Mavicyanin, a Blue Copper Protein from <i>Cucurbita pepo medullosa</i>

Abstract

1. The copper protein mavicyanin has been isolated and purified from the green squash Cucurbita pepo medullosa. 2. Mavicyanin contains one type-1 copper/18000 Mr, which can be characterized by: intense absorption maximum at 600 nm (epsilon = 5000 M-1 cm-1/Cu, A280/A600 = 8.0 +/- 0.5, A600/A403 = 7.0 +/- 0.25, maximum of fluorescence emission at 335 nM. 3. In the oxidized state the copper of mavicyanin is 100% detectable by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Computer simulation of the rhombic EPR signal gives gz = 2.287, gy = 2.077, gx = 2.025, Az = 3.5 mT, Ay = 2.9 mT and Ax = 5.7 mT. 4. Like other simple type-1 copper proteins, such as stellacyanin, azurin or plastocyanin, mavicyanin is readily reduced by hydroquinone or L-ascorbic acid. Its midpoint potential E'm was determined to be + 285 mV. The reduced protein reacts rather slowly with dioxygen, but is rapidly reoxidized by ferricyanide.