Ceruloplasmin-anion interaction. A circular dichroism spectroscopic study.

The effect of anion binding to ceruloplasmin has been studied using absorption and cirbular dichroism spectral data. At anion to ceruloplasmin molar ratios approaching infinite, OCN-, N3- and SCN- bind to ceruloplasmin giving rise to similar alterations in circular dichroism and absorption spectra. The positive bands at 610 and 520 nm in circular dichroism spectra disappear, a negative one apperars at 600 nm and the peak at 450 nm is only slightly modified. There is a new negative band at 410 nm well-defined in OCN- ceruloplasmin spectra. The decrease in absorption at 610 nm is ascribed to the disruption of one type I Cu-S(cysteine) bond owing presumably to the changes induced by anions in the protein secondary structure. The new band at 410 nm is assigned to a charge transfer transition from the ligand replacing cysteine at its binding site. Both absorption and circular dichroism spectra show isobestic points indicating that anion binding to the enzyme, disruption of one of the two type I Cu-S bonds and coordination of this Cu to another protein residue take place simultaneously.