Essential Role of Histidine for Rapid Copper(II)-Mediated Disassembly of Neurokinin B Amyloid.

Neurokinin B is a tachykinin peptide involved in a diverse range of neuronal functions. It rapidly forms an amyloid, which is considered physiologically important for efficient packing into dense core secretory vesicles within hypothalamic neurons. Disassembly of the amyloid is thought to require the presence of copper ions, which interact with histidine at the third position in the peptide sequence.

Correction: Peacey, L., et al. Copper(II) Binding by the Earliest Vertebrate Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone, the Type II Isoform, Suggests an Ancient Role for the Metal. 2020, , 7900.

The authors wish to make the following correction to this paper [...

Copper(II) Binding by the Earliest Vertebrate Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone, the Type II Isoform, Suggests an Ancient Role for the Metal.

In vertebrate reproductive biology copper can influence peptide and protein function both in the pituitary and in the gonads. In the pituitary, copper binds to the key reproductive peptides gonadotropin-releasing hormone I (GnRH-I) and neurokinin B, to modify their structure and function, and in the male gonads, copper plays a role in testosterone production, sperm morphology and, thus, fertility. In addition to GnRH-I, most vertebrates express a second isoform, GnRH-II.

Roles of copper in neurokinin B and gonadotropin-releasing hormone structure and function and the endocrinology of reproduction.

Copper is a metal ion present in all organisms, where it has well-known roles in association with proteins and enzymes essential for cellular processes. In the early decades of the twentieth century copper was shown to influence mammalian reproductive biology, and it was subsequently shown to exert effects primarily at the level of the pituitary gland and/or hypothalamic regions of the brain. Furthermore, it has been reported that copper can interact with key neuropeptides in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, notably gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and neurokinin B.