Copper tolerance in Chlorella vulgaris has been studied by comparing physiological properties and copper uptake in a wild type strain and a copper tolerant one. A concentration dependent reduction in growth rate, dry mass, and content of chlorophyll a, protein, sugars and amino acids was noticed in both strains at 1.0 and 400 !g l 1 copper. The reduction in all parameters was higher in the wild...

Dietary copper enters the body largely through the small intestine. Two membrane transporters are essential for this process. The high affinity copper uptake protein Ctr1 is responsible for making copper that enters via the apical membrane available in the cytosol for further utilization (1), whereas the copper-transporting ATPase ATP7A facilitates copper exit from the enterocytes into circulat...

As a trace element, copper has a crucial role in mammalian metabolism, but it can be toxic in excess. The importance of a balanced copper homeostasis is illustrated by several copper-associated disorders in man, such as Menkes and Wilson disease, and in a wide variety of animal models (eg, mice, dogs, and sheep). Proteins involved in controlling copper metabolism have been well studied in yeast...

X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), known primarily for its caspase inhibitory properties, has recently been shown to interact with and regulate the levels of COMMD1, a protein associated with a form of canine copper toxicosis. Here, we describe a role for XIAP in copper metabolism. We find that XIAP levels are greatly reduced by intracellular copper accumulation in Wilson's disease and oth...

The sorption of copper ions onto natural bamboo sawdust with cellulose-lignin polymeric structure strongly depends on pH. The adsorption capacity for copper ions increases as increasing pH and copper loadings. The fitting of copper pH boundary curve by NEM surface complexation models shows that: three-sites model including the ion exchange reaction of permanent charge fits better than two-sites...

Copper is a trace element present in all tissues and is required for cellular respiration, peptide amidation, neurotransmitter biosynthesis, pigment formation, and connective tissue strength. Copper is a cofactor for numerous enzymes and plays an important role in central nervous system development; low concentrations of copper may result in incomplete development, whereas excess copper maybe i...

Copper mining is one of the largest economic activities in Zambia, comprising close to ten percent of GDP. Between 2003 and 2008, the price of copper increased by over 400 percent. In response, copper production in Zambia increased by 70 percent and employment in copper mining increased by nearly 200 percent. This paper examines the effect of this economic shock on sexual behavior and the sprea...

Uptake of copper complexes by fish was studied by exposing neon tetras (Paracheirodon innesi) to solutions containing different concentrations of copper complexed to EDTA, diaminoethane, oxalic acid, or tartaric acid, while other copper species were kept at low and constant levels. The distribution of the copper species in the solution was quantified using chemical equilibrium modeling. It was ...

Copper is required for photosynthesis in chloroplasts of plants because it is a cofactor of plastocyanin, an essential electron carrier in the thylakoid lumen. Other chloroplast copper proteins are copper/zinc superoxide dismutase and polyphenol oxidase, but these proteins seem to be dispensable under conditions of low copper supply when transcripts for these proteins undergo microRNA-mediated ...

Copper ions, either alone or in copper complexes, have been used to disinfect liquids, solids and human tissue for centuries. Today copper is used as a water purifier, algaecide, fungicide, nematocide, molluscicide as well as an anti-bacterial and anti-fouling agent. Copper also displays potent anti-viral activity. This article reviews (i) the biocidal properties of copper; (ii) the possible me...