Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
Volume 158, Issue 5, Pages 1689-1695Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2009.11.022
Keywords
cDNA; Collembola; Gene expression; Metallothionein; Oxidative stress
Categories
Funding
- Ministry of Environment, Japan. Expression
- NIRS
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The gene expression of environmental organisms is useful as a biomarker of environmental pollution. One of its advantages is high sensitivity. We identified the cDNA of a novel cadmium-responsive gene in the soil collembolan Folsomia candida. The deduced protein, designated metallothionein-like motif containing protein (MTC), was cysteine-rich and contained a metallothionein-like motif with similarity to metallothionein, but had a much longer sequence than metallothionein and contained repeated sequences of amino acids. Expression of MTC mRNA was sensitively induced by cadmium exposure at 0.3 mg/kg of dry food, a concentration at which toxic effects are not observed, but expression was not affected by gamma-ray exposure (an inducer of oxidative stress). These findings suggest that MTC is involved in cadmium-binding processes rather than in oxidative-stress responses. In conclusion, we suggest that gene expression of MTC may be a candidate biomarker for detecting low levels of cadmium contamination in soil. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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