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Query: UMLS:C0022716 (Menkes)
 1,057 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Copper is a trace element necessary for the normal function of several important enzymes but copper homeostasis is still poorly understood. In recent years remarkable progress has been made in this field following the isolation of the gene defective in Menkes disease. Menkes disease and occipital horn syndrome are X-linked recessive disorders, demonstrating the vital importance of copper, which is also highly toxic in excessive amounts. Its destructive effects are reflected in the autosomal recessive Wilson's disease. Progressive neurodegeneration and connective tissue disturbances are the main manifestations of Menkes disease. Although many patients present a severe clinical course, variable forms can be distinguished, and the occipital horn syndrome has been suggested to be a mild allelic form. The Menkes locus is mapped to Xq13.3 and the gene defective in Menkes disease has been isolated by positional cloning. The gene is predicted to encode an energy-dependent copper-binding protein, the first intracellular copper transporter described in eukaryotes. Isolation of the gene and subsequent characterization of the exon-intron organization now enables the establishment of DNA-based diagnostic methods. Furthermore, identification of the Menkes disease gene led to other important findings, such as isolation of its mouse homologue, confirming the allelic relationship between Menkes disease and occipital horn syndrome, and isolation of the defective genes in Wilson's disease and its rat homologue.
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PMID:Menkes disease: recent advances and new insights into copper metabolism. 873 40

Bacterial plasmids encode resistance systems for toxic metal ions including Ag+, AsO2-, AsO4(3-), Cd2+, CO2+, CrO4(2-), Cu2+, Hg2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, Sb3+, TeO3(2-), Tl+, and Zn2+. In addition to understanding of the molecular genetics and environmental roles of these resistances, studies during the last few years have provided surprises and new biochemical mechanisms. Chromosomal determinants of toxic metal resistances are known, and the distinction between plasmid resistances and those from chromosomal genes has blurred, because for some metals (notably mercury and arsenic), the plasmid and chromosomal determinants are basically the same. Other systems, such as copper transport ATPases and metallothionein cation-binding proteins, are only known from chromosomal genes. The largest group of metal resistance systems function by energy-dependent efflux of toxic ions. Some of the efflux systems are ATPases and others are chemiosmotic cation/proton antiporters. The CadA cadmium resistance ATPase of gram-positive bacteria and the CopB copper efflux system of Enterococcus hirae are homologous to P-type ATPases of animals and plants. The CadA ATPase protein has been labeled with 32P from gamma-32P-ATP and drives ATP-dependent Cd2+ uptake by inside-out membrane vesicles. Recently isolated genes defective in the human hereditary diseases of copper metabolism, Menkes syndrome and Wilson's disease, encode P-type ATPases that are more similar to the bacterial CadA and CopB ATPases than to eukaryote ATPases that pump different cations. The arsenic resistance efflux system transports arsenite, using alternatively either a two-component (ArsA and ArsB) ATPase or a single polypeptide (ArsB) functioning as a chemiosmotic transporter. The third gene in the arsenic resistance system, arsC, encodes an enzyme that converts intracellular arsenate [As (V)] to arsenite [As (III)], the substrate of the efflux system. The three-component Czc (Cd2+, Zn2+, and CO2+) chemiosmotic efflux pump of soil microbes consists of inner membrane (CzcA), outer membrane (CzcC), and membrane-spanning (CzcB) proteins that together transport cations from the cytoplasm across the periplasmic space to the outside of the cell. Finally, the first bacterial metallothionein (which by definition is a small protein that binds metal cations by means of numerous cysteine thiolates) has been characterized in cyanobacteria.
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PMID:Bacterial heavy metal resistance: new surprises. 890 98

