Novel Biological Copper Proteins through Anion Addition to the Mutant Met121Gly of <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Azurin

Abstract

Azide, cyanide, and thiocyanate are the anions that, on addition to a variant produced by site‐directed mutagenesis, Met121Gly, of Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin, produce unprecedented copper proteins with markedly different spectroscopic properties. This ability to generate ligand‐accessible metal centers in coordinatively saturated metalloproteins by directed mutagenesis might possibly bring the synthesis of metalloproteins that can be used as ion sensors a step nearer.