Copper delivery by metallochaperone proteins

Copper is an essential element in all living organisms, serving as a cofactor for many important proteins and enzymes. Metallochaperone proteins deliver copper ions to specific physiological partners by direct protein - protein interactions. The Atxl-like chaperones transfer copper to intracellular copper transporters, and the CCS chaperones shuttle copper to copper,zinc superoxide dismutase. Crystallographic studies of these two copper chaperone families have provided insights into metal binding and target recognition by metallochaperones and have led to detailed molecular models for the copper transfer mechanism.