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Evolutionary mode of metallothioneins inferred fromCd-MT genes ofTetrahymena

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Wuhan University Journal of Natural Sciences

Abstract

FromTetrahymena thermophila (strain BF5), the coding region ofCd-MT gene was cloned and sequenced, and identified as MTTI isoform. A serial duplicate structure is discovered in its amino acid sequence, which separates the coding region into three parts (Part 1: 7–61: Part 2: 64–118; Part 3: 122–162). The alignments among them and comparison with the corresponding parts of MT1 isoform suggest that MT1 and MTT1 isoforms both come from the same ancient gene that is homologous to Part 1, and Cd-MTs ofTetrahymena are aroused by such ancient gene duplication. The prediction of secondary structures and the analysis of the disulfide-bonding state of cysteine show that there are a lot of differences between MT1 and MTT1 isoforms, which maybe relate to their function mechanism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 430072, Wuhan, Hubei, China

    Wan Ming-liang, Feng Wei-song & Miao Wei

  2. Institute for Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China

    Wong Ming-hong

Authors
  1. Wan Ming-liang
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  2. Feng Wei-song
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  3. Miao Wei
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  4. Wong Ming-hong
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Wan Ming-liang or Miao Wei.

Additional information

Foundation item: Supported by KSCX of Chinese Academy of Sciences Grant (SW-102) and the Allocation from the Earmaarked Grant for Hong Kong.

Biography: WAN Mingliang (1980-). male, Ph. D. candidate, research direction: molecular ecotoxicology of protozoan.

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Ming-liang, W., Wei-song, F., Wei, M. et al. Evolutionary mode of metallothioneins inferred fromCd-MT genes ofTetrahymena . Wuhan Univ. J. Nat. Sci. 10, 925–930 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02832440

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02832440

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