Agricultural and Life Sciences (IFAS)
Cousins Lab
Led by Robert Cousins · Food Science and Human Nutrition
What we study
The Cousins Lab studies zinc and metal transporters in nutrition. A recent student project compares normal and Zip14-knockout mouse lungs, with and without inflammation; papers cover Zip14 and ZIP10 in the gut and blood.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Mice
- Coding helps
- Project
- 1
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Impact Of Zinc Deficiency On Zinc-Dependent Enzymes and Lung Inflammation
This study investigates how removing the zinc transporter Zip14 from mice lungs affects zinc‑related enzymes and inflammation. Researchers compare wild‑type and knockout mice, with and without an inflammatory trigger, using PCR and protein analysis to see changes in lung function.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 481
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Nutrigenomic profiling identifies ZIP10 ( SLC39A10 ) as a regulator of erythroid zinc homeostasis with genetic associations to anemia risk
2026 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Shows how zinc transporter ZIP10 affects blood cell production and anemia risk.
- Zip14 (Slc39a14) metal transporter dysfunction leads to Akkermansia dysbiosis and inflammation in intestinal epithelium via epigenetic changes
2026 · Gut Microbes
Shows Zip14 zinc transporter problems cause gut bacteria and inflammation.
Show 3 more papersShow fewer
- Deletion of metal transporter Zip14 reduces major histocompatibility complex II expression in murine small intestinal epithelial cells
2024 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Finds that deleting zinc transporter Zip14 lowers immune markers in gut cells.
- Zip14 ablation modulates HDAC activity through zinc transport in intestinal epithelial cells
2023 · Physiology
Tests whether zinc transporter Zip14 affects gut inflammation through HDAC activity.
- Enterocyte-specific deletion of metal transporter Zip14 (Slc39a14) alters intestinal homeostasis through epigenetic mechanisms
2022 · American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology
Shows how zinc transporter Zip14 affects gut health through epigenetic changes.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
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