Essential Cys-Pro-Cys Motif of Caenorhabditis elegans Copper Transport ATPase

Abstract

  Caenorhabditis elegans putative copper ATPase (CUA-1) had been functionally expressed in a yeast Δccc2 mutant (copper ATPase gene disruptant). We found that CUA-1 with Cys-Pro-Cys to Cys-Pro-Ala mutation could not rescue the yeast Δccc2 mutant, suggesting that the carboxyl terminal cysteine residue in the conserved Cys-Pro-Cys motif is essential for copper transport.