Zinc is an essential cofactor of all major eukaryotic RNA polymerases. How the activity of these enzymes is coordinated or regulated according to cellular zinc levels is largely unknown. Here we show that the stability of RNA polymerase I (RNAPI) is tightly coupled to zinc availability in vivo. In zinc deficiency, RNAPI is specifically degraded by proteolysis in the vacuole in a pathway depende...

Zinc is a trace element and plays a vital role in all physiological processes in humans. It has been introduced as a drug in the prevention and treatments of diseases since last two decades. The Ayurvedic physicians have practiced both oral and topical applications of zinc after sodhana (purification) and marana (calcification) before 14 century A.D. Rasaka or Kharpara (zinc ore or zinc carbona...

This study was designed to evaluate the zinc metabolism in adults of both sexes with thyroid disease. Plasma and erythrocyte zinc concentration and urinary zinc excretion were investigated. The mean concentration of plasma zinc in hypothyroid patients and in euthyroid patients, previously either hyperthyroid or hypothyroid, was lower than that of control subjects, whereas no statistically signi...

An experiment was conducted with rats to determine the effects on the tissue concentrations of Zn, Fe, Cu, and Mg of feeding various amounts of zinc. The rats were pair-fed one of the following diets for four weeks: Diet A, a zinc-deficient diet; a diet containing the recommended amoun of zinc (diet A plus 55 microgram of zinc per gram of diet), or diet A plus 550 microgram zinc per gram of die...

Decades after the discovery that ionic zinc is present at high levels in glutamatergic synaptic vesicles, where, when, and how much zinc is released during synaptic activity remains highly controversial. Here we provide a quantitative assessment of zinc dynamics in the synaptic cleft and clarify its role in the regulation of excitatory neurotransmission by combining synaptic recordings from mic...

This study was designed to evaluate the zinc metabolism in adults of both sexes with thyroid disease. Plasma and erythrocyte zinc concentration and urinary zinc excretion were investigated. The mean concentration of plasma zinc in hypothyroid patients and in euthyroid patients, previously either hyperthyroid or hypothyroid, was lower than that of control subjects, whereas no statistically signi...

a b s t r a c t   zinc deficiency in man is characterized by skin lesion, alopecia and has been linked to growth retardation and mental disturbance. for supplementation purposes zinc is currently presented as its sulfate salt, from which uptake by the body is poor, necesseting the administration of high doses. this leads to a range of unpleasant side effects. in order to increase the bioavailab...

BACKGROUND Low zinc intakes and reduced blood zinc concentrations have been reported to be associated with osteoporosis in women. OBJECTIVE The objective was to examine the independent association between dietary zinc and plasma zinc and the association of each with bone mineral density (BMD) and 4-y bone loss in community-dwelling older men. DESIGN Of the original Rancho Bernardo Study sub...

Mechanisms through which gene expression is regulated by zinc are central to cellular zinc homoeostasis. In this context, evidence for the involvement of zinc dyshomoeostasis in the aetiology of diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and cancer, highlights the importance of zinc-regulated gene expression. Mechanisms elucidated in bacteria and yeast provide examples of differen...

D ietary zinc deficiency has been associated with memory impairment but the mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear. The divalent cation zinc is one of the most abundant trace elements in the body and plays myriad functional roles (1). Although the vast majority of zinc is tightly bound to proteins, a pool of zinc in the mammalian forebrain is selectively stored in and released from gl...