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His-containing plant metallothioneins: comparative study of divalent metal-ion binding by plant MT3 and MT4 isoforms

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Abstract

Metallothioneins (MTs) are a superfamily of Cys-rich, low-molecular weight metalloproteins that bind heavy metal ions. These cytosolic metallopeptides, which exist in most living organisms, are thought to be involved in metal homeostasis, metal detoxification, and oxidative stress protection. In this work, we characterise the Zn(II)- and Cd(II)-binding abilities of plant type 3 and type 4 MTs identified in soybean and sunflower, both of them being His-containing peptides. The recombinant metal-MT complexes synthesised in Zn(II) or Cd(II)-enriched Escherichia coli cultures have been analysed by ESI-MS, and CD, ICP-AES, and UV spectroscopies. His-to-Ala type 3 MT mutants have also been constructed and synthesised for the study of the role of His in divalent metal ion coordination. The results show comparable divalent metal-binding capacities for the MTs of type 3, and suggest, for the first time, the participation of their conserved C-term His residues in metal binding. Interesting features for the Zn(II)-binding abilities of type 4 MTs are also reported, as their variable His content may be considered crucial for their biological performance.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Grants BIO2012-39682-C02-01 (to SA) and 02 (to MC), which are co-financed by the European Union through the FEDER program, and from CONICET (Argentina) PIP 2011-2013 0061 (to MAP). Authors from both Barcelona universities are members of the 2009SGR-1457 Grup de Recerca de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Cooperation with Argentina was financed by the “Acción Integrada” Grant AR2009-0011 (Spain) and ES09/02 (Argentina). We thank the Centres Científics i Tecnològics (CCiT) de la Universitat de Barcelona (ICP-AES, DNA sequencing) and the Servei d’Anàlisi Química (SAQ) de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (CD, UV–Vis, ESI-MS) for allocating instrument time.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament de Química, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08093, Barcelona, Spain

    Mireia Tomas, Mercè Capdevila & Roger Bofill

  2. Centro de Estudios Fotosintéticos y Bioquímicos, CONICET, Suipacha 531, 2000, Rosario, Argentina

    María Ayelen Pagani & Carlos S. Andreo

  3. Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Mireia Tomas & Sílvia Atrian

Authors
  1. Mireia Tomas
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  2. María Ayelen Pagani
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  3. Carlos S. Andreo
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  4. Mercè Capdevila
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  5. Roger Bofill
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  6. Sílvia Atrian
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Correspondence to Sílvia Atrian.

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Tomas, M., Pagani, M.A., Andreo, C.S. et al. His-containing plant metallothioneins: comparative study of divalent metal-ion binding by plant MT3 and MT4 isoforms. J Biol Inorg Chem 19, 1149–1164 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00775-014-1170-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00775-014-1170-1

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