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Dallinger R. Metals and metallothionein evolution in snails: a contribution to the concept of metal-specific functionality from an animal model group. Biometals 2024; 37:671-696. [PMID: 38416244 PMCID: PMC11101346 DOI: 10.1007/s10534-024-00584-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
This is a critical review of what we know so far about the evolution of metallothioneins (MTs) in Gastropoda (snails, whelks, limpets and slugs), an important class of molluscs with over 90,000 known species. Particular attention will be paid to the evolution of snail MTs in relation to the role of some metallic trace elements (cadmium, zinc and copper) and their interaction with MTs, also compared to MTs from other animal phyla. The article also highlights the important distinction, yet close relationship, between the structural and metal-selective binding properties of gastropod MTs and their physiological functionality in the living organism. It appears that in the course of the evolution of Gastropoda, the trace metal cadmium (Cd) must have played an essential role in the development of Cd-selective MT variants. It is shown how the structures and Cd-selective binding properties in the basal gastropod clades have evolved by testing and optimizing different combinations of ancestral and novel MT domains, and how some of these domains have become established in modern and recent gastropod clades. In this context, the question of how adaptation to new habitats and lifestyles has affected the original MT traits in different gastropod lineages will also be addressed. The 3D structures and their metal binding preferences will be highlighted exemplarily in MTs of modern littorinid and helicid snails. Finally, the importance of the different metal requirements and pathways in snail tissues and cells for the shaping and functionality of the respective MT isoforms will be shown.
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Yao S, Moseley HNB. Finding High-Quality Metal Ion-Centric Regions Across the Worldwide Protein Data Bank. Molecules 2019; 24:E3179. [PMID: 31480623 PMCID: PMC6751499 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24173179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
As the number of macromolecular structures in the worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) continues to grow rapidly, more attention is being paid to the quality of its data, especially for use in aggregated structural and dynamics analyses. In this study, we systematically analyzed 3.5 Å regions around all metal ions across all PDB entries with supporting electron density maps available from the PDB in Europe. All resulting metal ion-centric regions were evaluated with respect to four quality-control criteria involving electron density resolution, atom occupancy, symmetry atom exclusion, and regional electron density discrepancy. The resulting list of metal binding sites passing all four criteria possess high regional structural quality and should be beneficial to a wide variety of downstream analyses. This study demonstrates an approach for the pan-PDB evaluation of metal binding site structural quality with respect to underlying X-ray crystallographic experimental data represented in the available electron density maps of proteins. For non-crystallographers in particular, we hope to change the focus and discussion of structural quality from a global evaluation to a regional evaluation, since all structural entries in the wwPDB appear to have both regions of high and low structural quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Yao
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
- Resource Center for Stable Isotope Resolved Metabolomics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Hunter N B Moseley
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
- Resource Center for Stable Isotope Resolved Metabolomics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
- Institute for Biomedical Informatics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
- Center for Clinical and Translational Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
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Palacios Ò, Jiménez-Martí E, Niederwanger M, Gil-Moreno S, Zerbe O, Atrian S, Dallinger R, Capdevila M. Analysis of Metal-Binding Features of the Wild Type and Two Domain-Truncated Mutant Variants of Littorina littorea Metallothionein Reveals Its Cd-Specific Character. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:E1452. [PMID: 28684668 PMCID: PMC5535943 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18071452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
After the resolution of the 3D structure of the Cd₉-aggregate of the Littorina littorea metallothionein (MT), we report here a detailed analysis of the metal binding capabilities of the wild type MT, LlwtMT, and of two truncated mutants lacking either the N-terminal domain, Lltr2MT, or both the N-terminal domain, plus four extra flanking residues (SSVF), Lltr1MT. The recombinant synthesis and in vitro studies of these three proteins revealed that LlwtMT forms unique M₉-LlwtMT complexes with Zn(II) and Cd(II), while yielding a complex mixture of heteronuclear Zn,Cu-LlwtMT species with Cu(I). As expected, the truncated mutants gave rise to unique M₆-LltrMT complexes and Zn,Cu-LltrMT mixtures of lower stoichiometry with respect to LlwtMT, with the SSVF fragment having an influence on their metal binding performance. Our results also revealed a major specificity, and therefore a better metal-coordinating performance of the three proteins for Cd(II) than for Zn(II), although the analysis of the Zn(II)/Cd(II) displacement reaction clearly demonstrates a lack of any type of cooperativity in Cd(II) binding. Contrarily, the analysis of their Cu(I) binding abilities revealed that every LlMT domain is prone to build Cu₄-aggregates, the whole MT working by modules analogously to, as previously described, certain fungal MTs, like those of C. neoformans and T. mesenterica. It is concluded that the Littorina littorea MT is a Cd-specific protein that (beyond its extended binding capacity through an additional Cd-binding domain) confers to Littorina littorea a particular adaptive advantage in its changeable marine habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Òscar Palacios
