The protein CopC from Pseudomonas syringae has been found capable of binding copper(I) and copper(II) at two different sites, occupied either one at a time or simultaneously. The protein, consisting of 102 amino acids, is known to bind copper(II) in a position that is now found consistent with a coordination arrangement including His-1, Glu-27, Asp-89, and His-91. A full solution structure anal...

There is a controversial debate about the mechanism of the Cu(0)-catalyzed radical polymerization. Herein, a comparative analysis of a series of reactions catalyzed by different valent copper shows that the induction period and the subsequent autoaccelerated polymerization of a Cu(0)/Me6TREN-catalyzed system originate from the accumulation of soluble copper species, and Cu(I) is still a powerfu...

This investigation was conducted to determine the intracellular distribution of copper in the liver of normal sheep, and the changes associated with exposure to increased dietary copper. Normal rat liver (3.8 + 1.0) ~/g Cu/g liver, wet tissue basis) and normal sheep liver (102.0 -+ 37.2 /~g Cu/g liver) was processed to give the four common subcellular fractions. When the intracellular distribut...

Reactions of the copper complexes Cu(II)Cl2, [Cu(II)(EDTA)]2-, [Cu(II)2(DIPS)4] and [Cu(I)(DMP)2]+ (where DIPS is 3,5-diisopropylsalicylate and DMP is 2,9-dimethylphenanthroline) with human blood plasma and urine have been studied by 500 MHz 1H NMR spectroscopy, and CD spectroscopy has been used to monitor the transfer of Cu(II) onto albumin in plasma. The rate of transfer of Cu(II) from [Cu(II...

The trace metal copper (Cu) plays an essential role in biology as a cofactor for many enzymes that include Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase, cytochrome oxidase, ceruloplasmin, lysyl oxidase, and dopamine beta-hydroxylase. Consequently, Cu transport at the cell surface and the delivery of Cu to intracellular compartments are critical events for a wide variety of biological processes. The components t...

Toxicity and deficiency of essential trace elements like Cu are major global problems. Here, environmentally relevant sub-micromolar concentrations of Cu (supplied as CuSO4) and simulations of natural light- and temperature cycles were applied to the aquatic macrophyte Ceratophyllum demersum. Growth was optimal at 10nM Cu, while PSII activity (Fv/Fm) was maximal around 2 nM Cu. Damage to the PS...

The uptake and effects (survival, weight) of copper (Cu) on Florida apple snails (Pomacea paludosa) via exposures to copper-enriched agricultural soil-water and water-only treatments were investigated. Soils were collected from citrus sites in south Florida and flooded with laboratory freshwater for 14d. Neonate apple snails (96-h-old) were then exposed to either Cu from a soil-overlying water ...

A pot experiment was conducted at six graded levels of copper (Cu) viz., 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 mg kg(-1) to test the response of wheat plants grown in a copper-responsive alluvial soil (entisol) under glass house conditions. The growth attributes like plant height, fresh and dry matter yield, percent dry matter enhanced with increasing Cu levels and was maximum at 1.5 mg kg(-1) Cu while...

CONSPECTUS: The human innate immune system has evolved the means to reduce the bioavailability of first-row late d-block transition metal ions to invading microbial pathogens in a process termed "nutritional immunity". Transition metals from Mn(II) to Zn(II) function as metalloenzyme cofactors in all living cells, and the successful pathogen is capable of mounting an adaptive response to mitiga...

To examine the potential role of methanobactin (mb) as the extracellular component of a copper acquisition system in Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b, the metal binding properties of mb were examined. Spectral (UV-visible, fluorescence, and circular dichroism), kinetic, and thermodynamic data suggested copper coordination changes at different Cu(II):mb ratios. Mb appeared to initially bind Cu(II...