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ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Healthy Body Weight Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #202957
Title: Copper deficiency decreases the protein expression of Complex IV but not Complex I, II, III and V in mitochondrial respiratory chain in rat heart

Author
item Zeng, Huawei
item Saari, Jack
item Johnson, William

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/7/2006
Publication Date: 4/4/2007
Citation: Zeng, H., Saari, J.T., Johnson, W.T. 2007. Copper deficiency decreases the protein expression of Complex IV but not Complex I, II, III and V in mitochondrial respiratory chain in rat heart [abstract]. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 21(5):A722.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Dietary copper (Cu) deficiency impairs mitochondrial respiratory function which is catalyzed by protein complexes. However, there are few reports showing the effect of Cu on the simultaneous expression of the protein subunits for all five respiratory complexes. The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of Cu deficiency on each complex’s protein expression in rat heart tissue with Western blot analysis. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets that were either Cu-adequate (6.0 ug Cu/g diet n = 5) or Cu-deficient (0.3 ug Cu/g diet n = 5) for 5 wk. The monoclonal antibody-based Western blot analysis suggested that the protein levels of 39 kDa and 30 kDa subunits in complex I; 70 kDa and 30 kDa subunits in complex II; core I and core II subunits in complex III; alpha and beta subunits of F1 complex in complex V in both high-salt buffer (HSB) and low-salt buffer (LSB) protein fractions from heart tissue of Cu-deficient rats did not differ from those of Cu-adequate rats. However, the protein level of COX I, COX Vb and COX VIb subunits in complex IV in both high-salt buffer (HSB) and low-salt buffer (LSB) protein fractions from heart tissue of Cu-deficient rats was lower than those of Cu-adequate rats. Collectively, these data demonstrate that copper deficiency decreases each tested subunit protein expression of complex IV but not those of complex I, II, III and V in mitochondrial respiratory complexes.