A C. elegans model of copper deficiency: Dietary interventions rescue CTR1/CHCA-1 copper transporter mutant phenotype

Copper is an essential micronutrient for all living organisms. Mutations in the copper-importing transporter CTR1/CHCA-1 are associated with a severe copper deficiency disorder in humans, for which no effective cures are currently available. Here, we develop C. elegans as a model for copper deficiency. We show that chca-1 mutant worms fed HT115 bacterial diet exhibited a severe developmental phenotype resulting from copper deficiency, reminiscent of the symptoms observed in human patients. Remarkably, this phenotype can be rescued by switching to OP50 bacterial diet or by supplementing HT115 bacterial diet with glutathione disulfide (GSSG), a metabolite enriched in OP50. Such dietary interventions remodeled the transcriptome of chca-1 mutants towards that of wild-type worms and upregulated the expression of CTR1/CHCA-1-like copper transporters, thereby ameliorating the mutant phenotype. Our findings establish C. elegans as a model for copper deficiency caused by CTR1/CHCA-1, suggesting that dietary interventions may offer a potential therapeutic approach for this severe disease.