Capreomycin - A polypeptide antitubercular antibiotic with unusual binding properties toward copper(II)

Capreomycin is an important therapeutic agent having intriguing and diverse molecular features. Its polypeptidic structure rich in nitrogen donors makes the drug a promising chelating agent for a number of transition metal ions, especially for copper(II). The results of the model investigational studies suggest that capreomycin anchors Cu(2+) ion with an amino function of the alpha,beta-diaminopropionic acid residue at pH around 5. At physiological pH copper(II) ion is coordinated by two deprotonated amide nitrogen atoms of the alpha,beta-diaminopropionic acid, the serine residue as well as the amino function deriving from the beta-lysine. Above that pH value we observe a rearrangement within the coordination sphere leading to movement of Cu(2+) to the center of the peptide ring with concurrent coordination of four nitrogen donors. Spin-lattice relaxation enhancements and potentiometric measurements clearly indicate that deprotonated amide nitrogen atom from the beta-ureidodehydroalanine moiety is the fourth donor atom.