Modeling the Zn2+ and Cd2+ metalation mechanism in mammalian metallothionein 1a

Abstract

Mammalian metallothioneins (MTs) are a family of small cysteine rich proteins believed to have a number of physiological functions, including both metal ion homeostasis and toxic metal detoxification. Mammalian MTs bind 7 Zn2+ or Cd2+ ions into two distinct domains: an N-terminal β-domain that binds 3 Zn2+ or Cd2+, and a C-terminal α-domain that binds 4 Zn2+ or Cd2+. Although stepwise metalation to the saturated M7-MT (where M=Zn2+ or Cd2+) species would be expected to take place via a noncooperative mechanism involving the 20 cysteine thiolate ligands, literature reports suggest a cooperative mechanism involving cluster formation prior to saturation of the protein. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) provides this sensitivity through delineation of all species (Mn-MT, n=0–7) coexisting at each step in the metalation process. We report modeled ESI-mass spectral data for the stepwise metalation of human recombinant MT 1a (rhMT) and its two isolated fractions for three mechanistic conditions: cooperative (where the binding affinities are: K1<K2<K3<···<K7), weakly cooperative (where K1=K2=K3=···=K7), and noncooperative, (where K1>K2>K3>···>K7). Detailed ESI-MS metalation data of human recombinant MT 1a by Zn2+ and Cd2+ are also reported. Comparison of the experimental data with the predicted mass spectral data provides conclusive evidence that metalation occurs in a noncooperative fashion for Zn2+ and Cd2+ binding to rhMT 1a.