• Molecules and Cells
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.81-87
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• 2005

Phytochelatins play an important role in heavy metal detoxification in plants as well as in other organisms. The Arabidopsis thaliana mutant cad1-3 does not produce detectable levels of phytochelatins in response to cadmium stress. The hypersensitivity of cad1-3 to cadmium stress is attributed to a mutation in the phytochelatin synthase 1 (AtPCS1) gene. However, A. thaliana also contains a functional phytochelatin synthase 2 (AtPCS2). In this study, we investigated why the cad1-3 mutant is hypersensitive to cadmium stress despite the presence of AtPCS2. Northern and Western blot analyses showed that expression of AtPCS2 is weak compared to AtPCS1 in both roots and shoots of transgenic Arabidopsis. The lower level of AtPCS2 expression was confirmed by RT-PCR analysis of wild type Arabidopsis. Moreover, no tissue-specific expression of AtPCS2 was observed. Even when AtPCS2 was under the control of the AtPCS1 promoter or of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (CaMV 35S) it was not capable of fully complementing the cad1-3 mutant for cadmium resistance.

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.95-95
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• 2002

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1403-1413
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• 2013

The effects of cadmium ions ($Cd^{2+}$) on the Chl a fluorescence of Ricciocarpos natans were investigated in order to determine whether Chl fluorescence can be used as a biomarker to estimate the physiological responses of plants to cadmium stress. In all plants treated with $Cd^{2+}$, the image of Fv/Fm, which represents the maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII, changed as the $Cd^{2+}$ concentration increased, when treated for 48 h or more. Changes of ${\Phi}_{PSII}$ and $Q_P$ images were recognized even at 10 ${\mu}M$ $Cd^{2+}$. The Chl a O-J-I-P fluorescence transient was also affected even at 10 ${\mu}M$ $Cd^{2+}$. The fluorescence yield decreased considerably in steps J, I and P in plants treated with $Cd^{2+}$, although a typical polyphasic rise was observed in non-treated plants. The Chl fluorescence parameters, Fm, Fv/Fo, Sm, SFIabs, PIabs and ETo/CS, decreased as the $Cd^{2+}$ concentration increased, while the Mo and Kn parameters increased. Peroxidase activity decreased significantly and catalase activity increased as the $Cd^{2+}$ concentration increased. Because of its sensitivity to $Cd^{2+}$ Ricciocarpos natans is useful in experiments investigating the responses of plants to cadmium exposure. Several parameters (Fm, Fv/Fo, Sm, SFIabs, PIabs, ETo/CS, Mo and Kn) can be applied to determine quantitatively the physiological states of plants under cadmium stress.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1055-1062
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• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate whether dietary chlorella intake could have an effect on antioxidative capacity in rats oxidatively stressed with cadmium (Cd). Sprague-Dawley rats fed dietary chlorella (0, 5, and 10%) for 4 weeks after induction of oxidative stress by exposing to Cd (200 ppm) for 8 weeks. After the oxidative stress applied, plasma and liver malondialdehyde concentrations and xanthine oxidase activities were decreased in 5% chlorella fed group compared to chlorella free group. Although liver heme oxygenase-1 protein expression was not affected by chlorella, the enzyme activity was improved in 5% chlorella fed group. Erythrocyte superoxide dismutase activity and hepatic metallothionein concentration were increased in 5% chlorella fed group. However, 10% chlorella intake had no effect on the improvement of oxidative stress-related enzymes and proteins. These findings suggest that, after induction of oxidative stress with Cd, 5% chlorella intake might improve antioxidative capacity against oxidative stress.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.50
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• pp.76-81
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• 2023

As cultured plant cells can grow in high oxidative stress conditions, they form an excellent system to study antioxidant mechanisms and the mass production of antioxidants. Oxidative stress is a major cause of damage in plants exposed to various types of environmental stress, including heavy metals, such as cadmium (Cd). Heavy metal accumulation can interfere with many cell functions and plant growth. To evaluate the contribution of oxidative stress to Cd-induced toxicity, cultured sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) cells were treated with increasing concentrations of Cd (0, 10, 25, and 50 μM) and cultured further. Cell growth was significantly inhibited by 25 and 50 μM of Cd, and the total protein content increased with 50 μM of Cd. Additionally, the activity of peroxidase (POD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), antioxidant enzymes that remove hydrogen peroxide (a reactive oxygen species), increased in the cells after treatment with 50 μM of Cd. The expression analysis of POD, APX, and peroxiredoxin (PRX) isolated from sweetpotato cultured cells in a previous study revealed the differential expression of POD in response to Cd. In this study, the expression levels of several acidic POD (swpa2, swpa3, and swpa4) and basal POD (swpb1, swpb2, and swpb3) genes were increased in Cd-treated cultured cells. These results indicate that Cd-mediated oxidative stress is closely linked to improved POD-mediated antioxidant defense capacity in sweetpotato suspension-cultured cells.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1998.10b
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• pp.285.1-285
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• 1998

