CutC Copper Transporter (CUTC)

Members of the CUT family of copper transporters are associated with copper homeostasis and are involved in the uptake, storage, delivery, and efflux of copper. Li et al. (2005) cloned a member of the CUT gene family, CUTC, from a human fetal brain cDNA library. CUTC encodes a deduced 273-amino acid protein with a molecular mass of about 29.3 kD. The CUTC protein shares 89% and 44% sequence identity with the mouse and E. coli CutC proteins, respectively. RT-PCR analysis revealed expression of CUTC in all human tissues examined, with lowest expression in skeletal muscle, pancreas, prostate, and small intestine. Expression of a CUTC-pEGF fusion plasmid in COS-7 and AD293 cells demonstrated the presence of CUTC in the cytoplasm of both cell types and in the nucleus of AD293 cells.