Formation and characterization of aurothioneins: Au,Zn,Cd-thionein, Au,Cd-thionein, and (thiomalato-Au)chi-thionein.

Three gold-containing thioneins (Au,Zn,Cd-Th, Au,Cd-Th, and (TmSAu)chi Th, where Th = thionein and TmS = thiomalate) have been prepared by the reactions of horse kidney Zn,Cd-thionein with gold thiomalate (AuSTm). When thionein was present in excess, the thiomalate ligand was displaced and the protein chelated the gold in a bidentate fashion. Primarily zinc but also some cadmium was displaced to form Au,Zn,Cd-Th or Au,Cd-Th. Excess AuSTm reacted to form (TmSAu)chi-thionein with monodentate coordination of the protein to each bound gold, retention of the thiomalate, loss of zinc and cadmium, and an increase in the Stokes radius of the product. EXAFS/XANES studies of Au,Zn,Cd-Th and (TmSAu)chi Th established that the oxidation states and coordination environments of gold were Au(I)S2 and that the gold-sulfur bond distances were 229 and 230 pm, respectively. Radioimmunoassay established that the aurothioneins retained their antigenicity to native metallothionein antibodies. Metal exchange reactions with gold were complete within 5-10 min when Zincon or 4-(2-pyridylazo) resorcinol was used to monitor Cd2+ and Zn2+ displacement.