Review
Plant Sciences
Harmanjit Kaur, Neera Garg
Summary: This review provides a comprehensive overview of the most recent research on zinc phytotoxicity in plants, focusing on the physiological, biochemical, and molecular impacts of high levels of zinc, as well as the mechanisms plants use to cope with zinc stress and the significance of this in agricultural sustainability.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Meenakshi Thakur, Shamima Praveen, Pandurang R. Divte, Raktim Mitra, Mahesh Kumar, Chandan Kumar Gupta, Usha Kalidindi, Ruchi Bansal, Suman Roy, Anjali Anand, Bhupinder Singh
Summary: The increase in technological interventions and urbanization has led to the accumulation of heavy metals in the environment, posing a threat to human health through their entry into the food chain. The issue of restricting heavy metal entry into plant systems and modulating their response is a cause for concern that requires updated knowledge on the regulatory factors involved.
Article
Microbiology
Ildiko Vig, Zsigmond Benko, Barnabas Cs. Gila, Zoltan Palczert, Agnes Jakab, Fruzsina Nagy, Marton Miskei, Mi-Kyung Lee, Jae-Hyuk Yu, Istvan Pocsi, Tamas Emri
Summary: P1B-type ATPases are important Cd2+/Cu2+ pumps in Aspergillus species, and their deletion increases sensitivity to Zn2+, Fe2+, or oxidative stress-induced by menadione sodium bisulfite and Fe3+. Heterologous expression of A. fumigatus PcaA enhances tolerance to Cd(2+) or Zn2+ stress in S. cerevisiae, while CrpA protects against oxidative stress and Fe2+ susceptibility indirectly. These P1B-type ATPases play a crucial role in protecting fungal cells from various stresses and may be potential drug targets.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Kaouthar Feki, Sana Tounsi, Moncef Mrabet, Haythem Mhadhbi, Faical Brini
Summary: The toxicity of metals negatively impacts plants' growth and productivity, leading to various disruptions. Plants employ efficient mechanisms through signaling pathways to combat this stress, involving metal transporters and metal-binding proteins for detoxification. Further research on the molecular basis of metal toxicity and tolerance mechanisms is crucial for genetic engineering to produce transgenic plants that enhance phytoremediation techniques.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tamara Gomez-Gallego, Ascension Valderas, Diederik van Tuinen, Nuria Ferrol
Summary: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can improve plant fitness in metal contaminated soils by regulating gene expression and improving mineral nutrient uptake.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Suraj Kumar Mandal, Satya Gopal Nayak, Shankar Prasad Kanaujia
Summary: Mycobacterium tuberculosis relies on ATP-binding cassette transporters to scavenge essential metal ions for survival within host cells, potentially through a subunit sharing mechanism. The study highlights potential therapeutic targets for future treatments of tuberculosis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2021)
Review
Agronomy
Aseni Navoda Ediriweera, Samantha Chandranath Karunarathna, Pinnaduwage Neelamanie Yapa, Douglas Allen Schaefer, Arani Koshathaki Ranasinghe, Nakarin Suwannarach, Jianchu Xu
Summary: This article reviews the potential of ectomycorrhizal fungi as natural indicators of soil heavy metal pollution, and summarizes the mechanisms by which they meet the criteria for successful bio-indicators.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Manami Chakravorty, Manisha Nanda, Bhawna Bisht, Rohit Sharma, Sanjay Kumar, Abhilasha Mishra, Mikhail S. Vlaskin, P. K. Chauhan, Vinod Kumar
Summary: Microalgae have the potential to be beneficial in resolving various environmental challenges by resisting heavy metals, such as the cost-effective and ecological remediation of contaminated water and the development of bioenergy sources. They can uptake and detoxify heavy metals through mechanisms like biosorption and bioaccumulation, with the assistance of different transporters. Microalgae have been effective in eradicating various heavy metals from the environment, and they can also contribute to the generation of biofuels and the formation of nanoparticles. The review emphasizes the strategies, transporters, and applications of microalgae due to their ability to resist metals.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Xiangyu Li, Xiaolian Li, Xingcai Yang, Chengxiang Lan, Ying Huang, Bin Jia
Summary: Microalgae are promising microorganisms for producing value-added products or developing sustainable environmental remediation approaches. This study investigated the ABC proteins of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and identified 75 CrABCs, classifying them into eight subfamilies. The study provided insights into the evolutionary history and functional roles of CrABCs, supporting their involvement in heavy metal detoxification, lipid metabolism, and environmental adaptation.
