# DIETARY ZINC:  ITS EFFECT ON THE IMMUNE RESPONSE

> **NIH NIH R01** · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · 1994 · $173,104

## Abstract

DESCRIPTION (Investigator's Abstract):  The long-term goal of this project
is to characterize the effects of a moderate period of suboptimal zinc on
host defense systems and identify the underlying mechanisms causing the
defects, using the mouse as a model system.  Mononuclear phagocytes (MNP)
from ZD mice were unable to take up or kill parasites unless preincubated
with zinc. Experiments are proposed to examine the status of early
reactions of the oxygen burst thought to be Zn-dependent as well as
antigen processing and production of interleukin I, all of which are
essential to host defense and may be defective.  The density and
distribution of cell surface proteins (FcR, CRIII, Iak, F4/80) that
preliminary data indicate may also be altered in MNP from ZD mice will be
quantitated to provide a more complete picture of the status of these
cells.  Conversely, lymphocytes from ZD mice showed no evidence of defects
in function.  Thus the reduced capacity of ZD mice to mount antibody and
cell mediated responses appears to be related to the reduction in total
numbers of lymphocytes observed throughout the peripheral immune system of
the AZ mouse (lymphopenia).  Therefore, failure of the bone marrow (BM) to
produce adequate numbers of lymphocytes may represent the seminal event
that causes the rapid demise of the immune system in ZD.

Experiments are proposed to verify preliminary observations that ZD causes
significant reductions in the total numbers of nucleated stem cells as
well as Initially, proliferation and cycling of precursor cells in the
bone marrow may be altered since Zn is critical to these processes.  As Zn
deficiency progresses, corticosterone (CS) is produced which is known to
cause programmed death of immature thymocytes and may cause apoptosis of
the immature, precursor lymphoid cells of the BM as well.  Experiments are
proposed to determine the role (s) of suboptimal Zn and CS in the
suppression of lymphopoiesis associated with ZD in order to identify the
underlying mechanisms causing lymphopenia.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2196727
- **Project number:** 5R01HD010586-15
- **Recipient organization:** MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** R28EKN92ZTZ9
- **Principal Investigator:** PAMELA Jean FRAKER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $173,104
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1976-12-01 → 1996-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2196727

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2196727, DIETARY ZINC:  ITS EFFECT ON THE IMMUNE RESPONSE (5R01HD010586-15). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2196727. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*