Binding of Cu(II) or Zn(II) in a de novo designed triple-stranded α-helical coiled-coil toward a prototype for a metalloenzyme

We previously reported the IZ-3adH peptide, which formed a triple-stranded coiled-coil after binding Ni(II), Cu(II), or Zn(II). In this paper, we report the peptide, IZ-3aH, having a new metal binding specificity. The IZ-3aH peptide was found to bind Cu(II) and Zn(II) and form a triple-stranded coiled-coil. However, it did not bind Ni(II). Metal ion titrations monitored by circular dichroism revealed that the dissociation constants, K-d were 9 muM for Zn(II) and 10 muM for Cu(II). The bound Cu(II) ion has a planar tetragonal geometry, where the coordination positions are three nitrogens of the His residues and one H2O.