FTIR spectroscopy has been applied to study the coordination structures of Mg2þ and Ca2þ ions bound in Akazara scallop troponin C (TnC), which contains only a single Ca2þ binding site. The region of the COO – antisymmetric stretch provides information about the coordination modes of COO – groups to the metal ions: bidentate, unidentate, or pseudo-bridging. Two bands were observed at 1584 and 1567 cm21 in the apo state, whereas additional bands were observed at 1543 and 1601 cm21 in the Ca2þ-bound and Mg2þ-bound states, respectively. The intensity of the band at 1567 cm21 in the Mg2þ-bound state was identical.
