Costs of gestation in an Arctic ruminant: copper reserves in muskoxen

Bioinformatics-based dynamics of cuproptosis -related indicators in experimental silicosis

Pneumoconiosis is one of the most serious occupational diseases worldwide. Silicosis due to prolonged inhalation of free silica dust during occupational activities is one of the main types. Cuproptosis is a newly discovered mode of programmed cell death characterized by the accumulation of free copper in the cell, which ultimately leads to cell death. Increased copper in the serum of silicosis patients, suggests that the development of silicosis is accompanied by changes in copper metabolism, but whether cuproptosis is involved in the progression of silicosis is actually to be determined. To test this hypothesis, we screened the genetic changes in patients with idiopathic fibrosis by bioinformatics methods and predicted and functionally annotated the cuproptosis-related genes among them. Subsequently, we established a mouse silicosis model and detected the concentration of copper ions and the activity of ceruloplasmin (CP) in serum, as well as changes of the concentration of copper and cuproptosis related genes in mouse lung tissues. We identified 9 cuproptosis-related genes among the differential genes in patients with IPF at different times and the tissue-specific expression levels of ferredoxin 1 (FDX1) and Lipoyl synthase (LIAS) proteins. Furthermore, serum CP activity and copper ion levels in silicosis mice were elevated on days 7th and 56th after silica exposure. The expression of CP in mouse lung tissue elevated at all stages after silica exposure. The mRNA level of FDX1 decreased on days 7th and 56th, and the protein level remained in accordance with the mRNA level on day 56th. LIAS and Dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLD) levels were downregulated at all times after silica exposure. In addition, Heatshockprotein70 (HSP70) expression was increased on day 56. In brief, our results demonstrate that there may be cellular cuproptosis during the development of experimental silicosis in mice and show synchronization with enhanced copper loading in mice.

Mineral levels in Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica)

The effects of mineral deficiencies are often sub-clinical, and the importance of mineral status is often underestimated in wildlife populations. To our knowledge, this is the first study that gives reference intervals of hepatic minerals for Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica). We determined macro and trace mineral concentrations in liver samples from 100 animals (44 healthy and 56 sick) collected in the Catalan Pyrenees (NE Spain) from 1995 to 2008. After wet digestion, we determined Na, K, Ca, P, Mg, S, and Fe concentrations by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and Cu, Zn, and Mo concentrations by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). We observed low hepatic concentrations of Cu in a considerable percentage of chamois, without evidences that these low concentrations increased their susceptibility to infectious diseases. The group of sick chamois had very similar percentage of animals (10/56) with low concentration of Cu (<20 ppm DW) than the group of healthy chamois (9/44). On the other hand, we observed that infectious diseases increased significantly the hepatic concentrations of Na, Ca, Mg, Fe and Zn, very likely, as a consequence of processes associated with the acute phase inflammatory response. The obtained values of liver mineral levels and their sources of variation, such as sex, age and disease, mostly fall within the range of those described for other ruminants, but possible deficiencies and differences between individuals and populations require further study.