Bacterial plasmids encode resistance systems for toxic metal ions, including Ag+, AsO2-, AsO4(3-), Cd2+, Co2+, CrO4(2-), Cu2+, Hg2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, Sb3+, TeO3(2-), Tl+ and Zn2+. The function of most resistance systems is based on the energy-dependent efflux of toxic ions. Some of the efflux systems are ATPases and others are chemiosmotic cation/proton antiporters. The Cd(2+)-resistance ATPase of Gram-positive bacteria (CadA) is membrane cation pump homologous with other bacterial, animal and plant P-type ATPases. CadA has been labeled with 32P from [alpha-32P] ATP and drives ATP-dependent Cd2+ (and Zn2+) uptake by inside-out membrane vesicles (equivalent to efflux from whole cells). Recently, isolated genes defective in the human hereditary diseases of copper metabolism, namely Menkes syndrome and Wilson's disease, encode P-type ATPases that are more similar to bacterial CadA than to other ATPases from eukaryotes. The arsenic resistance efflux system transports arsenite [As(III)], alternatively using either a double-polypeptide (ArsA and ArsB) ATPase or a single-polypeptide (ArsB) functioning as a chemiosmotic transporter. The third gene in the arsenic resistance system, arsC, encodes an enzyme that converts intracellular arsenate [As(V)] to arsenite [As(III)], the substrate of the efflux system. The triple-polypeptide Czc (Cd2+, Zn2+ and Co2+) chemiosmotic efflux pump consists of inner membrane (CzcA), outer membrane (CzcC) and membrane-spanning (CzcB) proteins that together transport cations from the cytoplasm across the periplasmic space to the outside of the cell.
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PMID:Bacterial resistances to toxic metal ions--a review. 899 52

We have generated polyclonal antibodies against the amino-terminal third of the Menkes protein (ATP7A; MNK) by immunizing rabbits with a histidine-tagged MNK fusion construct containing metal-binding domains 1-4. The purified antibodies were used in Western analysis of cell lysates and in indirect immunofluorescence experiments on cultured cells. On Western blots, the antibodies recognized the approximately 165 kDa MNK protein in CHO cells and human fibroblasts. No MNK signal could be detected in fibroblasts from a patient with Menkes disease or in Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma cells, confirming the specificity of the antibodies. Immunocytochemical analysis of CHO cells and human fibroblasts showed a distinct perinuclear signal corresponding to the pattern of the Golgi complex. This staining pattern was similar to that of alpha-mannosidase II which is a known resident enzyme of the Golgi complex. Using brefeldin A, a fungal inhibitor of protein secretion, we further demonstrated that the MNK protein is localized to the trans-Golgi network. This data provides direct evidence for a subcellular localization of the MNK protein which is similar to the proposed vacuolar localization of Ccc2p, the yeast homolog of MNK and WND (ATP7B), the Wilson disease gene product. In light of the proposed role of MNK both in subcellular copper trafficking and in copper efflux, these data suggest a model for how these two processes are linked and represent an important step in the functional analysis of the MNK protein.
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PMID:Immunocytochemical localization of the Menkes copper transport protein (ATP7A) to the trans-Golgi network. 914 44

Menkes disease and Wilson disease are human disorders of copper transport caused by mutations in distinct genes encoding similar copper-transporting P-type ATPases. These genes are expressed in different adult tissues in patterns reflecting disease manifestations. The mouse homologues for the Menkes (MNK) and Wilson (WND) disease genes are the mottled (Atp7a) and toxic milk (Atp7b) genes, respectively. Using RNA in situ hybridization we describe the distribution of mottled and toxic milk transcripts during mouse embryonic development. The mottled gene is expressed in all tissues throughout embryogenesis and is particularly strong in the choroid plexuses of the brain. Mottled expression in the liver is in contrast to the prior observation of absent or very low expression in the adult liver. Expression of the toxic milk gene is significantly more delimited, with early expression in the central nervous system, heart and liver. Later in gestation, toxic milk transcript is clearly seen in the liver, intestine, thymus and respiratory epithelium including nasopharynx, trachea and bronchi. In lung, toxic milk expression is restricted to bronchi, while mottled expression is diffuse. Hepatic expression of both toxic milk and mottled is in the parenchyma, as opposed to blood cells. These results suggest that the mottled gene product functions primarily in the homeostatic maintenance of cell copper levels, while the toxic milk gene product may be specifically involved in the biosynthesis of distinct cuproproteins in different tissues.
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PMID:Developmental expression of the mouse mottled and toxic milk genes suggests distinct functions for the Menkes and Wilson disease copper transporters. 921 73

