Expression of cardiac copper chaperone encoding genes and their correlation with cardiac function parameters in goats

Abstract The expression of copper chaperone (Cu-Ch) encoding genes enables an in-depth understanding of copper-associated disorders, but no previous studies have been undertaken to highlight Cu-Ch disturbances in heart tissue in ruminants after copper deficiency (CuD). The current study aimed to investigate the Cu-Ch mRNA expression in goat’s heart after experimental CuD and highlight their relationship with the cardiac measurements. Eleven male goats were enrolled and divided into the control group (n = 4) and CuD group (treatment, n = 7), which received copper-reducing dietary regimes (molybdenum and sulfur). Heart function was evaluated by electrocardiography and echocardiography, and at the end of the experiment, all animals were sacrificed, and the cardiac tissues were collected for quantitative mRNA expression by real-time PCR. In the treatment group, cardiac measurements revealed increased preload and the existence of cardiac dilatation and significant cardiac tissue damage by histopathology. Also, the relative mRNA expression of Cu-Ch encoding genes; ATP7A, CTr1, LOX, COX17, as well as ceruloplasmin (CP), troponin I3 (TNNI3), glutathione peroxidase (GPX1), and matrix metalloprotease inhibitor (MMPI1) genes were significantly down-regulated in CuD group. Besides, there was a variable significant correlation between investigated genes and cardiac measurements; meanwhile, a significant inverse correlation was observed between histopathological score and ATP7B, CTr1, LOX, and COX17. In conclusion, this study revealed that CuD induces cardiac dilatation and alters the mRNA expression of Cu-Ch genes, in addition to TNNI3, GPX1, and MMPI1 that are considered key factors in clinically undetectable CuD-induced cardiac damage in goats which necessitate further studies for feasibility as biomarkers.