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Research project The understanding of metal transport in human cells is critical for finding rational treatments to many debilitating human conditions. Copper is an important metal obtained from the diet that is required in many key enzymes but is toxic when free in solution. In addition, copper ions have been found in amyloids and in tumors.
Despite structural, genetic and biochemical data on copper-transfer proteins from humans and many other organisms, mechanistic aspects of the reactions of these proteins are not yet elucidated. Inside human cells, the copper chaperone Atox1 delivers copper to metal-binding domains of Wilson and Menkes proteins in the Golgi, which then load the metal onto target protein and enzymes, such as ceruloplasmin which is a plasma protein important for iron metabolism. In this project, we will address the molecular mechanisms and the proteins involved in this pathway. Not only will this information provide a basic understanding of the rules that drive human copper transport, but it will also help reveal how mutations lead to Wilson disease and other disorders involving copper imbalance.
Finansår , 2009, 2010, 2011
huvudman: Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede, finansiar: Vetenskapsrådet, y2009: 700, y2010: 700, y2011: 700,
huvudman: Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede , finansiar: Göran Gustafsson stiftelse, y2009: , y2010: , y2011: ,
huvudman: Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede , finansiar: Wallenberg Scholar, y2009: , y2010: , y2011: ,