STRUCTURE-FUNCTION ANALYSIS OF MULTI-COPPER OXIDASES

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Biochemistry, Structural Biochemistry

Dioxygen is a ubiquitous electron acceptor in aerobic biological systems, playing a vital role in many biological processes upon its activation and reduction. However, the precise routes through which such mechanisms occur are still poorly understood for many enzyme families. The work presented in this dissertation focuses on Multi-copper oxidases (MCOs), a family of enzymes able to couple the one-electron oxidation of a vast array of substrate molecules with the four-electron reduction of dioxygen to water.(...)