New research by Cardiff scientists with colleagues at King’s College London has identified the switch which releases zinc into cells, with important implications for a number of diseases.
Zinc has long been known to play a vital part in human health. Too much zinc, or too little, can cause cell death. A growing body of evidence links zinc to disease states including neurodegeneration, inflammation, diabetes and cancer.
Zinc levels in cells are controlled by protein molecules called zinc transporters. These move zinc in and out of the cell to ensure correct levels are maintained. Until now, scientists have not understood how the transporters release the zinc. The new study, including Dr Kathryn Taylor at the Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Dr Peter Kille at the School of Biosciences, has identified a switch known as CK2. This is a protein which opens one transporter, called ZIP7, and allows the zinc to flow.
New research by Cardiff scientists with colleagues at King’s College London has identified the switch which releases zinc into cells, with important implications for a number of diseases.
Zinc has long been known to play a vital part in human health. Too much zinc, or too little, can cause cell death. A growing body of evidence links zinc to disease states including neurodegeneration, inflammation, diabetes and cancer.
Zinc levels in cells are controlled by protein molecules called zinc transporters. These move zinc in and out of the cell to ensure correct levels are maintained. Until now, scientists have not understood how the transporters release the zinc. The new study, including Dr Kathryn Taylor at the Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Dr Peter Kille at the School of Biosciences, has identified a switch known as CK2. This is a protein which opens one transporter, called ZIP7, and allows the zinc to flow.