- Departament de Química, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
| | - Elena Jiménez-Martí
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Michael Niederwanger
- Institute of Zoology and Center of Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Technikerstraße 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Selene Gil-Moreno
- Departament de Química, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
| | - Oliver Zerbe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Sílvia Atrian
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Reinhard Dallinger
- Institute of Zoology and Center of Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Technikerstraße 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Mercè Capdevila
- Departament de Química, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
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Liu M, Qiu W, He X, Zheng L, Song X, Han X, Jiang J, Qiao G, Sang J, Liu M, Zhuo R. Functional Characterization of a Gene in Sedum alfredii Hance Resembling Rubber Elongation Factor Endowed with Functions Associated with Cadmium Tolerance. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:965. [PMID: 27446189 PMCID: PMC4925709 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2015] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Cadmium is a major toxic heavy-metal pollutant considering their bioaccumulation potential and persistence in the environment. The hyperaccumulating ecotype of Sedum alfredii Hance is a Zn/Cd co-hyperaccumulator inhabiting in a region of China with soils rich in Pb/Zn. Investigations into the underlying molecular regulatory mechanisms of Cd tolerance are of substantial interest. Here, library screening for genes related to cadmium tolerance identified a gene resembling the rubber elongation factor gene designated as SaREFl. The heterologous expression of SaREFl rescued the growth of a transformed Cd-sensitive strain (ycf1). Furthermore, SaREFl-expressing Arabidopsis plants were more tolerant to cadmium stress compared with wild type by measuring parameters of root length, fresh weight and physiological indexes. When under four different heavy metal treatments, we found that SaREFl responded most strongly to Cd and the root was the plant organ most sensitive to this heavy metal. Yeast two-hybrid screening of SaREFl as a bait led to the identification of five possible interacting targets in Sedum alfredii Hance. Among them, a gene annotated as prenylated Rab acceptor 1 (PRA1) domain protein was detected with a high frequency. Moreover, subcellular localization of SaREF1-GFP fusion protein revealed some patchy spots in cytosol suggesting potential association with organelles for its cellular functions. Our findings would further enrich the connotation of REF-like genes and provide theoretical assistance for the application in breeding heavy metal-tolerant plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingying Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Chinese Academy of Forestry, BeijingChina
- Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding of Zhejiang Province, The Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, HangzhouChina
| | - Wenming Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Chinese Academy of Forestry, BeijingChina
- Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding of Zhejiang Province, The Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, HangzhouChina
| | - Xuelian He
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Chinese Academy of Forestry, BeijingChina
- Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding of Zhejiang Province, The Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, HangzhouChina
- Biotechnology Research Center of China Three Gorges University, YichangChina
| | - Liu Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Chinese Academy of Forestry, BeijingChina
- Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding of Zhejiang Province, The Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, HangzhouChina
- Biotechnology Research Center of China Three Gorges University, YichangChina
| | - Xixi Song
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Chinese Academy of Forestry, BeijingChina
- Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding of Zhejiang Province, The Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, HangzhouChina
| | - Xiaojiao Han
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Chinese Academy of Forestry, BeijingChina
- Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding of Zhejiang Province, The Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, HangzhouChina
| | - Jing Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Chinese Academy of Forestry, BeijingChina
- Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding of Zhejiang Province, The Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, HangzhouChina
| | - Guirong Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Chinese Academy of Forestry, BeijingChina
- Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding of Zhejiang Province, The Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, HangzhouChina
| | - Jian Sang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Chinese Academy of Forestry, BeijingChina
- Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding of Zhejiang Province, The Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, HangzhouChina
| | - Mingqing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Chinese Academy of Forestry, BeijingChina
- Vocational Secondary Specialized School of Hedong District, LinyiChina
| | - Renying Zhuo
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Chinese Academy of Forestry, BeijingChina
- Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding of Zhejiang Province, The Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, HangzhouChina
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