Editorial: Novel approaches to study metals in molecular biology

Trace elements are essential nutrients for multiple biological reactions. Metals like copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) are catalytic or structural cofactors of enzymes involved in various metabolic pathways. Trace elements can be toxic at elevated concentrations, especially those capable of cycling between oxidation states (Cu and Fe), and imbalance of metals leads to deleterious biological effects. Therefore, cellular uptake and distribution of metals is strictly controlled. Organisms have evolved regulatory systems that collectively orchestrate metal homeostasis. These include membrane barriers, transporters, and soluble sensors and chaperones. Although several mechanisms of metal homeostasis have been identified in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, several questions remain unresolved, including the impact of altered metal homeostasis on human health and development. This topic emphasized novel interdisciplinary research and biological systems toward understanding the fundamental mechanisms of metal homeostasis regulation. This special edition contains six manuscripts focused on the roles of trace elements in various biological models and are summarized below.Interactions between metal homeostasis and the immune system have received special attention since the discovery of nutritional in response to bacterial infection. However, little is known about the importance of metals in the host response to viral infection.