Hormonal regulation of the Menkes and Wilson copper-transporting ATPases in human placental Jeg-3 cells

Abstract

Copper deficiency during pregnancy results in early embryonic death and foetal structural abnormalities including skeletal, pulmonary and cardiovascular defects. During pregnancy, copper is transported from the maternal circulation to the foetus by mechanisms which have not been clearly elucidated. Two copper-transporting ATPases, Menkes (ATP7A; MNK) and Wilson (ATP7B; WND), are expressed in the placenta and both are involved in placental copper transport, as copper accumulates in the placenta in both Menkes and Wilson disease. The regulatory mechanisms of MNK and WND and their exact role in the placenta are unknown. Using a differentiated polarized Jeg-3 cell culture model of placental trop..