Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Role Of Proteome In Cellular Zn2+ Trafficking And In The Ability Of The Fluorescent Zinc Sensors To Image Intracellular Zn2+, Mohammad Rezaul Karim

Theses and Dissertations

Zinc is an essential biological trace metal used in as many as 3000 Zn-proteins, about 10% of the eukaryotic proteome, as either a structural constituent or a catalytic cofactor. These proteins include the zinc fingers, the most prevalent transcription factors that bind a wide range of gene promoters and thus regulate gene expression. A eukaryotic cell contains several hundred micromolar of Zn2+- almost all of it is bound to specific Zn-proteins. Recently, Zn2+ has been reported to serve as a regulatory signal and a neurotransmitter, suggesting that there also exists a dynamic Zn2+ pool in cells. These findings led to …