# Regulatory Roles of Zinc Fluxes in Metalloprotein Occupancy and Cell Cycle Progression

> **NIH NIH R01** · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $41,798

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This project examimes the structure, spectroscopy, function, and mechanism of metallproteins that regulate cell
cycle progresion in response to programmatic fluctuations in intracellular zinc concentration. Zinc fluxes have
recently been discovered to be key regulatory events in human physiology, including cortical neuron function,
immune response, fertilization, and insulin secretion. Despite its apparent roles in these profound physiologies,
the biochemistry of zinc action is not well understood. Little is known regarding the inorganic chemistry of
metalloproteins involved in the instructive mechanisms that mediate cellular responses to zinc fluxes, zinc
trafficking pathways, or the role of specific metalloprotein receptors in signaling events. To interpret and
eventually intervene in diseases caused by disruption of such pathways, we must first elucidate the fundamental
molecular mechanisms of zinc-dependent switching events.
While zinc has traditionally been viewed as a static cofactor involved in protein structure and enzyme catalysis,
recent studies support the idea that zinc binding sites in regulatory proteins respond to transient fluctuations in
zinc availability and are switched on and off in ways that regulate key cellular events. We will test the hypothesis
that regulatory zinc fluxes exert instructive control over the mammalian cell cycle through specific, receptor-
mediated processes. This hypothesis is based on multiple lines of evidence, including: (1) data showing
fluctuations zinc distribution at various points in the cell cycle for single cells; (2) live cell imaging demonstrating
the movement of waves of zinc; and (3) physicochemical approaches showing colocalization of zinc with specific
factors. The overarching objective of this proposal is to use biochemical, protein biochemistry and spectroscopic
approaches to understand how the influx and efflux of zinc regulate the cell cycle. New Chemical tools to probe
and control the concentration of zinc will utilized to further our understanding of this zinc signaling physiology. In
addition, we will leverage emerging techniques in X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopy, NMR, and mass
spectrometry to understand the chemical environment of zinc and probe the zinc occupancy of zinc-containing
proteins that regulate cell cycle progression. Taken together, the results from these studies will describe a
mechanism of zinc signaling during the meiotic cell cycle.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11098987
- **Project number:** 3R01GM115848-07S1
- **Recipient organization:** MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** THOMAS V O'HALLORAN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $41,798
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2015-07-01 → 2025-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11098987

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11098987, Regulatory Roles of Zinc Fluxes in Metalloprotein Occupancy and Cell Cycle Progression (3R01GM115848-07S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11098987. Licensed CC0.

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