• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.258-263
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• 1990

A cadmium-binding protein was purified the cell-free extract of extreme cadmium tolerant Hansenula anomala B-7. The molecular weight was determined to be approximately 33, 000 and was composed two kinds of subunits having a molecular weight of 18, 000 and 14, 000, respectively. The extinction coefficient of the cadmium-binding protein was calculated to be 19.58. The amount of cadmium in the cadmium-binding protein was $9.26{\mu}{\textrm{g}}$ per $100{\mu}{\textrm{g}}$ of protein. A total of 14 amino acids were detected in the cadmium-binding protein, including aspartic acid, glycine and alanine that were present in a high quantity, but proline, valine and methionine were not found. The purified cadmium-binding protein contained a high quantity of cysteine and cadmium, and therefore this protein showed clearly the characteristics of metallothionein.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.59-73
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• 1989

To investigate the effect of cadmium and cadmium binding protein on the electron transport system and conformational changes of rat kidney mitochondria, various cadmium concentration were treated in vitro and respiration rate, NADH-CoQ reductase activity were measured. Ultrastructural changes at state IV respiration were also observed. CdBP was isolated from the rat liver by Sephadex G-75 column fractionation and treated in vitro with cadmium. Also mitochondrial state IV respiration rate was measured. When cadmium was treated in vitro, state IV respiration and enzyme activity were decreased and ultrastructural transformation of mitochondria from a condensed to an orthodox conformation was inhibited under state IV respiration. In case cadmium and CdBP were treated together, oxygen consumption was more increased than cadmium only. Conformational changes of mitochondria from a condensed to orthodox conformation were also observed. This indicates that CdBP have a protective effect against cadmium toxicity.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.514-518
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• 2001

We have explored the importance of two ATP binding domains of Hsp104 protein in protection of yeast cells from cadmium exposure. In the previous study we have discovered that the presence of two ATP binding sites was essential in providing heat sh ock protection as well as rescuing cells from oxidative stress. In this paper we first report wild type cell with functional hsp104 gene is more resistant to cadmium stress than hsp104-deleted mutant cell, judging from decrease in survival rates as a result of cadmium exposure. In order to demonstrate functional role of two ATP binding sites in cadmium defense, we have transformed both wild type (SP1) and hyperactivated ras mutant (IR2.5) strains with several plasmids differing in the presence of ATP binding sites. When an extra copy of functional hsp104 gene with both ATP binding sites was overexpressed with GPD-promoter, cells showed increased survival rate against cadmium stress than mutants with ATP binding sites changed. The degree of protection in the presence of two ATP binding sites was similarly observed in ira2-deleted hyperactivated ras mutant, which was more sensitive to oxidative stress than wild type cell. We have concluded that the greater sensitivity to cadmium stress in the absence of two ATP binding sites is attributed to the higher concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by cadmium exposure based on the fluorescence tests. These findings, taken all together, imply that the mechanism by which cadmium put forth toxic effects may be closely associated with the oxidative stress, which is regulated independently of the Ras-cAMP pathway. Our study provides a better understanding of cadmium defense itself and cross-talks between oxidative stress and metal stress, which can be applied to control human diseases due to similar toxic environments.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.217-224
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• 1998

The heavy metal concentrations of seawater collected from the Onsan coastal zone in February and July 1996 and mussels(Mytilus edulis) in February 1997 were analysed. The concentrations of cadmium in seawater were in the range of 0.008-2.988 ${\mu}g/L$, while the ranges of copper and zinc concentrations were 0.08-2.55, and 0.21-35.12 ${\mu}g/L$, respectively. The metal concentrations decreased gradually with increasing distances from Daejeong stream, indicating that this stream was the major source of heavy metal input into the Onsan coastal zone. The concentrations of cadmium, copper and zinc in mussels were in the ranges of 1.40-25.09, 8.5-64.5, and 46.8-291.2 ${\mu}g/g$, respectively. The metal concentrations decreased gradually with increasing distances from Daejeong stream. Among organs of mussels, gill showed the highest concentrations of cadmium and the digestive gland showed the highest concentrations of copper and for zine the kidney showed the highest concentrations. The digestive gland and kidney revealed high proportion of cadmium in cytosolic fraction and the percentage of copper was high in the kidney and that of zine was high in the digestive gland. Metal-binding protein of mussels collected from the mouth of Daejeong stream was separated, using gel-filtration chromatography. In the kidney and gill of mussels, most of cadmium was associated with metal-binding protein. In contrast, most of the metal in the digestive gland and remaining tissues is bound to high molecular weight protein rather than metal-binding protein.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.293-299
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• 2008

