December 6, 2004
Boron is a ubiquitous, naturally occurring element that is a vital micronutrient in people, particularly with regard to bone metabolism. Scientists once assumed boron was passively diffused throughout our bodies without any specialized proteins to maintain its homeostasis. Two years ago, their thinking changed when a team of researchers found a boron-transporting gene in a well-characterized plant species and subsequent work turned up a related gene in mammals. As reported in the November 5, 2004 issue of the journal Molecular Cell, an NIDCR grantee and colleagues provide some of the first scientific evidence to describe how a gene’s protein product actively transports boron to help maintain the needed level of this micronutrient in our cells.