Copper Homeostasis in Mammals

描述(申请人提供)：铜(铜)在对正常生长、发育和健康至关重要的生化反应中起着关键的催化和调节作用。孟克斯病和威尔逊病是两种严重的人类铜代谢遗传性疾病，分别导致儿童死亡和肝脏和神经功能障碍。不适当的铜平衡与脊髓神经病、Pron病、阿尔茨海默氏症、心血管疾病和癌症有关。因此，了解细胞控制铜的获取、分配和利用的机制是至关重要的。虽然人们对铜输入、细胞内分布和外排机制的识别和功能有了初步的了解，但我们对Ctr2蛋白的生理作用、铜输入的调控以及生物如何建立全球铜平衡知之甚少。在这项申请中概述了三个具体的目标，这三个目标相互关联，因为它们将破译哺乳动物铜运输机制的作用机制及其在细胞和系统水平上的调控。第一个具体目的是通过对小鼠Ctr2基因敲除突变体的分析，通过培养细胞的生化和细胞生物学实验，以及对Ctr2突变蛋白的分析，来确定哺乳动物Ctr2蛋白在铜获得中的生理作用。在第二个特定目标中，将通过分析它们在细胞培养中的翻译后调节来破译CTR1铜导入蛋白和Ctr2蛋白的调节。在第三个具体目标中，概述了识别一种新的血液传播信号的实验，该信号允许外围器官(如心脏)与铜的获取和存储器官之间的器官间通信。综上所述，这些研究将破译铜获取机制的关键功能以及细胞和系统调控机制，该机制的功能对正常生长、发育和人类健康至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Copper (Cu) plays key catalytic and regulatory functions for biochemical reactions that are critical to normal growth, development and health. Menkes disease and Wilson's disease are two severe human genetic disorders of Cu metabolism that result in childhood mortality and hepatic and neurological dysfunction, respectively. Inappropriate copper balance is linked to myeloneuropathy, prion disease, Alzheimer's and cardiovascular disease and cancer. Consequently, it is critical to understand the mechanisms by which cells control the acquisition, distribution and utilization of Cu. While the identify and functions of the Cu import, intracellular distribution and efflux machinery are beginning to be understood, we know very little about the physiological role of the Ctr2 protein, the regulation of Cu import and how organisms establish global Cu homeostasis. Three specific aims are outlined in this application, which are inter- related by the information they will decipher on the mechanisms of action of the mammalian Cu transport machinery and its regulation at the cellular and systemic level. In the first specific aim the physiological role of the mammalian Ctr2 protein in Cu acquisition will be ascertained through the analysis of mouse Ctr2 knock out mutants, through biochemical and cell biological experiments in cultured cells and through the analysis of Ctr2 mutant proteins. In the second specific aim the regulation of the Ctr1 Cu importer and the Ctr2 protein will be deciphered through an analysis of their post- translational regulation in cell culture. In the third specific aim experiments are outlined to identify a novel blood-borne signal that allows inter-organ communication between peripheral organs such as the heart and the copper acquisition and storage organs. Taken together, these investigations will decipher key functional roles and cellular and systemic regulatory mechanisms for the Cu acquisition machinery, the function of which is essential for normal growth, development and human health.