Metallomics Blog

Take a look at our selected HOT articles just published in Metallomics: these papers will be free to read for the next four weeks. Enjoy!

An integrative computational model for large-scale identification of metalloproteins in microbial genomes: a focus on iron–sulfur cluster proteins
Johan Estellon, Sandrine Ollagnier de Choudens, Myriam Smadja, Marc Fontecave and Yves Vandenbrouck
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00156G, Paper

Metal binding properties of the zinc finger metallome – insights into variations in stability
Anna Miłoch and Artur Krężel
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00149D, Paper

Intracellular reduction/activation of a disulfide switch in thiosemicarbazone iron chelators
Eman A. Akam, Tsuhen M. Chang, Andrei V. Astashkin and Elisa Tomat
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00153B, Paper

Copper-dependent and -independent hypoxia-inducible factor-1 regulation of gene expression
Zhen Zhang, Liying Qiu, Chen Lin, Hong Yang, Haiying Fu, Rui Li and Y. James Kang
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00052H, Paper

Evaluation of Fe uptake and translocation in transgenic and non-transgenic soybean plants using enriched stable 57Fe as a tracer
Silvana R. Oliveira, Amauri A. Menegário and Marco A. Z. Arruda
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00162A, Paper

The cation diffusion facilitator protein EmfA of Rhizobium etli belongs to a novel subfamily of Mn2+/Fe2+ transporters conserved in α-proteobacteria
Ciro Cubillas, Pablo Vinuesa, Maria Luisa Tabche, Araceli Dávalos, Alejandra Vázquez, Ismael Hernández-Lucas, David Romero and Alejandro García-de los Santos
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00135D, Paper

Take a look at our selected HOT articles just published in Metallomics: these papers will be free to read for the next four weeks. Enjoy!

Imaging of intracellular metal partitioning in marine diatoms exposed to metal pollution: consequences to cellular toxicity and metal fate in the environment
Rita M. Godinho, Maria Teresa Cabrita, Luís C. Alves and Teresa Pinheiro  
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00105B, Paper

A dual-targeting, apoptosis-inducing organometallic half-sandwich iridium anticancer complex
Vojtech Novohradsky, Lenka Zerzankova, Jana Stepankova, Anna Kisova, Hana Kostrhunova, Zhe Liu, Peter J. Sadler, Jana Kasparkova and Viktor Brabec 
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00112E, Paper

Quantitative bioimaging by LA-ICP-MS: a methodological study on the distribution of Pt and Ru in viscera originating from cisplatin- and KP1339-treated mice
Alexander E. Egger, Sarah Theiner, Christoph Kornauth, Petra Heffeter, Walter Berger, Bernhard K. Keppler and Christian G. Hartinger 
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00072B, Paper

Ruthenium polypyridyl complexes as inducer of ROS-mediated apoptosis in cancer cells by targeting thioredoxin reductase
Zuandi Luo, Lianling Yu, Fang Yang, Zhennan Zhao, Bo Yu, Haoqiang Lai, Ka-Hing Wong, Sai-Ming Ngai, Wenjie Zheng and Tianfeng Chen 
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00044G, Paper

A comprehensive biological insight of trinuclear copper(II)–tin(IV) chemotherapeutic anticancer drug entity: in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo systemic toxicity studies
Yusra Zaidi, Farukh Arjmand, Nida Zaidi, Jawed Ahmad Usmani, Haseeb Zubair, Kafil Akhtar, Mobarak Hossain and G. G. H. A. Shadab 
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00035H, Paper

XAS and XFM studies of selenium and copper speciation and distribution in the kidneys of selenite-supplemented rats
Claire M. Weekley, Anu Shanu, Jade B. Aitken, Stefan Vogt, Paul K. Witting and Hugh H. Harris 
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00088A, Paper

Zinc ions modulate protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B activity
Elisa Bellomo, Alberto Massarotti, Christer Hogstrand and Wolfgang Maret 
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00086B, Paper

Detailed analysis of pro-apoptotic signaling and metabolic adaptation triggered by a N-heterocyclic carbene–gold(I) complex
Pavlo Holenya, Suzan Can, Riccardo Rubbiani, Hamed Alborzinia, Anja Jünger, Xinlai Cheng, Ingo Ott and Stefan Wölfl  
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00075G, Paper

Imbalance of iron influx and efflux causes brain iron accumulation over time in the healthy adult rat
Jie-Hua Chen, Nadia Singh, Huimin Tay and Thomas Walczyk 
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4MT00054D, Paper

Overview of the Role of Ferritin in Iron Metabolism

This post was written By Pui Sai Lau, Web Writer.
While ferritin is understood to be an intracellular protein required for the storage and controlled release of iron, its role as an inflammatory disease marker is unclear. Perplexingly, though ferritin is not created in serum, it is present there and the level of serum ferritin is often measured to indicate the iron status of a patient. However, to suitably use serum ferritin as a disease marker, a number of questions first need to be addressed. Does serum ferritin directly cause inflammation or is it a by-product of another cellular mechanism? What exactly is the role of ferritin in iron metabolism? Douglas B. Kell from the University of Manchester, UK and Etheresia Pretorius from the University of Pretoria, South Africa examine what is currently known about serum ferritin to deduce its possible role in biology, and evaluate its role as a marker of disease. Read their perspective by accessing link below. Do you agree or disagree with their conclusion? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Serum ferritin is an important inflammatory disease marker, as it is mainly a leakage product from damaged cells
Douglas B. Kell and Etheresia Pretorius
Metallomics, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3MT00347G, Perspective

This post has been written by Polly-Anna Ashford, a PhD student at the University of East Anglia, web-writer for Analyst and Analytical Methods and guest web-writer for Metallomics.

The role of metals in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been under investigation since the 1990s. Essential metals such as iron, copper and zinc have been linked to changes in proteins in AD patients. Toxic metals like arsenic and lead are also implicated, and aluminium is believed to have a significant role in degeneration. The measurement of metal concentrations in the brain is therefore an important investigative tool for AD researchers. The characterisation of metal ion complexes and metalloproteins is traditionally carried out by separation of the species by techniques such as size exclusion chromatography, followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

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In this study, led by Tamara García-Barrera and José Luis Gómez-Ariza at the University of Huelva, Spain, human blood serum samples were analysed by ICP-MS to establish the concentration of a range of different elements. The researchers were able to distinguish between high and low molecular weight metal species by precipitating the proteins and analysing both the supernatant and the precipitate. Samples from patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease were compared with healthy controls. From the results of their high throughput methodology, the authors have been able to draw significant conclusions about the link between changes in brain metal concentration and the advancement of neurodegenerative processes.

You can download the full artice below, which is free to access until March 3rd

Characterization of metal profiles in serum during the progression of Alzheimer’s disease
Raúl González-Domínguez, Tamara García-Barrera and José Luis Gómez-Ariza
Metallomics, 2014, 6, 292-300
DOI: 10.1039/C3MT00301A