Ceruloplasmin mechanism

Copper is an essential trace element. It is required in the diet because it is the metal cofactor for a variety of enzymes (see Table 50—5). Copper accepts and donates electrons and is involved in reactions involving dismu-tation, hydroxylation, and oxygenation. However, excess copper can cause problems because it can oxidize proteins and hpids, bind to nucleic acids, and enhance the production of free radicals. It is thus important to have mechanisms that will maintain the amount of copper in the body within normal hmits. The body of the normal adult contains about 100 mg of copper, located mostly in bone, liver, kidney, and muscle. The daily intake of copper is about 2—A mg, with about 50% being absorbed in the stomach and upper small intestine and the remainder excreted in the feces. Copper is carried to the liver bound to albumin, taken up by liver cells, and part of it is excreted in the bile. Copper also leaves the liver attached to ceruloplasmin, which is synthesized in that organ. 

Figure 12.4 Proposed path for the intracellular transfer of Cu(I) by Atxl. Copper destined for incorporation into the vascular multicopper oxidase Fet3 requires both Ctrl and Ccc2. Cytoplasmic Cu(I)-Atxl, but not apo-Atxl, associates with the amino-terminal domain of Ccc2 and Cu(I) is transferred to the latter. (Inset) A proposed mechanism for the exchange of Cu(I) involving two- and three-coordinate Cu-bridged intermediates. The human homologues of Atxl (Hahl), Ccc2 (Menkes and Wilson s proteins) and Fet3 (ceruloplasmin) are likely to employ similar mechanisms. Reprinted with permission from Pufahl et al., 1997. Copyright (1997) American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Adults require 1-2 mg of copper per day, and eliminate excess copper in bile and feces. Most plasma copper is present in ceruloplasmin. In Wilson s disease, the diminished availability of ceruloplasmin interferes with the function of enzymes that rely on ceruloplasmin as a copper donor (e.g. cytochrome oxidase, tyrosinase and superoxide dismutase). In addition, loss of copper-binding capacity in the serum leads to copper deposition in liver, brain and other organs, resulting in tissue damage. The mechanisms of toxicity are not fully understood, but may involve the formation of hydroxyl radicals via the Fenton reaction, which, in turn initiates a cascade of cellular cytotoxic events, including mitochondrial dysfunction, lipid peroxidation, disruption of calcium ion homeostasis, and cell death. 

The copper transport function of ceruloplasmin has been documented in several reviews (e.g. see refs. 15, 42, 43) and a transport function established. The turnover of ceruloplasmin allows copper ions to move from the major sites of ceruloplasmin synthesis in liver cells [44,45] to peripheral tissues for incorporation into copper-dependent enzymes [46,47], but transport mechanisms may also be active which involve copper atoms in the intact protein. However, the complexity of the protein has made it difficult to determine which, if any, of the six integral copper atoms are involved in copper delivery or whether there exist additional... 

The multi-copper carrying enzyme ceruloplasmin (CP), found in large amounts in liver and nervous tissues, has been shown to convert NO to RSNOs. The proposed mechanism involves the binding of NO to the CP type I Cu-sites. The NO is then oxidized to NO+ and transferred to RS giving rise to RSNO (Innoue et al., 1999). 

H., Nitrosothiol formation catalyzed by ceruloplasmin. Implication for cytoprotective mechanism in vivo, /. Biol. Chem. 274 (1999),... 

Human ceruloplasmin inhibits lipid autoxidation induced by ascorbate or inorganic Fe It is considered an acute-phase protein with a beneficial effect in inflammation . It was suggested that ceruloplasmin acts as a scavenger of OJ radicals, as it inhibited the reduction of Fe(III)-cytochrome c and of nitroblue tetrazolium in the presence of xanthine oxidase, acetaldehyde, and dioxygen as an OJ-generating system A mechanism without reduction of Cu , similar to that... 

The reaction of CO J radicals with human ceruloplasmin produced RSSR radicals. Their first-order decay occurred at the reduction rate of type-1 Cu. The same mechanism was observed with fungal and tree laccase... 

Wilson s disease is a copper storage disorder that is apparently due to an inherited lesion in the copper excretion mechanism. One in 200-400 persons is a carrier of the disease. Diagnosis may be made by measuring serum ceruloplasmin levels. Whereas normal serum ceruloplasmin is 200-400 mg/L, in Wilson s disease patients it is well below 200 mg/L. Liver copper in these patients (determined by biopsy) is more than 250 /xg/g, whereas normal individuals show a value of only 20-45 /xg/g. Liver function deterioration is the most prominent symptom of Wilson s disease. Treatment includes chelation therapy with penicillamine. 

