| Type: | Family | Name: | Fungi-IV metallothionein, family 11 |
| Description: | Metallothioneins (MT) are small proteins that bind heavy metals, such as zinc, copper, cadmium, nickel, etc. They have a high content of cysteine residues that bind the metal ions through clusters of thiolate bonds [, , ]. The metallothionein superfamily comprises all polypeptides that resemble equine renal metallothionein in several respects, e.g. low molecular weight; high metal content; amino acid composition with high Cys and low aromatic residue content; unique sequence with characteristic distribution of cysteines, and spectroscopic manifestations indicative of metal thiolate clusters. A MT family subsumes MTs that share particular sequence-specific features and are thought to be evolutionarily related. Fifteen MT families have been characterised, each family being identified by its number and its taxonomic range.Fungi-IV (family 11) MTs are proteins of about 55-56 residues, with 9 conserved cysteines. Its members are recognised by the sequence pattern C-X-K-C-x-C-x(2)-C-K-C. The taxonomic range of the members extends to ascomycotina. The protein contains a number of unusual histidine and phenylalanine residues conserved in the N-terminal part of the sequence. This fragment does not contain any Cys. The protein binds to copper ions. | Short Name: | Metalthion_11 |
