Identification of a Functional Homolog of the Yeast Copper Homeostasis Gene ATX1 from Arabidopsis1

Abstract A cDNA clone encoding a homolog of the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) gene Anti-oxidant 1(ATX1) has been identified from Arabidopsis. This gene, referred to as CopperCHaperone(CCH), encodes a protein that is 36% identical to the amino acid sequence of ATX1 and has a 48-amino acid extension at the C-terminal end, which is absent from ATX1 homologs identified in animals. ATX1-deficient yeast (atx1) displayed a loss of high-affinity iron uptake. Expression of CCH in the atx1 strain restored high-affinity iron uptake, demonstrating thatCCH is a functional homolog of ATX1. When overexpressed in yeast lacking the superoxide dismutase geneSOD1, both ATX1 and CCHprotected the cell from t…