生命金属在生命过程中以不同的化学方式发挥着重要的作用。质膜、细胞器膜等使不同的生命金属在生物体系中有着不同的隔室化分布,相应的金属蛋白或金属伴侣蛋白在维持金属离子内稳态(homeostasis)中起着关键作用。生命体系中广泛存在着具有两个以上金属离子结合部位的金属蛋白。在确定的生理微环境下,由于金属离子结合热力学性质的不等价,该类金属蛋白的生物学功能取决于所结合金属离子的种类及多少。本文以伴刀豆球蛋白A、铜/锌超氧化物歧化酶、中心蛋白、锌指蛋白为例,介绍了金属离子在调控金属蛋白生物学功能中的作用。因此,深入研究金属离子与金属蛋白结合的热力学性质对于理解生命过程的无机化学基础具有重要意义。
Biometals play important roles in biological process by different chemical actions. The biomembranes enable different metals to acquire different distribution mode among compartments in a biological system. Metalloproteins or metal chaperones are required to maintain cellular metal ions homeostasis. In cells and intracellular organelles there are many proteins whose metal binding sites consist of more metal ions and are not equivalent in thermodynamics. The functions of metalloproteins are mediated by the binding of metal ions, such as that of concanavalin A, Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase, centrin, and zinc fingers protein. That the binding of metal ions to proteins are investigated is of great significance for bioinorganic chemists to understand the roles of metal ions in mediating the functional changes of metalloproteins.