Juggling cadmium detoxification and zinc homeostasis: A division of labour between the two C. elegans metallothioneins.

ABSTRACT: The chemical properties of toxic cadmium and essential zinc are very similar, and organisms require intricate mechanisms that drive selective handling of metals. Previously regarded as unspecific "metal sponges", metallothioneins (MTLs) are emerging as metal selectivity filters. By utilizing C. elegans mtl-1 and mtl-2 knockout strains, metal accumulation in single worms, single copy fluorescent-tagged transgenes, isoform specific qPCR and lifespan studies it was possible to demonstrate that the handling of cadmium and zinc by the two C. elegans metallothioneins differs fundamentally: the MTL-2 protein can handle both zinc and cadmium, but when it becomes unavailable, either via a knockout or by elevated cadmium exposure, MTL-1 takes over zinc handling, leaving MTL-2 to sequester cadmium. T

SUBMITTER: Essig YJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11134313 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature