The Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
Science. 2010 Jan 15;327(5963):331-4. doi: 10.1126/science.1179907. Epub 2009 Nov 26.
Tetrathiomolybdate (TM) is an orally active agent for treatment of disorders of copper metabolism. Here we describe how TM inhibits proteins that regulate copper physiology. Crystallographic results reveal that the surprising stability of the drug complex with the metallochaperone Atx1 arises from formation of a sulfur-bridged copper-molybdenum cluster reminiscent of those found in molybdenum and iron sulfur proteins. Spectroscopic studies indicate that this cluster is stable in solution and corresponds to physiological clusters isolated from TM-treated Wilson's disease animal models. Finally, mechanistic studies show that the drug-metallochaperone inhibits metal transfer functions between copper-trafficking proteins. The results are consistent with a model wherein TM can directly and reversibly down-regulate copper delivery to secreted metalloenzymes and suggest that proteins involved in metal regulation might be fruitful drug targets.
四硫钼酸盐 (TM) 是一种可口服的用于治疗铜代谢紊乱的药物。在这里,我们描述了 TM 如何抑制调节铜生理的蛋白质。晶体学结果表明,令人惊讶的是,该药物与金属伴侣蛋白 Atx1 的复合物非常稳定,这是由于形成了一个硫桥连的铜钼簇,类似于钼和铁硫蛋白中发现的那些。光谱研究表明,该簇在溶液中稳定,与从 TM 处理的威尔逊病动物模型中分离的生理簇相对应。最后,机制研究表明,该药物-金属伴侣蛋白抑制了铜转运蛋白之间的金属转移功能。结果与 TM 可直接且可逆地下调分泌金属酶的铜输送的模型一致,并表明参与金属调节的蛋白质可能是有希望的药物靶点。