Arsenic-induced Stress Research Articles

Differential Proteome Analysis of <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i> Response to Arsenic Exposure

The fresh water unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was used to explore whether it could function as a model system to identify proteins that are differentially expressed in response to arsenate exposure. Cells were treated with different concentrations of arsenate ranging from 100 - 400 μM. When exposed to 200 μM arsenate, the amount of live cells started to lessen on the second day and continued to diminish, indicating a toxic effect of arsenate. Proteomic analysis was used to investigate if these cells showed a specific response to arsenic-induced stress. Fifteen proteins were found that were over-expressed in the 200 μM arsenate-treated samples and two proteins were found to be very strongly over-expressed in samples treated with 400 μM. These were selected for identification using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Oxidative stress and protein damage were the major effects as shown by the up-regulation of Mn-superoxide dismutase, an oxygen-evolving enhancer protein, a chaperonin-like protein and a heat shock protein.

Nuclear organization in genome stability: SUMO connections

Recent findings show that chromatin dynamics and nuclear organization are not only important for gene regulation and DNA replication, but also for the maintenance of genome stability. In yeast, nuclear pores play a role in the maintenance of genome stability by means of the evolutionarily conserved family of SUMO-targeted Ubiquitin ligases (STUbLs). The yeast Slx5/Slx8 STUbL associates with a class of DNA breaks that are shifted to nuclear pores. Functionally Slx5/Slx8 are needed for telomere maintenance by an unusual recombination-mediated pathway. The mammalian STUbL RNF4 associates with Promyelocytic leukaemia (PML) nuclear bodies and regulates PML/PML-fusion protein stability in response to arsenic-induced stress. A subclass of PML bodies support telomere maintenance by the ALT pathway in telomerase-deficient tumors. Perturbation of nuclear organization through either loss of pore subunits in yeast, or PML body perturbation in man, can lead to gene amplifications, deletions, translocations or end-to-end telomere fusion events, thus implicating SUMO and STUbLs in the subnuclear organization of select repair events.

Characterization of glutathione reductase and catalase in the fronds of two Pteris ferns upon arsenic exposure

To better understand the mechanisms of plant tolerance to high concentration of arsenic, we characterized two antioxidant enzymes, glutathione reductase (GR) and catalase (CAT), in the fronds of Pteris vittata, an arsenic-hyperaccumulating fern, and Pteris ensiformis, an arsenic-sensitive fern. The induction, activation and apparent kinetics of GR and CAT in the plants upon arsenic exposure were investigated. Under arsenic exposure (sodium arsenate), CAT activity in P. vittata was increased by 1.5-fold, but GR activity was unchanged. Further, GR was not inhibited or activated by the arsenic in assays. No significant differences in K(m) and V(max) values of GR or CAT were observed between the two ferns. However, CAT activity in P. vittata was activated by 200 microM arsenate up to 300% compared to the control. Similar but much smaller increases were observed for P. ensiformis and purified bovine liver catalase (133% and 120%, respectively). This research reports, for the first time, the activation of CAT by arsenic in P. vittata. The increased CAT activities may allow P. vittata to more efficiently mediate arsenic-induced stress by preparing the fern for the impeding production of reactive oxygen species resulting from arsenate reduction to arsenite in the fronds.

Integrating phenotypic and expression profiles to map arsenic-response networks

By integrating phenotypic and transcriptional profiling and mapping the data onto metabolic and regulatory networks, it was shown that arsenic probably channels sulfur into glutathione for detoxification, leads to indirect oxidative stress by depleting glutathione pools, and alters protein turnover via arsenation of sulfhydryl groups on proteins.

Stress Proteins Induced by Arsenic

The elevated expression of stress proteins is considered to be a universal response to adverse conditions, representing a potential mechanism of cellular defense against disease and a potential target for novel therapeutics. Exposure to arsenicals either in vitro or in vivo in a variety of model systems has been shown to cause the induction of a number of the major stress protein families such as heat shock proteins (Hsp). Among them are members with low molecular weight, such as metallotionein and ubiquitin, as well as ones with masses of 27, 32, 60, 70, 90, and 110 kDa. In most of the cases, the induction of stress proteins depends on the capacity of the arsenical to reach the target, its valence, and the type of exposure, arsenite being the biggest inducer of most Hsp in several organs and systems. Hsp induction is a rapid dose-dependent response (1–8 h) to the acute exposure to arsenite. Thus, the stress response appears to be useful to monitor the sublethal toxicity resulting from a single exposure to arsenite. The present paper offers a critical review of the capacity of arsenicals to modulate the expression and/or accumulation of stress proteins. The physiological consequences of the arsenic-induced stress and its usefulness in monitoring effects resulting from arsenic exposure in humans and other organisms are discussed.

Stress-related gene expression in mice treated with inorganic arsenicals.

Arsenic (As) is an environmental chemical of high concern for human health. Acute toxicity of arsenic is dependent on its chemical forms and proximity to high local arsenic concentrations is one of the mechanisms for cell death. This study was designed to define acute arsenic-induced stress-related gene expression in vivo. Mice were injected sc with either sodium arsenite [As(III), 100 micromol/kg], sodium arsenate [As(V), 300 micromol/kg], or saline. To examine stress-related gene expression, livers were removed 3 h after arsenic injection for RNA and protein extraction. The Atlas Mouse Stress/Toxicology array revealed that the expression of genes related to stress, DNA damage, and metabolism was altered by acute arsenic treatments. Expression of heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), a hallmark for arsenic-induced stress, was increased 10-fold, along with increases in heat shock protein-60 (HSP60), DNA damage inducible protein GADD45, and the DNA excision repair protein ERCC1. Downregulation of certain cytochrome P450 enzymes occurred with arsenic treatment. Multiprobe RNase protection assay revealed the activation of the c-Jun/AP-1 transcription complex after arsenic treatments. Western blot analysis further confirmed the enhanced production of arsenic-induced stress proteins such as HO-1, HSP70, HSP90, metallothionein, the metal-responsive transcription factor MTF-1, nuclear factor kappa B and c-Jun/AP-1. Increases in caspase-1 and cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 were also evident. In summary, this study profiled the gene expression pattern in mice treated with inorganic arsenicals, which adds to our understanding of acute arsenic poisoning and toxicity.