Kim Byung-Eun, Nevitt Tracy, Thiele Dennis J
Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Research Drive, Levine Science Research Center, C351, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
Nat Chem Biol. 2008 Mar;4(3):176-85. doi: 10.1038/nchembio.72.
Copper (Cu) is a redox-active metal ion essential for most aerobic organisms. Cu serves as a catalytic and structural cofactor for enzymes that function in energy generation, iron acquisition, oxygen transport, cellular metabolism, peptide hormone maturation, blood clotting, signal transduction and a host of other processes. The inability to control Cu balance is associated with genetic diseases of overload and deficiency and has recently been tied to neurodegenerative disorders and fungal virulence. The essential nature of Cu, the existence of human genetic disorders of Cu metabolism and the potential impact of Cu deposition in the environment have been driving forces for detailed investigations in microbial and eukaryotic model systems. Here we review recent advances in the identification and function of cellular and systemic molecules that drive Cu accumulation, distribution and sensing.
铜（Cu）是大多数需氧生物所必需的具有氧化还原活性的金属离子。铜作为酶的催化和结构辅助因子，参与能量生成、铁摄取、氧气运输、细胞代谢、肽激素成熟、血液凝固、信号转导以及许多其他过程。无法控制铜平衡与过载和缺乏的遗传疾病有关，最近还与神经退行性疾病和真菌毒力相关。铜的必需性质、人类铜代谢遗传疾病的存在以及环境中铜沉积的潜在影响，一直是在微生物和真核模型系统中进行详细研究的驱动力。在这里，我们综述了驱动铜积累、分布和感知的细胞和系统分子的鉴定及功能方面的最新进展。