N-terminal domains of the Wilson's and Menkes disease proteins (N-WND and N-MNK) were overexpressed in a soluble form in Escherichia coli as fusions with maltose-binding protein, purified, and their metal-binding properties were characterized. Both N-MNK and N-WND bind copper specifically as indicated by the results of metal-chelate chromatography, direct copper-binding measurements, and chemical modification of Cys residues in the presence of different heavy metals. When E. coli cells are grown in the presence of copper, N-MNK and N-WND bind copper in vivo with stoichiometry of 5-6 nmol of copper/nmol of protein. Copper released from the copper-N-MNK and copper-N-WND complexes reacts with the Cu(I)-selective chelator bicinchoninic acid in the absence of reducing agents. This suggests that in proteins, it is bound in reduced Cu(I) form, in agreement with the spectroscopic properties of the copper-bound domains. Copper bound to the domains in vivo or in vitro specifically protects the N-MNK and N-WND against labeling with the cysteine-directed probe; this indicates that Cys residues in the repetitive motifs GMTCXXCXXXIE are involved in coordination of copper. Direct involvement of the N-terminal domains in the binding of copper suggests their important role in copper-dependent functions of human copper-transporting adenosine triphosphatases (Wilson's and Menkes disease proteins).
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PMID:N-terminal domains of human copper-transporting adenosine triphosphatases (the Wilson's and Menkes disease proteins) bind copper selectively in vivo and in vitro with stoichiometry of one copper per metal-binding repeat. 922 74

Menkes disease is an X-linked disorder of copper metabolism. Excess amounts of copper in the kidney of Macular mice, a model for this disease, were found as copper-metallothionein (Cu-MT) from kidney of the mice. Histochemical studies of Cu-MT based on its autofluorescent emission properties showed that the protein was predominant in the proximal convoluted tubule (PCT) cells of the cortex. PCT cells are known to be the primary site of the nephrotoxicity caused by heavy metals. MT mRNA was also observed in the cortex, indicating that the protein was biosynthesized in this region. On the basis of these results, we suggest that biosynthesis and degradation of Cu-MT occur repeatedly in the PCT cells of the cortex. We also compared the histochemical localization of Cu-MT in Macular mice and Long-Evans cinnamon rats, a model for Wilson's disease. The significance of this comparison is discussed.
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PMID:Copper-metallothionein in the kidney of macular mice: a model for Menkes disease. 935 51

Two P-type ATPases, MNK and WND were recently shown to be defective in the human disorders of copper transport, Menkes disease and Wilson disease respectively. These proteins are important in copper homeostasis but their full physiological function has not been established. This study uses the human breast carcinoma line, PMC42, to investigate copper transport in the mammary gland. Northern blot analysis indicated that both MNK and WND mRNA are expressed in these cells. Western blot analysis with an MNK-specific antibody demonstrated a band of approx. 178 kDa, close to the expected size of 163 kDa. Treatment of PMC42 cells with lactational hormones (oestrogen and progesterone for 3 days followed by dexamethasone, insulin and prolactin for a further 3 days) did not produce an obvious increase in MNK expression as measured by Northern and Western blots. By using indirect immunofluorescence with the MNK antibody, the intracellular distribution of MNK was found to be predominantly perinuclear, consistent with Golgi localization. Punctate staining was also seen in a smaller proportion of cells, suggesting that some MNK is associated with endosomes. Treatment of PMC42 cells with lactational hormones increased the intensity of the perinuclear and punctate fluorescence. Exposure of cells to 100 mM copper resulted in the dispersion of the fluorescence towards the periphery of the cell. The results suggest a role for MNK in the secretion of copper into milk and that PMC42 cells are a valuable model for investigating the detailed cellular function of MNK and WND.
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PMID:Expression of Menkes disease gene in mammary carcinoma cells. 935 59

