Molecular regulation of copper absorption

Funded Activity Summary

Copper is an essential trace element with the potential for toxicity. Copper deficiency can be fatal to developing animals due to the multiple organ abnormalities caused by the reduced activity of important copper containing enzymes. Dietary copper deficiency can cause iron unresponsive anaemia in children and may contribute to heart disease and connective tissue defects in adults. A variant form of a copper containing protein is thought to contribute to Alzheimer's disease and the affected protein in mad cow disease may normally play a role in copper biology of the brain. Given the importance of copper for normal health and the potential for toxicity, the levels of copper in the body are tightly regulated. There are two main sites for this regulation: the uptake of dietary copper across the intestine and the excretion of excess copper into the bile. This proposal addresses the molecular control of copper uptake in the intestine. Much of our understanding about the regulation of the uptake of copper from dietary sources was obtained prior to the era of modern molecular biology. Prof. Mercer's laboratory has recently made significant discoveries into the molecular basis of copper metabolism in human cells. Based on these findings and finding of others about copper metabolism in yeast, we have proposed a model incorporating these newly described molecules to explain how the body might regulate the uptake of copper in the intestine. We propose to investigate this model using cell culture models of the intestine and in mouse models. These studies will extend our knowledge of copper biology and may provide insight for potential treatments of copper related disorders.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2000

End Date: 01-01-2002

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $197,948.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Oral and maxillofacial surgery

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Copper homeostasis | Copper toxicity | Intestinal absorption | Menkes disease | Metal ion transport | Nutritional copper deficiency | Protein trafficking | Wilson disease

Related Links