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Title: Deletion of phytochelatin synthase modulates the metal accumulation pattern of cadmium exposed C. elegans

Abstract

Here, environmental metal pollution is a growing health risk to flora and fauna. It is therefore important to fully elucidate metal detoxification pathways. Phytochelatin synthase (PCS), an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of phytochelatins (PCs), plays an important role in cadmium detoxification. The PCS and PCs are however not restricted to plants, but are also present in some lower metazoans. The model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, for example, contains a fully functional phytochelatin synthase and phytochelatin pathway. By means of a transgenic nematode strain expressing a pcs-1 promoter-tagged GFP (pcs-1::GFP) and a pcs-1 specific qPCR assay, further evidence is presented that the expression of the C. elegans phytochelatin synthase gene (pcs-1) is transcriptionally non-responsive to a chronic (48 h) insult of high levels of zinc (500 μM) or acute (3 h) exposures to high levels of cadmium (300 μM). However, the accumulation of cadmium, but not zinc, is dependent on the pcs-1 status of the nematode. Synchrotron based X-ray fluorescence imaging uncovered that the cadmium body burden increased significantly in the pcs-1(tm1748) knockout allele. Taken together, this suggests that whilst the transcription of pcs-1 may not be mediated by an exposure zinc or cadmium, it is nevertheless an integral part ofmore » the cadmium detoxification pathway in C. elegans.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [1]
  1. King's College London, London (United Kingdom)
  2. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1240007
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC03-76SF00515
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Online)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Online); Journal Volume: 17; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 1422-0067
Publisher:
MDPI
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; C. elegans; nematode; phytochelatin synthase; X-ray fluorescence microscopy

Citation Formats

Essig, Yona J., Webb, Samuel M., and Stürzenbaum, Stephen R. Deletion of phytochelatin synthase modulates the metal accumulation pattern of cadmium exposed C. elegans. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.3390/ijms17020257.
Essig, Yona J., Webb, Samuel M., & Stürzenbaum, Stephen R. Deletion of phytochelatin synthase modulates the metal accumulation pattern of cadmium exposed C. elegans. United States. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17020257
Essig, Yona J., Webb, Samuel M., and Stürzenbaum, Stephen R. Fri . "Deletion of phytochelatin synthase modulates the metal accumulation pattern of cadmium exposed C. elegans". United States. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17020257. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1240007.
@article{osti_1240007,
title = {Deletion of phytochelatin synthase modulates the metal accumulation pattern of cadmium exposed C. elegans},
author = {Essig, Yona J. and Webb, Samuel M. and Stürzenbaum, Stephen R.},
abstractNote = {Here, environmental metal pollution is a growing health risk to flora and fauna. It is therefore important to fully elucidate metal detoxification pathways. Phytochelatin synthase (PCS), an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of phytochelatins (PCs), plays an important role in cadmium detoxification. The PCS and PCs are however not restricted to plants, but are also present in some lower metazoans. The model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, for example, contains a fully functional phytochelatin synthase and phytochelatin pathway. By means of a transgenic nematode strain expressing a pcs-1 promoter-tagged GFP (pcs-1::GFP) and a pcs-1 specific qPCR assay, further evidence is presented that the expression of the C. elegans phytochelatin synthase gene (pcs-1) is transcriptionally non-responsive to a chronic (48 h) insult of high levels of zinc (500 μM) or acute (3 h) exposures to high levels of cadmium (300 μM). However, the accumulation of cadmium, but not zinc, is dependent on the pcs-1 status of the nematode. Synchrotron based X-ray fluorescence imaging uncovered that the cadmium body burden increased significantly in the pcs-1(tm1748) knockout allele. Taken together, this suggests that whilst the transcription of pcs-1 may not be mediated by an exposure zinc or cadmium, it is nevertheless an integral part of the cadmium detoxification pathway in C. elegans.},
doi = {10.3390/ijms17020257},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Online)},
number = 2,
volume = 17,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Feb 19 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Fri Feb 19 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}

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Cited by: 12 works
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Works referenced in this record:

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Works referencing / citing this record:

Molecular genetic and biochemical characterization of a putative family of zinc metalloproteins in Caenorhabditis elegans
journal, January 2018

  • Chaudhuri, Poulami; Imam, Hasan Tanvir; Essig, Yona
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Orchestration of dynamic copper navigation – new and missing pieces
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