Beinert H
Institute for Enzyme Research, Graduate School, and Department of Biochemistry, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53705-4098, USA.
Eur J Biochem. 1997 May 1;245(3):521-32. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1997.t01-1-00521.x.
This review traces the history of understanding of the CuA site in cytochrome c oxidase (COX) from the beginnings, when few believed that there was any significant Cu in COX, to the verification of three atoms Cu/monomer and to the final identification of the site as a dinuclear, Cys-bridged average valence Cu1.5+ ... Cu1.5+ structure through spectroscopy, recombinant DNA techniques, and crystallography. The critical steps forward in understanding the nature of the CuA site are recounted and the present state (as of the end of 1996) of our knowledge of the molecular and electronic structure is discussed in some detail. The contributions made through the years by the development of methodology and concepts for solving the enigma of CuA are emphasized and impediments, often rooted in contemporary preconceptions and attitudes rather than solid data, are mentioned, which discouraged the exploitation of early valuable clues. Finally, analogies in construction principles of polynuclear Cu-S and Fe-S proteins are pointed out.
本综述追溯了从一开始对细胞色素c氧化酶（COX）中铜A位点的认识历史，当时很少有人相信COX中存在任何重要的铜，到验证每个单体有三个铜原子，再到最终通过光谱学、重组DNA技术和晶体学将该位点鉴定为双核、半胱氨酸桥联的平均价态Cu1.5+...Cu1.5+结构。文中叙述了在理解铜A位点性质方面取得的关键进展，并较为详细地讨论了截至1996年底我们对其分子和电子结构的认识现状。文中强调了多年来通过解决铜A之谜的方法和概念的发展所做出的贡献，并提及了常常源于当代先入之见和态度而非可靠数据的障碍，这些障碍阻碍了对早期有价值线索的利用。最后，指出了多核铜硫和铁硫蛋白构建原理中的相似之处。
