(Rice University) Using computer simulations and lab experiments, physical biochemists at Rice University have discovered how a small genetic mutation that's known to cause Wilson disease subtly changes the structure of a large, complex protein the body uses to keep copper from building up to toxic levels.

The new study is available online from the Journal of Molecular Biology. Wilson disease, which affects about 150,000 people worldwide, is a genetic disorder that alters the copper-regulating protein.