Goodbye to Silvia Atrian
Mercè Capdevila and Òscar Palacios, longtime collaborators and friends of Silvia Atrian, reflect on Silvia's impact on the field of metallomics, as highlighted in a collection of papers published in Metallomics.
Perspective
Cadmium exposure during pregnancy and lactation: materno-fetal and newborn repercussions of Cd(II), and Cd–metallothionein complexes
The toxicity of cadmium during pregnancy and lactation causes low zinc levels, metallothionein changes and materno-fetal and newborn alterations.
The complex global response to copper in the multicellular bacterium Myxococcus xanthus
Mechanism of action of CorE, a metal-dependent ECF σ factor.
Metallothionein diversity and distribution in the tree of life: a multifunctional protein
Metallothioneins are diverse, but not represented yet in all phyla. Moreover, they play a central role as a [MT:T:TO] protein system.
Communication
Interaction of Cu(I) with the Met-X3-Met motif of alpha-synuclein: binding ligands, affinity and structural features
Coordination environment and conformational consequences of Cu(I) binding at Met-X3-Met site of AcαS.
Role of the Fusarium oxysporum metallothionein Mt1 in resistance to metal toxicity and virulence
Soil organisms exhibit high tolerance to heavy metals, probably acquired through evolutionary adaptation to contaminated environments.
Computational insight into the interaction of oxaliplatin with insulin
Multiscale theoretical approach predicts the binding of oxaliplatin to insulin and its implications in conformational changes implying potential effects on the biological functions of the protein.
Pb(II) binding to the brain specific mammalian metallothionein isoform MT3 and its isolated αMT3 and βMT3 domains
MT3 can bind Pb2+ to form a variety of metallated Pb-MT3 species.
Paper
Induced CD of iron(II) clathrochelates: sensing of the structural and conformational alterations of serum albumins
Iron(II) clathrochelates are protein-sensitive CD reporters able to discriminate proteins of similar structure (HSA and BSA) and reflect the transitions of protein conformation.
Mouse metallothionein-1 and metallothionein-2 are not biologically interchangeable in an animal model of multiple sclerosis, EAE
Mice treated daily with MT2 (but not MT1) showed a significant amelioration of the clinical course of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).
Paper
Molecular genetic and biochemical characterization of a putative family of zinc metalloproteins in Caenorhabditis elegans
The first characterization of W08E12.2, W08E12.3, W08E12.4 and W08E12.5, four putative metalloproteins in C. elegans. (A) phase contrast microscopy, (B) fluorescence microscopy of PW08E12.3;W08E12.4::GFP.
Non-coordinative metal selectivity bias in human metallothioneins metal–thiolate clusters
Mammalian metallothioneins MT-2 and MT-3 contain two metal–thiolate clusters through cysteine coordination of d10 metals, Cu(I) and Zn(II), and isoform-specific non-coordinating residues control their respective zinc– and copper–thionein character.
Analysis of the soybean metallothionein system under free radical stress: protein modification connected to lipid membrane damage
Metal clusters act as good interceptors of free radicals for four plant metallothioneins: partial deconstruction, structural rearrangement and damage transfer to cell membranes.
Pneumococcal histidine triads – involved not only in Zn2+, but also Ni2+ binding?
Polyhistidine triad proteins (with multiple copies of the HxxHxH sequence), which participate in Zn2+ uptake in Streptococcus pneumoniae, are also efficient Ni2+ binders.
Metal binding functions of metallothioneins in the slug Arion vulgaris differ from metal-specific isoforms of terrestrial snails
Arion vulgaris is a European slug with a huge potential for accumulating and detoxifying heavy metals.
Paper
Metallothioneins of the urochordate Oikopleura dioica have Cys-rich tandem repeats, large size and cadmium-binding preference
Oikopleura dioica has the longest metallothionein described so far, made of repeats generated by a modular and step-wise evolution.
The type 4 metallothionein from Brassica napus seeds folds in a metal-dependent fashion and favours zinc over other metals
Rapeseed MT4 only folds properly in the presence of Zn2+ and thus may serve as a selectivity filter for metal accumulation in plant embryos.
A histidine-rich Pseudomonas metallothionein with a disordered tail displays higher binding capacity for cadmium than zinc
The NMR solution structure of a Pseudomonas metallothionein reveals a different binding capacity for ZnII and CdII ions that results in two novel metal-cluster topologies. Replacement of a non-coordinating residue by histidine decreases the kinetic lability of the cluster. All three structures reported show an identical protein fold.
Molecular strategies to increase yeast iron accumulation and resistance
The expression of the constitutive Saccharomyces cerevisiae Aft1-1UP transcription factor increases iron accumulation, oxidative stress and iron-sensitivity, but diminishes oxygen consumption.
Paper
Short oligopeptides with three cysteine residues as models of sulphur-rich Cu(I)- and Hg(II)-binding sites in proteins
Peptides mimicking sulphur-rich fragments found in metallothioneins display unexpectedly different behaviours with the two metal ions Hg(II) and Cu(I).
About this collection
Silvia Atrian made numerous valuable contributions to the scientific community. Her insightful work exploring the metal binding abilities of metallothioneins in many species, which lead to a new classification proposal aimed at understanding their functionality, has helped bring clarity to a complex set of questions. In addition to her work, she will be remembered by members of the community for her generosity of spirit and her willingness to work with and help others in the field.
Guest Edited by her long-time collaborator Mercè Capdevila, we hope that this collection of papers in Metallomics will be a fitting memorial to an inspiring mentor and outstanding scientist.