Lysyl oxidase (LOX) is copper-dependent amine oxidase that plays a key role in the crosslinking of collagen and elastin. The enzyme is synthesized as a 50 kDa proenzyme inside the cell and it is exported into the extracellular matrix where it is cleaved by procollagen-C-proteinase into a propeptide and the 29 kDa mature form of the enzyme. Structurally, the enzyme is stable, presumably because it contains five disulfide crosslinkages and a crosslinked cofactor, lysyl tyrosyl quinone (LTQ). The role that lysyl oxidase plays in cancer is still not well understood. Low solubility and a lack of an overexpression system that produces high yields of active enzyme have hampered the characterization of this enzyme for many years. Recent advances in our laboratory, however, have allowed us to overcome these problems and begin to characterize this enzyme. In particular, we have shown that the solubility and overexpression problem can be overcome and that the constructs generated can be used to determine the roles of specific amino acids. Two amino acids, Q293 and C412, were mutated to arginine and serine respectively to evaluate the impact of these mutations on enzyme activity. Enzyme activity shows that the Q293R mutation has very low activity as compared to the wildtype indicating an effect on the enzyme. Current efforts are underway to fully characterize this mutation and determine the effects of the C412S mutant.

Identification of key mutations of lysyl oxidase in breast cancer

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

[Author Benefits](https://scimeetings.acs.org/?utm_source=pubs_content_marketing&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=0320_MCF_NPI_Launch_Spring_Homepage&ref=pubs_content_marketing)

[How to use SciMeetings](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMeetings-ACSSpring2020-HowToGuide_M3020-Final.pdf)

[Frequently Asked Questions](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMtng_ACSNMSp2020_FAQ_M3120_Final.pdf)

ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.