PMID: 9546223 , Related PDB id: 1A65

Authors:

Ducros V, Brzozowski AM, Wilson KS, Brown SH, Ostergaard P, Schneider P, Yaver DS, Pedersen AH, Davies GJ

Title:

Crystal structure of the type-2 Cu depleted laccase from Coprinus cinereus at 2.2 A resolution.

Journal:

Nat Struct Biol. 1998 Apr;5(4):310-6.

Abstract:

Laccase catalyses the oxidation of a variety of organic substrates coupled to the reduction of oxygen to water. It is widely believed to be the simplest representative of the ubiquitous blue multi-copper oxidase family. Laccase is implicated in a wide spectrum of biological activities and, in particular, plays a key role in morphogenesis, development and lignin metabolism in fungi and plants. The structure of laccase from the fungus Coprinus cinereus has been determined by X-ray crystallography at a resolution of 2.2 A. Laccase is a monomer composed of three cupredoxin-like beta-sandwich domains, similar to that found in ascorbate oxidase. In contrast to ascorbate oxidase, however, the mononuclear type-1 Cu site lacks the axial methionine ligand and so exhibits trigonal planar coordination, consistent with its elevated redox potential. Crucially, the structure is trapped in a Cu depleted form in which the putative type-2 Cu atom is completely absent, but in which the remaining type-1 and type-3 Cu sites display full occupancy. Type-2 Cu depletion has unexpected consequences for the coordination of the remaining type-3 Cu atoms.