In this paper, the effect of Ni on the formation of Cu6Sn5 and Cu3Sn intermetallics between tin and (Cu,Ni)-substrates has been studied by making use of the thermodynamic assessment of the Sn-Cu-Ni system. The driving forces for the diffusion of the elements in the intermetallic layers were calculated as a function of Ni-content. Assuming constant mobilities of component atoms, the results sugg...

Copper (Cu) is a cofactor in proteins that are involved in electron transfer reactions and is an essential micronutrient for plants. Copper delivery is accomplished by the concerted action of a set of evolutionarily conserved transporters and metallochaperones. As a result of regulation of transporters in the root and the rarity of natural soils with high Cu levels, very few plants in nature wi...

doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3054.2006.00809.x Among the Arabidopsis thaliana accessions Columbia (Col), Landsberg erecta (Ler), and Wassilewskija (Ws), Ler and Ws showed higher copper (Cu) tolerance than Col, while accumulating more Cu. Thus, Cu tolerance did not appear to be related to metal exclusion. Rather, the higher Cu tolerance of Ler and Ws may reflect less Cu-induced nutrient deficiency as the...

The copper-transporting P-type ATPases (Cu-ATPases), ATP7A and ATP7B, are essential for the regulation of intracellular copper homeostasis. In this report we describe new roles for glutathione (GSH) and glutaredoxin1 (GRX1) in Cu homeostasis through their regulation of Cu-ATPase activity. GRX1 is a thiol oxidoreductase that catalyzes the reversible reduction of GSH-mixed disulfides to their res...

Divalent metal transporter #1 (DMT1) is responsible for intestinal nonheme Fe apical uptake. However, DMT1 appears to have an additional function in Cu transport in intestinal cells. Because the liver has an essential role in body Cu homeostasis, we examined the potential involvement of Cu in the regulation of DMT1 expression and activity in Hep-G2 cells. Cells exposed to 10 microM Cu exhibited...

In order to examine the effect of salinity on Cu accumulation from a naturally incorporated diet, oysters (Crassostrea virginica) were exposed in sea water for 96 days to four waterborne [Cu]: 2.9+/-0.7 (control), 4.3+/-0.6, 5.4+/-0.5, and 10.7+/-1.0 microg L(-1). After 96 days, the control whole body [Cu] increased from 2.1+/-0.5 to 9.1+/-1.1 microg g(-1) w.w. and the highest [Cu] was 163.4+/-...

Copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) are components in numerous commercial products, but little is known about their potential hazard in the marine environments. In this study the effects of Cu-NPs and soluble Cu on juvenile Epinephelus coioides were investigated. The fish were exposed in triplicate to control, 20 or 100 µg Cu L(-1) as either copper sulphate (CuSO4) or Cu-NPs for 25 days. The growth p...

We examined the influence of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on the bioavailability of waterborne Cu to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) during chronic sublethal exposure. Juvenile rainbow trout were exposed to Cu (as CuSO(4)) and DOC as humic acid (HA, as sodium salt) for one month in synthetic soft water to give treatments with varying combinations of free ionic and HA complexed Cu. The tot...

Micronized and nano-copper (Cu)-based and arsenic and chromium-free systems have received much attention for wood protection in recent years. Because they have different fixation, and micro-distribution properties, such copper systems may be more or less subject to release using known remediation methods than soluble forms of Cu. This study evaluated Cu recovery from wood treated with micronize...

Iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) homeostasis are tightly linked across biology. Understanding crosstalk between Fe and Cu nutrition could lead to strategies for improved growth on soils with low or excess metals, with implications for agriculture and phytoremediation. Here, we show that Cu and Fe nutrition interact to increase or decrease Fe and/or Cu accumulation in leaves and Fe uptake processes. Le...