proteins, but when mixed, in contrast to the wild-type pair, the mutant pair favors Cu-dependent hetero-dimers over directional Cu transport from Atox1 to WD4. Notably, both wild-type and mutant proteins can bind Zn in the absence of competing reducing agents. In presence of zinc, hetero-complexes are strongly favored for both protein pairs. We propose that T is conserved in this motif of Cu-transport proteins to promote directional metal transfer toward ATP7B, without formation of energetic sinks. The ability of both Atox1 and WD4 to bind zinc ions may not be a problem in vivo due to the presence of specific transport chains for Cu and Zn ions.