Metals, Metalloproteins and Disease

As a universal redox catalyst, iron is an essential micronutrient for all forms of life. It participates in various critical biochemical processes such as oxygen transport in hemoglobin and electron transport in cellular respiration.[1] Given its significance to both the host and the evading microbes, iron holds a pivotal position at the host-pathogen interface.[2] Many … Read more

Zinc is one of the most crucial metals required for physiologic function in the body. Most of the zinc in the human body comes from dietary intake from things like chicken, red meat, beans, oysters, … etc. Zinc deficiency arrests cell growth and development, it also leads to chaos in the system. Excess of zinc … Read more

For general background in zinc homeostasis and ZIP protein function please refer to “The Role of the Slc39a Family of Zinc Transporters in Zinc Homeostasis in Skin” Due to the crucial role that zinc plays in a wide range of proteins, zinc homeostasis is paramount to the health and functionality of a system. Zinc homeostasis … Read more

Copper is an important ion in the body that acts as a cofactor for many enzymes involved in cellular metabolism and respiration. It also plays fundamental roles in many signalling pathways as an allosteric regulator of multiple proteins.1 In considering the six hallmarks of cancer2, copper has been implicated in pathways and processes that contribute … Read more

Note: I highly recommend you read “Discovery of an Atomic Structure of Bacterial Cu+-Transport Protein Reveals Insight About Menkes/Wilson Disease” before this blog for clarification and background. In my previous blog, I talked about the solved atomic structure of Legionella pneumophilia CopA (LpCopA) and how the solved structure offered insight on the molecular pathway of … Read more

Copper is an important cofactor for the functioning of various cuproenzymes that are required for proper brain development and functioning. For example, in superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1), the binding of copper is necessary to break superoxide radicals that exhibit neurotoxicity. Many cuproenzymes have chaperones, such as copper chaperone for SOD1 (CCS), to facilitate binding of the … Read more

For an introduction to Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and the role of metals, see “Atox1-Cu-𝛼Syn Complex Providing Answers about Possible Mechanisms of Aggregation of Lewy Bodies in Parkinson’s Disease” Researchers at Huazhong University of Science and Technology wanted to see if treating C. Elegans with chelating agents would decrease the overproduction and aggregation of 𝛼Syn. Knowing … Read more

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease, affecting about 1-2 people 1000, including about 1% of people over 60. There are genetic markers in 5-10% of patients, but there is no direct connection as many patients develop symptoms without these markers. Symptoms of PD include difficulty walking and talking, … Read more

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting 5.8 million people in the United States, including about ½ of nursing home and hospice patients. AD causes cognitive decline, resulting in extreme memory loss, often to the point where patients may not be able to recognize their own children or spouse. Most patients are … Read more

Copper is an essential metal that we get from daily intake of foods and water. Without it, certain copper-dependent enzymes (“cuproenzymes”) cease to function which has negative consequences in energy production, brain and muscle development, and other biochemical/physiological processes in our bodies [1]. Menkes and Wilson are genetic conditions associated with deficient and toxic levels … Read more