Metals, Metalloproteins and Disease

This research article studies the effects of deletion of Slc39a14 (zip14), a known manganese importer into the enterocytes and hepatocytes(Fig. 1), has on manganese homeostasis in the body. This study researches whole body zip14 knockout and intestine localized knockout of zip14 in mice. They then tested how manganese levels in the mice were affected and … Read more

Manganese is an essential nutrient attained through diet. While manganese is a necessary nutrient, it is toxic in excess. An excess of Manganese can result in a neurodegenerative disease called manganism. Manganism is generally the result of excessive manganese inhalation, mostly in work environments. However, in 2012 an inherited case of Slc30a10 mutation was identified … Read more

Zinc (Zn) is an extremely important mineral and nutrient found throughout our body. It plays many key roles on physiological and molecular scales. On a physiological level Zn plays a role in the immune system, in metabolism, in wound healing, and helps with our sense of taste and smell. On a molecular level, Zn is … Read more

Glucose metabolism is a crucial cellular process that produces a significant amount of energy for the cell. When this process is not regulated, it can have adverse effects, including hyperglycemia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and increased fat storage. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common disease associated with dysregulated glucose metabolism. Diabetes mellitus is … Read more

Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a range of 14 disorders that primarily affect connective tissues, causing them to become less structurally sound. This manifests in a variety of localities, including the skin, ligaments, joints, internal organs, and blood vessels. The most well-known symptom of EDS is abnormally stretchy skin, but other symptoms can include joint hypermobility, … Read more

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