Copper is an essential trace element and has profound influence on cardiac myopathy and heart metabolism. Dietary Cu restriction in rats results in cardiomyopathy, and affects the integrity of the basal lamina of cardiac myocytes and capillaries. Decreased levels of delta subunits of ATP synthetase and nuclear encoded subunits of cytochrome oxidase system have been observed. Alteration in expression of glutathione peroxidase and catalase in heart and liver in Cu deficiency (Cu-) has been noted involving both transcriptional and post transcriptional mechanisms. A short description of two genetically inherited disorders of Cu metabolism, i.e. Wilson's disease and Menkes' disease, and Indian childhood cirrhosis (environmental and/or genetic) have been included to illustrate that advances in the knowledge of Cu cellular transport gives a better understanding of the molecular basis of the pathophysiology of these diseases. Menkes' disease, a human model of defective Cu transport and Cu- has shown many pathological changes, similar to those of heart disease in Cu-. The recent cloning of four genes of putative Cu pumping ATPases (Cu-ATPases) from widely different sources, i.e. two from Enterococcus hirae and one each from Wilson's and Menkes disease patients (which are defective in Cu transport and metabolism), has opened a new chapter in the study of Cu cellular transport and metabolism. The encoded gene products, i.e. Cu-ATPases, show extensive homology and are members of a new class of ATP-driven Cu pumps involved in regulation of cellular Cu. Further, Cu transport by Cop B-ATPase (E. hirae) in membrane vesicles and in isolated rat liver plasma membrane has provided biochemical evidence of its role in ATP-driven Cu transport. In this short review I have critically examined the current evidence of the molecular basis of the pathophysiology of cardiomyopathy in Cu- and, have indicated the possible role of P-type Cu ATPase which may be one of the obligatory factors contributing to cardiomyopathy in experimental animals and probably humans. Experimental verification of this hypothesis will be the aim of future studies.
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PMID:Copper deficiency and heart disease: molecular basis, recent advances and current concepts. 945 22

In patients with Wilson's disease, both copper incorporation into ceruloplasmin and excretion of this metal into bile are impaired. These conditions are caused by a genetic defect in the Wilson's disease gene (ATP7B). To investigate the Wilson's disease gene protein (ATPase7B) in hepatocytes, we constructed an expression plasmid carrying full-length complementary DNA for human Wilson's disease gene and attempted to express the gene in hepatocytes of LEC rats, an animal model of Wilson's disease. Transfection of hepatocytes, either in vitro or in vivo, was done using a newly developed cationic liposome containing 1,4-bis(3-(N-hexadecyl) aminopropyl) piperazine. Immunological analyses of human ATPase7B with specific monoclonal antibodies showed human ATPase7B to be a membrane protein with a molecular mass of 155 kd. Analysis of human ATPase7B expressed in hepatocytes from LEC rats suggested that this protein is present in the trans-Golgi network and at the plasma membrane, a distribution pattern similar to that of Menkes' disease protein (ATPase7A). These findings suggest that these two putative copper-transporting P-type ATPases function similarly at the cellular level. Cotransfection and coexpression of the human Wilson's disease gene and ceruloplasmin gene in cultured hepatocytes indicate that the distribution of ceruloplasmin is always accompanied by ATPase7B at the perinuclear region, but that part of ATPase7B localizes irrespective of the distribution of ceruloplasmin. Based on these investigations, we propose that ATPase7B exists in the trans-Golgi network and transports copper into this compartment. This seems to ensure an appropriate delivery of copper to the apoceruloplasmin. On the other hand, part of ATPase7B that is not accompanied by ceruloplasmin in the perinuclear region and at the plasma membrane seems to contribute to efflux of this metal from the hepatocytes. Thus the distribution patterns of ATPase7B in hepatocytes may explain the dual roles of this P-type ATPase in hepatocytes.
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PMID:Intracellular distribution of the Wilson's disease gene product (ATPase7B) after in vitro and in vivo exogenous expression in hepatocytes from the LEC rat, an animal model of Wilson's disease. 950 Jul 10


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