Both nickel and cadmium compounds have been established as group I carcinogens for several decades. Despite over-whelming evidence of these compounds' carcinogenicity in humans, the specific underlying molecular mechanisms that govern metal induced cellular transformation remain unclear. In this study, we found that there were slightly different effects on decreased SLBP mRNA and protein as wel...

Arsenic is commonly present in the natural environment and is also used as a feed additive for animal production. Poultry is a major reservoir for Campylobacter jejuni, a major food-borne human pathogen causing gastroenteritis. It has been shown that Campylobacter isolates from poultry are highly resistant to arsenic compounds, but the molecular mechanisms responsible for the resistance have no...

Both genotoxic and non-genotoxic chemicals can act as carcinogens. However, while genotoxic compounds lead directly to mutations that promote unregulated cell growth, the mechanism by which non-genotoxic carcinogens lead to cellular transformation is poorly understood. Using a model non-genotoxic carcinogen, arsenic, we show here that exposure to arsenic inhibits mismatch repair (MMR) in human ...

Adaptation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to arsenic stress is mediated through the activation of arsenic detoxification machinery by the Yap8 transcription factor. Yap8 is targeted by the ubiquitin proteasome system for degradation under physiological conditions, yet it escapes proteolysis in arsenic-injured cells by a mechanism that remains to be elucidated. Here, we show that Ufd2, an E4-...

Arsenic-containing lipids in the oil from the blue whiting fish (Micromesistius poutassou) were separated into three broad polarity groups and investigated by HPLC and mass spectrometry. A total of 11 arsenolipids including 4 new compounds were identified. The polar lipid fraction constituting 24% of the total arsenolipid content (which totalled 2.16 μg As/g) contained four known dimethylarsino...

1066 C RE D IT S: (T O P TO B O TT O M ) PA V EL R A H M A N /A P; D .M A C K EN Z IE CAMBRIDGE, U.K.—The British Geological Survey (BGS) is girding for a court battle over claims that it could have averted a wave of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh over the past decade. A High Court judge in London last week gave the go-ahead for a trial pitting two Bangladeshi residents against BGS’s parent bo...

The amount of phosphate and arsenic in the marine environment is an important indicator for water quality. Phosphate is an essential nutrient to marine organisms, but elevated concentrations can lead to eutrophication, while even low concentrations of arsenic can be toxic to organisms. Since chemical properties and speciation of arsenic and phosphate in aquatic environments is similar, arsenate...

Arsenic is an environmental toxin that enhances the carcinogenic effect of DNA-damaging agents, such as ultraviolet radiation and benzo[a]pyrene. Interaction with zinc finger proteins has been shown to be an important molecular mechanism for arsenic toxicity and cocarcinogenesis. Arsenicals such as arsenite, arsenic trioxide (ATO), and monomethylarsonous acid (MMA(III)) have been reported to in...

The presence of potentially toxic elements and compounds in foodstuffs is of intense public interest, and so food producers as well as regulators require rapid, reliable screening methods to accurately determine the levels of such contaminants in food and drink. In the case of arsenic (As), concentration levels in foods may be increased through the historical use of As-containing agrochemicals ...

Lipid-soluble arsenicals (arsenolipids) occur in a wide range of biological samples where they may play a key role in the biosynthesis of organoarsenic compounds from inorganic arsenic. The study of these compounds has been hindered, however, by the lack of a suitable analytical technique able to separate and measure the various lipid species. As a source of arsenolipids, we used 10 crude fish ...