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.327-337
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• 2020

Objective : Citri Unshius Pericarpium is the dried peel of mature fruit of Citrus unshiu Markovich and has been used to treat indigestion, vomiting, and removal of phlegm. This study investigated the hepatoprotective and antioxidant effect of CEE (Ethanol extract of Citri Unshius Pericarpium) in cadmium (CdCl₂)-treated HepG2 cells. Methods : Component analysis of Citri Unshius Pericarpium was analyzed by UPLC with C₁₈ column. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. The enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were analyzed using commercially available kits. Results : Cadmium caused severe HepG2 cell death. Cadmium also increased ROS production, consistent with depletion of GSH and inhibition of the SOD enzyme. However, CEE treatment reduced cell death and relieved oxidative stress caused by cadmium toxicity. CEE lowered ROS levels and improved depletion of GSH levels. CEE also enhanced the enzymatic activity of SOD. In component analysis, hesperidin was the most abundant of the five marker compounds (Narigenin, Narigin, Narirutin, Hesperidin and Hesperidin), which assumes that hesperidin partially contributed to the antioxidant activity of CEE. Conclusion : These results suggested that CEE could be a potential substance to solve heavy metal-related health problems. In particular, inhibition of oxidative stress by CEE can be a way to treat liver damage caused by cadmium.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.20-23
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• 1994

The polymerase chain reaction was used to study the genes inducible under stress from the heavy metal cadmium. Schizosaccharomyces pombe, grown in the presence or absence of sublethal concentration of cadmium, was isolated to purify the total RNAs. The Induced RNA Random Fishing (IRRF) method in which random oligonucleotides were used as primers was applied to the identification of cadmium-induced gene expressions. A PCR-DNA product of 400-bp was cloned and sequenced. Computer analysis showed that this DNA has no homology with any known DNA sequences in GenBank or EMBL databases. The induction of this gene was confirmed by Northern blot analysis of total RNAs isolated from both cadmium-treated and untreated yeast cells.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.91-101
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• 1996

Exposure indices are important tools which enable scientists to reliably predict and detect exposures to xenobiotics and resultant cell injury. Since the de novo synthesis of stress proteins can be detected early after exposure to some agents, analysis of toxicant-induced changes in gene expression, i.e. alterations in patterns of protein synthesis, may be useful to develop as biomarkers of exposure and toxicity. The acute and chronic effects of cadmium(Cd, $CdCl_2$ 20 mg/kg) on Wistar male rats were evaluated concerning cadmium contents, tissues enzyme activity, HSP expression. The results of the study were as follows: 1. Less cadmium was absorbed through the digestive tracts, but the ratio of contents in renal to hepatic cadmium was higher at 8 weeks after treatment. 2. ALT(alanine aminotransferase), AST(aspartate aminotransferase), glucose, BUN(blood urea nitrogen), creatinine, the key indices of the clinical changes in hepatic and renal function were significantly changed by the cadmium treatment after 1 week in liver, after 4 weeks in kidney. 3. Enhanced synthesis of 70 KDa relative molecular mass proteins were detected in 2 hours after cadmium exposure, with maximum activity occurring at 8~48 hours. Induction of $HSP_{70}$ was evident at proximal tubules and glomeruli in kidney. Testicular cells produced enough HSP to be detected normally. From the above results, it could be concluded that $HSP_{70}$ induction by the cadmium treatment was a rapid reaction to indicate the exposure of xenobiotics.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.173-186
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• 2003

The transition metal cadmium is a serious occupational and environmental toxin. To inhibit cadmium-induced damage, cells respond by increasing the expression of genes that encode stress-responsive proteins. The metal-regulatory transcription factor 1 (MTF-1) is a key regulator of heavy-metal induced transcription of metallothionein-I and II and other genes in mammals and other metazoans. Transcriptional activation of genes by MTF-1 is mediated through binding to metal-responsive elements in the target gene promoters. Phosphorylation of MTF-1 plays a critical role in the cadmium-inducible transcriptional activation of metallothionein and other responses. Studies using inhibitors indicate that multiple kinases and signal transduction cascades, including those mediated by protein kinase C, tyrosine kinase and casein kinase II, are essential for cadmium-mediated transcriptional activation. In addition, calcium signaling is also involved in regulating metal-activated transcription. In several species, cadmium induces heat shock genes. Recently much progress has been made in elucidating the cellular machinery that regulates this metal-inducible gene expression. This review summarizes these recent advances in understanding the role of some known cadmium-responsive genes and the molecular mechanisms that activate metal-responsive transcription factor, MTF-1.