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Biological Functions of Zinc and the Impact of High Zinc Levels on Iron-Sulfur Proteins
Ren Xiaojun, Liu Ruolan, Niu Huan, Li Yanchun, Tan Guoqiang*, Lü Jianxin*
School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics,Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
Abstract: Zinc is one of the most essential metallic elements for all organisms， which serves as a cofactor of a large range of proteases， transcription factors and other regulatory proteins， and plays a key role in maintaining the structures and functions of proteins. Zinc finger is one of the most common nucleic acid binding units， with participating in majority gene regulation. Moreover， zinc plays an irreplaceable role in many aspects involving in the growth and development， the body’s immune maturation， wound healing and also glucostasis. However， zinc dysregulation， excessive or insufficient supply can contribute various diseases including childhood brain tumors and immunodeficiency. The accumulation of intracellular zinc will severely affect series of iron-sulfur protease activities. In this review， we focused on current progress of zinc biological function and put emphases on the influence of high zinc levels on iron-sulfur proteins and related mechanisms.
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