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The eukaryotic diatoms are unicellular algae. They are well known for their filigree micro- and nanostructured cell walls which mainly consist of amorphous silica as well as various organic compounds. However, diatoms are also known to incorporate certain amounts of aluminium into their cell walls. Unexpectedly, enhanced Al concentrations in the Southern Yellow Sea were found to be correlated with...
Lactoferrin is a member of the transferrin family of iron-binding proteins with a number of properties, including antibacterial activity against a broad spectrum of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. bovine lactoferrin cDNA was isolated, cloned and expressed as a fusion protein. The amino acid sequence of the fusion was analyzed and compared with other species. Crystallographic data were used...
In manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI), the paramagnetic divalent ion of manganese (Mn2+) is injected into animals to generate tissue contrast, typically at much higher exposures than have been previously used in studies of Mn toxicity. Here we investigate the effect of these injections on the homeostasis of the transition metals iron and copper in mice to see if there are disruptions...
The purpose of this study was the evaluation of two different temperatures on antibacterial activity of the biosynthesized silver nanoparticles. 38 silver nanoparticles-producing bacteria were isolated from soil and identified. Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles by these bacteria was verified through visible light spectrophotometry. Two strains were relatively active for production of silver nanoparticles...
The effects of increasing concentrations of nickel sulfate, NiSO4 (200 and 400 μM) in the growth medium on the content of starch and sugars and activity levels of enzymes involved in starch and sugar metabolism were examined in seedlings of the two Indica rice cvs. Malviya-36 and Pant-12. During a 5–20 day growth period of seedlings in sand cultures, with Ni treatment, no definite pattern of alteration...
Cyclophosphamide (CYC) is a known chemotherapeutic drug used widely for the treatment of leukemias, lymphomas and some solid tumors. Copper is an essential constituent of chromatin and its level is usually elevated in various malignancies. Combined modality chemotherapy involves the use of drug with other components for cancer treatment, such as radiation therapy or surgery. Photosensitizer anticancer...
Nickel is an ubiquitous transition metal that is industrially applied in many forms, which inevitably leads to a high degree of occupational and environmental exposure. Over-exposure to nickel can produce a variety of adverse effects on human health, including allergy and lung and nasal cancers. In the present study, it is demonstrated, for the first time, that nickel [(Ni(II)] (as a nickel nitrate...
Mithramycin (Mith) forms a drug-metal complex with a 2:1 stoichiometry by chelation with a Ni(II) ion, which was determined using circular dichroism spectroscopy. Mith exhibits an increased affinity (~55 fold) for Ni(II) in the presence of DNA compared to the absence of DNA, suggesting that DNA acts as an effective template to facilitate chelation. Also, we characterized the DNA-acting properties...
The interactions of toxic metals with essential metals may result in disturbances in the homeostasis of essential elements. However, there are few reports about toxic effect of arsenic (As) on the levels of essential trace elements in the central nervous system. To investigate whether subchronic exposure to As disturbs levels of main essential trace elements in the brain of mice and whether the gender...
Lanthanum chloride (LaCl3) can affect neurobehavioral development and impair cognitive abilities. The mechanism underlying LaCl3-induced neurotoxic effects is still unknown. The purpose of this research was to investigate the neuronal impairment induced by LaCl3 and discuss the possible mechanism from the aspects of the alteration of glutamate level, intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i),...
A series of simple copper N2S2 macrocycles were examined for their potential as biological redox sensors, following previous characterization of their redox potentials and crystal structures. The divalent species were reduced by glutathione or ascorbate at a biologically relevant pH in aqueous buffer. A less efficient reduction was also achieved by vitamin E in DMSO. Oxidation of the corresponding...
The E-cadherin/β-catenin complex is a structural component of adherens-type junctions in epithelial cells. Moreover, β-catenin acts as an intracellular signaling molecule that can influence the expression of a variety of genes that regulate apoptosis and cell cycle control. Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental toxicant that causes renal dysfunction and disrupts cadherin-dependent cell–cell adhesion in...
Intradiol dioxygenase are iron-containing enzymes involved in the bacterial degradation of natural and xenobiotic aromatic compounds. The wild-type and mutants forms of catechol 1,2-dioxygenase Iso B from Acinetobacter radioresistens LMG S13 have been investigated in order to get an insight on the structure–function relationships within this system. 4K CW-EPR spectroscopy highlighted different oxygen...
Changes of the pico- to nanomolar concentration of free intracellular Zn2+ are part of the signal transduction in mammalian cells. These zinc signals regulate the enzymatic activity of target proteins such as protein tyrosine phosphatases. For Escherichia coli, previous studies have reported diverging concentrations from femto- to picomolar, raising the question if Zn2+ could also have a function...
Cisplatin is one of the most active cytotoxic agents used in the treatment of cancer. However, cisplatin therapy is also associated with severe side effects like nephrotoxicity and genotoxicity. Free oxygen radicals are known to play a major role in cisplatin induced toxicities. Selenium is believed to be an important trace element and dietary antioxidant because of its ability to scavenge free oxygen...
Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a problem world-wide. Current methods for assessing Zn status are limited to measuring plasma or serum Zn within populations suspected of deficiency. Despite the high prevalence of Zn deficiency in the human population there are no methods currently available for sensitively assessing Zn status among individuals. The purpose of this research was to utilize a proteomic approach...
Integrity of the airway epithelium (AE) is important in the context of inhaled allergens and noxious substances, particularly during asthma-related airway inflammation where there is increased vulnerability of the AE to cell death. Apoptosis involves a number of signaling pathways which activate procaspases leading to cleavage of critical substrates. Understanding the factors which regulate AE caspases...
The Rhizobia are a group of free-living soil bacteria known for their ability to symbiotically infect the roots of specific host plants as well as to produce siderophores in order to compete with other microorganisms for the limited availability of iron in the rhizosphere. In this study, Rhizobium leguminosarum ATCC 14479, which preferentially infects the red clover Trifolium pratense, was found to...
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