Cadmium (Cd) is a nonessential microelement and low concentration Cd2+ has strong toxicity to plant growth. Plant metallothioneins, a class of low molecular, cystein(Cys)-rich and heavy-metal binding proteins, play an important role in both metal chaperoning and scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with their large number of cysteine residues and therefore, protect plants from oxidative ...

The removal of Cd2+, Zn2+ and Ni2+ by coal bottom ash has been investigated. In single metal system, metal uptake was studied in batch adsorption experiments as a function of pH (2–3), contact time (5–180 min), initial metal concentration (50–400 mg/L), adsorbent concentration (5–40 g/L), particle size, and ionic strength (0–1 M NaCl). Removal percentages of metals ions increased with increasin...

The effects of Cd2+ on putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd), and spermine (Spm) titers were studied in oat and bean leaves. Treatment with Cd2+ for up to 16 hours in the light or dark resulted in a large increase in Put titer, but had little or no effect on Spd or Spm. The activity of arginine decarboxylase (ADC) followed the pattern of Put accumulation, and experiments with alpha-difluoromethy...

Some environmental pollutants, including cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn), can act as endocrine disruptors in fish, either in vivo or through a direct action on steroidogenic cells, as has been demonstrated in vitro. We have previously characterized Cd uptake in head kidney (homologue of mammalian adrenal) cells of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and have provided evidence for a Cd/Ca interaction...

The complexation of Cd2+ by diallyl disulfide (DADS) and diallyl sulfide (DAS) has been studied by differential pulse voltammetry. Stability constants, (log β), of the 1:1 (PbL) and 1:2 (PbL2) complexes, where L = ligand, were found to be in the range of ca. 5.8 - 6.2 and 9.6 -10.6, respectively. Complex formation is accompanied with a significant decrease in the peak current and the shift of t...

Soil fertility is determined by biological diversity at all levels of life, from genes to entire biocenoses. The aim this study was evaluate bacterial in soil contaminated with Cd2+, Co2+ and Ni2+ sown Brassica napus. This an important consideration because soil-dwelling microorganisms support phytoremediation minimize the adverse effects heavy metals on environment. Microbial counts, influence...

Neuronal growth-inhibitory factor (GIF), a central-nervous-system-specific metallothionein-like protein, has been isolated by means of an improved isolation procedure from bovine brain. The native protein contains 4-5 Cu+ and 2-2.5 Zn2+, which results in an overall stoichiometry of 6-7 mol metal ions/mol protein. Native Cu, ZN-GIF and the Zn2+ -substituted and Cd2+-substituted metalloforms have...

Cytochrome b (cyt b) gene complete sequences (1143bp) of Takydromus sylvaticus were sequenced. In order to clarify the phylogenetic position of the Takydromus sylvaticus, we investigated the phylogeny of 15 Takydromus spp. distributed in East-Asia by Maximum Parsimony (MP), Bayesian Inference (BI), and Maximum Likelihood (ML) methods using DNA fragments of cyt b genes. The results supported tha...