According to the Chance mechanism, the interaction of H202 with the enzyme gives compound I (E,). The oxidation of the donor molecules leads to compound II (E[I) which oxidizes the second donor molecule. The radical intermediates were detected experimentally for such substrates as amines and phenols with relatively high reduction potential (Dunford and Stillman, 1976). The one-electron steps with the formation of free radicals at oxidation of amines and phenols have been proved in the ceruloplasmin, laccase and ascorbic oxidase reactions (Malsmstrom et al., 1975). 

Machonkin, T. E. and Solomon, E. T. (2000) The thermodynamics, kinetics, end molecular mechanism of intramolecular electron transfer in human ceruloplasmin, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 122,12547-12560. 

A second member of the ceruloplasmin family multicopper oxidases with six BCB domains was recently identified as the causative agent of sex-linked anemia (sla) in mice (Vulpe et al., 1993). It was named hephaes-tin and shown to be expressed mostly in the small intestine and the colon, where it is presumably involved in gastrointestinal iron uptake. Hephaes-tin displays a high level of sequence identity to ceruloplasmin and differs from it only by an additional C-terminal transmembrane domain, which anchors the protein to the cell membrane. A 582-nucleotide in-frame deletion in the mRNA for hephaestin sla mice has been identified compared to normal animals. The mice with such a mutation are unable to release iron from enterocytes (intestinal epithelial cells) into the circulation, which results in severe anemia. The GPI-anchored form of ceruloplasmin could potentially also mediate similar cellular iron efflux in the central nervous system. There is a transferrin-independent iron uptake system that requires Fe(III) to be reduced to Fe(II) at the cell surface for uptake to occur (DeSilva et al., 1996). Ceruloplasmin would oxidize Fe and prevent its uptake by this mechanism. Briefly, the role of ceruloplasmin is most likely to prevent excessive intracellular iron accumulation by tightly controlling iron efflux and inhibiting its uptake. 

Ceruloplasmin is an intensely blue glycoprotein of the a2-globulin fraction of mammalian blood, which acts as a copper transfer protein and probably has a role in iron storage. The structure is known it contains three Type 1 (Tl) sites (one of which seems to be inactive) and a Type 2/Type 3 (T2/T3) trinuclear cluster. It is believed to be part of the process of oxidizing Fe(II) to Fe(III) in the transfer of iron from ferritin to transferrin. Reduction of two Tl sites and the T3 pair is fast, but reduction of the T2 Cu site is slow the pathways of electron transfer between the sites have been investigated, but the complete mechanism is still unknown. 

There is some evidence that ceruloplasmin is involved in iron metabolism. It has been suggested that ceruloplasmin and ferritin in plasma work together to reduce the levels of free ferrous ions in plasma. Here, the ceruloplasmin catalyzes the oxidation of Fe (ferrous) to (ferric), the form of the metal that binds to ferritin. Ceruloplasmin acts as an oxidant in this process. This proposed function may reduce damage to membrane lipids possibly inflicted by the small amount of Fe in the circulation. It is thought that ceruloplasmin may be used in the mobilization of iron from intracellular stores. Here, the protein may facilitate the transfer of iron from ferritin to transferrin [Frieden and Hsieh, 1976), A relationship between copper and irtm is suggested by the fact that copper-deficient rats may develop iron deficiency anemia, as revealed by measurements of hemoglobin and hematocrit (Johnson and Dufault, 19S9 Cohen et a ., 1985), Ceruloplasmin may also function in a unique iron transport mechanism, as mentioned in the Iron section. 

It has been known for some time that copper deficiency leads to anemia and failure of the erythropoietic system to matiure (50,51). Although the exact mechanism involved is still not well defined, recent evidence suggests that copper may be essential for iron absorption and mobilization for hemoglobin synthesis. A ferrous-to-ferric cycle with respect to the role of copper in iron metabolism has been proposed by several workers. Role of ceruloplasmin in the spontaneous oxidation of... 

The chemical nature of the hormone seems to have varying effect on copper metabolism. Gonadal hormones, for example, increase ceruloplasmin by a mechanism of de novo synthesis of the protein independent of copper concentration in the liver, whereas hormones of the thyroid, adrenal, and pituitary influence copper metabolism in an indirect manner by decreasing its biliary excretion 144),... 

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