Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology - University of Massachusetts Medical Center

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Host:  Gustavo MacIntosh

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“Cu-binding Transcription Factors:  Fundamental Players in Skeletal Muscle Differentiation”

Transition metals, such as copper (Cu), play critical roles in biology as cofactors for a variety of enzymes that are necessary for energy production, tissue maturation, signal transduction and oxidative stress resistance.  Metal homeostasis requires chelation by high-affinity binding molecules, transport and sensing by transcriptional regulators to maintain low levels of free metals, as free metals participate in different toxic reactions. In this regard, Cu-binding transcription factors have been extensively described in their classic roles in metal homeostasis. However, little information is available regarding the role of Cu and Cu-binding transcription factors in the regulation of gene expression associated with development and differentiation of mammalian cells. Our laboratory uses skeletal muscle differentiation as a model system to investigate the under-appreciated role of Cu, in mechanisms that initiate new programs of gene expression required for tissue specification.