Zinc is a crucial micronutrient involved in many vital bodily functions, including cell growth and proliferation, DNA creation, immune system support, and protein building.
However, the mechanisms of how zinc performs its functions, particularly its role in growth, have remained largely unknown.
Instead, much of our understanding about zinc has come from studying its absence in cases of zinc deficiency.
New Light on Zinc’s Role
A new study led by Amy Palmer, a professor in the University of Colorado Boulder Department of Biochemistry, offers insights into zinc’s role in cell growth using genetically encoded fluorescent sensors.
These sensors emit light and change color when zinc binds to them, allowing scientists to monitor and quantify zinc in individual cells over extended periods.
The research reveals that an imbalance in zinc levels, whether too high or too low, halts all cell proliferation until the zinc levels return to a normal range.
Interestingly, the researchers discovered a “zinc pulse” where a cell experiences a temporary increase in zinc right after it divides, which decreases after about an hour.
Innovation Through Fluorescence
The fluorescent sensors used in the study were a significant breakthrough, permitting long-term monitoring of zinc in cells without disrupting cell function.
Palmer’s lab engineered these sensors to bind specifically to zinc, making them ideal tools for this type of research.
“One missing piece of the puzzle, particularly when we think of zinc supplementation, is understanding and knowing when cells need zinc and how much they actually need,” says Palmer.
Implications for Nutrition and Disease
Palmer’s research holds potential implications for human nutrition and disease understanding, given that zinc deficiency affects around 17% of the world’s population and can have serious health consequences, such as impaired growth, delayed sexual maturation, and compromised immune function.
The study’s innovative approach allowed researchers to discover the “zinc pulse” that occurs after cell division, potentially needed for the new cells to prepare for individual growth.
Moreover, the research showed that the right balance of zinc is crucial for cell function, as cells struggle to make DNA when zinc levels are either too high or too low.
Current research in Palmer’s lab is exploring the high levels of zinc often found in breast cancer cells and why these cells don’t pause in response to high zinc levels, as healthy cells would.
This might provide insights into how cancer cells bypass this apparent safety switch.
The study’s findings highlight the importance of zinc in cell function and its potential implications for understanding human nutrition and disease.
As Palmer states, “We’re really working to understand that set point and that fundamental mechanism that each cell has where it senses its zinc status and how, within a certain range, it can regulate how much zinc it has.”
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The study was published in Cell Reports.
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