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Type 1 metallothionein (ZjMT) is responsible for heavy metal tolerance in Ziziphus jujuba

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Abstract

Metallothioneins (MTs) are a family of low molecular weight, cysteine-rich, metal-binding proteins that are able to make cells to uptake heavy metals from the environment. Molecular and functional characterization of this gene family improves understanding of the mechanisms underlying heavy metal tolerance in higher organisms. In this study, a cDNA clone, encoding 74-a.a. metallothionein type 1 protein (ZjMT), was isolated from the cDNA library of Ziziphus jujuba. At the N- and C-terminals of the deduced amino acid sequence of ZjMT, six cysteine residues were arranged in a CXCXXXCXCXXXCXC and CXCXXXCXCXXCXC structure, respectively, indicating that ZjMT is a type 1 MT. Quantitative PCR analysis of plants subjected to cadmium stress showed enhanced expression of ZjMT gene in Z. jujuba within 24 h upon Cd exposure. Escherichia coli cells expressing ZjMT exhibited enhanced metal tolerance and higher accumulation of metal ions compared with control cells. The results indicate that ZjMT contributes to the detoxification of metal ions and provides marked tolerance against metal stresses. Therefore, ZjMT may be a potential candidate for tolerance enhancement in vulnerable plants to heavy metal stress and E. coli cells containing the ZjMT gene may be applied to adsorb heavy metals in polluted wastewater.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, 030024, Taiyuan, China

    Lan-Song Li & Xu-Guang Liu

  2. Biotechnology Research Center, Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 030031, Taiyuan, China

    Lan-Song Li, Yu-Ping Meng, Qiu-Fen Cao, Fan Wang & Shu-Biao Wu

  3. Taiyuan University of Technology, Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials, Ministry of Education, 030024, Taiyuan, China

    Qiu-Fen Cao, Yong-Zhen Yang, Hu-Sheng Jia & Xu-Guang Liu

  4. University of New England, School of Environmental and Rural Science, NSW 2351, Armidale, Australia

    Shu-Biao Wu

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  1. Lan-Song Li
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Originally published in Biochemistry (Moscow) On-Line Papers in Press, as Manuscript BM15-377, March 27, 2016.

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Li, LS., Meng, YP., Cao, QF. et al. Type 1 metallothionein (ZjMT) is responsible for heavy metal tolerance in Ziziphus jujuba . Biochemistry Moscow 81, 565–573 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1134/S000629791606002X

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