Copper Redox Biology: Latest Cutting-Edge Discoveries

Abstract

Copper is an essential, yet toxic, trace element whose redox biology has received renewed attention in recent years. Highlighted here are some latest cutting-edge discoveries related to copper redox biology reported in three influential journals—Science, Cell, and Nature, over the past two years. (First online: Jume 4, 2023) REFERENCES Tang D, Kang R, Berghe TV, Vandenabeele P, Kroemer G. The molecular machinery of regulated cell death. Cell Res 2019; 29(5):347–64. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41422-019-0164-5 Stockwell BR. Ferroptosis turns 10: emerging mechanisms, physiological functions, and therapeutic applications. Cell 2022; 185(14):2401–21. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.06.003 Tsvetkov P, Coy S, Petrova B, Dreishpoon M, Verma A, Abdusamad M, et al. Copper induces cell death by targeting lipoylated TCA cycle proteins. Science 2022; 375(6586):1254–61. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abf0529 Reznik N, Gallo AD, Rush KW, Javitt G, Fridmann-Sirkis Y, Ilani T, et al. Intestinal mucin is a chaperone of multivalent copper. Cell 2022; 185(22):4206–15 e11. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.09.021 Johansson ME, Hansson GC. Immunological aspects of intestinal mucus and mucins. Nat Rev Immunol 2016; 16(10):639–49. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nri.2016.88. Hansson GC. Mucins and the microbiome. Annu Rev Biochem 2020; 89:769–93. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-biochem-011520-105053 Furman D, Campisi J, Verdin E, Carrera-Bastos P, Targ S, Franceschi C, et al. Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span. Nat Med 2019; 25(12):1822–32. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41591-019-0675-0 Solier S, Muller S, Caneque T, Versini A, Mansart A, Sindikubwabo F, et al. A druggable copper-signalling pathway that drives inflammation. Nature 2023; 617(7960):386–94. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06017-4