Galactose oxidase metal-site binding

The function of the metal site in the oxygen-dependent radical enzymes galactose oxidase, amine oxidases, ribonucleotide reductase, and cytochrome c oxidase is inter alia to bind 02 in their reduced forms and undergo the appropriate redox chemistry to generate a metal-bound, activated oxygen species of variable nature. 

Type 2 copper centers are not uniform in ligand or ligand stereochemistries. One common feature is, however, that in the active enzyme, one coordination site is always free to bind oxygen. The most common ligand in type 2 copper centers is histidine. Tyrosine (often modified), methionine, and cysteine occur as well. There are three histidines and a modified tyrosine in amine oxidase and lysyl oxidase [28]. In diamine oxidase, two of the histidine residues have probably been replaced by cysteines [29]. In galactose oxidase, the copper ion is coordinated by two tyrosines, two histidines and an acetate ion [30]. Dopamine-/J-hydroxylase contains two differently coordinated copper ions per functional unit. One is coordinated by three histidines and a methionine and the other by two histidines and another, yet unknown, ligand [ 31 ]. Last but not least, the type 2 copper ion in Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase is coordinated by four histidine residues, one of which connects the copper ion to the zinc ion, the second metal ion in the active site of the enzyme [32,33] (Fig. 6). 

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