Review
Plant Sciences
Xingqi Chen, Yuanchun Zhao, Yuqing Zhong, Jiajia Chen, Xin Qi
Summary: The role of transporters in subcellular metal transport is of great significance for plants in coping with heavy metal stress and maintaining their proper growth and development.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ali Rasouli, Qin Yu, Sepehr Dehghani-Ghahnaviyeh, Po-Chao Wen, Julia Kowal, Kaspar P. Locher, Emad Tajkhorshid
Summary: ABCG2 is an ATP-binding cassette transporter that contributes to multidrug resistance in cancer cells. Cryo-EM structures of ABCG2 in complex with tariquidar reveal two distinct conformations under turnover conditions. Molecular dynamics simulations show the ligand size and lipid interactions play a role in binding stability and substrate recruitment.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vikas Dubey, David L. Stokes, Bjorn Panyella Pedersen, Himanshu Khandelia
Summary: The bacterial KdpFABC transmembrane protein complex is an ion channel-pump hybrid that consumes ATP to import K+ in low external K+ environments. Under high external K+ conditions, KdpFABC must be inhibited to conserve cellular ATP via phosphorylation of residue Ser162. Phosphorylation traps KdpB in an inactive conformation, disrupting secondary structures and key salt bridges.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Anran Liu, Wenjing Wang, Xiaoyan Zheng, Xiancao Chen, Wenting Fu, Gang Wang, Jing Ji, Chao Jin, Chunfeng Guan
Summary: This study investigated the efficiency of using the Cd/Zn-tolerant PGPR strain Bacillus sp. ZC3-2-1 in combination with rice for the remediation of Cd-Zn contaminated soil. The results showed that ZC3-2-1 significantly reduced the bioavailable Cd and Zn concentrations in soil, increased the phytoextraction of Cd2+ and Zn2+ by rice, and improved rice biomass and ion homeostasis. ZC3-2-1 also modulated the beneficial bacterial communities in rice rhizosphere soil, enhancing Cd-Zn immobilization and enzyme activities in soil, and promoting rice growth and phytoremediation efficiency.
Article
Plant Sciences
Muhammad Ahsan Altaf, Yuanyuan Hao, Chengyao He, Muhammad Ali Mumtaz, Huangying Shu, Huizhen Fu, Zhiwei Wang
Summary: Globally, heavy metal pollution of soil has remained a problem for food security and human health. This study characterized the toxicity symptoms of different concentrations of nickel (Ni) on pepper seedlings. The results showed that excess Ni reduced growth and biomass production, affected gas exchange elements and pigment molecules, and disrupted photosystem function. Higher Ni concentrations increased antioxidant enzyme activity and metabolites, but decreased nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus levels. The uptake of Ni was higher in roots than shoots. Ni concentrations equal to or greater than 30 mg L-1 had a detrimental impact on pepper seedlings.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Anais Lamy, Ewerton Macarini-Bruzaferro, Thibaud Dieudonne, Alex Peralvarez-Marin, Guillaume Lenoir, Cedric Montigny, Marc le Maire, Jose Luis Vazquez-Ibar
Summary: Gene targeting approaches have highlighted the essential role of membrane transport proteins in lipid transport and maintenance of lipid asymmetry in the malaria parasite. Specifically, ATP2 has been identified as a crucial target for potential antimalarial drugs. The study reveals that PcATP2 interacts with Plasmodium-encoded Cdc50 proteins and shows ATPase activity in the presence of phospholipids.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2021)