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SCO (an acronym for Synthesis of Cytochrome c Oxidase) family; composed of proteins similar to Sco1, a membrane-anchored protein possessing a soluble domain with a TRX fold. Members of this family are required for the proper assembly of cytochrome c oxidase (COX). They contain a metal binding motif, typically CXXXC, which is located in a flexible loop. COX, the terminal enzyme in the respiratory chain, is imbedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane of all eukaryotes and in the plasma membrane of some prokaryotes. It is composed of two subunits, COX I and COX II. It has been proposed that Sco1 specifically delivers copper to the CuA site, a dinuclear copper center, of the COX II subunit. Mutations in human Sco1 and Sco2 cause fatal infantile hepatoencephalomyopathy and cardioencephalomyopathy, respectively. Both disorders are associated with severe COX deficiency in affected tissues. More recently, it has been argued that the redox sensitivity of the copper binding properties of Sco1 implies that it participates in signaling events rather than functioning as a chaperone that transfers copper to COX II.
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