"Based on the First International Symposium on Metals and Genetics held recently at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The only book of its kind to focus on the effects of metals on DNA. Provides up-to-date information on new developments in the field and their wide-ranging implications. Discusses the molecular mechanisms of metal-induced mutagenicity and carcinogenicity."
This book is the first comprehensive volume on the "Nramp family", highlighting the physiological importance of Nramp proteins as metal transporters. The molecular knowledge of these membrane proteins is presented from an evolutionary perspective, considering Nramp cellular function and mechanism of transport in key model organisms. The pathological significance of Nramp genetic polymorphism is discussed with emphasis on metal homeostasis and microbial infection. The chapters were contributed by leading investigators, providing a timely state of the art book in this rapidly growing field. The Nramp Family will be useful to a broad community of scientists interested in metal transport and molecular biology. It will be of interest to the research audience in the broad fields of metal ions and molecular medicine.
This volume of Current Topics in Membranes focuses on metal transmembrane transporters and pumps, a recently discovered family of membrane proteins with many important roles in the physiology of living organisms. The book summarizes the most recent advances in the field of metal ion transport and provides a broad overview of the major classes of transporters involved in homeostasis of heavy metals. Various families of the transporters and metal specificities are discussed with the focus on the structural and mechanistic aspects of their function and regulation. The reader will access information obtained through a variety of approaches ranging from X-ray crystallography to cell biology and bioinformatics, which have been applied to transporters identified in diverse biological systems, such as pathogenic bacteria, plants, humans and others. Field is cutting-edge and a lot of the information is new to research community Wide breadth of topic coverage Contributors of high renown and expertise
Chapters in this book review the remarkable advances in the field of zinc biology over the last decade. Zinc is essential for life, in particular for growth and development, through its role in hundreds of zinc enzymes and thousands of zinc proteins. Its catalytic, structural, and regulatory functions in these proteins impact metabolism, gene expression, and signal transduction, including neurotransmission. Among the micronutrients, zinc may rank with iron as to its importance for public health. The topics covered range from single molecules to cells and to whole organisms: the chemistry, design, and application of fluorophores for the determination of cellular zinc; the role of zinc in proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of cells; proteins that transport, sense, and distribute zinc and together form a cellular homeostatic system; the coordination chemistry of zinc in metalloproteins; the role of zinc in the brain as a neuromodulator/transmitter; the dependence of the immune system on zinc; zinc homeostasis in the whole human body.
The term “heavy metals” is used as a group name of toxic metals and metalloids (semimetals) causing contaminations and ecotoxicity. In strict chemical sense the density of heavy metals is higher than 5 g/cm3. From biological point of view as microelements they can be divided into two major groups. a. For their physiological function organisms and cells require essential microelements such as iron, chromium (III), cobalt, copper, manganese, molidenium, zinc. b. The other group of heavy metals is toxic to the health or environment. Of highest concern are the emissions of As, Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, Tl. The toxicity of heavy metals is well known at organizational level, while less attention has been paid to their cellular effects. This book describes the toxicity of heavy metals on microorganisms, yeast, plant and animal cells. Other chapters of the book deal with their genotoxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic effects. The toxicity of several metals touch upon the aspects of environmental hazard, ecosystems and human health. Among the cellular responses of heavy metals irregularities in cellular mechanisms such as gene expression, protein folding, stress signaling pathways are among the most important ones. The final chapters deal with biosensors and removal of heavy metals. As everybody is eating, drinking and exposed to heavy metals on a daily basis, the spirit of the book will attract a wide audience.
Plant Metal Interaction: Emerging Remediation Techniques covers different heavy metals and their effect on soils and plants, along with the remediation techniques currently available. As cultivable land is declining day-by-day as a result of increased metals in our soil and water, there is an urgent need to remediate these effects. This multi-contributed book is divided into four sections covering the whole of plant metal interactions, including heavy metals, approaches to alleviate heavy metal stress, microbial approaches to remove heavy metals, and phytoremediation. - Provides an overview of the effect of different heavy metals on growth, biochemical reactions, and physiology of various plants - Serves as a reference guide for available techniques, challenges, and possible solutions in heavy metal remediation - Covers sustainable technologies in uptake and removal of heavy metals
Handbook of Bioremediation: Physiological, Molecular and Biotechnological Interventions discusses the mechanisms of responding to inorganic and organic pollutants in the environment using different approaches of phytoremediation and bioremediation. Part One focuses specifically on inorganic pollutants and the use of techniques such as metallothionein-assisted remediation, phytoextraction and genetic manipulation. Part Two covers organic pollutants and consider topics such as plant enzymes, antioxidant defense systems and the remediation mechanisms of different plant species. This comprehensive volume is a must-read for researchers interested in plant science, agriculture, soil science and environmental science. The techniques covered in this book will ensure scientists have the knowledge to practice effective bioremediation techniques themselves. - Provides a comprehensive review of the latest advances in bioremediation of organic and inorganic pollutants - Discusses a range of different phytoremediation techniques - Evaluates the role of genomics and bioinformatics within bioremediation
Each disease-related chapter begins with a detailed description of the patient and the delineating symptoms used for establishing the diagnosis and differential diagnosis. The highly detailed figures illustrate the metabolic derangement in a uniform way, together with essential aspects of the genetics involved, thus affording clarification and better understanding of the treatment. Topics covered range from general aspects such as the clinical approach, emergency treatment, diagnostic procedures, and psychosocial care for the child and the family, to specific discussions of new modes of treatment, including liver, bone marrow transplantation and somatic gene therapy.
Chapters on specific metals include physical and chemical properties, methods and problems of analysis, production and uses, environmental levels and exposures, metabolism, levels in tissues and biological fluids, effects and dose-response relationships, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, teratogenicity and preventative measures, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.
