Suppressed hepcidin expression correlates with hypotransferrinemia in copper-deficient rat pups but not dams

Copper deficiency leads to anemia but the mechanism is unknown. Copper deficiency also leads to hypoferremia, which may limit erythropoiesis. The hypoferremia may be due to limited function of multicopper oxidases (MCO) hephaestin in enterocytes or GPI-ceruloplasmin in macrophages of liver and spleen whose function as a ferroxidase is thought essential for iron transfer out of cells. Iron release may also be limited by ferroportin (Fpn), the iron efflux transporter. Fpn may be lower following copper deficiency because of impaired ferroxidase activity of MCO. Fpn is also dependent on the liver hormone hepcidin as Fpn is degraded when hepcidin binds to Fpn. Anemia and hypoferremia both down regulate hepcidin by separate mechanisms. Current studies confirmed and extended earlier studies with copper-deficient (CuD) rats that suggested low hepicidin resulted in augmented Fpn. However, current studies in CuD dams failed to confirm a correlation that hepcidin expression was associated with low transferrin receptor 2 (TfR2) levels and also challenged the dogma that holotransferrin can explain the correlation with hepcidin. CuD dams exhibited hypoferremia, low liver TfR2, anemia in some rats, yet no depression in Hamp expression, the hepcidin gene. Normal levels of GDF-15, the putative erythroid cytokine that suppresses hepcidin, were detected in plasma of CuD and iron-deficient (FeD) dams. Importantly, FeD dams did display greatly lower Hamp expression. Normal hepcidin in these CuD dams is puzzling since these rats may need extra iron to meet needs of lactation and the impaired iron transfer noted previously.

Levels of plasma ceruloplasmin protein are markedly lower following dietary copper deficiency in rodents

Ceruloplasmin (Cp) is a multicopper oxidase and the most abundant copper binding protein in vertebrate plasma. Loss of function mutations in humans or experimental deletion in mice result in iron overload consistent with a putative ferroxidase function. Prior work suggested plasma may contain multiple ferroxidases. Studies were conducted in Holtzman rats (Rattusnorvegicus), albino mice (Mus musculus), Cp-/- mice, and adult humans (Homo sapiens) to investigate the copper-iron interaction. Dietary copper-deficient (CuD) rats and mice were produced using a modified AIN-76A diet. Results confirmed that o-dianisidine is a better substrate than paraphenylene diamine (PPD) for assessing diamine oxidase activity of Cp. Plasma from CuD rat dams and pups, and CuD and Cp-/- mice contained no detectable Cp diamine oxidase activity. Importantly, no ferroxidase activity was detectable for CuD rats, mice, or Cp-/- mice compared to robust activity for copper-adequate (CuA) rodent controls using western membrane assay. Immunoblot protocols detected major reductions (60-90%) in Cp protein in plasma of CuD rodents but no alteration in liver mRNA levels by qRT-PCR. Data are consistent with apo-Cp being less stable than holo-Cp. Further research is needed to explain normal plasma iron in CuD mice. Reduction in Cp is a sensitive biomarker for copper deficiency.