To screen the differentially expressed genes in cadmuim-exposed marine medaka fish (Oryzias javanicus), a candidate marine test fish for ecological toxicity, the differential display polymerase chain reaction (DD-PCR) was carried out, since the genome-wide gene expression data are not available in this fish species yet. A total of 35 clones were isolated from cadmium-exposed fish and their nucleotide sequences were analyzed. The differentially expressed gene candidates were categorized to response to stimulus (3); ion binding (3); DNA binding (1); protein binding (6); carbohydrate binding (1); metabolic process (4); biological regulation (3); cellular process (2); protein synthesis (2); catalytic activity (2); sense of sight (1); immune (1); neurohormone (1); signaling activity (1); electron carrier activity (1) and others (3). For real-time quantitative RT-PCR, we selected catalase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, heat shock protein 70, and metallothionein and confirmed that cadmium exposure enhanced induction of these four genes.

• 한국생태학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1999.05a
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• pp.102.1-102.1
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• 1999

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1999.10b
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• pp.138.2-138
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• 1999

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.519-527
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• 1996

To examine the possibility of biomonitoring of heavy metal removal ability and soil, a study was performed to investigate the heavy metal removal ability and metal-binding protein (MBP) as detoxification process using Oenanthe stolonifera. After O. stolonifera was exposed to individuals (cadmium, zinc) and mixture (cadmium+zinc)for 4 days, removal rate of heavy metal and pH in the treatment medium was measured. MBP was assayed by means of ion exchange column chromatography. The exposure to mixture (Cd:76.8%, Zn:75%) rather than individuals (Cd:82.9%, Zn:90.4%) showed a synergism raising the toxic effect. Initial removal rate was different for each heavy metal : in case of exposure to cadmium it was over 60% on day 1, while for zinc it was 75~90% on day 4. Throughout the experimental period, pH value of treatment medium continuously decreased, since cortex in the roots may secret organic acid to adjust and prevent toxicity of metals. The existence or MBP in the 70~80 fraction and the presence of Zn-enzyme pool was ascertained with the column chromatography. This study demonstrated a possibility that heavy utilized as a biomarker of heavy metal pollution.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.337-345
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• 2001

A Cd-binding protein was identified in the renal cytosol of the Antarctic clam Laternula elliptica which naturally contains high concentrations of Cd. The Cd-binding protein showed similar characteristics of metallothionein (MT) in molecular weight (about 10-12 kDa) and low spectral absorbance at 280 nm with relatively high absorbance at 254nm. Results of immuno-histochemical staining suggested that the MT-like Cd-binding protein was mainly located in the epithelial cells of the kidney. The MT-like protein was a major ligand of cytosolic Cd as shown in the elution profiles of chromatography and may play an important role in Cd sequestration and accumulation in L. elliptica kidney. A considerable amount of Cd was also found to be associated with particulate fraction, indicating the sequestration to particulate fraction is as important as binding to the cytosolic MT-like protein in Cd accumulation in the kidney.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2001

Accumulation, elimination and subcellular distribution of heavy metals in Littorina brevicula exposed to cadmium and zinc separately and concurrently were investigated. When the winkles had been exposed to 400 ㎍/L CdCl₂ and 3000 ㎍/l ZnSO₄ separately for 90 days, each of the metal body burden in the whole sofl parts increased in proportion to time of exposure until 70 days. But it didn't increase after 70 days. But when the winkles had been exposed to cadmium and zinc simultaneously, cadmium body burden decreased but zinc body burden increased as compared to the winkles exposed to each of the metal. We also found that cadmium accumulated in the winkles was not depurated for 42 days, but zinc accumulated in them was depurated. Especially, zinc was depurated faster when they had been exposed to mixture of cadmium and zinc. After the winkles had been exposed to cadmium and zinc separately for 70 days, about 60% cadmium of the total body burden was associated with the soluble fraction, while about 75% zinc of the total body burden was associated with insoluble fraction. And these trends of metal partitioning did not alter when the winkles had been exposed to metal mixture. After the soluble fraction applied to gel-filtration chromatography column, the distribution patterns of cadmium and zinc associated with proteins or ligands were different each other. Most of cadmium (＞90%) in the soluble fraction was bound to MBP-1 (Metal-binding protein-1), about 6.5 kDa), while zinc was distributed evenly to HMW (High molecular weight fraction, >60 kDa), MBP-1, MBP-2 (about 5 kDa), LMW (Low molecular weight fraction, <1 kDa).