Copper transporter may become a new therapeutic target for cardiovascular disease

Internal transportation allows us to use copper in foods such as shellfish and nuts, so that the important body functions we consume also have an important role in protecting receptors, so that we can grow new blood vessel diseases when we become scientists, Georgia School of Medicine Scientists Report

The findings published in the journal Nature Communications pointed out that the copper transporter ATP7A may be a new target for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease, peripheral arterial disease and stroke

Dr.

They have shown that in diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, the main risk factor, ATP7A expression, VEGFR2 degradation is a healthy copper out of balance, leading to many problems that these patients experience such as heart disease and impaired wound healing, Tohru Fukai The doctor said VBC’s vascular biologist and cardiologist

It is these findings that led the co-corresponding author of this new paper to believe that there may be a direct link between ATP7A and the VEGF receptor

There are endothelial cells in our blood vessels.

Scientists say that in healthy people, angiogenesis is to some extent throughout life, but in situations where this ability is most needed like diabetes, it is impaired

They suspect and are further researching that the key interactions between transporters and receptors they have now discovered also occur during aging.

Ushio-Fukai said that their next steps include identifying drugs that can increase and stabilize ATP7A levels, thereby stabilizing VEGF receptors

The red metallic copper, an important trace element, has long been stimulated by the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells.

ATP7A usually resides in the cell’s trans-Golgi network—a kind of bus stop inside the cell that sends new proteins where it’s needed—where it delivers copper to enzymes that require micronutrient activation and function

When too much copper accumulates in cells, as they see in diabetes, ATP7A also has the effect of removing excess copper, because too much or too little may be harmful

Now MCG scientists have proved that VEGF induces ATP7A to break away from the trans-Golgi network to the cell membrane, and bind and stabilize the VEGF receptor on the cell membrane

"The necessary copper enzymes cannot be activated, and excess copper cannot be exported," Ushio-Fukai said.

They write that these common findings imply that the copper transporter ATP7A is necessary for the formation of new blood vessels and the restoration of blood flow in ischemic cardiovascular diseases

Decades ago, the fact that copper is essential for angiogenesis was proven, when it was discovered that just applying copper to endothelial cells stimulates angiogenesis, Ushio-Fukai said
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There is evidence that the role of copper in angiogenesis is to deliver copper to enzymes containing copper, such as superoxide dismutase, through ATP7A
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"Our paper changes this concept," she said
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The condition that triggers ATP7A to move out of the trans-Golgi network is a signal like the presence of a large amount of copper in the cytoplasm.
The fluid-filled pockets in the cell contain most of its content, including the trans-Golgi network; insufficient oxygen supply to the tissue is called hypoxia.
Just like heart and peripheral arterial disease; and insulin
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Too much copper in the cells is definitely harmful.
It will produce destructive free radicals like Fukai's "atomic weapons"
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If there is not enough ATP7A to maintain the balance of copper levels, metal levels will continue to rise, and the basic activity of copper-containing enzymes will decline
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Although our cells are born with copper receptors, we ourselves also need to consume this necessary micronutrient
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Foods high in copper include oysters and other shellfish, such as lobsters and clams, shiitake mushrooms, tofu and soybeans, sweet potatoes, sesame, cashews and walnuts, and green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale
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