A Fungal Multicopper Oxidase Restores Iron Homeostasis in Aceruloplasminemia

Mutations that lead to a loss of the copper-containing plasma enzyme ceruloplasmin disrupt mammalian iron homeostasis. The mechanism by which ceruloplasmin mobilizes iron from cell stores has been controversial. We demonstrate that injection of a soluble copper-containing yeast protein Fet3p can restore iron homeostasis in phlebotomized mice with a deletion of the ceruloplasmin gene. These results show the conservation of function of copper-containing proteins in eukaryotic iron metabolism.