BACKGROUND Rice is the primary source of food for billions of people in developing countries, yet the commonly consumed polished grain contains insufficient levels of the key micronutrients iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and Vitamin A to meet daily dietary requirements. Experts estimate that a rice-based diet should contain 14.5 µg g(-1) Fe in endosperm, the main constituent of polished grain, but breedi...

Iron (Fe) is one of the essential mineral elements for plant growth and development. Acquisition of Fe by plants is mediated by a complex network involving Fe mobilization, uptake by root cells, and transport within plants. Here, we evaluated the role of a previously clarified gene encoding a receptor-like protein from rice, OsRMC, in the regulation of Fe acquisition by comparing Fe concentrati...

Distinct layers of iron(III) and manganese(IV) (Fe/Mn) oxides are found buried within the reducing part of the sediments in Lake Baikal and cause considerable complexity and steep vertical gradients with respect to the redox sequence. For the on-site investigation of the responsible biogeochemical processes, we applied filter tube samplers for the extraction of sediment porewater combined with ...

BACKGROUND Manganese (Mn) is widely used in industries including the manufacture of Mn-iron (Fe) alloy. Occupational Mn overexposure causes manganism. Mn is known to affect Fe metabolism; this study was designed to test the hypothesis that workers exposed to Mn may have an altered expression of mRNAs encoding proteins in Fe metabolism. METHODS Workers occupationally exposed to Mn (n = 71) fro...

The preparation, crystal structures and magnetic properties of the heterobimetallic complexes of formula [Mn(III)(n-MeOsalen)(H(2)O)(mu-CN)Fe(III)(bpym)(CN)(3)]·mH(2)O with n = m = 3 (1) and n = 4 and m = 2 (2) [n-MeOsalen(2-) = N,N'-ethylenebis(n-methoxysalicylideneiminate) dianion and bpym = 2,2'-bipyrimidine] are reported. 1 and 2 are dinuclear neutral species where the cyano-bearing low-spi...

Our previous studies show that manganese (Mn) exposure inhibits aconitase, an enzyme regulating the proteins responsible for cellular iron (Fe) equilibrium. This study was performed to investigate whether Mn intoxication leads to an altered cellular Fe homeostasis in cultured neuronal or neuroglial cells as a result of disrupted Fe regulation. Our results reveal a significant increase in the ex...

Manganese (Mn(2+)) neurotoxicity from occupational exposure is well documented to result in a Parkinson-like syndrome. Although the understanding of Mn(2+) cytotoxicity is still incomplete, both Mn(2+) and Fe(2+) can be transported via the divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), suggesting that competitive uptake might disrupt Fe(2+) homeostasis. Here, we found that DMT1 overexpression significant...