title: Gene expression in Xenopus embryos after methylmercury exposure: a search for molecular biomarkers.
abstract: Mercury is a major issue in environmental health, as it can be biotransformed to methylmercury, accumulate into aquatic organisms, and enter the food chain. Therefore, we searched for molecular markers for methylmercury exposure comparing, by differential display, exposed Xenopus embryos to controls. We found two genes whose expression is completely inhibited by CH3HgCl, and we propose them as biomarkers of exposure. The first transcript appears to be a novel gene, with a short region similar to the human iron-sulfur subunit of succinate dehydrogenase. The second gene presents a high similarity with the human homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 3 (HIPK3), a protein that is known to be involved in the apoptotic signaling pathway. These molecular biomarkers could be used to detect very early effects of the metal; furthermore, they could be useful in understanding the molecular mechanisms of mercury toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Università dell'Insubria, Via Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Monetti
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vigetti
authors.forename: Mariangela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prati
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sabbioni
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bernardini
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gornati
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000187:drug effects*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000187:drug effects*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014981:Xenopus / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D005819:Genetic Markers; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D011494:Protein Kinases; C109102:HIPK3 protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases